MetaFilter posts tagged with Politics and media

The Boy With the Thorn in his Side

psmealey — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:57:39 -0800

A three part profile on Glenn Beck by Salon.com's Alexander Zaitchik A morality play in three acts, or, how Glenn Beck parlayed a parlayed his finely honed skills as a drug addled morning zoo shock jock, into the media force that is making America dumber by the minute. Some excellent profiling by Alexander Zaitchik of Salon.com: Part 1: The making of Glenn Beck - His roots, from the alleged suicide of his mom to Top 40 radio to the birth of the morning zoo.
Part 2: The Meltdown - The radio phenom takes over the morning zoo, makes fun of miscarriages and flames out.
Part 3: The Resurrection - Getting clean, getting Mormon, getting talk radio -- and going to Yale, with the help of Joe Lieberman.

Videocracy

acb — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 14:11:30 -0800

A new documentary by a Swedish-based Italian filmmaker examines how media mogul turned two-time president Silvio Berlusconi's 30-year grip on Italian television has shaped the country, its politics, its culture and society. Erik Gandini's Videocracy, which screens at the Venice Film Festival, starts 30 years ago, when Berlusconi introduced a quiz show whose female contestants stripped for the camera, and charts 30 years of showgirls, celebrities, reality TV shows and Berlusconi's rise to political power, and interviews characters of the system, including a talentless but fame-hungry TV contestant, a fascist-sympathising media fixer, and a paparazzo/extortionist turned celebrity. More details here and (with a trailer) here. Perhaps unsurprisingly, both Berlusconi's private TV channels and the state broadcaster RAI have refused to run advertisements for the film.

It is available through churches and at Wal-Marts....

squalor — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:27:02 -0800

“They are brands that may not be considered cool by the often elitist and self-absorbed standards of New York media,” she said. She had taken a car from Manhattan that morning, and wore a pink wool shirt-dress, patent leather Manolo Blahnik heels, and diamond hoop earrings.

Reader's Digest jumps the shark. (NYT)

it's good to be a banksta

kliuless — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 09:19:06 -0800

Simon Johnson on Bill Moyers [1] (and, prolifically, making the public media rounds on npr [2]) tackling the bailout of the American Oligarchs, a.k.a. banksters... BONUS LISTENING :P Economic Contagion - "Listen to this interview with former Goldman banker John Talbott for some refreshing straight talk (Leonard Lopate Show)." and peripherally related... clay shirky on, essentially, 'change.gov' (42 mb; approx 92 minutes) and bill moyers with nikki giovanni, which was (and whois) also awesome! --- also recently related moyers on the blue 1 2

Moyers, Greenwald and Rosen on politics and the media

homunculus — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 12:23:30 -0800

Politics, the Press, and the Public. Bill Moyers speaks with Glenn Greenwald and Jay Rosen about the role of the establishment press in America’s dysfunctional political system.

Can the BBC survive?

MuffinMan — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 06:27:44 -0800

A biased shadow of its former self, a waste of money dominated by champagne socialists, a victim of media fragmentation, a political pawn or still the trusted heart of the UK's (and, arguably, the world's) broadcasting world? As scandal after scandal threatens to undermine confidence in the BBC and the voices calling for the dissolution of the licence fee gain a more cohesive platform, can the BBC survive, - is it the solution or the problem, and can the British public really afford to let it die the death of a thousand cuts? On the day after the BBC announces it will put every UK publically owned oil painting online and the Director General talks about the BBC's "special responsibility" to culture in the UK, what should the role of the BBC be and, perhaps more importantly, what should it cost?

I Don't Want to Meet the Press

Glibpaxman — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 13:26:22 -0800

Special Report tonight at 11: Are You in the Sphere of Deviance?

Frozen Scandal

homunculus — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 01:37:57 -0800

"Scandal is our growth industry. Revelation of wrongdoing leads not to definitive investigation, punishment, and expiation but to more scandal. Permanent scandal. Frozen scandal." [Via]

The Movement Begins...

kliuless — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 20:22:10 -0800

Generation WE: How Millennial Youth Are Taking Over America And Changing Our World Forever (v i a) kinda over the top imo :P but ymmv! cf.

