[grc] Fwd: Media: a New Paradigm

Tue Apr 5 12:20:06 PDT 2016

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Justice Initiative <hmcgray at earthlink.net>
Date: Tue, Apr 5, 2016 at 11:56 AM
Subject: Media: a New Paradigm
To: wings at wings.org

A brief summary of the "sixth estate"
 JUSTICE INITIATIVE

* Media: a New Paradigm  A brief summary of the "sixth estate" *
*By Heather Gray*
I first became involved in community radio in 1991.

A few years earlier, in 1989, I had been in the Philippines and sending
letters to friends in Atlanta about my reflections and experiences while in
the country.

When I returned to the states, a friend of mine, Gary Washington, who
produced the Labor Forum at WRFG-FM in Atlanta, and is also a former Black
Panther member, told me, "Heather, you need to be involved at the radio
station. No one is talking about the Philippines." So I did get involved
and the rest is history as they say. I've been fortunate to produce a show
called "Just Peace" since 1991. At first, I was thankfully working with
Beth Ann Buitekant who had been producing "Just Peace" years prior to this
and before she left to pursue more graduate work.
WRFG-Atlanta
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CN8qhNwc-E2IKTfaph39mvEzrj7IXvYWnp_19ORg_Mw30vW1IfRtUbdP_ztDISPLn2vqeqj-Mz_r0LM5ouGVwRjr044c3WxPngczvPcQdJYlHrTfbv0ZhIA-hoVy7PC0iSdJrWyzKP9kPhp_YuYl1uxjMLn6TQqz&c=z5Nn1wdo6obVQ08FmwMOWvsxe09EwYkbNutiqKiL9SkNRcMJYuaXpw==&ch=H1MZHrqSw0lVhsKs2BxwzS-AhCdJZr7zKHT5fvojqq_k8C3OJO2c4w==>
(Radio Free Georgia) was then, and still is, Atlanta's only community radio
station. In other words, WRFG is owned by the community, is independent and
therefore not owned by and/or serving corporate interests. All of its
producers are volunteers. Here is a description of the station and its
mission:

*WRFG is a community oriented, educational, alternative medium and our
programming must reflect this. We are for those alternatives that uplift
human dignity and give people more control over their lives. *

*WRFG is opposed to those forces in our lives that dehumanize and oppress
people, especially economic exploitation, racism, sexism, militarism,
anti-immigrant chauvinism, and sexual orientation discrimination.*

But it was also a time for me to learn about media and its history. So I
did exactly that!

* Historically Media is considered  the "Fourth Estate"*

You might ask, as I did, what is the "fourth estate" or, for that matter,
what is an "estate"?

"Media" or "press", I learned, is generally referred to as the "fourth
estate". Here's the short history of the concept:

* The fourth estate is a term that positions the press (newspapers) as a
fourth branch of government and one that is important to a functioning
democracy. The phrase is attributed to Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797), a
British politician, as quoted in Thomas Carlyle's book, "Heros and Hero
Worship in History" (1841): Burke said that there were three Estates in
Parliament, but in the Reporters Gallery yonder, there sat a fourth Estate
more important far than they all. In Britain, the three branches (estates)
of government referenced Parliament: The House of Lords (the Lords Temporal
and the Lords Spiritual - nobles and clergy) and the House of Commons. In
modern times, the "press" has been expanded to include all news media, not
just newspapers. *
*....The First Amendment to the Constitution "frees" the press but carries
with it a responsibility to be the people's watchdog".* (U.S. Politics
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CN8qhNwc-E2IKTfaph39mvEzrj7IXvYWnp_19ORg_Mw30vW1IfRtUSPk_QH_yLUFfqWZn62flNH1fr-T_zjnrHSlgouJ45_267VFl01KbpZuJLa9TveJKaKiOa1LoA3-Omwt9RtosZMvzwgf_4WHor6SoJ6GBa-LDYUgoCS4v01X9-r6PBofcpJ6IdCiY9TusXwm1ErdAptC3zdAhLfzD8Dbc19i6RRPUoe8Vc2H-V8=&c=z5Nn1wdo6obVQ08FmwMOWvsxe09EwYkbNutiqKiL9SkNRcMJYuaXpw==&ch=H1MZHrqSw0lVhsKs2BxwzS-AhCdJZr7zKHT5fvojqq_k8C3OJO2c4w==>
)
So that is the "British" concept of the "estates", but in the contemporary
United States I discovered that the four estates are generally considered
as follows:
(1) Executive (2) Legislative (3) Judicial (4) Media.
Media as the fourth estate is supposed to report on the other three estates
or branches of government. It is a way, some have said, to make these
so-called democratic institutions accountable to the people in a
"functioning" democracy. But this does not necessarily mean the media
itself is accountable. Therein lies a serious problem.

