by David Burn | Nov 19, 2006 | Lowcountry, Media, Politics
State Highway 462, south of Coosawhatchie, Jasper County, SC
Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.
There’s a popular Rebel Flag bumper sticker in these parts that says, “Heritage, Not Hate.” While one could argue the merits of that message, at least there’s an effort being made to say, “Hey, we’re not racists, we just love the South.” But “Never Forget” does not achieve this. Rather, it reinforces in a stark manner what happened here, namely slavery and the War of Northern Agression (which forever put an end to the plantation economy). While sentiments like “The South’s gonna rise again” are common in some parts, it is rare to see the defiant but dreamy message so plainly displayed as it is on this outdoor board.
by David Burn | Nov 8, 2006 | Media, Politics
“Those who are too smart to engage in politics are punished by being governed by those who are dumber.” -Plato
I normally tune out conservative propagandists, but in the wake of last night’s election returns, I was curious how they were handling the news. Not well.
CNN’s douche du jour, Glenn Beck characterized the Democrat’s platform as “the politics of destruction.” His assertion would be laughable, if it wasn’t so twisted. I don’t know how it happened, but Republicans have become masters of semantic deception. They take whatever it is they themselves are–draft dodgers, spendaholics, criminals, pervs, etc.–and claim that’s what their opposition is.
On my way in to the office this morning, I paused to hear what radio luminaries, Rick and Bubba (not to be confused with Johnboy and Billy) had to say. They claimed the Democrat platform goes against Biblical teachings. Yeah, that makes sense. Taking care of the poor, the environment, the sick, and looking out for the interests of minorities and other disenfranchised Americans is clearly the work of Satan.
I’m done letting this slide. The ideas these people promote need to be marginalized. Which brings me to the epigraph above. It’s time for all good Americans to get involved. Our nation needs a new energy policy, serious investment in education, food and health care for all and a deeper commitment to protecting the environment. And that’s just for starters.
Are you prepared to help? Or do you prefer to act like a parrot and mouth Karl Rove’s latest talking points?
[UPDATE] This bumper sticker speaks volumes.
by David Burn | Nov 5, 2006 | Media
My alma mater has a Flickr page.
by David Burn | Aug 9, 2006 | Media
As a former college newspaper editor, I took note of this New York Times article about Gannett’s purchase of Florida State’s student newspaper.
College journalists have always had to grapple with a variety of concerns, from soothing the ruffled feathers of administrators to keeping beer out of the newsroom. Now seems to be the time to add a new one: dealing with corporate owners.
Last week The Tallahassee Democrat, a daily paper owned by Gannett, announced that it had purchased The FSView & Florida Flambeau, the student newspaper of Florida State University, which is also in Tallahassee. Media industry analysts said that it seemed to be the first time that a college paper had been bought by a major chain, but that it might not be the last.
Colby Atwood, a media industry consultant, said that the transaction could have ripple effects. “Most college papers are really not for sale,” he said. But, “if corporate sponsorship takes hold in the college newspaper arena, a lot of colleges might be interested in taking a look, for the mentorship opportunities and financial support.”
Thinking back on all the problems I had with administrators of my college, it would have been lovely to say, “Take it up with my publisher.” What I used to say instead is, “If it didn’t happen, it wouldn’t be in the newspaper.”
by David Burn | Aug 4, 2006 | Lowcountry, Media
WHHI-TV’s new owner, John Byrne (photo by Harmony Motter)
I took note yesterday of an article in The Island Packet about new ownership at WHHI-TV, the local cable channel. According to the paper, the new owner has big plans for the future, which is good news since the current production values and content offerings of the station are a bit soft.
Admittedly, WHHI has to do more to capture the interest of local viewers. A lot of residents have told Byrne they’ve seen his station, but they don’t watch it, he said.
Staff members say there are a lot of misconceptions about the station. Some people think the station is a cable-access arm of the government instead of an ad-supported station. Others think it is just a visitors’ guide.
“We are the good-news channel,” said Dick O’Donnell, director of sales for WHHI. “We don’t have hurricanes. We don’t have wars. We talk about the things your friends and neighbors do.”
Going forward, the station’s programs will be archived on the Web site, www.whhitv.com, so viewers can watch them online at any time. The Web site also offers schedules for shows, which include “Talk of the Town with Ed McCullough,” “Street Talk with Brian Finnerty” and “Doug Weaver’s Hilton Head Golf Weekly.”
A station like this needs to accurately reflect the community. Beaufort County has plenty of people with ideas and money. My hope is Mr. Byrne can channel some of these precious local resources into his new venture.
by David Burn | Jun 29, 2006 | Media, Politics
When you publish a small town newspaper in a conservative, faith-based community, it takes “stones” to run a weekly column from John David Rose, especially when the man is in top form, as he was in yesterday’s piece.
Freedom-hating Christian fanatics seek to write their peculiar, strained interpretations of “holy writ” into our body of law, democracy be damned.
The threat is not overblown, it’s real.
A secretive theo-political movement set out a decade ago with the goal of imposing Old Testament law upon the United States. Now working under a number of guises, their enemy is democracy, their objective theocracy.