Torturing Democracy

homunculus — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:00:19 -0800

"Torturing Democracy" is a new documentary which details how the government set aside the rule of law in its pursuit of harsh interrogations of suspected terrorists. You can watch it online or on some PBS affiliates, but PBS won't run it nationally until January 21, 2009. Scott Horton suspects that may be because PBS is afraid of political retaliation. [Via]

Palin, pancakes, and the straight talk express

madamjujujive — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 05:32:30 -0800

Have the wheels come off the straight talk express? At least one sleeping giant woke up today: the NYT finally gives Sarah Palin a thorough vetting and the results aren't pretty. The McCain campaign's aggressive - and many say dishonest - tactics in promoting Palin may have sparked the beginnings of a media backlash. Camp McCain's reaction: We don't care and intend to stay on offense. And about that offense, they will soon have some help: Group With Swift Boat Alumni Readies Ads Attacking Obama. How low will things go? At this week's Values Voters Summit, 'Obama Waffles' with racial stereotypes were all the rage.

Olbermann and Matthews demoted

VicNebulous — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 07:59:52 -0800

MSNBC is removing Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews as the anchors of live political events, bowing to growing criticism that they are too opinionated to be seen as neutral in the heat of the presidential campaign.

US Presidential Campaign Videos

flibbertigibbet — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:03:41 -0800

