Our collaborative efforts have begun to yield fruit, according to Lida Masoudpour of Media Matters for America. Last month Media for Democracy members joined in a nationwide campaign to urge Sinclair Broadcast Group to offer a "Counterpoint" to the partisan conservative politics of its nightly newscasts. As a result, the office supply retailer Staples has decided to yank its advertising from Sinclair's 62 TV stations nationwide. Staples, Inc. attributed its decision in part to the thousands of letters of concern the company received from members of our coalition. For more info, visit the SinclairAction.com website, a project of Media Matters for America, MediaChannel.org, Media for Democracy, MoveOn.org, Working Assets, Robert Greenwald Campaign for America's Future, Free Press, and AlterNet. See a related post.
11 comments:
Congratulations! See citizens activism can move mountains, or in this case mainstream media. My hat is off to all of the groups who took part.
Paul Westerland, Olympia, WA
Wow! Sinclair had it coming. How can we organize to get more advertisers to pull the plug. Good work, Tim and crew - - - Textro
As of 11:00am EST Sinclair's stock price (SBGI) has taken a mild ride. First dipping $0.10, then spiking $0.40 before returning to its starting price of approx. $8.85. Keep an eye on the ticker.
I wanted to share with you a note forwarded to me by a MediaChannel member who is encouraging others to but Staples stock and products. I encourage others to follow Jack's advice.
Tim Karr
MediaChannel.org
Mediacitizen
Note follows:
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Dear friends,
Today I purchased a small quantity of Staples(SPLS) stock. Not just because they are headquartered here in Framingham, but they have become the first major sponsor to pull from the Sinclair Broadcasting Network. If buying a couple of shares is not your thing, I suggest when you pass a Staples and need a couple of pens, pencils etc.(you can always use a pencil) stop in by something, and tell the manager, or cashier why you are here today. I think it's time for us on the left that have been hammered so much by those on the radical right personally, politically and in the media, literally shoved aside, to fight back with whatever limited resources we can muster.
We can not allow those that have a radical right wing agenda to stampede over our rights too.
Who said we can't fight back?
Jack Hoffman
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This would be great BUT -- according to the WaPo, Staples isn't yanking its ads completely, just those that air during news programs and Hyman's commentaries. In other words, they weenied out big time.
please bare with me a longggggggg moment so you might get my prospective)
I know I'm not the smartest guy in the shop by far, but I can "fix the flight simulator".
I learned trouble shooting techniques a whole long time ago when I was a KC135,C5,C141 Flight Simulator Technician in the AF. I learned quickly, that everyone in the shop was smarter than I was. They could all talk expertly about the most complex theories of electronics. Just amaze you with their brilliance ( did me anyway) But when you would note that one of the simulators was broken, "go fix it". They couldn't. Admittedly a daunting task for anyone, however some of us could fix it, some couldn't. They would try, but never stopped talking, and would each go off in a different direction pursuing their own agendas, each overly complicating the problem, while trying to apply their vast knowledge and intellect into fixing the simulator. Each one sure they were on the right track. But, when push came to shove and the mission was in danger of not being met, it was always "Get Trainwasher (or one of the other few who actually could fix the simulator) over here". Not because I was smarter, I wasn't. Maybe it was that I only look for the cause of the problem and try not to go blindly chasing after the random erroneous and misleading indications (i.e. symptoms) of the dials and gages in the cockpit (as we Democrats are now doing). So, I would have to leave my own simulator (detracting even more from the mission) and go clean up the mess of the intelligencia of "sans common sensea", as they would go off, massive egos in tow, unfettered by the problem, all the while, every time, oblivious to the necessary corrective action. There is something missing in the brain of many really intelligent people (not all but many). It's a disconnect to clarity of vision and common sense. A disconnect to reality. I really believe that Democrats are far more intelligent than Republicans, yet we can't fix the flight simulator. They can.
(Thanks for bearing thru my overbearing preface)
Now, back to your question. I think that we have to start fighting only the one common problem that affects all our other maladies and misfortunes. There's only one problem, as I see it. Everything else is a manifestation of that core central problem.
Problem - The American people have been brainwashed to do the bidding of the GOP. That is the center core of the problem, every other symptom derives from it. I think the problem started with Russ Limbaugh and radio talk shows, has now morphed into TV and print by Murdock and Sinclair, et al. Control of American minds is now almost total.
Corrective action - stop the brainwashing.
How - Get the propagandist shows off the air. Shut them down.
How - Convince the sponsors who make those shows possible, to withdraw their advertising.
How - Boycott them.
Total boycotts, every day, every one of them. Every supporter. No Band-Aid approaches, but a Strategic "all out" war of boycotting and sanctioning is the only corrective action for a permanent fix. Long term, example setting, all out boycotting. No stops and starts by the guilty Corporatists. Long term pain and loses.
