Media, Culture & Society

This video was done on a blog at Rocketboom.com. For no longer than the piece is, it is fairly informative and might be a great help in explaining net neutrality to friends or groups who know little or nothing about it. Gotta love the pro-business comments left about this video– (these of course have my own spin as to what people sound like)

“Government control of private enterprise? Preposterous.” –Since when has the internet been private? Anyone and everyone can use it and see what you’re doing if they just know how.

“TeleCo’s aren’t really trying to make any more money than they do now.”

“I’ve seen the birth and development of the internet first hand and I know exactly how it works. You’re using TeleCo property, so net neutrality is just stealing.” –as if charging $40 a month for access isn’t?

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SPap8ijDv…

Here is the 30-second TV spot compiled by the TeleCo companies to get people to hate net-neutrality. Notice the use of text colors/effects, irrelevant images, and wording (Mumbo jumbo? Seriously people, how old was the person who wrote this commercial?) And lastly, take notice how they call it a “scheme by the Silicon Valley Tech companies to make you pay more.” I guess the TeleCo companies own Silicon Valley too…

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPIYxtjLF…

I don’t have a flash extractor and WordPress apparently doesn’t support HTML embedding, so you’ll have to follow the link.

Check out this website for some payola activism. Click here

Project Censored, a collaborative student-faculty research program based in California, has issued it’s nominations for top Junk Food News stories of 2006-2007. Given our discussions this semester, I think you’ll appreciate this little item. Vote early, vote often…

Video on the significance of “media access” and “media literacy”–broadly defined–especially for young people. This video, and the programs it describes, demonstrates the potential media education holds for popular participation in civic discourse and public culture.

Video response to problematic reporting on Fox News regarding 2008 Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

Brief piece on the belated arrival of independent and public service media organizations to the new social networking environment (aka Web 2.0). The essay, by Steve Anderson, can be accessed at NewAssignment.net here.

NewAssignment is a MUST READ for anyone interested in the future of high caliber journalism. Visit the site here.

For more information on the film we screened today, visit this page from the Media Education Foundation (MEF). The page also features a short biographical note on Amy Goodman, host of Pacifica Radio’s Democracy Now!

While you are at it, you might take a look at the sort of work MEF does in the way of critical media literacy. Chances are that you’ve seen any number of MEF videos in your media studies courses.