What critical news story received less overall mainstream media coverage than Dennis Kucinich's introduction of 35 articles of impeachment against President Bush? What same news, with immense impact on our First Amendment rights, got even shorter shrift than last week's Senate Select Committee on Intelligence report confirming that the Bush administration "led the nation to war on false premises"?
Give up?
Here's a hint: Fox News, if inadvertently and riddled with falsehoods, devoted more attention to this story than almost any other news outlet.
The answer? The National Conference for Media Reform (NCMR).
You know, where all those "fascists" and "loons," who "live in an alternative universe," come together to revivify freedom of the press even though "about 50% of the liberals say [the media] is unbiased." (Please click on that link to see video of Bill O'Reilly, "journalist" Juan Williams - who officially forfeits any remaining semblance of journalistic credibility - and "political analyst" Mary Katherine Ham discuss the conference; it's a cartoonish example of what inspired the media reform movement to begin with.)
But "We'll Do It Live!" O'Reilly also sent his Factor producer-turned-"reporter" to ambush journalism legend Bill Moyers at the conference, with not quite the desired outcome. This, in turn, resulted in the only other coverage the NCMR received on TV, courtesy of O'Reilly nemesis Keith Olbermann.
Aside from O'Reilly's ludicrous Orwellian attacks on the NCMR and Olbermann's skewering of them, along with O'Reilly's little capo, news of the conference was blacked out on air, in print and online by big media outlets.
With one interesting exception.
Four of our nation's largest sources for business news - CNBC, CNN Money, BusinessWeek and Forbes - all reprinted an online variation of an Associated Press dispatch about the media reform conference.
And this makes perfect sense, doesn't it?
Even with massive losses in viewers and readers, big media conglomerates have no desire or intention to improve journalism. They fear a truly vigorous press, which is why their only interest in the National Conference for Media Reform is how such efforts might one day impact their bottom line.
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The Big Story with the Least MSM Coverage? (Guess Again.)
Posted by: Brad Jacobson | June 11, 2008 at 02:53 PM
I covered it. Pelosi was right: Kucinich's "move was unlikely to succeed and would be divisive."
Posted by: Americaneocon | June 12, 2008 at 10:41 AM
Uh, you mean you covered Kucinich's articles of impeachment for President Bush (and so thoroughly, too *cough, cough*). Even in your comment, you can't even bring yourself to reference the matter at hand - the National Conference for Media Reform. You're like Fonzie (or, say, Bush) trying to say he's wrong. Go on, say the words. I know it's difficult. The N-a-t-i-o-n-a-l C-o-n-f-e-r-e-n-c-e for M-e-d-i-a R-e-f-o-r-m. I know, reality is hard work. Better luck next time.
Posted by: Brad Jacobson | June 12, 2008 at 01:19 PM
Pelosi should be impeached. But that's okay. When the bad karma is comes home to roost, she'll regret her choices. Of course by then it'll be too late.
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5juSNRMkDVQt0A6s00m5Vies7E9Fg
Posted by: Arch Stanton | June 12, 2008 at 03:27 PM