rhode island

It’s All in the Game: Media Coverage of the 2008 Presidential Primary Campaigns

Jim Carlson — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 06:11:00 -0800

The news media in a democracy should facilitate and nurture a “marketplace of ideas” where the best policies and the best political candidates emerge from competition between ideas that arise from free and transparent public discourse.

Privatization and Consolidation: A New Era in Big Media

Josh Stearns — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 12:35:00 -0800

It is hard to talk about the media without someone claiming that “traditional media” is on its deathbed. Every time we turn around, there is another pundit warning Americans about the dire situation facing our broadcast stations and newspapers. Pundits wring their hands about the surge in “citizen journalism” on blogs, and Big Media flacks point to YouTube videos as evidence of a new era in media competition. We want to believe this alluring argument because we want to believe in the democratic promise of new media outlets.

Support of Affordable High Speed Internet for America and Internet Neutrality

ProgRock — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 14:24:00 -0700

Democrats,

On July 15th, 2007 the Executive Board of the California Democratic Party passed the following resolution in favor of Net Neutrality and affordable high speed Internet for America.

The adoption of this resolution was made possible by the unprecedented cooperation of both the Labor Caucus and the Progressive Caucus of the CDP. Working together over the months following the CDP convention in San Diego, representatives of both caucuses, led by Jim Gordon, chair of the Labor Caucus and Brad Parker, officer of the Progressive Caucus, were able to craft a resolution that addressed the concerns of both groups and Americans as a whole. Once again, after 100 years of organizing and political activism, Progressives and Union members have found common cause. Our hope is that this resolution will become a blueprint for legislation across the country that preserves Internet integrity with open, equal and impartial access and Net Neutrality. Further, that the build out of high speed Internet be undertaken as a public utility maintained by union members bringing affordable broadband Internet access to all Americans.

No issue of public governance is more critical at this time in our history than the immediate need for every level of government to pass and enforce legislation to embody the principles of this resolution. Therefore, we call upon every Democrat in America to send this resolution to every elected official across the nation and to insist that Net Neutrality and affordable high speed Internet become the law of the land.