[grc] Questions about network radio and disinformation

Wed Oct 20 10:31:50 PDT 2021

These aggressive reactions towards Katie seem inappropriate to me. Maybe
best to read her full message before issuing triggered responses. There is
a problem with Covid disinformation and in addition to causing the
unnecessary loss of lives, it has extended the pandemic period causing a
great deal of dislocation and stress. It's perfectly valid to look into
that and how people are trying to fight back against it.

She stated her areas of interest: "There are a few networks about which I'm
particularly curious. Do you have any stations in your town/city/area that
are run by Salem Media Network? Alternatively, are any stations in your
town/city/area run by the Bott Radio Network, CSN (Christian Satellite
Network or American Family Radio?"

These are rightwing Christian stations that for a long time have gobbled up
radio licenses and kept them away from community broadcasters like those on
this list.

There is no particular reason to aggressively defend them. They are a
source of much misinformation and hatred toward those that do not fit into
their narrow definitions of normality.

- Tracy

On Wed, Oct 20, 2021 at 10:13 AM Ann Garrison via grc <grc at maillist.peak.org>
wrote:

> I hope you'll consider the fact that the truth is often elusive, chameleon,
> and highly politicized. The words "denial" or "denialism" are often used to
> impose absolute truths that don't exist.
>
> On Wed, Oct 20, 2021 at 9:07 AM Katie Thornton via grc <
> grc at maillist.peak.org> wrote:
>
> > *Hi GRC folks! *
> >
> > My name is Katie Thornton, and I'm a
> > longtime-community-radio-person-turned-independent-reporter out of
> > Minneapolis. (Recent work has been run on/in the BBC, 99% Invisible,
> > Washington Post, Minnesota Public Radio, NPR, WNYC, National Geographic,
> > Atlas Obscura, KFAI, etc.). I started volunteering at KFAI in my home
> city
> > of Minneapolis as a teenager, interned at Prometheus back in 2013 (during
> > the LPFM window!), and went on to work at and with multiple different
> > community, college, and LPFM stations (and had the joy of attending at
> > least one GRC!) before transitioning over to freelance journalism and
> > writing work.
> >
> > I'm posting here because I'm currently working on a part-investigative,
> > part-narrative mini-series about disinformation on network terrestrial
> > radio. The series seeks to uncover how the profitability of
> disinformation
> > and ideological motivations -- paired with the FCC’s ongoing deregulation
> > of the airwaves’ content and ownership -- have made the radio dial
> fertile
> > ground for the spread of disinformation. To do this, the series will look
> > at examples of how these large-scale issues play out for individuals; it
> > will share the intersecting personal stories of Americans on all sides of
> > the radio dial: a citizen (or group of citizens!) trying to stop the
> spread
> > of on-air conspiracies, executives and hosts from a large national radio
> > network rife with disinformation, and listeners who consume and are
> > occasionally driven to action by untruths heard over the airwaves. I've
> > been fortunate enough to get some support from an organization that helps
> > independent investigative journalists, as well as an NPR affiliate
> station
> > who will ultimately distribute the series.
> >
> > I've been incredibly grateful that folks have been eager to share their
> > experiences and expertise with me thus far. However, I know that there
> are
> > many people doing work in this field, directly or indirectly, with whom I
> > have not yet been in touch. Given that LPFMs and NCEs have been a major
> way
> > that communities have been able to retain a degree of local control over
> > media as more and more of us lose local outlets, I wanted to turn to you
> > all with some questions. If you know of anyone who might be able to shed
> > some light on some of these questions -- or if you personally would like
> to
> > talk more -- I would love to speak with you. I'd love to hear from folks
> in
> > cities, small towns, or rural areas; however, given the prominence of
> > network stations in non-coastal regions and smaller markets (as well as
> my
> > own experience as a lifelong Midwesterner), I am especially hoping to
> hear
> > from folks in middle America and areas outside of major coastal cities.
> > Here are some of the questions I am hoping to hear from folks about right
> > now:
> >
> >    - Do you hear information you know to be false on the airwaves
> >    (especially on network stations)? Specifically, have you heard
> >    disinformation about COVID-19 spread on the airwaves? How has talk
> radio
> >    influenced people's response to COVID where you live?
> >    - Have you heard speech that you would describe as hate speech over
> the
> >    airwaves?
> >    - Do you know of anyone (individuals or groups) -- or have you
> >    personally -- been trying to fight disinformation or hate speech you
> > hear
> >    on the airwaves? How have you/they gone about this? Have you/they had
> > any
> >    luck? For example, I recently spoke with someone in Montana who has
> been
> >    personally petitioning the FCC to try to stop the spread of
> >    disinformation on the airwaves. But I have a feeling she is not the
> only
> >    one out there.
> >    - Is your radio station doing any explicit work to combat the
> >    disinformation that may spread on other radio stations?
> >    - Has anyone in your life been driven to extreme ideological beliefs
> >    and/or action thanks to the influence of talk radio?
> >    - There are a few networks about which I'm particularly curious. Do
> you
> >    have any stations in your town/city/area that are run by Salem Media
> >    Network? Alternatively, are any stations in your town/city/area run by
> > the
> >    Bott Radio Network, CSN (Christian Satellite Network), or American
> > Family
> >    Radio?
> >    - Has your community had a locally-run station bought out and replaced
> >    by a station run by a large media network (such as one of those listed
> >    above)? If so, I'd love to ask you more about that change.
> >
> > Thank you all so much. I'm really looking forward to hearing from you.
> > Please feel free to send me an email if you'd like to talk further -- or
> if
> > you'd like to ask me any questions about the project, my background, etc.
> >
> > Thank you all again. I'm looking forward to talking. Take good care,
> >
> > Katie
> >
> > *Katie Thornton*
> > *Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellow*
> > *www.itskatiethornton.com* <http://www.itskatiethornton.com>
> >
> > *IG: @itskatiethornton <https://www.instagram.com/itskatiethornton/>*
> > _______________________________________________
> > grc mailing list
> > grc at maillist.peak.org
> > http://maillist.peak.org/mailman/listinfo/grc
> >
>
>
> --
> Sincerely,
> @AnnGarrison <https://twitter.com/AnnGarrison?lang=en>
> Independent Journalist,
> SKYPE: Ann Garrison, Oakland
> 415-503-7487
> _______________________________________________
> grc mailing list
> grc at maillist.peak.org
> http://maillist.peak.org/mailman/listinfo/grc
>

-- 
Tracy Rosenberg
Executive Director
Media Alliance
2830 20th Street Suite 201
San Francisco, CA 94110
www.media-alliance.org
415-746-9475
510-684-6853 Cell
Encrypted email at tracy.rosenberg at protonmail.com
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Pronouns: She/Her/Hers

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