It’s Time To Stick It To The Media

Mainstream media must pay the price for news suppression

The mainstream media - particularly the television networks NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN and FOX - have failed the American people by neglecting the ongoing controversy surrounding the November 2 presidential election and especially the Ohio recount effort, public hearings and soon, the legal challenge.

The networks have no problem reporting ad nauseum on a skirmish between basketball players and fans at an NBA game Friday night, or the merger of Sears and KMart (three networks led off their evening news programs with that story Wednesday night), yet fail to see the need to cover news relating to the elections in Ohio, New Hampshire, Florida and elsewhere across the nation.

While our freedom and democracy hangs in the balance, the networks seem content to pimp their inane productions - an amalgam of situation comedies, smarmy dramas, reality garbage and specialty "news" programs. They are derelict in their duty to inform Americans and since they use public airwaves for their broadcasts, can and should be held accountable for underreporting news of national significance.

The local affiliates should also be held accountable for their actions and supplication to the "lock down" on post-election news.

Concerned citizens can and should take action on an individual basis in a number of ways.

While emailing or writing letters to network executives, newscasters and anchors may be a good start, a long term strategy of boycotting the products and services of the advertisers will prove more effective.

Choking off the revenue to the networks will get the attention of top executives, and, in turn, exert pressure on the networks. While that alone may not spur the media giants to actually start reporting the real news in any meaningful way, it will send a powerful message that the American people are angry and refuse to support anybody who is unwilling to disseminate the truth on ALL sides EVERY issue.

The major sponsors of the networks are automobile manufacturers, major department stores, drug companies, insurers, banks and various consumer product companies. They are among the largest and most powerful businesses in the world. By systematically eroding their revenue source Americans who stand for democracy and truth can force them to deliver a strong message to the networks - either start doing your jobs or get out of the way! It is time to start making OUR voices heard through protest and the language all of the major corporations and networks understand all too well - money!

By taking money away from the rich and powerful they will quickly bow to our demands because they uniformly pray at the altar of the almighty dollar.

You will find below a list of companies who advertise heavily on broadcast network television. Boycott their products, write to their executives or public relations offices and tell them where we stand - that we will not buy their products as long as they support the deceit and distortions of the broadcasters. Post messages on the public message boards at Yahoo Finance - these are the most active boards and are read by many investors. Shake the confidence of the investors and the corporations will have no choice other than to cede to our demands as their stock prices sink into an abyss.

On a local level, stop shopping at the grocery, department stores and businesses who advertise on the local affiliate stations. Tell them that you demand accountability by the government and it is the duty - as journalists and American citizens - of the media to report news that is of vital importance and by hiding it or shunning it, they are acting in a very un-American manner that cannot be tolerated.

Some may argue that these companies combined control most of the things we buy and actually need, and to some extent, that point is valid, and warrants further inspection. Why give our hard-earned dollars to multi-national companies who don’t willingly and openly support Americans, our rights and our democracy?

It’s time to seek out and find alternatives. Do business with locally-owned stores instead of chain stores, buy used cars (better yet, ride a bike), shop at cooperatives or farmer’s markets, dollar stores, and on the internet, buy used goods from independent web sites. Stop going to first-run movies, or go to independent theaters or discount, second-run theaters. If you drink beer or wine, drink imports or microbrews. Stop drinking Coke and Pepsi - they’re bad for you anyway.

In addition, protesters in New York city should flood the outdoor venues of all the morning shows, carrying signs and chanting protest - Today (NBC), Good Morning America (ABC), The Early Show (CBS) and American Morning (CNN). Let them explain why they aren’t broadcasting from outside the studio as they routinely do.

It’s time we take a stand for our freedom and democracy. By depriving the media and global corporations of money, they will be forced to cover the news and broadcast shows which WE want.

Below is a list of companies with their corresponding stock symbols - first the companies which control the television airwaves, then a list of the top advertisers. This list is by no means complete, but a good start at targeting companies which support the suppression of news.

