Corporate America Has Co-opted Weak and Complicit Fourth Estate

Speaking at his last National Conference for Media Reform as CEO, Josh Silver said that “after 40 years of methodical and well-organized organizing and financing, the largest corporations and wealthiest Americans have achieved near complete control of political discourse and policy-making in America.”

“Their maize of think tanks, PR groups, attack groups, fake grassroots organizations, lobbyists, campaign contributions to corrupted politicians are obscured by a weak and often complicit fourth estate. Together these forces block meaningful progress on nearly every issue we care about, from the environment, to education, to economic and social justice.”

Free and Open Internet a Non-partisan Issue

At the National Conference for Media Reform, the UpTake’s Sam Mayfield spoke with Craig Aaron, the new CEO of Free Press, who says he entered this line of work because he cares deeply about journalism and the free and open Internet. “If we don’t fix media, then we won’t be able to fix any issue that we care about,” says Aaron.

During the conference in Boston, House Republicans voted to throw out the FCC’s Net Neutrality rules. Ironically, Free Press also opposed those rules because, they opine, the rules weren’t strong enough. Aaron laments that “we’ve taken an issue like the free and open Internet — which isn’t partisan at all — and it’s being framed in Washington as a government takeover, when that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Rep. Markey To GOP: HANDS OFF THE INTERNET

Representative Ed Markey (D-Massachusetts) delivers a fiery speech to journalists gathered at the National Conference For Media Reform in Boston. He says Republicans in Congress are trying to shut down the internet at the same time they are trying to shut down the government. Repealing the Internet protections the FCC has put into place would allow corporations to take us back 20 years with higher rates and less innovation. He says the message from people to Republicans in Congress needs to be simple: HANDS OFF THE INTERNET.

Key quote from Representative Markey:

“On Wednesday, they brought to the House Floor a bill to repeal the Environmental Protection Agency’s authority to regulate greenhouse gases. Then yesterday, they passed a resolution to repeal the FCC’s ability to ensure the openness of the Internet.

“So as time ticked down Friday afternoon, Republicans in Congress were trying to shut down the Internet and the federal government – simultaneously.

“They didn’t shut down the government, and we’re all going to make sure they don’t shut down the Internet either!

“We’re going to need to organize, mobilize and get energized to fend off all these assaults.

“That’s because GOP used to stand for Grand Old Party. But now it stands for Gang of Polluters. Now it stands for Greed Over Principle. Now it stands for Gas and Oil Party.”

Full Transcript of Representative Ed Markey’s speech … Continue Reading

More Community Radio Channels Thanks To Low-Power FM

Representative Mike Doyle (D-Pennsylvania) thanks the many people who helped pass the new Low-Power FM act that will create thousands of new community FM radio stations across the country. He tells independent journalists gathered at the National Conference for Media Reform in Boston that it was a bi-partisan coalition in Congress that made the law possible.

The law was passed after about a decade of opposition and lobbying from the National Association of Broadcasters.
“You don’t really need to have big lobbyists on your side when you have the voice of the people on your side.”

Effect, Cause, White Stripes, Rep Edwards And Indy Media

Representative Donna Edwards (D-Maryland) said she left Republicans scratching their heads last week when she quoted lyrics from a White Stripes song on the House of Representatives floor. She read the lyrics to the White Stripes’ “Effect And Cause” to chide Republicans for their attempt to shut down the Federal government.

This weekend, Edwards told independent journalists gathered in Boston at the National Conference For Media Reform that Washington needs more politicians who aren’t willing to “play the game”. She advocated for keeping the Internet open and railed against corporate influence in politics.

“Corporations can do all the business that they want”, Edwards said, “but they don’t have to control our politics.”

Sen. Franken On Keeping Internet Free

Senator Al Franken (D-MN) says the access to the immense variety of content that we all have on the internet could all come to an end if congress repeals net neutrality provisions. He says claims of the right wing that the government is taking over the internet is an attempt to confuse people. Net neutrality preserves what we have now instead of making the internet a tiered service that could squash innovation. Interview by The UpTake’s Leif Utne at South By Southwest in Austin, TX

Right Wing, Telecoms “Making Things Up” About Net Neutrality Says Sen. Franken

Senator Al Franken takes his advocacy for internet neutrality to South By Southwest (SXSW), a music festival that has also become a meeting spot for technical entrepreneurs from all over the world. Senator Franken talks about how big corporations and Republicans in Congress are trying to undermine “net neutrality” at every turn. Large corporations are pressuring congress to allow some internet websites to have priority on the internet if they pay for it. Doing so could threaten the open exchange of ideas and media that the internet has fostered.