One of the “25 articles” of a coalition of Christian fundamentalist leaders declares: “We deny that anyone, Jew or Gentile, believer or unbeliever, private person or public official, is exempt from the moral and judicial obligation before God to submit to Christ’s lordship over every aspect of life, thought, word and deed.” The coalition’s “biblical blueprint” for the United States advocates the death penalty, preferably by stoning, for homosexuals, adulterers, blasphemers, astrologers, witches, teachers of false doctrine and incorrigible children.
Fundamentalist leaders like James Dobson (Focus on the Family) and Robertson (Christian Broadcasting Net work) and others of their ilk, Christo fascists in clerical disguise, use the tithes of bedazzled followers to enrich themselves and intimidate media, mainline churches and those who dare oppose them in what they characterize as the struggle between good and evil, God and Satan.
The editors and publisher of Bluffton Today deserve some kind of award for bravery, and for their faith in the U.S. Constitution, which protects the rights of a free press. Maybe the Pulitzer crew could create a new category for just this type of thing.
by David Burn | Jun 27, 2006 | Media, Politics
According to Associated Press reporter, Terrence Hunt, President Bush today sharply condemned the disclosure of a program to secretly monitor the financial transactions of suspected terrorists. “The disclosure of this program is disgraceful,” he said.
“For people to leak that program and for a newspaper to publish it does great harm to the United States of America,” Bush said, jabbing his finger for emphasis.
No.
An administration actively dismantling The Bill of Rights does great harm to this nation. An administration willing to lie and manipulate meaning does great harm to this nation. An administration that takes us to war under false pretenses does great harm to this nation. An administration that blows a CIA operative’s cover for political leverage does great harm to this nation. An administration with a blind eye to torture does great harm to this nation.
I keep thinking there’s hope. That the people will come to their senses and ride these clowns out of town. But that will never happen when the only source of truth–a free media–is under constant attack.
Is it not obvious how important discrediting the media is to the right? They have their own TV network (run by the same man who put the first King George in office) which spews propaganda 24/7. That ought to give us a pretty good clue how important media manipulation is to their strategy.
Karl Rove has memorized Joseph Goebbels’ playbook. And we are all worse off for his mastery.
by David Burn | May 28, 2006 | Advertising, Media
Sy Safransky is the founder and editor of The SUN magazine, an award-winning independent, nonprofit journal that has maintained itself and its readership for more than 28 years. It publishes poetry, fiction, nonfiction, and interviews that live up to its motto, a statement by Viktor Frankl: “What it is to give light must endure burning.”
Darby loves The SUN . She’s always saying, “I can’t believe you don’t read The SUN .” For the record, I do pick it up from time to time. She loves the purity of the pub. Presumably so do the other 70,000 subscribers that help keep the Chapel Hill, NC operation afloat.
In a fund raising letter from Safransky, which I have before me, he discusses his battle to keep The SUN’s pages ad free.
As the planet staggers from catastrophe to catastrophe, do we really need yet another magazine filled with the kind of ads that romanticize the destruction of the natural world, deny moral complexity, and perpetuate the status quo?
He mentions in the letter that his methods may be quaint. That’s honest.
As a person who works in advertising, my reaction is why draw such deep lines in the sand? Selling ad space is not selling out and it’s not going to move the editorial direction of The SUN one iota.
I’m not saying The SUN should run ads, after all it is nice that such a magazine exists. I’m saying I would, faced with like circumstances. When brands sponsor great content, artists get paid. And everyone, especially artists, needs to get paid.
by David Burn | Mar 11, 2006 | Media
I’m listening to Ike Carter’s “Nothin’ but the Blues” on Savannah State University Radio, WHCJ 90.3 FM. It airs every Sat. morning from 8:00 to 12:00.
At the moment, Mr. Carter is kicking a lot of Muddy Waters from the 40s and 50s. You can’t ask for more than that from a DJ.
According to Wikipedia, The station just recently started broadcasting 24 hours a day. The station’s signal covers all of Chatham County, and can also be heard in Effingham, Bryan, Beaufort, and Liberty counties.
WHCJ plays jazz, reggae, gospel, blues, and salsa music in addition to featuring a lineup of talk shows, commentary, and cultural enrichment programs that provide a major source of programming for the African-American community.
Given that music is the universal language, I’d say the larger community is also well served by SSU’s radio station. Lovers of the blues, gospel and jazz would do well to make sure this station is properly funded.
by David Burn | Jan 31, 2006 | Media
The Bush administration has been expert at framing American deaths and injuries in Iraq as a strict numbers game. Thankfully, Cindy Sheehan and Rep. John Murtha have successfully personalized our losses, and therefore have presented impressive challenges to institutional deceit.
Now, with ABC’s Bob Woodruff seriously injured by a bomb, Americans have another reason to pause.
Christiane Amanpour on CNN’s Larry King Live last night:
We have to have an independent eye on these conflicts. The war in Iraq has basically turned out to be a disaster and journalists have paid for it, paid for the privilege of witnessing and reporting that and so have many, many other people who have been there.
And I think that’s terribly, terribly difficult for us and unfortunately for some reason, which I can’t fathom, the kind of awful thing that’s going on there now on a daily basis has almost become humdrum. So, when something happens to people that we identify, like Bob and like Doug, we wake up again and realize that, no, this is not acceptable what’s going on there and it’s a terrible situation.