These are the major media providers in the US. They also control some of the nation’s largest and most widely circulated newspapers, magazines and movie studios.

General Electric - owns NBC - (GE)
Viacom - owns CBS - (VIA)
Disney - owns ABC, ESPN - (DIS)
Time Warner - owns CNN, Warner Brothers - (TWX)
News Corp. - owns FOX - (NWS)
Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI)

Top TV Advertisers

Ford Motor Company (F)
General Motors (GM)
Toyota Motors (TM)
Honda Motor Company (HMC)
Nissan Motor Co. Ltd. (NSANY)
Daimler Chysler (DCX)
SBC Communications (SBC)
AT & T (T)
Verizon (VZ)
Nortel (NTL)
Nextel Communications (NXTL)
Sprint (FON)
IBM (IBM)
Intel (INTC)
Cisco Systems (CSCO)
Apple Computer (AAPL)
Dell Computer (DELL)
Microsoft (MSFT)
Nike (NKE)
Blockbuster (BBI)
Nokia (NOK)
Motorola (MOT)
McDonald’s (MCD)
Wendy’s International (WEN)
Merck (MRK)
Astral-Zeneca (AZN)
Pfizer (PFE)
Boeing (BA)
Bank of America (BAC)
Citibank (C)
JP Morgan (JPT)
Altria Group (MO)
Sony Corp. ()
PepsiCo. (PEP)
Coca-Cola (KO)
Tyson Foods (TSN)
General Mills (GIS)
YUM Brands (YUM)
Proctor Gamble (PG)
Colgate Palmolive (CL)
3M (MMM)
Lowe’s (LOW)
Home Depot (HD)
Target Stores ()
Sears ()
KMart ()
Federated Department Stores (FD)
Pep Boys (PBY)
AutoZone (AZO)
Advance Auto Parts (AAP)
Wal-Mart (WMT)
Anheuser-Busch Companies Inc. (BUD)
Eastman Kodak (EK)
Adolph Coors Co. (RKY)
AIG (AIG)
Metrolpolitan Life (MET)
eBay (EBAY)
Amazon (AMZN)

The networks also have enormous contracts with sports organizations to broadcast their events. They include:

NASCAR
National Football League (NFL)
Major League Baseball (MLB)
National Basketball Association (NBA)
The Professional Golfers Association (PGA)
NCAA College Football and Basketball (NCAA)
Professional Bowlers Association (PBA)

Stop attending these events and/or watching them on TV until they get the message.

The following is a sample letter you can send to executives or their PR departments:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Dear _____,
Americans are being denied coverage of important news involving the presidential election of 2004. Many discrepancies have surfaced in at least twelve states and the vote in Ohio is about to undergo a recount and legal challenges. The broadcast networks, whom you support with advertising dollars, systematically refuse to cover these stories and the American public is being defrauded. We have launched an effort to hold them - and you - to responsible standards for news reporting and accountability.

So long as you support the broadcast television networks with advertising money, we hold you responsible as well, and refuse to buy your products or services until you demand from the networks honest, reliable and complete news coverage.

Sincerely,

and millions of like-minded American consumers.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The following can be cut and pasted to stocks message boards on Yahoo Finance.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

By advertising on television network broadcasts, this company is supporting the suppression of news. There are many unanswered questions concerning irregularities in the November 2 Presidential election in as many as a dozen states. New Hampshire and Ohio are undergoing recounts and Ohio’s results will face legal challenges. These stories are not being reported by the broadcasters and therefore, a movement to boycott the products and services of advertisers is underway and gathering momentum and support. Contact the public relations offices or executives of this company and demand that American mainstream media report ALL the news.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

This article was originally published on Downtown Magazine (dtmagazine.com)
http://www.dtmagazine.com/elections.html

The writer, Rick Gagliano, is also the author of
A Petition to Congress requesting an investigation into the Presidential Election of 2004
http://www.petitiononline.com/uselect/petition.html

The petition has been signed by more than 50,000 Americans.