The evolution of the US presidential campaign ad, 1952 to 1996... 1952: Eisenhower-Nixon (We Like Ike, The Man from Abilene) vs Stevenson-Sparkman (I Love the Gov [apologies for the intro], Ike... Bob..., Vote Stevenson/The Music Man, (Remember the Farmer, Back to the Days of '31). Bonus: Newsreels dealing with the campaigns. 1956: Eisenhower-Nixon (Eisenhower Answers America: The Cost of Living [excerpt], Corruption (california spot)) vs Stevenson-Kefauver (How's that again, General?, The Man from Libertyville [same annoying intro], Ad-lee, Ad-lie). Bonus: Election Day newsreel, including a santa Claus arriving in a flying saucer; Eisenhower, Suez, and hungary in 1956. 1960: Kennedy/Johnson (Harry Belafonte for Kennedy, West Virginia PRIMARY reel, Every Republican.../Nixon's Experience [higher quality version as part of this reel of Kennedy ads], Kennedy Kennedy Kennedy Kennedy, If We Fail..., Viva Kennedy, Medical Care for our Older Citizens) vs Nixon-Lodge (Peace without Surrender, A Little Help from Ike, Lodge: Our Responsibility is Great). Bonus: Nixon, a year after the election, playing his piano concerto; Nixon/Kennedy bio and debate, other parts of whicdh, dealing solely with Nixon and his life, are available here; Kennedy's inauguration, (part 2), Kennedy on November 9th, 1960. 1964: Johnson-Humphrey (I don't feel guilty being a Republican, Goldwater needs the KKK's help, The Daisy Ad, Which Barry?/Remember Him?, Great Society, Saw off the Eastern Seaboard [annoying intro]) vs Goldwater-Miller (I Don't like No-Win Wars, Bearded Dictator, 90-miles off/The Hand of Big Government/Is Moral Responsibility Out of Style/I Pledge Allegiance). Bonus: Johnson's 1965 inauguration newsreel, more on his inauguration. 1968: Nixon-Agnew (Honourable End, Endorsed by Bush/Endorsed by Baker, Freedom from Fear, Do Something WITH your Country, American Youth, Speaking For You, So Ineffectively as in Vietnam) vs Humphrey-Muskie (What has Nixon ever done for you?, Agnew for VP [annoying intro], Nixon's Silence, Political Winds, Do you want Castro to have the bomb?) vs Wallace-LeMay (Wallace has the courage). 1972: Nixon-Agnew (Nixon Now) vs McGovern-Shriver (This is about..., You have to make those hard decisions, He was hired by James McCord/Don't want to rock the boat/assorted 1984 primary advertisements, Our Economy... [annoying intro]). Bonus: CBS on Nixon's re-election efforts, in January, 1972; Nixon goes on Soviet TV; Shirley Maclaine goes on Cavett for McGovern. 1976: Carter-Mondale (I'm a Southerner (annoying intro), It's hard Work (Rosalyn Carter) (annoying intro), The Republicans assure us/two 1980 commercials, We've built walls) vs Ford-Dole (He was...). Bonus: Carter profile, Ford's debate gaffe, Ford at Republican National Convention, Reagan's Impromptu Concession speech, Ford's bicentennial minute, Mark Russell's special on the '76 campaign (1, 2, 3, 4, 5), Dole: Democratic wars. 1980: Reagan-Bush (Nancy deeply resents..., Ted Kennedy: No More, Can we afford four more years?, George Bush: a president we won't have to train [primary commercial, 25 seconds in], Slowly we slip..., Biographical sketch: a State of Crisis, The Ayatollah Votes, Home-owning and inflation, Inflation and the elderly) vs Carter-Mondale (Two men are the real contenders..., Jimmy Carter, Commander in Chief. Bonus: clip of the Reagan-Carter debate ("there you go again"), and that phrase reprised in the Reagan-Mondale debate, Reagan accepts the nomination, Carter's statement on the doomed Operation Eagle Claw, the birth of toll-free contribution numbers. 1984: Reagan-Bush (Reaganomics, World Leaders, The Bear, Morning in America, secure Peace, A New Beginning [part 2], Next Tuesday, This was America in 1980... Today, This was america (Foreign Policy) vs Mondale-Ferraro (American Dream, Arms Control, Whole world at stake, Polls don't vote... fight!, Your share of Mr. Reagan's Deficits, Rollercoaster, Mr. Reagan's People, Always Felt [annoying intro], Teach your Parents, Orbit KILLER WEAPONS, The Red Phone [annoying intro], Gary Hart's 'New Ideas' [primary, annoying intro], Computers will take control!, Deficits of the Presidents [annoying intro], Idle Tools [annoying intro, primary]). Bonus: Jesse Jackson at Tendley Baptist (David and Goliath), Gary Hart campaign, Jesse Jackson Blues, second Reagan-Mondale debate. 1988: Bush-Quayle (Boston Harbor, The Willie Horton ad [poor quality], "He opposed, Raised taxes [1:15 in; video also includes Newscenter 8 sign-off, an ad for Speedy, US Air, and after the Bush commercial, an ad for Geraldo], Vetos and furloughs) vs Dukakis-Bentsen (The Bush Record; [N.B. all videos that follow for the Dukakis-Bentsen campaign have an annoying intro]: Leadership: Crime, I'm Fed Up With It!, The Best America is Yet To Come, Packaging Bush, Packaging Quayle, The President if Mortal/One in Five, 60-day notice, Social Security, Hey Pal!, All of us are enriched, Furloughs: The Response, Jimmy did well..., Packaging Bush, part 2, Can't Afford to be a Republican, Packaging Bush/Furlough: Part 3, Where was George?, Stopped Seabrook: Seabrook Nuclear Power Station). Bonus: CNN analysis of the campaign commercial [poor quality], CNN highlight reel [poor quality], "You're no Jack Kennedy, Bush vs Rather on Iran-Contra [poor quality], Read My Lips, Debate: If Kitty Dukakis were raped and murdered..., Debate: What do you see in Dan Quayle?, Dukakis vs Ted Koppel on Nightline, Seabrook Today. 1992: Clinton-Gore (Can't Afford Four more years, Read my Lips, Read My Lips [2], Endorsed by over 600 economists, Biography [annoying into; part 2], Enough! [annoying intro], Read my Lips Alert [annoying intro], More than 30-second ads [annoying intro], Republican Neglect [annoying intro], A Plan for America) vs Bush-Quayle (no advertisements found) vs Perot-Stockdale (Let your vote say so!, plus bonus video: Perot profile on CNN, which features clips of some commercials, and an example of Perot's speaking style). Bonus: Letterman: Top Ten reasons Bush Should [not] Dump Quayle, Letterman: Top Ten: Quayle's complaints about Clinton, Potatoe and other Quayle quips, Murphy Brown responds (part 2, 3, 4, 5), Letterman: Top Ten Things Overhead at the President's Fundraiser, Clinton in Beasley School, Chicago, during the primaries, Clinton vs heckler, Clinton on Nightline [focusing on leaked letter re: Vietnam draft] (part 2, 3), Gore on campaign trail, Super 8 Clinton, A Different World election episode clip, 1992 review, Read My Lips MTV Mashup with discussion by Bill Moyers and guests. 1996: Clinton-Gore (In the line of duty: assault weapons [poor quality], growth and opportunity [annoying intro], quitting [annoying intro], If Bob Dole were already here... [annoying intro], Risky! [annoying intro]) vs Dole-Kemp (Too Liberal? [primary ad], versus Steve Forbes [primary, poor quality]) vs Nader (no ads, but there are interviews). Bonus: Again with the Mark Russell! (part 2, 3, 4, credits), Dole representative vs Charlie Rose, Charlie Rose and guests discuss the presidential debate, and many, many more; Clinton-Dole debate clip on Dole's age, football and CFC stories.

"Are we in the midst of a coup?"

homunculus — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 20:50:14 -0800

2009: A True Story. "My name is Sara Ford and I am 18 years old. I moved to California at the end of last year. Before the first attacks... before everything changed." [Via] On YouTube: Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13. NSFW.

Moyers interviews Wright

homunculus — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:23:20 -0800

Bill Moyers interviews the Reverend Jeremiah Wright in his first broadcast interview with a journalist since he became embroiled in a controversy for his remarks and his relationship with Barack Obama Previous post about Wright.

