Wave goodbye to another pile of your tax dollars and a few more of your freedoms. An adviser to the FCC wants to create a “public media” that can “filter” the news and be used as a “megaphone” by a vast network of government-funded journalists.
Sounds like a great idea. What could go wrong?
Ellen Goodman, a Rutgers University law professor and distinguished visiting scholar with the FCC’s Future of Media Project, has a frightening plan to reshape the federal government’s communications policy…
“Information gaps are especially keen in the areas of investigative journalism, effective teaching materials, and content directed to underserved, minority, and poor populations…” according to Goodman and co-author Anne Chen.
“We have identified three core functions of digital public media, based on the directives of the Public Broadcasting Act and research on best practices in the field,” she says. “These functions are (1) to create content – particularly narratives in the form of journalism, long-form documentaries, oral histories, and cultural exploration – that markets will not and that is important to individual and social flourishing; (2) to curate content, serving as both a filter to reduce information overload and a megaphone to give voice to the unheard; and (3) to connect individuals to information and to each other in service of important public purposes.”
Of course, this is all necessary Goodman says, because while information is abundant, “wisdom and knowledge remain hard won.”
Absolutely. Certainly. For sure. And as we know, the government is the ultimate source of all wisdom.
Don’t know about you, but we really don’t want the government determining what gets filtered and who gets the megaphone. Especially this government.
Source: CNSNews.com
This post was last modified on January 26, 2021
View Comments (24)
[neo bonbon] This Government wants to control the media, union and education system to indoctrinate, and facilitate the reshaping American society.
Not so different from the way Hitler rolled.
All I'm suggesting is that we find an alternative comparison, that's all. Otherwise, I think we're in agreement.
[KimmyQueen] Of course, we cannot at this point in time say that Obama's end game is to gas people, or to do things that in any way are relatable or equal to Hitler's end game.
Seriously?
And maybe unicorns will appear to balance Obama's obscene budgets... But the odds that Obama is going to gas people is the same as my imagined scenario, which is to say: zero.
For years we conservatives complained about the obscene, lazy and illogical Bushitler epithets. Let's not fall into the same intellectual cesspool that the Left habitated for eight years.
Uhm... you either failed to read my entire post or you didn't understand my post. Don't get mad there is no need. I agreed with you on a level, while at the same time trying to explain that I personally understood where they are coming from with the picture. We cannot do one to one comparisons that is true, however on a more general level, especially the industry and media control, it is a viable comparison. Now, I don't use the Hitler stuff willy nilly myself, however I do SEE and UNDERSTAND their point in using the Nazi motif. That is all. Your gripe if it is a bad choice that is valid.
I must have misunderstood. I (mistakingly) thought you were leaving open the possibility that Obama could end up doing something relatable to what Hitler did.
Pura vida. :)
No. It is difficult to communicate in writing. By things can change I meant that he may turn centrist or he may change his plans to have less government, etc. However RIGHT NOW he is for big govt and in a general measure comparable to the socialist regime in Germany because they too wanted (and got) big government. They got big government through govt control of media and industries. Which is what is happening now. That was my whole point. Anything else more specific we cannot make those comparisons, there is nothing in Obama's past to suggest his end game is to gas people and do a race cleansing or anything one to one comparable to Hitler's end game. I was more on the general big government measure.
Right on!
No more Nazi symbolism? Fair enough! I'm on board!
IHTM staff might be harder to convince
they's some hard core racists....;)
Great find, but can we skip the Nazi comparisons? The Nazi photo doesn't support the valid concerns you bring up in the post, it caricatures them as unserious (much like Bushitler signs).
The Nazis put people in ovens. However odious the Obama admin and FCC can get, they aren't even in the same galaxy of evil as Goebbels & Co.
If I may, I think the intention (I could of course be wrong) was to show that is how it started. Hitler didn't start with is plans immediately after taking power. It took time to bring them into fruition and it started by taking over industries, business and the media. He had to change the story and control the information to make sure that he had no opposition to his plans (his very evil nefarious plans).
Of course, we cannot at this point in time say that Obama's end game is to gas people, or to do things that in any way are relatable or equal to Hitler's end game. To do so would be of course stupid as we have nothing from his past indicating, that he wants to do the same things like Hitler did. Hitler wrote Mein Kamp so he had a blueprint out in the world before he even took power, with all the things that he wanted to do. We have no blueprint like that from Obama.
I think though that we can safely assume (based I know only on what we have so far so things can change for sure) that he does want a big government (like Hitler did) and thus give us less rights (like Hitler did) and soon govern every part of our lives (like Hitler did).
Kimmy, not to be too forward or anything, but,
Are u seeing anybody at the moment?
Have yu ever been to Costa Rica?
That's sweet... I am single and I have never been to Costa Rica, yet have family there. :-) Pura Vida!
Awwww, this may be our first IHTM romance.
Good point Doug, but then again Obama's only been in office for a year...
The Nazi thing reminded me of an issue that I've been conflicted about: is Obama purposely trying to bring America down; such an ideologue that he doesn't realize how much damage he is doing; completely incompetent; or an unholy mix of all three? I've been trying to answer this question for over a year now, to no avail.