Key quote from Senator Franken:
“The end of net neutrality would benefit no one but these corporate giants. And yet, true to form, telecom lobbyists and their conservative allies in Congress are taking up their cause, persuading your Tea Partier uncle and far too many other Americans by using a rhetorical technique I call “making things up.” (laughter, applause)

“They’ll tell you that putting rules in place to preserve net neutrality as it exists today amounts to a “government takeover” of the Internet, a talking point that deserves a place alongside “death panels” and “Obama’s a Muslim” in the pantheon of lies that aren’t just baldly false, but completely ridiculous. (applause)”

Prepared text from Senator Franken’s speech (with some changes as we were able to catch them on the fly) … Continue Reading

Franken: First Time FCC Has Allowed Discrimination On The Internet

Senator Al Frabken (D-MN) speaks at the second Netroots Nation MN Conference. In his lunchtime speech, he talks about the necessity of net neutrality and the dangers of the NBC-Comcast merger. Speaking on the weak FCC rules supporting Net Neutrality, Franken said that “This is the first time that the FCC has allowed discrimination on the internet.” Franken calls the fight for net neutrality, the First Amendment fight of this generation. Watch his full speech, as well as his responses to some questions from the audience.

Related coverage:
Netroots Nation Minnesota 2011 highlights

Sen. Franken On Gov. Dayton, Net Neutrality

Senator Al Franken talks about the parallels and differences between the political situation in Washington, DC and Minnesota.

He also says the Net Neutrality rules adopted by the FCC don’t go far enough, particularly on wireless.
“So, I’m going to keep on them”

Most Viewed UpTake Videos-Top 10 of 2010

How much a video is viewed isn’t always a reflection of how good it is. Sometimes a video is viewed because a website with a lot of traffic posts it. Sometimes its viewed a lot because people hate it. And then sometimes we have no idea why so many people watched. Videos from The UpTake were viewed 2.9 Million times in 2010. That’s more than double our 1.2 Million total in 2009. So far the world has watched about 6 Million videos on The UpTake. Here are the 10 most watched videos the UpTake produced this year as measured by You Tube. Click on the video title in the above playlist to watch them.

They are:
1. Consumer Vents At Target For Right Wing Donation – 431,988 views – A little video that set off a nationwide consumer action against Target for donating to a group supporting a right-wing candidate who is anti-gay.

2. Inside The Metrodome:Gaping Hole In Roof – 79,606 views – This is one of two Metrodome roof deflation videos on the top ten viewed list. The UpTake was the first media organization to show live pictures from inside the dome after it fell from the weight of a blizzard.

3. Obama Faces GOP On It’s Talking Points – 61,602 views – President Obama turned the tide on the health care debate when he publicly faced GOP Senators and Representatives and factually dismantled the lies the GOP had been spreading on his health care reform package.

4.Ed Schultz “I’d Kick Their Ass” If I Ran For US Senate – 50,704 views – Talk show host Ed Schulz talks candidly at the Blue State Ball and says he’s not going to run for North Dakota’s open US Senate seat. An UpTake exclusive.

5.Obama Speech In Indonesia – Full Video – 39,300 views – President Obama returns to a country where he spent part of his childhood. The UpTake is one of the few channels that provides full video of Presidential addresses in addition to highlights. We believe you should have the option to see the entire event.

6. Obama State Of The Union- Full Speech -38,960 views – This was President Obama’s first State of The Union address.

7. Bob Dylan, Clint Eastwood Skip Obama Award Ceremony – 38,872 views – OK, we admit it. This got viewed because of the people in the title who won but were not at the National Medal Of Arts Awards ceremony.

8. Metrodome Collapses from Minnesota Blizzard – 31,561 views – The second Metrodome video on this list, this time the outside which apparently wasn’t as interesting to viewers as the inside.

9. Franken: Net Neutrality “Biggest Issue Since Freedom of Religion” – 28,812 views – The viewing numbers don’t reflect the hundreds of thousands of people who saw this clip from The UpTake featured on MSNBC. Senator Al Franken riles up the Netroots Nation on the topic of Internet freedom.

10. Obama/Congress Health Care Summit- Part 1- 28,113 views – The UpTake covered the entire full day health care summit that was instrumental in getting bipartisan agreement on the nation’s new health care law.