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Celebrity Gossip = "Bona Fide Newscast"

Posted by Brave New Films, Brave New Films at 4:00 PM on May 6, 2008.


Has the FCC gone mad?

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http://StopBigMedia.com

Hard-hitting journalism is nearing extinction on television, and the Federal Communications Commission just threw another shovel-full of dirt on its grave when it recently ruled that Rupert Murdoch's TMZ and Pat Robertson's 700 Club meet the test for "a bona fide newscast." Media companies get their broadcast licenses for free. In return, the FCC says that if a TV show is not a bona fide newscast, and it airs a story about a political candidate, "it must afford equal opportunities to other such candidates for that office." This is supposed to keep ideologues like Pat Robertson and Rupert Murdoch in check. But instead the FCC let them off the hook by adding TMZ and 700 Club to the list of bona fide newscasts; even though Congress defined bona fide as newscasts as those that hold "genuine news value" and are not intended to boost or aid any particular political candidate.

Free Press Exec Director Josh Silver has more at HuffPo.

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Tagged as: fcc


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The American "news" media has no intention of informing their viewers
Posted by: JimmyVaughan on May 6, 2008 5:05 PM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I would argue that the American "news" media has no intention of informing their viewers.

American television stations routinely broadcast "Video news releases" (VNRs) produced by the Bush administration and major corporations, and pass them off as normal news. Essentially it's government/corporate advertising or propaganda masquerading as news.

Investigative journalism is virtually nonexistent.

Many of the large media companies are fully integrated into the market, and actual or prospective owners of newspapers and television properties have found it possible to capitalize increased audience size and advertising revenues into multiplied values of their media companies--and large fortunes.

There has also been an abandonment of restrictions--and they were few and far between in the past--opening the door to the unrestrained commercial use of the airwaves.

It should surprise no one that garbage like "770 Club" is now declared "news", because informing the public is not in the interest's of the advertisers who control the media via advertising dollars.

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You get what you asked for....
Posted by: digitalfrenzy on May 7, 2008 4:41 AM   
Current rating: Not yet rated    [1 = poor; 5 = excellent]
I guess that Americas idiotic addiction to celebrity has come home to roost. The majority of the country must be ok with hearing about who fucked Brittney, or whatever pablum fills the void of your empty and meaningless debtor lives. American Idol, my god, how relevant. You hungered for all this empty crap in your lives, and now the rest of us must be dumbed down to your level because the seriousness of real life scares the shit out of you. Thanks. Even Alternet is getting tame. It is sad that you have to read European publications to find out whats really going on here.

Now back to American Gladiators....

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