The Widening Wasteland of the American Media

[Guest guest]

http://www.counterpunch.com/nader12102005.html

 

 

 

Counterpunch

 

 

December 10 / 11, 2005

Advertisements, Infomercials and Stacatto News

The Widening Wasteland of the American Media

 

By RALPH NADER

 

There are times when unchallenged commercial greed morphs into

institutional insanity. I am referring to the overall

advertising-saturated, trivialized performance of the media

conglomerates' utilization of our public airwaves 24 hours a day and

their dominance of the ever-expanding scores of cable channels.

 

Take a test. If you are an average consumer of TV or radio broadcasts

or newspapers and magazines, you are ready for your exam. Have you

ever seen coverage of the following three long-standing civic

organizations working on very important aspects of our society's needs

and failures?

 

Lois Gibbs came out of the struggle over Love Canal's toxified

residential neighborhoods to start and lead the nationwide Center for

Health, Environment and Justice (CHEJ) in Falls Church, Virginia. Over

the years the Center has organized thousands of small but vigorous

community groups who are challenging or stopping the presence of toxic

chemical particulates and gases in largely lower-income neighborhoods.

Lois and her associates have trained thousands of ordinary people,

committed to protecting their families, and educated scores of

communities about the nature of these toxics and what can be done

about them with law, action and exposure.

 

They have victory after victory to show for their efforts, but so

intense and widespread has been the poisoning of America over the

decades by corporations that there is always more to discover and do.

 

Right now, the Center has its community associations " fighting to

block local schools from being built on contaminated land in Alabama,

New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. " CHEJ's new

report--Building Safe Schools: Invisible Threats, Visible

Actions--covers the laws and situations in 50 states. Here is one

example of many:

 

" In Birmingham, Alabama, Wenonah High School is being constructed

on contaminated soil. The site is also across the street from the

largest gasoline storage facility in the state and is adjacent to a

railroad track and a junkyard. The site was further contaminated this

past July by a gas spill when a train and gas truck collided right in

front of the site of the future school. "

 

For more information, see www.childproofing.org.

 

For an astoundingly-optimistic demonstration of what science can do

for the people, consider the Appalachia Science in the Public Interest

(ASPI) out of Livingston, Kentucky. Founded in the '70s by one of our

former public interest scientists, Dr. Albert Fritsch, ASPI has shown

what can be done for peoples' houses, cars, and larger buildings with

" proven energy conservation, healthy home and renewable energy

solutions. " It connects " consumers with marketers of related products

and services " .

 

It is the moving force, with state agencies, renewable-energy

companies and college institutions, behind the annual Bluegrass Energy

Expo. The 2005 event featured, among others, the University of

Kentucky College of Engineering Solar Car. The Expo has taught many

people in what one writer called " a rich land with poor people " about

sustainable forests, water purification and conservation. It is a very

hands-on organization that makes you want to obtain its recommended

products pronto. See its web site: www.a-spi.org. And send for its

wonderfully-engrossing Simple Lifestyle Calendar 2006 for $7.50 (to

ASPI Calendar, 50 Lair Street, Mt. Vernon, KY 40456).

 

In Washington, D.C. another unsung group of Americans is working hard

at the National Coalition for the Homeless (NCH). END TWO There are

hundreds of thousands of homeless people in our wealthy country.

According to the Homeless Coalition, " 60% are living in emergency

shelter or transitional housing, and 40% are living on the streets.

The majority, 53% are single adults, 42% are families and 5% are

homeless/runaway youth. "

 

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, says NCH, " multiplied the homeless

population along the Gulf Coast by as much as a hundred fold. " All

this is in the face of the Bush regime's proposed slicing of federal

subsidies for housing by 40%. That proposal, sent to Congress, does

not cut the burgeoning budget for the number one occupant of public

housing--George W. Bush in the White House.

 

NCH reports, organizes and lobbies all over the country. They are

supporting legislation, introduced by Rep. Julia Carson, of federal

homeless policies that " tackle the root causes of homelessness and

poverty in this nation. " For more on NCH, see its web page:

www.nationalhomeless.org.

 

Now back to the mostly maniacal mass media's priorities. 90% of radio

and television are devoted to advertisements and entertainment. Often

the rest is staccato news, weather and sports repeated throughout the

day. There are, of course, he sterling exceptions such as weekly

sections of 60 Minutes or the two and a half minute investigations on

the network nightly TV news.

 

Cable is a widening wasteland. With infomercials (bracelets and

necklaces, etc.), re-run movies, sports and comedy shows, and endless

silly drivel, it does not matter how many new cable channels are

added. There will not be any devoted to the wholesome activities and

successes of groups such as the aforementioned to life up people, get

them more active and introduce the young to practical citizenship that

solves serious problems.

 

That is, not until enough people around America become serious about

the need for serious media and reassert some control over the public

airwaves they own and the no-rent licenses given out to radio and

television companies by the Federal Communications Commission.

Communities that license cable companies also need to feel the

enlightened heat of local residents and neighborhood groups. It is

ours for the demanding.

 

Let's start demanding.