George Washington could hardly be called naïve about the use of military power. Yet, in his presidential farewell address, the general-turned-political leader issued a warning that would be wise to reconsider as the
Hello -- again. Toward Freedom is back! Not with our magazine, but with a new and expanded Website that will continue the incisive international reporting that TF began 53 years ago. After several months of in depth discussion, the TF board of directors has begun to develop some new approaches, including a decision to strengthen our link to writers, readers, and activists who are working to create a just society.
As a first step, we have engaged journalist Ben Dangl, who has traveled extensively and written about progressive movements in
Looking forward to networking with you in cyberspace,
Robin Lloyd
TF Board co-chair
A note from the new editor:
The launch of our new website takes place at a time of extreme global crisis.The War in Iraq; the creation of a possible free trade block in South America; the centralization of corporate media in the US - the list could go on and on. Yet flashes of hope have sprung up in the midst of these challenges. Labor unions are organizing in
Starting with our July 4th inaugural issue, www.TowardFreedom.com will be publishing articles on a weekly basis on topics ranging from human rights and the environment to youth issues and activism.Our new multimedia site also includes an online bookstore, a blog, radio/audio streaming, a RSS feed, a searchable database and newly organized archives. Video streaming will soon be up and running as well.
I am excited about editing TF's new website and look forward to being a part of this community of readers, writers and activists. We'd love to hear your thoughts and suggestions as we move ahead. If you have any questions or comments, or would like to write for Toward Freedom, please email me: [email protected]
To sign up for our weekly email newsletter, go here.
Thanks for reading and stay tuned,
Ben Dangl
TF Editor
Mass Media, Globalization, and the Public Mind
Q: How important is it for the mass media, to control the public mind?
CHOMSKY: We always have to ask: important for whom? For the public, it’s important that they not control the public mind. For the public, it’s important for them to prepare, to present a free arena for discussion and debate and an honest acount, as much as one can, of issues that are important and significant. But that’s for the public. For the media themselves, that is the owners, the managers, their market, which is advertisers, and other power systems in the society, control of the public mind is extremely important.
Anti-war TV challenges the corporate media “consensus”
By March 19, the major TV networks had done their advance work well. After months of promotion, millions of US viewers were eagerly anticipating a prime time extravaganza. Anxious for the catharsis of a neatly crushed Iraqi military, they watched with “shock and awe” as US and British forces launched their long-awaited sequel – Gulf War II.
However, there’s another US public, one not so eager or united. Due largely to advances in personal computing and electronic communications, opposition to the latest US-led war spread rapidly before it began. Although much has been written about the impact of the Internet on anti-war organizing, relatively little has been said about the advent of anti-war TV. Yet this recent development has informed, expanded, and mobilized the ranks of the movement while engaging millions who otherwise would be forced to rely on the empty, often inaccurate drivel of mainstream TV.
Not content with controlling wartime news, the US turns propaganda into entertainment
In drafting the US Constitution, one of the central goals was to insure a separation of powers. The basic idea was that each branch would be checked and balanced: executive power overseen by the legislature, legislative power evaluated by the judicial branch, a judiciary appointed by the executive but confirmed by the legislature, and so on. The approach was meant to maximize democratic rule by and for the people.
To succeed and thrive, we’ll need to make media and democracy the main issues
Those of us who have been in media for a while have seen the system’s transformation. We’ve seen the emergence of fewer and fewer companies, dominating more and more of the media spectrum. We’ve seen a merger between news biz and show biz. We’ve seen a dramatic cutback in news of the world.
On MediaChannel.org, we published a study that compares the extent of political knowledge in the US to six other countries, and finds that Americans are the least informed of any people in the world. The reason? US television. Americans depend increasingly on TV for their news and information, and US television increasingly doesn’t carry news and information. As a consequence, we’re in a process where politics itself has become politically incorrect.
Copyright Toward Freedom 2019