Bonus related watching: Toxic Sludge Is Good For You [Google Video 45m] exploring the work of public relations firms and media in affecting public perception.
Haven't watched it yet, just wanted to say thanks for perfect timing, this is just the sort of thing I like to kick back on a Sunday night with. posted by dabitch at 12:28 PM on March 14, 2010
Toxic Sludge is Good for You is also a very readable book, with case studies, even plot twists, and a lot of footnotes. (Haven't seen the 45m documentary linked here yet, so no comparisons made here.) posted by whatzit at 12:37 PM on March 14, 2010
That trailer looks horrible, I mean, a bunch of slow scrolling text you have to read? The point of a trailer is supposed to make you want to watch whatever it is, not bore people. posted by delmoi at 2:09 PM on March 14, 2010
I'm about halfway through - the editing etc. is also not great in terms of cuts and pacing, but the interview clips are pretty interesting. posted by yeloson at 2:12 PM on March 14, 2010
I think I found something that annoys me more than slide shows or audio tracks with a single image on Youtube. posted by pashdown at 2:17 PM on March 14, 2010
Horrible editing. Would have looked much more professional and reliable if it was produced by a News Corp affiliated corporation. posted by klue at 2:43 PM on March 14, 2010 [2 favorites]
Let's hope the government never catches on to these tactics or there will be no one we can trust. posted by ZenMasterThis at 2:48 PM on March 14, 2010
and the award for best interviews in a technical quality of first week in film school documentary goes to... posted by the aloha at 3:32 PM on March 14, 2010
Intercutting the CG with some heads talking would save this trailer. This film seems to be treading the well-worn path blazed by Ben Bagdikian and others. That's not a bad thing. We need to keep ringing that bell until people start paying attention (as if that would ever happen); twenty-five years ago would've been good. posted by spacely_sprocket at 3:42 PM on March 14, 2010
FCC Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy needs a short, sharp kick to the anus. posted by Civil_Disobedient at 5:36 PM on March 14, 2010
Nice. Thanks for posting. I heart Bernie Sanders. posted by ropeladder at 9:31 PM on March 14, 2010 [1 favorite]
Ross Douthat, yesterday, in the New York Times auditioning for entry in to the inner party. posted by Glibpaxman at 2:32 AM on March 15, 2010
Great collection of mainstream media defectors!
Charles Lewis (ABC reporter, 60 Minutes producer):
"In a perfect world we would have a citizens movement, people should be marching in the streets.... they should be as angry about whats happened to our media as the Russians ought to be about theirs.... now that would be seen as heresy inside the networks ...and I probably wont be on any of their airwaves anymore after this interview." [with regard to commercial media's corrupting influence on democracy] (0:31:12, google link)
So fellow citizens, how to proceed? Lewis again: "No governments ...[nor] powerful companies have figured out how to ...block information that is inconvenient, unfriendly, hostile ...off of the internet, at least so far...." (1:39:15).
posted by dabitch at 12:28 PM on March 14, 2010