Answer: Thanks for asking! Those are very good questions. I can understand some people are concerned or confused about this, so I welcome the chance to discuss the Washington Post Boycott and Secondary Boycott of Advertisers.
Jun 22, 2005

Media
Wake Up Call for the Washington Post
Mike Hersh writes: "I am endorsing and leading a boycott of the Washington Post for reasons explained below. As I've informed people about this effort, most expressed enthusiastic support. A few people - two - criticized this effort. One did so respectfully. Another began with hyperbole and lapsed into disrespect. This is to address concerns, real and imagined, legitimate and otherwise.

Let's be honest and accurate here. This is all about the lack of honesty and accuracy in the pages of the Washington Post, and what we can do about it. Critics of this boycott base their arguments on outdated or otherwise inaccurate assumptions. Sadly this is no longer the Washington Post that broke the Watergate story and uncovered the Nixon cover-ups. The Post - fresh from an orgy of Deep Throated self-congratulation - is aiding the cover-ups and even acting as Karl Rove's "enforcer" against the Deep Throats of today! Skeptical? Consider the Post's attacks against Democrats.com, a group of concerned citizens."
Jun 21, 2005

Media
Become The Media
Mike Hersh writes: "I can't think of a more important priority than establishing a clear and resonant message and getting it out to the public. We can and should work for better media by pressuring elected officials to restore the fairness doctrine and to break up media empires, and by exerting economic pressure on the media through boycotts of their broadcasts and publications - and especially their advertisers. We should also lead call-in and rapid response / letters to editors efforts. These approaches are important, but we can do more...." Please contribute now:

$5.00: http://tinyurl.com/bezdx  |  $10.00: http://tinyurl.com/89k4f
$20.00: http://tinyurl.com/77ykl  |  $50.00: http://tinyurl.com/a7eeb
$100.00: http://tinyurl.com/aeo53 | $250.00: http://tinyurl.com/9abfb
May 24, 2005

Media
Join the Personal Progressive Media
We're keeping this article on top because it's critically important and will remain so. Here's your chance support and even to become your own progressive media outlet. All good and decent Americans should oppose the Bush Occupation and work for its removal. Not just talk about it. Do something. Here's how you can help: Donate $10, $20 or more to this website's efforts to develop and air hard-hitting truth-telling shorts - mini Fahrenheit 911s - we're going to place online, on the radio and in print. Wear shirts and buttons, use stickers and more to tell the world: Bush didn't win any mandate and he doesn't deserve to stay in office. Tell your local radio stations to carry Air America and shorts like Johnny Angel's "rants" (included in this article). Listen to honest talk radio, support our truth-telling and join the progressive media. Let's do it while we still can.
Apr 24, 2005

Media
CBS 60 Minutes Documents May Be Real
Paul Lukasiak, Bob Fertik, Mike Hersh and others discovered evidence that indicates the CBS 60 Minutes Documents may have been real, and certainly contain accurate information about Bush's special treatment while in the Texas Air National Guard. Note: you can read more about this and donate money to help Bill Burkett withstand the vicious White House-led backlash at http://www.billburkett.us/blog.
Oct 7, 2004

Media
Media Mug Bill Burkett
Mike Hersh writes: So far, most in the media are helping the White House attack Bill Burkett. Chris Matthews especially, but several other uninformed (at best) pundits keep yammering and hammering away at Burkett. They present him as an unreliable source the 60 Minutes staff should have laughed off, a sort of walking journalistic scandal. When Burkett spoke with former Clinton and current Kerry media man Joe Lockhart and former Sen. Max Cleland briefly, you'd have thought this was the Chambers/Hess case all over again. People who don't know Bill Burkett or anyone who knows him follow the White House script and attack him. Why? Because Bill Burkett is the man who knows too much about Bush going AWOL and the cover-up which may be worse than the crime. We know Bush went AWOL in Alabama. That's well established. Now we have to learn who did what to cover that up, and act accordingly before we run smack into another Watergate - another Constitutional Crisis with another "Cancer on the Presidency." If Bush refuses to come clean, we should refuse to entrust him as Commander in Chief. Let the impeachment begin. Note: you can read more about this and donate money to help Bill Burkett withstand the vicious White House-led backlash at http://www.billburkett.us/blog.
Oct 5, 2004

