Stories by Rory O'Connor

Filmmaker and journalist Rory O'Connor is the author of "Shock Jocks: Hate Speech and Talk Radio" (AlterNet Books, 2008). O'Connor also writes the Media Is A Plural blog. subscribe to Rory O'Connor's feed

Failure to Pass Gun Legislation Casts Doubt on Immigration Bill's Success

Posted on: May 8, 2013, Source: Al Jazeera

Despite broad support for immigration overhaul, warning flags are flying, and success is anything but guaranteed.

Welcome to America, Al Jazeera

Posted on: Jan 3, 2013, Source: RoryOConnor.org

For $500 million dollars, Al Jazeera has enter40 million cable-ready living rooms across the U.S.

Google vs. Facebook: The New Media Showdown

Posted on: Apr 4, 2012, Source: Media Is Plural

Google co-founder Larry Page is paranoid—and justifiably so, as his company's losing ground in the social media sphere to Facebook despite its best attempts.

Nukespeak: The Selling of Nuclear Technology from the Manhattan Project to Fukushima

Posted on: Jan 26, 2012, Source: AlterNet

In the end, the answer to the mystery of why nuclear power in the United States is still afloat comes down to money.

Did Tenet Fail to Share Information That Could Have Prevented the 9/11 Attacks? Insiders Voice Doubts About the CIA’s 9/11 story

Posted on: Oct 14, 2011, Source: Salon

Former FBI agents say the agency's bin Laden unit misled them about two hijackers.

Why Jose Antonio Vargas Is an American Hero

Posted on: Jun 22, 2011, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Vargas is incredibly brave to risk everything he has accomplished to tell the truth-and to shine more light on the pressing need for immigration reform in the USA.

The Next Hot Thing in the Digital Frontier for Americans: Political Revolution?

Posted on: Jun 7, 2011, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Leaders from the Arab Spring explained how technology assisted the political revolutions from Egypt to Tunisia.

Let's Fight the Obama Administration's Crusade to Jail Another Journalist

Posted on: May 26, 2011, Source: AlterNet

We need to stand up for NYT reporter James Risen and against the sleazy, Bush-like tactics of the Obamacrats and the burgeoning national security state.

Is the Future of Online Media to Go Offline?

Posted on: Apr 7, 2011, Source: RoryOConnor.org

The media business is relatively small -- the truly big business is the business of "people connecting and talking to one another on a huge scale."

Want the Latest Nuclear Radiation Info? There's an App for That

Posted on: Apr 1, 2011, Source: NukeSpeak.org

The digital information revolution has disrupted the highly centralized world of nuke industry PR, putting a stunning amount of information at our fingertips for the first time.

Hillary Clinton Talks Freedom as Protester Ray McGovern Is Bloodied

Posted on: Feb 17, 2011, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Clinton's talk, which emphasized the need to protect basic freedoms, included her observation that "The rights of individuals to express their views freely… are universal."

Hate Spewing Shock Jocks Whine about Criticism in Wake of Shootings

Posted on: Jan 10, 2011, Source: Media Is Plural

The nation's right-wing media stars struck an embattled tone against accusations that they create a climate of hate that could fuel violence.

Persecution of Assange and Wikileaks Is an Attack on Free Speech

Posted on: Dec 13, 2010, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Where will the criminalization of Wikileaks end – and what will it mean for the rest of us who may be engaged in non-violent First Amendment speech or advocacy?

'News Bias' and the Media Battle over the Meaning of 9/11

Posted on: Sep 10, 2010, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Nine years after 9/11, the battle over the meaning of what happened to our city, our country and our world on that fateful blue-crystal morning continues unabated,

Obama's Tricky Battle with the Military-Media Complex

Posted on: Aug 30, 2010, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Will the powerful military-media complex allow Obama to remove 'all US troops from Iraq' by the end of next year?

The Bush Administration Marred the Legacy of Pat Tillman With Their Lies -- New Film Shows Us the Truth

Posted on: Aug 16, 2010, Source: MediaChannel.org

The "Tillman story," tells the struggle his family went through to learn the truth about Tillman's death and how political leaders covered-up the real story.

Independence Day and Independent Journalism

Posted on: Jul 2, 2010, Source: MediaChannel.org

Let us not forget that independent journalism is crucial to informed consent of the governed -- and thus a functioning democracy.

Controversial Pentagon's Private Contract Killers Operating in Afghanistan and Pakistan

Posted on: May 19, 2010, Source: MediaChannel.org

Controversy grows over Pentagon's network of private contractors in Afghanistan and Pakistan hired to help track and kill suspected militants.

Can We Count on PBS's New Program 'Need to Know' to Report the Truth?

Posted on: May 6, 2010, Source: MediaChannel.org

Billed as part of an effort to "revitalize public media," a new planned public affairs series on PBS hosted by Newsweek editor Jon Meacham has many doubters.

Strengthening Democracy Means Funding Independent Media

Posted on: May 3, 2010, Source: MediaChannel.org

Less than 0.05% of the $307 billion given to charity in 2008 went to non-profit journalism, at a time when news rooms are going extinct.

