Special Coverage: Media and Technology

Dean Starkman, The Nation. July 9, 2009.
Long before most in the business press rose to the challenge, Gretchen Morgenson was reporting that the financial sector had gone rogue.

Michael Jackson's Death Was Tragic, But He Was Little More Than an Icon of Mediocrity

Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez, Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez's Blog. July 9, 2009.
He was not a musical genius; didn't break down racial barriers; wasn't a great dancer; didn't change American culture.

It's the Right-Wingers Who Are Unloading the Harshest Critiques About Palin’s Bizarre Departure

Eric Boehlert, Media Matters for America. July 8, 2009.
The split among conservatives over who's to blame for Palin’s early exit from the national stage is breaking out into the airwaves.

Summer Blockbusters: Why Do We Insist on Watching Really Bad Movies?

Sameer Pandya, Miller-McCune.com. July 4, 2009.
Maybe they are more like summer flings -- despite all the signs that should stay far away, you fall intensely anyway.

Will the Tragedy of Michael Jackson's Life Be Inherited By His Kids?

Patricia J. Williams, The Nation. July 4, 2009.
Jackson's fame and fortune ensured he had few barriers whatever fancy seized him -- including his made-to-order kids.

I Saw 'Food Inc.' -- Now What?

Sarah Newman, Huffington Post. July 3, 2009.
Here's how to transition off of a corn-based diet, lessen your carb(on) footprint, support local farmers and humanely raised meats.

"More Better Faster!": How Our Spastic Digital Culture Scrambles Our Brains

David Bollier, On the Commons. June 30, 2009.
The digital communications apparatus is crowding out deeper relationships and more deliberative modes of thinking.

Coca-Cola's Troubling History: Drug Addicts, Nazis and MLK's Condemnation

Mark Thomas, Nation Books. June 27, 2009.
Knowing the history behind the ubiquitous bottle of Coca-Cola just might leave a bad taste in your mouth.

Michael Jackson Was a Freak -- Just Like You and Me

Richard Kim, The Nation. June 27, 2009.
Lodged somewhere between the superhuman and the alien, aspiration and disgust, he was a grotesque reflection of our collective desires.

Jingoism Isn't Journalism: Why I Don't Trust Corporate Media on Iran

Linda Milazzo, AlterNet. June 25, 2009.
Why is corporate media so eager to cover the people's movement in Iran, but unwilling to cover the anti-war movement here?

New York Times Looks Like Industry Shill in Latest Story on Gas Drilling

Adam Federman, Earth Island Journal. June 25, 2009.
The paper published a story about the virtues of natural gas drilling that read like an industry power point presentation.

Food Inc: Michael Pollan and Friends Reveal the Food Industry's Darkest Secrets

Tara Lohan, AlterNet. June 25, 2009.
The new film Food Inc. is a shocking look at the health, human rights and the environmental nightmare that lands on our plate each meal.

Big Business Is Aiding the Internet Crackdown in Iran and China -- Will the Technology Be Used on Americans Next?

Amy Goodman, King Features Syndicate. June 25, 2009.
No legislation in the U.S. prevents the government from employing technology that monitors everything that goes through the Internet.

Corporate-Owned Papers Near the Border More Likely to Run Anti-Immigrant News and Views

Lee Drutman, Miller-McCune.com. June 22, 2009.
Close to the border, local papers serve up what they think their readers want — a hefty dose of crime-laden, anti-immigrant news and views.

Reckoning at Coal River: Media and Nation Must Bear Witness to Coalfield Tragedy This Week

Jeff Biggers, AlterNet. June 22, 2009.
The human rights and constitutional violations of Americans by ruthless outside coal companies will be on full display to the media and the nation.

Whiny Conservatives: How Dare Rich White Guys Cry About Oppression?

Christopher Deis, AlterNet. June 22, 2009.
The right-wing media have crafted an absurd -- and dangerous -- political narrative of white male oppression, exclusion and victimization.

