NCMR 2008 Blog

If we had a dime for every time an NCMR participant looked forlornly at their conference schedule and wondered which session to attend and which, sadly, to skip, we just might be able to write-off the rest of the year's fundraising appeals. It was too hard to choose just one session.

Last night, Rupert Murdoch launched a laughable attack against you, the media reform movement, and journalism itself.

His on-air bully Bill O'Reilly called us "crazy" and "fascist" --- you, me, and the millions of others who want media reform. These people are "doing a lot of damage to America," O'Reilly yelled. Our crime? Calling for journalism that's more honest, just and accountable to the public.

There are moments in every decade when monumental struggles for social change finally tip in favor of the public interest. We’ve seen the relief of a 40-hour work week, the long-awaited arrival of women’s right to vote, and the even longer fight to end segregation.

Phew! It's been a stellar weekend. But don't pack your bags quite yet. Sunday is as rollicking as the last two days, if only a bit shorter. These sessions, from 9:30 to 11 a.m., should not be missed.

2008 may have been a year of political organizing via Facebook, MySpace and YouTube, but the ultimate impact on political and social change remains under debate. This debate was addressed head on in the Organizing for Change on the Social Web session at NCMR this afternoon.

Legendary journalist Bill Moyers electrified an audience of more than 3,500 in Minneapolis this morning calling the media reform movement "the most significant citizens' movement to emerge in this new century."

Following up on Bill Moyers, who made it clear in his morning remarks that the future of the Internet is the future of the media reform movement, a panel of scholars, activists and journalists including Robert McChesney, Malkia Cyril, Tim Wu and Amy Goodman discussed the shifting landscape of media and media reform.

3,000 people. 300 presenters. NCMR 2008 begins tonight on the banks of the great Mississippi river.

The National Conference for Media Reform is bringing together journalists, policy makers, activists and scholars who have a lot to say about the state of our media and the need for real change. This is your invitation to join the conversation.

In the Media Consolidation panel discussion period, Linda Foley (Newspaper Guild) asked panelists "we've operated with a defensive strategy for so long, what is our offensive strategy as we move forward?"

Andy Schwartzman of MAP summed up well:

This morning Bill Moyers kicked off day two of the National Conference for Media Reform, calling on the more the nearly 3,500 participants to step up, speak up, and take the message of this conference into the streets of America.