It is also important to note that while I am referring primarily to
community radio in this article, independent media and corporate owned
media can be all platforms be it television (cable, etc.), newspapers,
radio, newsletters, internet, on and on.
*A new paradigm: Independent Media as the "Sixth Estate"*
I am now of the opinion, however, that in reality there are six estates.
And that independent media should instead be considered the "sixth estate".
Here is my own reconfiguration of it all regarding estates: (1) Corporate
interests (2) Executive
(3) Legislative (4) Judicial (5) Corporate "Major" Media (6) Independent
Media.
Here's why.
I have designated "corporate interests" as the first estate. This is
because corporate interests control virtually all of the 2nd through the
5th estates. Independent media, therefore, stands alone.

Corporate interests control and/or have significant influence and/or
ownership of  the executive, legislative and judicial branches. Most
congressional representatives and the executive branch solicit significant
corporate support for their campaigns. In many cases, the judicial branch
solicits contributions where judges are elected and/or the influence of
corporations seems paramount as is speculated was the case with the U.S.
Supreme Court's "Citizens United" decision.
More on this: the "Citizens United"
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decision by the U.S. Supreme Court was decided at the expense of democratic
principles in that it essentially handed over corporate interests to own
and control American politicians and to basically dominate and influence
all government offices and agencies more blatantly than had been the case
previously.

The fifth estate, corporate "major" media, that represents most of the
media in America, is also, of course, corporate owned.
Regarding U.S. media it is generally stated that there are 6 corporations
that own it and those are Time Warner, Walt Disney, Viacom, Rupert
Murdoch's News Corp, CBS Corporation and NBC Universal. The chart below
provides a sense of the change of media ownership from 1983 to 2012 - the
consolidation and therefore control of information by but a few corporate
entities was considerable. In 1983, 90% of the U.S. media was owned by 50
companies and by 2012 90% of the media was owned by 6 corporate
giants. (Exposing
Truth
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CN8qhNwc-E2IKTfaph39mvEzrj7IXvYWnp_19ORg_Mw30vW1IfRtUSPk_QH_yLUF7f_UK1IWZS10FD7YFtX6qCCuFMStXN9BjP-lr_3cjpAaiaoPAlf-okz0UdrO7hjiCpFP5teiCp5bUgGSxU09Rf7j8yfV0ud4CSjJLbIxWuLTh4imUd44lGITPeq9Pyz4QZ9w1mRgrjtPXuMtyVOWpvuS0SbLBCsfH0ogFi_fDeJzi43ePG908g==&c=z5Nn1wdo6obVQ08FmwMOWvsxe09EwYkbNutiqKiL9SkNRcMJYuaXpw==&ch=H1MZHrqSw0lVhsKs2BxwzS-AhCdJZr7zKHT5fvojqq_k8C3OJO2c4w==>
)
*Media Consolidation 1983-2012*
* Internationally, there are also other players including Bertelsmann AG
and Sony
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CN8qhNwc-E2IKTfaph39mvEzrj7IXvYWnp_19ORg_Mw30vW1IfRtUSPk_QH_yLUFVouwgj3ppzcPww9z17ljYU6sx-djGrJcv2Exqk01kn6358xu1QpmipX1HGBRA-elpmDitxFZRsmcK51hdHNh6dSI1o9nk25g_l2uJuL2Ow5gbE21Uan87kvlZgRatcuEe__VX1sAFox240bA-BR5mAj3UmOx8i2-&c=z5Nn1wdo6obVQ08FmwMOWvsxe09EwYkbNutiqKiL9SkNRcMJYuaXpw==&ch=H1MZHrqSw0lVhsKs2BxwzS-AhCdJZr7zKHT5fvojqq_k8C3OJO2c4w==>.
They own television networks, cable channels, movie studios, newspapers,
magazines, publishing houses, music labels and many successful websites
(Exposing Truth
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CN8qhNwc-E2IKTfaph39mvEzrj7IXvYWnp_19ORg_Mw30vW1IfRtUSPk_QH_yLUF7f_UK1IWZS10FD7YFtX6qCCuFMStXN9BjP-lr_3cjpAaiaoPAlf-okz0UdrO7hjiCpFP5teiCp5bUgGSxU09Rf7j8yfV0ud4CSjJLbIxWuLTh4imUd44lGITPeq9Pyz4QZ9w1mRgrjtPXuMtyVOWpvuS0SbLBCsfH0ogFi_fDeJzi43ePG908g==&c=z5Nn1wdo6obVQ08FmwMOWvsxe09EwYkbNutiqKiL9SkNRcMJYuaXpw==&ch=H1MZHrqSw0lVhsKs2BxwzS-AhCdJZr7zKHT5fvojqq_k8C3OJO2c4w==>)
Corporate Media versus Independent Media, the origins of Independent Media
and the "sixth estate"*
The credit for the creation of independent media and/or community radio
goes to Lewis (Lew) Hill. In the 1940's, Lew Hill was a pacifist during
WWII. This was not a popular stance at the time. He had been working in
Washington, D.C. as a scriptwriter and announcer for an NBC radio network
known as "Blue Network" - WINX.
Lew Hill became frustrated that as a radio announcer he was presenting
information to the public that was not credible - rather like telling lies
over the airways that primarily served the interests of the corporate
owners of the media. He realized that as an announcer he was being
manipulated and was not allowed to present his own views. He decided he had
enough of this and resigned. (The Lengthening Shadow
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CN8qhNwc-E2IKTfaph39mvEzrj7IXvYWnp_19ORg_Mw30vW1IfRtUSPk_QH_yLUFp_W6v0NYu_Il1TLvgSu8VKKdanLiol3n3ZIBWxeR0zwaufT0GFk-MR9qJBQD3iPq5ukwZrxuDsCBYczZEe3ZTJCl4HjIe5L5EuAmcZGKVOH9aFoHr1HL1GYoSyzY71FL8g_Rg7B8l8_twvSr--fFIQ==&c=z5Nn1wdo6obVQ08FmwMOWvsxe09EwYkbNutiqKiL9SkNRcMJYuaXpw==&ch=H1MZHrqSw0lVhsKs2BxwzS-AhCdJZr7zKHT5fvojqq_k8C3OJO2c4w==>
)
Hill ended up in California in the 1940's and by 1949, thanks to him, the
first independent community radio station - Pacifica - was on the air.
*This was a time when the idea of a listener-sponsored radio station was a
new one which had never been implemented. Many people doubted the viability
of a broadcast model which didn't rely on some kind of corporate or
government funding. But the idea was too compelling for Hill and others who
agreed with him. Pacifica was born and in 1949 KPFA went on the air from
Berkeley, California. (Pacifica
<http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001CN8qhNwc-E2IKTfaph39mvEzrj7IXvYWnp_19ORg_Mw30vW1IfRtUSPk_QH_yLUFpwsT8uMU8E4Np0QFNEdUaHut21j4YW4F7_zZSna49dv-vhQVlUEEkyQn__Gligytu_9CjQGAJeZ98hvdVq2hnM5hQGQ8nGnujwAiDhWJ1lzjhv5ZziyRF2KxM3CEuH9j&c=z5Nn1wdo6obVQ08FmwMOWvsxe09EwYkbNutiqKiL9SkNRcMJYuaXpw==&ch=H1MZHrqSw0lVhsKs2BxwzS-AhCdJZr7zKHT5fvojqq_k8C3OJO2c4w==>)
*
In 1949, then, the independent "community" media model had been launched.
It was what I am now referring to as the "sixth estate" which is supported
and funded by the people, by the community and serves the people, minus
corporate control.
Throughout the world this independent community radio model has now spread
significantly with producers expressing their concerns/interests and
providing opportunities for the voices of the community to be heard. It is
powerful. It's role should also be to report on the first five branches
including, of course, corporate major media and many independent media
entities do precisely that.