Right-Wing Hypocrites: 10 Reasons Conservatives Should Shut Up About Letterman's Sarah Palin Gaffe

Karl Frisch, Media Matters for America. June 22, 2009.
Each and every day conservative radio hosts, cable-news hosts, pundits and columnists use divisive, insensitive, and downright hateful rhetoric.

9 Conservative Myths About Right-Wing Domestic Terrorism

Sara Robinson, Campaign for America's Future. June 20, 2009.
This is terrorism we're dealing with. We can't afford to let ourselves be distracted by spin. It's time to set the record straight with the facts.

Next on the Endangered Species List: Your Hometown Newspaper

Benjamin Dangl, AlterNet. June 18, 2009.
They ground us in a globalized world, and help define who and where we are.

Is Fox So Crazy That It's Even Alienating Some Conservatives?

Eric Boehlert, Media Matters for America. June 17, 2009.
The hate-filled rhetoric spewed by Fox pundits like Glenn Beck and Bill O'Reilly is even alarming some of the people who work there.

The Revolution Will Be Tweeted: How Cyberwarriors Are Foiling Iran's Information Crackdown

Austin Heap, New America Media. June 17, 2009.
Cyber activist Austin Heap: "My website has been attacked by Iran. My servers are melting. But protesters are still using technology to mobilize."

Wolfram/Alpha: Nerd-Powered Web Gadget of the Future?

. June 16, 2009.
The launch of Wolfram/Alpha could take us to an era of emerging artificial intelligence a self-organizing Internet -- or not.

You Still Can't Buy a Vibrator in Alabama

Paul Krassner, Cleis Press . June 13, 2009.
Krassner's new book "In Praise of Indecency" attacks the taboos surrounding sex and pornography.

United Egg Producers Recruits Kids In Its Sordid Campaign Against Animal Welfare

Paul Shapiro, AlterNet. June 12, 2009.
The industry resorts to using "kid-friendly" messaging to argue that confining egg-laying hens on factory farms inside battery cages is humane.

What Is Patrick Fitzgerald Trying to Hide from the Public?

Rory O'Connor, MediaChannel.org. June 12, 2009.
Powerful prosecutor and public figure Patrick Fitzgerald has been waging a chilling private jihad aimed at "killing" a book critical of him.

Commencement Speech to Graduates of the Bush Years: Empire Continues in the Obama Era

Tom Engelhardt, Tomdispatch.com. June 12, 2009.
Empire. It's the word no one in Washington can say. Its absence from the conversation is at the heart of what makes our empire so hard to define.

Why the Medical Industry Is Lashing Out at Oprah Winfrey

Deepak Chopra, AlterNet. June 11, 2009.
Having squandered its public credibility, the medical establishment's attacks on Oprah's alternative medicine crusade look like pure cynicism.

Scarborough Country: Where Anti-Choice Extremism Is Swept Under the Rug

Sarah Seltzer, Women's Media Center. June 11, 2009.
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough gave scant attention to Dr. Tiller's tragic murder. Is it tied to his past as pro-bono lawyer to another anti-choice killer?

Is Angelina Jolie the Next Feminist Icon?

Vanessa Richmond, The Tyee. June 10, 2009.
Naomi Wolf thinks so. But what would she be without the boobs and lips?

Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio Takes on the Justice Department

Seth Hoy, Immigration Impact. June 10, 2009.
"America's Toughest Sheriff" is now whining about the Department of Justice's investigation into his department.

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Electronic Frontier Foundation is a nonprofit activism and information hub for Internet privacy, accessibility and development issues. Leading the fight on Net Neutrality issues.

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Center for Digital Democracy is a nonprofit committed to the preservation and support of an open, diverse and democratic Internet.

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A progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media.

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The Center for Media and Democracy aims to strengthen participatory democracy by investigating and exposing public relations spin and propaganda, and by promoting media literacy and citizen journalism.

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Columbia Journalism Review encourages and stimulates excellence in journalism in the service of a free society. It is both a watchdog and a friend of the press in all its forms.

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