Media
Want to understand media bias? Follow the money.
Mike Hersh writes, Evidence of rightwing mass media bias abounds. Most in the corporate media support the current Bush Administration - as they supported his father's, Reagan's and Nixon's. The media almost universally endorsed Bush's rush to war, and every rush to war, by echoing lies to rally public support for war - and demonizing or ignoring opponents. The corporate media suppress dissent to help manufacture consent for pro-corporate policies. This is why we need websites like MikeHersh.com and BushOccupation.com, and movies like Fahrenheit 911. Otherwise most Americans would never know anything about the most important political and economic issues.

Want to understand media bias? Follow the money. Media moguls identify with their peers and share their profound pro-Republican biases. Of course they do. They know where their money comes from, and it's not from liberal interest groups, unions, or the working poor. Want to do something about it? Join the Media Watch project - http://democrats.com/media.
Jun 28, 2004

Media
Tales from the Twilight Zone
Becky Burgwin writes: For those of us who feel like we're living in the Twilight Zone, this column will be disclosing, exposing and uncovering amazing facts about the three-plus years that America's worst president and his band of lying men have subjected us to. There will be several categories in these articles each week and I hope to have a little fun with it.
Apr 17, 2004

Media
"Gotcha Journalism" is a Cancer
Jerry Lobdill writes an open letter to the media: "Gotcha Journalism is a cancer that threatens to undermine and destroy our democratic republic today, and increasingly so in this presidential election season. While the Star-Telegram usually does a very good job of being balanced, we have noticed that gotcha journalism is creeping into the media as the campaign heats up."
Jan 29, 2004

Media
The big lie the media told
Ginny Phillips writes about The big lie the media told: I went to Iowa last week as a volunteer for the Dean campaign. Now that I'm back and have seen all the press this week, I want to share with you what I saw. About the speech. After a heart felt speech given by Harkin, Dean came out. Full of energy. It was contagious. He gave a great speech. He really wanted to make us feel better and more than anything that came through. I remember standing there thinking how could he get this energy after all those days of campaigning and then these results? How could I stay so bummed out if he can pull this off?
Jan 25, 2004

Media
What Really Happened in Iowa
Patty McIntosh writes about What Really Happened in Iowa: The real story from someone who saw and heard the whole thing vs. the "Howard Dean, Angry Candidate" myth.

I'm back home now from Iowa and I just wanted to toss this out there for those of you who weren't there (and for the members of the media who were not actually there as well): What you may have seen or heard on TV/radio was edited in such a way that it sounded like Howard was a raving lunatic. But that's only half of the story.
Jan 22, 2004

Media
"Spinsanity" Spins Out of Control Against Dean - "Deja 2000" all over again?
Mike Hersh writes: "Spinsanity's" Brendan Nyhan repeats attacks from Governor Dean's rivals, taking them at face value. Then, he echoes and amplifies the accusations and finally, ironically claims Dean is dishonest and degrading discourse. But what Nyhan claims are Dean's distortions are nothing of the sort.

At their website "Spinsanity" calls itself, "[T]he nation's leading watchdog of manipulative political rhetoric," but who is watching the watchdog?
Jan 22, 2004

Media
Now It Begins
Becky Burgwin responds to Maureen Dowd's article entitled Dudgeons and Dragons wherein she savages Howard Dean because she never got the interview. Knowing him as well as she does, she has lots of really nasty things to say about his character and other media attacks against Howard Dean.
Jan 19, 2004

Media
Democrats.com Media Watch Project
Everyone complains about the media bias. Now do something about it. Media_Watch has 3 goals: (1) document specific examples of anti-Democratic media bias, (2) take direct, immediate action to challenge anti-Democratic bias, (3) keep up the pressure to END anti-Democratic bias. Join the effort today at: Democrats.com MediaWatch.
Jan 18, 2004