Nick, I sympathize with the antipathy towards Obama. Believe me. And I understand the conundrum re: Obama's motives/ideology/incompetence. From my perspective, evidence suggests a potent combination of the latter two options. As neo bonbon implies (I think), it isn't that Obama wants to bring down America, but his vision of America is, well, radical.
In any case, I just think the Obama and Nazi/Hitler comparisons are reprehensible. For me even something like "but then again Obama’s only been in office for a year..." is a bit much. As conservatives we would do well not to compare a political opponent to a monster like Hitler.
You're right, but I think you misunderstood what I said - my fault for being so vague, as I see looking back. I was being half-serious anyway in that first sentence, but my point with the "but then again..." was that I simply don't know him or understand him. I can't make sense out of what he is doing, why he is doing it, what his ultimate goals are, etc. I mean, just a for-instance, he was caught in a bold-faced lie; he was caught on video saying "I love Acorn and I consider myself a staunch supporter, blah blah blah." Then, in another video clip, he said "Nah, I haven't had any significant involvement with Acorn ever. Period." [paraphrased of course, but this was the exact essence of what was said in these two contradictory video clips]. Translation: our Great Leader has no qualms about looking you the American people straight in the eye, and lying to you in an incredibly convincing manner. As you know, this is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this man, about whom we know very little concerning his past and about who he really is. As a result, I don't feel too inclined to give Obama the benefit of the doubt. I wouldn't use Hitler and Obama in the same sentence (oops, except for this time I guess). But can you promise me that Obama doesn't, beneath the surface, harbor an intense hatred for this country, for this people, or perhaps for certain groups of people whom he may have grudges against for some reason or another? I hope this isn't the case, but we all know his empty words and rhetoric means nothing. Anyway, I believe that Obama - with his economic policy, national "security" policy, foreign policy, and so forth - has the potential to be directly responsible for failing to prevent the deaths of untold numbers of American citizens. Not necessarily, and not on purpose, but a nuclear attack, EMP attack and/or cyber attack, bio/chemical attack (for which we won't even retaliate w/ nuclear weapons, go figure) are, for the first time I believe, distinct possibilities within the next decade unless things change drastically. I don't have any reason to believe that Obama would be the one pulling the trigger, but we'd still get shot regardless. It's late and I'm pretty dazed from a long day, so I hope that didn't sound like incoherent ramblings.
Doug,
Yes, Hitler is a popular political ruse used by opponents of all types of Politicians/Party s.
That however does not change the facts. A free Press is crucial to a Free Society. The Government does not need to re educate us about what Journalism is. We don't have it wrong, they do. They are supposed to represent the people, not the other way around. They would like to educate us and have us believe 'it was our idea the whole time'. If it were up to our current administration, Keith Olbermann would be their most vocal critic allowed on the air. They wholeheartedly believe in the suppression of free speech and the dissemination thereof. This Government wants to control the media, union and education system to indoctrinate, and facilitate the reshaping American society.
Not so different from the way Hitler rolled. They only want you to see the Pretty Wooden Horse. Not the 2000 Militants inside. I hope we never have an American Hitler or Stalin or Mao. But I do believe these policies only create the environment needed for such acts to occur. And once these policies are in place, all bets are off. History shows us this. Hitler is just 1 very good example.
Obama's vision of America, is not America.
It looks a hell of a lot more like Europe.
Obama's people believe that 'American's are Bad.
To them, American Culture and Values being exported is Grotesque,
They believe, foreign cultures in America are the last redeeming thing about America. Aka. what America needs more of is community redistribution, because America is a close minded racist place that needs to be homogenized with a Dog turd of compassion. These people want to make America, just like every failed state they hold with high esteem. It isn't 'fair' that America is successful. They can't stand the fact that America and the Constitution still stand. They are indignant at the sheer racism of it all.
Obama hates America. He wants to protect the culture, as long as it isn't the American Culture.
Look at Rev. Wright, look at George Soros, look at William Ayers. And you will see our President.
Vamos Boca Jr.s!
This is absolutely disturbing. This is the exact opposite of what the Founding Fathers wanted, and what anyone outside the beltway wants.
But at this point, it doesn't matter what people outside the beltway wants...well.....until those inside find themselves on the outside, come November.
It was really great of MSNBC and CNN to sign up for this program early, like when Obama first got elected.
What's up with your timeline, Pat? They threw Hillary under the bus long before Obama was the nominee. Then they really got behind Obama when Rush announced "Operation Chaos" to screw up later Dem primaries. But they got what they wanted in the end...for now.
Well, we wouldn't want any of that pesky "information overload", would we? Maybe Lisa Jackson could declare facts to be a dangerous "conversational pollutant" and the lefty sites could get rich selling their unused credits.
Ellen Goodman In Goebbells' Garb???
How 'bout David Ben Gurion as Eighmann ?
To many on the left, Orwell's 1984 was a utopian vision.
psst... it's called NPR
Interesting.
Not sure it was covered here in quite those terms on the BBC, or the ever-spawning local authority newspapers we fund.