New World Notes News
This week in New World Notes:
Tuesday, October 28 / Friday, October 31: #36--Mutual Corruption . . . , Part 1. TV news-and-public-affairs shows are now much, much worse than in the past. Though its viewpoint was always Establishment, TV News once did try for some degree of fairness, comprehensiveness, and breadth of views. The News was considered a required public service, not just one more "profit center" that had better hold its own in the ratings against Wasteland programs like "American Idol" and "Miley Cyrus‘ Dare to Bare It!"
Which brings us to the next three installments of New World Notes. And yes, one of those program names was made up on the spot.
In 2006, Robert Kane Pappas produced a fine video documentary on the gawdawful interplay of big business, big media, and a corrupt, anti-democratic government. We saw this interplay clearly in the run-up to the U.S. war against Iraq. In March 2003, 51% of Americans believed that Saddam Hussein was responsible for the destruction of the World Trade Center. What led them to believe this? And who benefited from this belief?
Pappas named his documentary, Orwell Rolls In His Grave. Lyn Gerry, of the Unwelcome Guests Collective, adapted it for radio. I then hacked and chopped Gehry’s adaptation down to less than an hour and spread it over three shows. I always wanted to be a butcher. Alas, I’m a U.S. citizen, so the big meatpacking companies won’t hire me. So I became an editor instead. Close enough.
I gave my trilogy this title: Mutual Corruption: Business, Media, and Politics; . . . or: Roll Over, George Orwell, and Give Tim Russert the News.
And anyone who claims that I come not to praise Orwell but to Berry him gets his newsletter subscription cancelled!
The highlight of the series is the speaking voices. In this first installment, my favorites are those of film- and trouble-maker Michael Moore and U.S. Congressman Bernie Sanders. Here Moore is at his best, and Sanders is terrific! He's brilliant, acerbic, left-of-center, and very funny. Charles Lewis, Danny Schecter, and Mark Crispin Miller also speak with insight.
Finally, a voice from another source--Black Agenda Radio’s Glen Ford--discusses a problem that shows that Orwell, Moore, Sanders et al. know what they’re talking about. In its local coverage, the leading newspaper in Washington, D.C., refuses to report news of the political party with second-highest popular support in the city. The local GOP--#3 in popular support--is covered plenty. The Statehood-Green Party? Down the 1984 Memory Hole!
You don’t have to be Jewish to enjoy Levy’s Rye Bread, and you don’t have to be Black to appreciate the commentaries of Ford and colleagues at Black Agenda Report and Black Agenda Radio. As the poet should have said, "Send not for whom Glen Ford speaks: / He speaks for thee."
OK, I’m Donne. . . .
Catch New World Notes . . .
- Tuesdays, Noon to 12:30 PM, WWUH 91.3 (West Hartford) & wwuh.org
- Fridays, 7:30 to 8:00 AM, WHUS 91.7 (Storrs) & http://www.whus.org/
- Any time: Listen to or download any installment ... or subscribe to a podcast ... at the A-Infos Radio Project New World Notes program archive
Support Your Local Artist
OK, so now he's more our regional artist. He used to be local. I think. In any case, attached are two more paintings by David Weinholtz (click to enlarge). O'Reilly [above] seems relevant enough to our broadcast. And Whittling [below] seems relevant enough to America over (say) the past 30 years. Let's hope or pray that next year Whittling will require updating, and the updating will require more than just painting out the elephant and painting in a donkey.
If Nader is elected President, I wonder what symbol he'd choose. A Chevrolet Corvair gets my vote.
Keep the shiny side up! [traditional motorcyclists' benediction]
Ken
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