Chinese Nationalism

Tlogmer — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 05:05:40 -0800

The "sacred flame" winds its way towards Beijing, creating new flashpoints like a car bumper scraping sparks from the pavement.

The chinese public's anger at CNN now has a wildly popular theme song. "You can't turn lies into the truth by repeating them a thousand times"

Chinese nationalism and an American backlash are both growing. Where is all this leading to? And even if we can't understand how China sees Tibet, or know whether the Shanghai Princesses will really give up their Chanel, can we at least assure the Chinese that we don't like Jack Cafferty either?

The Saddam Sessions

kliuless — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 22:33:50 -0800

Saddam's Confessions - Given Saddam Hussein's central place in the American Consciousness over the last couple decades and particularly in recent years, I found 60 minutes' interview with FBI interrogator George Piro pretty fascinating.

...GE had long done business with the bin Ladens. In a misguided attempt at corporate synergy, I called GE headquarters...

amberglow — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 13:31:03 -0800

"You Don't Understand Our Audience" --what John Hockenberry (formerly of NBC, now at MIT Media Lab) learned about network news--good guys and bad guys, the "emotional center", synergy, facts, and why fewer and fewer watch nowadays.

this was our president

kliuless — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:25:14 -0800

Bill Clinton on Charlie Rose - on display: Thoughtful Visionary as well as Political Animal; cf. Howard Dean and Jimmy Carter.

a true American hero

amberglow — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 23:44:39 -0800

Milo Radulovich, RIP --thrown out of the Air Force during the Red Scares, he fought back--Radulovich's case (and the new medium of TV) showed millions the impact McCarthy was having and the absurd lengths he was going to. He himself wasn't ever accused of being a Communist himself tho: ... His sister had picketed outside the Book Cadillac Hotel when it refused a room to black entertainer Paul Robeson. His father subscribed to newspapers from his native Yugoslavia and had participated in a sit-down strike at Hudson Motor Car Co. ... 1998: Michigan Legal Milestone--"Milo Radulovich and the Fall of McCarthyism" NYT Obit: Milo Radulovich, 81, Dies; Symbol of ’50s Red Scare--...“the first time any of us appreciated the power of television.” ... The Red Scare revisited: inside McCarthy files HUAC Army-McCarthy hearing transcript

>>>>>PASS THIS ON! (emails from the right)

washburn — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 17:16:08 -0800

My Right Wing Dad is a new-ish and rather informal blog that aims to provide "a chance for folks to examine the unrestrained rhetoric that is quietly passed from in-box to in-box in America," by hosting a collection of the emails that form an often untraceable and unacknowledged part of public discourse in the U.S., especially on the Right. Tagged by category (for example: God, college, flag, liberal, and World War II), the amateur archive presents a range of colorful opinion, not all of it strikingly accurate, and some of it offensive. In efforts to understand liberal and conservative habits of communication, it may be worth considering the role of forwarded email in the electoral process, and the reasons that the forwarding of email is popular among some people, and whether this behavior tends to correlate with particular political opinions. The emails hosted on MyRightWingDad may in any case be enlightening, unless you're already on the forward list of someone in the know.

John Howard in 'Cabinet: The Movie.'

Effigy2000 — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 04:06:52 -0800

Cabinet: The Movie. Starring Australian PM John Howard and a bunch of chickens. [more inside]

Today's Adventures of Spinspin: Alistair Campbell's media whirlwind

nthdegx — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 15:24:12 -0800

Tony Blair's ex-Master of Spin and closest adviser is on a media whirlwind promoting his diary. Campbell's apparently straight talking nature gives the prospects of some tantalizing insight into the inner workings of number 10 for the majority of Blair's premiership. He's not getting it all his own way, though. BBC Radio 4's John Humphrey's on the Today Programme (Real audio) (MP3) was more interested in the failings of a government and political movement for which he was an architect and key player, and particularly Campbell's legacy of elevating the role of spin in British politics, even in the inner working of government, allegedly sexing up an intelligence dossier in order to make a more compelling case for war in Iraq (See 10 ways to sex up a dossier). The Guardian, in an article titled Did he mean me?, invited some of those named in his diaries to give feedback, or should that be biteback?

Unpopular premier slams popular press

Artw — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 13:19:40 -0800

The UK media is like a "Feral Beast", and is undermining Britain, says Tony Blair. Simon Kelner, editor of The Independent, responds. Some reasons why Blair might not be too keen on the press.

"I hate America even more this week."

brain_drain — Fri, 18 Aug 2006 12:50:37 -0800

How a Right-Winger Sees the New York Times.