Shocking Admission on Killing Civilians by Top US General Almost Completely Ignored by Corporate Media

Posted on: Mar 31, 2010, Source: MediaChannel.org

"We have shot an amazing number of people, but to my knowledge, none has ever proven to be a threat," says Afghan commander McChrystal.

Union Busting, Bloomberg Sale Looming at ABC News?

Posted on: Mar 26, 2010, Source: MediaChannel.org

Amid sale rumors, ABC News says it intends to use cuts to reinvent itself in the digital era. But at what cost?

Health Care Reform Needs Media Reform

Posted on: Mar 19, 2010, Source: MediaChannel.org

Why is the US is one of only two countries in the world that permits direct-to-consumer advertising of prescription drugs?

Racist Right-Wing Shock Jock Who Threatened the Lives of Judges Beats Jail Rap for Second Time

Posted on: Mar 14, 2010, Source: AlterNet

Hal Turner, an internet shock jock and F.B.I. informant, beat the rap again as his second federal "Death-Threat Trial," ended in yet another mistrial.

Corporate Media Are Using Industry Talking Points to Lie to Us About Nuclear Power

Posted on: Feb 23, 2010, Source: MediaChannel.org

The media should reject the use of industry rhetoric, stop using Nukespeak talking points, and start telling us the truth about nuclear power!

Howard Zinn: People's President & American Patriot

Posted on: Jan 28, 2010, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Howard Zinn stood up and spoke out for the ideals and values that have always promised to make this the greatest country on the planet.

Obama's War Speech Offered Something for Everybody -- But Who's Buying It?

Posted on: Dec 2, 2009, Source: MediaChannel.org

Obama's promise: Let's come together and get along to end the war - by waging the war more intensely…but only for eighteen months, and then we all get to go home.

The Money Behind Moon's Washington Times

Posted on: Dec 2, 2009, Source: MediaChannel.org

Where did all the money come from to keep the money-losing Moonie paper afloat all these years?

How Right-Wing Cult Leader Sun Myung Moon Bought Washington

Posted on: Nov 13, 2009, Source: RoryOConnor.org

With money, media and promotion of a conservative political agenda, a self-styled Messiah and convicted felon became a frequent guest at the White House.

Why Can't the Corporate Media Just Tell the Truth About Iraq & Afghanistan?

Posted on: Nov 3, 2009, Source: MediaChannel.org

One NY Times reporter finally 'fesses up that the invasion of Iraq wasn't presented truthfully by the big media outlets. It's still not too late to tell the truth.

Why Does America Leave It to NFL Owners to Tell Rush Limbaugh Where to Go?

Posted on: Oct 14, 2009, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Shock jock Limbaugh was thinking about buying a piece of the St. Louis Rams and was promptly told that he and his divisive comments are not welcome in the NFL.

New Journalism Clubs Are "Members Only"

Posted on: Aug 27, 2009, Source: RoryOConnor.org

Step right up. You too can be ripped off by the New York Times' latest moneymaking gimmick: online courses from Nicholas Kristof, Gail Collins and Eric Asimov.

The Media Industry's Cash Crunch Makes Pay-to-Play Look Much More Tempting

Posted on: Jul 13, 2009, Source: RoryOConnor.org

In the fight for media survival, none of us is immune from temptation, and few revenue sources are beyond consideration, if not actual adoption.

Rachel Maddow, Keith Olbermann, Ed Schultz -- How MSNBC Became a Liberal Mecca

Posted on: May 31, 2009, Source: AlterNet

MSNBC's star pundits have positioned the network as the progressive alternative to Fox.

Garrison Keillor's Prairie Torture Companion

Posted on: May 20, 2009, Source: MediaChannel.org

The soft-spoken Keillor warns us not to get into a ""bloody battle over war crimes," as though this is about revenge, not justice.

Hey Americans, the Pundits Blame You for Bush and Cheney's Torture Policies

Posted on: May 13, 2009, Source: MediaChannel.org

In their mad dash to ensure that no one in the Bush administration is held accountable for torture, the media are putting the blame on all Americans.

Babes in Torture Land: It Took a Bunch of Kids to Grill Condi the Way the Media Should Have

Posted on: May 7, 2009, Source: MediaChannel.org

Why do we leave it to children to demand the truth about torture and the rule of law?

What About the Journalists Who Sold Torture?

Posted on: May 1, 2009, Source: MediaChannel.org

Hell should reserve a special place for the journalists who supported torture in exchange for access and exaltation.

When News Goes Totally Digital, How Do You Create Trust?

Posted on: Mar 12, 2009, Source: AlterNet

Is brand power the best way to keep the news trustworthy?

Facebook and Twitter Are Reshaping Journalism As We Know It

Posted on: Jan 19, 2009, Source: RoryOConnor.org

The rise of Facebook and Twitter herald changes for journalism, and pose serious challenges to about journalistic credibility and trust.

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