Let's fix the problem, and once we do that all the gages will return to normal.
htt://www.southcarlinaregulators.blogspot/
Prime example by Richd. of the GOP. GOP(Gang Of Punks) is now trying to control all the internet. Disrupt any gatherings not approved by a "DESERTER" (awol for over 180 days) George W. Bush. Hey Rich come over to my blog http://southcarolinaregulators.blogspot/ and be my RichBitch. I got a few words for you I can't say on someone else's blog.
When "Corporatists oppressors" have control of all the news medias ( and they are starting in to establish control on the internet now ), they are able to control all the news. By using selective view points and banning views different that theirs, they can control the minds of the public. We have seen lies from the President and Vice-Presidents of the United States of America, and on down thru the chain of command, about the reason to wage holocaustic war on Iraq for the benefit of "Corporatists oppressors".
People have to be willing participants to be brainwashed. The "Corporatists oppressors" have given just enough people, exactly what they want to entice them to be accomplices in their illegal and amoral usurpation of power in America. They gave the religious right their dream of a theocratic government. They gave the energy empires their dream of unfettered free access to government lands for razing. They gave the pharmaceutical industry free reign to set whatever prices . They gave the wealthy obscene tax breaks and borrowed from the future. They gave the conservative owners of the media unrestrained freedom to monopolize the radio and TV stations to consolidate their power of control. They gave the Military Industrial Complex no bid contracts and unaccountable cost over run billions to further increase our National Debt. They gave ............., and gave........., and gave.......... but only to those who agreed to support their lies and rationalizations to convince main stream America of the justness of their cause.
It is no exaggeration to say the present is by far the darkest and most dangerous time America has ever seen. The defensive strength of America's freedoms and liberties have always been too great to be conquered from the outside. Unfortunately we failed to ensure that defensive strength of freedoms and liberties also was applied to being conquered from the inside.
Our fight to regain control over our freedoms and liberties must be a united fight. We must proceed en mass, one step at a time. We must stop being the "Colmes whipping boys" to their public theater of the bravado. We must be willing to make great personal sacrifices, to overcome any differences we have with each other, and make a united attack at the soft underbelly of "Corporatists oppressors" with everything we have at our disposal. There will be casualties, but no progress can be made unless we are willing to accept that fact. Eventually the casualties themselves will become our greatest supporters, as that's the only way they can regain their positions in society. We must act quickly. If the "Corporatists oppressors" do succeed in their efforts to gain control of the internet, America will become a permanent Oligarchic Fascist state. Without the internet, how will we be able to communicate with each other. Without the internet, all hope is lost. The poster boy for Fascism himself once said " "Fascism should rightly be called Corporatism as it is a merge of state and corporate power." (Benito Mussolini)
(a short side trip to fascism)
Fascism evolved into a political and economic system that combined corporatism, totalitarianism, nationalism, designed to bind all classes together under a new capitalist system in which the state seized control of the organization of vital industries. The appeal of this movement, the promise of a more orderly capitalism during an era of national fear and depression.
Benito Mussolini skillfully used his absolute control over the press, to gradually built up the legend of the "Duce" (Il duce), a man who was always right and could solve all the problems of politics and economics. Italy was soon a police state. With those who tried to resist him, he showed himself utterly ruthless. But his skill in propaganda was such that he had surprisingly little opposition.
(did you see any analogy to George W. Bush and present day America) ( read more at http://www.free-web-template.org/be/benito-mussolini.html )
I am pleased to read that a major business has responded to citizen activism. Sometimes democracy really can work. At a time in our nation's history when special interests control much of our media and our political process, a (not so simple) decision by Staples to respond to honest and demonstrable complaints, is an encouraging sign.
It ought to give those of us who care a boost to keep speaking out, sending emails, making phone calls and sending letters.
If we don't keep the light burning, who will?
The left has had control of the major media for my entire life. It is humorous to see liberals get so bent out of shape over just a small portion of tv broadcast going against their packaged spin machine. It is also fun to see Fox eating the other networks lunch and gaining market share just by daring to give both sides of the story not just the liberal line. I just emailed Staples to remind them that there are a lot more red states than blue states. Thank God.
If that's true then why aren't you boycotting? Go ahead boycott. That's exactly what we want. It's time to put you Fascists in your place for good. By the way dumb ass, why are you hanging around serving as fodder instead of back with the Storm Troopers. DO boycott. Please boycott. We aim to shut this country down. All help is greatly appreciated. The GOP game of playing chicken with the Constitution is being called. If we are to be a Fascist nation, then better that we end it here, rather than have teh "DESERTER" send more of our soldiers off to die for Halliburton. Boycott. Go ahead. Start now. Start with this liberal ass blog.
Remember to write to thank Staples for withdrawing their ad support. If people don't do this, Staples may just fund different Sinclair programs. Sinclair needs to be punished financially for serving its politics as part of entertainment and news choices. National chains like Staples will respond to national pressure, no matter what regional executives and politicians think.
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