How bloggers and the neutral internet keep pundits honest.

Political Pundits no longer have license to perch on their pedestal and spout off on anything they want. Their jobs were cushy, little if any were held accountable for what they said.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodies?

Who watches the Watchmen?

Bloggers, that's who.

check it out http://www.thenation.com/doc/20070423/alterman

Net Neutrality and the Bigger Picture

Net Neutrality allows for more than obtaining choice information at the speed any information is obtained. Net neutrality is important because it ensures that people are allowed to CHOOSE the information they are receiving. Freedom of information is a fundamental part of democracy.

"We have an honorable media. They give us all the information we need and more."

Mainstream media outlets have vested interests ($$$) in some of today's most contentious political issues. Media consolidation over the past few decades has led to increasingly limited sources of information.
News Corporation, General Electric, Disney, Time Warner, Viacom, and CBS Corporation are the Big Six of the U.S. current mainstream media. (The Nation, July 3 2006). View the media chart, noting the holdings in television, magazines, music, film, and Internet companies, at http://www.thenation.com/doc/20060703/mediachart

Furthermore, advertiser influence on material covered in these media outlets biases the information disseminated.
Check out FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) for comprehensive information on the flaws in today's corporate media.

A few examples of corporate media bias

Former Donahue Producer Jeff Cohen's comments on Democracy Now:
Well, think about it. When his show was taken off the air three weeks before the Iraq invasion began, it was the most watched program on the channel. And it’s very rare in TV news, where the most watched program -- or TV -- where a most watched program gets cancelled.

And, you know, the day after Donahue was terminated, that memo leaked out. It was never supposed to get public. An NBC internal memo about MSNB, it said: “Donahue represents a difficult public face for NBC in a time of war. He seems to delight in presenting guests who are antiwar, anti-Bush and skeptical of the administration's motives.” What they really worried about is we had -- we tried to get dissenters on there that would say, “You know, this might not be about weapons. This impending invasion might be about oil or military bases or empire.” And to question motives is almost a cardinal rule, to say that the motives of U.S. foreign policy might not be pure, that’s not something they want.

And, you know, that NBC internal memo that leaked a day after Donahue was terminated, it went on to describe their nightmare scenario: “Donahue would become a home for the liberal antiwar agenda” -- I’m quoting -- “at the same time that our competitors are waving the flag at every opportunity.”

General Electric owns NBC and MSNBC among others.
General Electric: Military contracts 2005: $2.2 billion
Defense-related contributions in the 2004 election cycle: $220,950
As cited on Corp Watch
Obviously, General electric not only has an interest in public support (financing) for military operations, but also elections as elected officials must award them such military contracts.
How might this influence their programming? Use your imagination or do some research.

Can you find other examples of corporate media bias?
Post a comment.

In this climate, the Internet has the capability to provide non corporate-sponsored information that empowers citizens to become informed participants in democracy.

Will we let the Internet giant companies bias the Net the way cable broadcasting has been?
Or will we demand Net Neutrality Now!?

Another simple explanation of net neutrality importance

Congress-Man.... with kung-fu action!!!

So one of our members received an e-mail from Congressman Lee Terry "addressing" concerns about Net Neutrality.

We are impressed with Congressman Terry's talent to trample our civil rights and special powers to let large corporations with big wallets buy his support while sacrificing the freedom and will of his constituents. High Five Lee!!!!!!!!

Please, for those of you who live in Omaha, advocate!! Maybe you too can receive this "awesome, blow your mind, really concerned" response from Congressman Terry. ;P

C'mon Lee, stand up for the neutral internet, it's the right thing to do.


Dear ------------------:

Thank you for contacting me with your concerns about net neutrality.

On June 8, 2006, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved the bipartisan "Communications, Opportunity , Promotion, and Enhancement Act" (COPE). However, the video franchise legislation failed to pass in the 109th Congress, and it is unknown if legislation will come to the floor in the 110th Congress.

The COPE Act was primarily a video franchise bill that would allow telephone companies to receive a national franchise certificate allowing them to streamline the franchise process. Currently, if a new video provider comes to a community, the provider must obtain a franchise from the local government. That franchise gives the provider the right to do business in that community and rights to the cities' right of ways. However, today many new video providers find the local franchise process extremely burdensome and a hurdle in bringing competition to the public and the COPE Act would ease that burden and bring more competition to the public.
Another aspect of COPE was the net neutrality provisions. COPE would give the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) strong authority to protect access to Web sites and Internet applications by allowing the FCC to enforce its broadband principles that ensure consumers are entitled to: (1) Access to lawful Internet content of their choice; (2) Run applications and services of their choice, subject to the needs of law enforcement; (3) Connect their choice of legal devices that do not harm the network; (4) Competition among network providers, application and service providers, and content providers.
I do not believe Congress should regulate the internet by accepting further net neutrality provisions. The FCC under COPE has explicit authority to enforce net neutrality, permitting the FCC to impose fines of $500,000 for each violation of the broadband principles and the FCC is mandated to resolve any dispute within 90 days. By approaching net neutrality on a case-by-case basis, the FCC can establish fair rules of the road as Internet providers roll out new services. Imposing nondiscriminatory rules on all providers would stop innovation in its tracks.
The internet today has operated well without further laws regulating internet service providers (ISPs). However, I would not want to see any provider, whether ISP, cable company, or telephone company have the power to block or deny anyone access to the Internet.

Sincerely,

LEE TERRY
Member of Congress
11717 Burt Street, Suite 106
Omaha, NE 68154
Phone: 402-397-9944

http://leeterry.house.gov

Omaha Peace and Justice Expo

Net Neutrality Now! will have a booth at the Omaha Peace and Justice Expo!!!

Hello

We are Net Neutrality Now!, a group of graduate students in Omaha, Nebraska concerned with the neutral internet, the great freedoms and opportunities it provides and the movement by large corporations to strip the people of that freedom.

We choose to stand up before one of our last pure freedoms is taken away.

Our aim is to spread the word, to inform as many people as possible. If we can reach enough people, if we can inform enough people and those people truly grasp the stakes, we can steer the course of legislation and save the internet.

Power exists in the hands of the People. For too long we have forgotten.

For starters please visit Save The Internet.

more from us soon...

--N3

Video from Save the Internet