Rebuilding the Fourth Estate

Some quick thoughts about the media (I included this in a survey I took at MoveOn.org about where I want to focus on our media problems):

What Are the Current Problems Facing Our Media?

Our media is funded in large part by advertising. That is the main problem. The media is then beholden to the advertisers. If Bush is pro-corporation then the advertisers will be pro-Bush and then the newspapers, T.V., internet sites will be pro-Bush. As it turns out, Bush is pro-corporation.

Now I don't mean to say that I'm anti-corporation. I think that corporations are valuable things and they have built our society as it is today. However, I am against having corporations have identity and allowing them to participate in our governmental process. If you haven't seen "The Corporation" I recommend it. I am also against corporations having as much power as they do (and it is growing). No one should have that much power, even causes I believe in.

How do we then get our media apart from corporate influence?

We need to find ways to fund the media without advertising or with locked in advertising contracts over periods of years (that's a good idea). Would you pay $30 a month for a newspaper that is not advertising based? A magazine? A television network? How 'bout $30 more to get rid of all ads on your cable?

By the way, where is the public newspaper? This should be newspaper without any advertising that is publicly funded. This another pretty good way to ensure unbiased news.

And while we're at it, get rid of the ads that are creeping up NPR and PBS! We need to fund these information sources more. Maybe it's time to make the media an actual fourth estate of government: Congress, the President, the Court, and the Media.

However, I see the value of having media separate from the established government. Then it's free to fight this establishment if it should become corrupt. Best that our news not be corrupt also and a tool of propaganda.

This brings me to my next question, why don't we have any non-profit, private news, T.V. or magazines? I suppose PBS could surely become totally independent of our government.

Now you may think that I'm simply trying to replace a corporate-funded media with a media that is more "left-friendly." I'm not. I'm trying to find ways of getting the actual truth. Actual facts. Actual information that isn't spun to reflect a reality. The actual impressions people have on the ground. I hope this is what everyone in America wants.