This last weekend the National Conference for Media Reform [1] was held in Minneapolis. This movement was started 5 years ago by Bill Moyers (one of my heroes) and other concerned organizations to call attention to media consolidation and the degradation of our independent national press coverage. I've talked about media consolidation before, especially the propaganda and spin broadcast by Fox Noise, controlled by Rupert Murdoch and run by GOP attack dog Roger Ailes. For those not paying attention to this phenomenon, here's a little chart that shows how media has consolidated under a few corporations over the last 25 years.

To view the chart, click here [2].

The independent media has gradually eroded to the point that our sources of diverse information has essentially disappeared. Major media focuses on press releases from the White House and fills air time with reports about game shows as if it were news and continuing coverage of spoiled, alcoholic B grade celebrities and every detail of their personal lives. Were it not for internet sources, the American people would labor under an exclusive, centrally controlled news distribution system not unlike that of Russia, Venezuala, Cuba, China, and other totalitarian regimes.

Bill Moyers has led the fight for the restoration of an independent 4th estate. In response, of course, the Bush administration, in concert with Fox Noise, has mounted an unrelenting personal attack on Moyers' reputation and credibility. As part of that attack, Bill O'Reily sent one of his street thugs, Porter Berry, to ambush Moyers at the conference this weekend, try to antagonize him, and get juicy tape he can heavily edit to make Moyers look bad. Well, that didn't work out so well. Moyers emasculated the young attack dog, humiliating him in front of about 20 real journalists. He described O'Reilly on tape as not a journalist, as he describes himself, but a pugilist (professional fighter or boxer). The segment ended with the real journalists who witnessed the ambush chasing poor old Porter out of the building giving him a little of his own O'Reilly medicine. Here is the segment in its entirety, for your entertainment:

To view the video clip, click here [3].

Moyers took this young smart mouth to school on how real journalists report on events and get interviews. He made a complete fool out of this guy and left him holding a live mike in front of multiple rolling cameras with nothing to say. His only option was to flee, which he did, pursued by reporters.

We must fight to gain back control of the airwaves and to restore independent journalism. What we have today in the mainstream media is nothing but entertainment TV and garbage. Sad, but true.

Update: The right wingers are out in force today, hurling insults and distortion about the media and how great Fox Noise is. Here's a little reality check for those folks. In a study published last November, Pew Research determined that Fox Noise viewers had the lowest knowledge of national and internation affairs. The group with highest knowledge? Those who regularly watch The Daily Show and Steven Colbert.

To view the chart, click here [4].

So - the conclusion of the Pew study is that those of us who watch "fake news" on Comedy Central are more knowledgeable than Fox Noise automatons, who rank just above the morning talk shows.