I will often compare independent media to organic production. Regarding
food, your choices are generally (1)"junk food" produced by corporate
agribusiness with all kinds of chemicals and genetically modified crops
that make your health vulnerable; or (2) "healthy food" that is organically
produced from healthy soil, traditional seeds, without chemicals and
produced by rural and urban organic farmers - it is far better for your
health.

By comparison, I say that corporate controlled news is  similar to "junk
food" grown by corporate agribusiness which is not good for you. Corporate
controlled news serves primarily the interests of corporate America rather
than community or democratic interests.

Independent media, however, is more like healthy organic food. It offers a
healthy variety of reliable news and information that is community based
and in which you can have a say along with the opportunities to learn about
the other estates. It gives you more control, knowledge and opportunities
for change and enhancement of collective democratic systems. Essentially,
independent community owned media can be and usually is empowering for
communities and individuals.
*Summary*

WRFG-Atlanta is one of the thousands of independent community radio
entities throughout the world that is the independent voice of the people.
It was first on the air in Atlanta in 1973 and ultimately was a Pacifica
affiliate as well - meaning that it broadcasts some of the Pacifica
programs. I am eternally thankful to Gary Washington for introducing me to
it all.

We at WRFG, therefore, along with other independent media entities, are
proudly the "sixth estate" providing a voice for and with the people in
Atlanta, the South, the nation and the world.

*HEATHER GRAY is the producer of "Just Peace" on WRFG-Atlanta 89.3 FM
covering local, regional, national and international news.*

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