FCC Fights First Amendment and ‘Democracy Itself’
Allowing allegedly local broadcast firms to acquire even more stations will put control over news in still fewer, more corporate hands.
Joseph Torres & Collette Watson on Media for Racial Justice
Different media, telling different stories, can change our understanding of our past, our present and our future.
Smearing Photojournalists as Hamas Collaborators Gets Them Added to a Hit List
Israeli officials are accusing major news media of coordinating with Hamas, painting Palestinian stringers as terrorist operatives.
‘Intentional Storytelling Is a Way We Can Fight for a Better World’
“I have seen the power of how narrative shifts culture, and how culture then shifts policy.”
Sonali Kolhatkar on the Power of Narrative
Narrative is an important tool for folks looking to change the world for the better, in part by changing the stories we tell one another.
Ukraine’s ‘Press Freedom’ Score Increases Despite Martial Law, Banned Media
Changing the standards because Ukraine has been invaded endorses the idea that freedom of the press ought to be limited in times of danger.
Independent Media Need You to Get the Word Out on Social Media
Engaging with posts on social media is a meaningful way of supporting journalism organizations you are sympathetic to.
‘What if We Use Public Money to Transform What Local Media Looks Like?’
“What we talked about was not the woes of one specific industry, but instead we talked about the impact on communities.”
‘It’s About Giving People Tools So We Can Reach Transparency Critical Mass’
“The press has an enormous role in partnering with transparency advocates to basically say, give me what you’ve got.”
‘The Media Are an Arena for Struggle’
“If you’re progressive…you have to be active around the problem of corporate media bias, corporate media censorship, exclusion, racism.”
Jeff Cohen on FAIR’s Beginnings
Listeners to this show may take it as a given that, if you care about social, racial, economic justice, you have to also care about media—because corporate news media promote narratives that shape public opinion, public policy and all of our lives.
35 Years Later, Looking Back at the Founding of FAIR
It was 35 years ago this month that I left my beloved Venice, California, to move to New York City to launch FAIR.
FAIR’s Response to PBS’s Findings on National Desk
Below is the letter FAIR sent to PBS in reply to its findings on the National Desk “gender wars” series. Sandra Heberer Director, News and Information Programming Tom Epstein Vice President, Communications Public Broadcasting Service 1320 Braddock Place Alexandria, VA 22314-1698 June 23, 2000 Dear Ms. Heberer and Mr. Epstein: Thank you for […]
PBS Responds to FAIR Activists on Commercials
FAIR released an action alert on March 15 (“The Commercialization of Children’s Public Television”) that asked members of our e-mail list to write to PBS about the inclusion of advertisements in what is supposed to be non-commercial programming for children. Here is PBS‘s response to those letters, followed by FAIR’s analysis of it: ***** Thank […]
Q&A About PBS and National Desk’s Series on the "Gender Wars"
PBS says the series “National Desk” is meant to generate controversy and debate. Isn’t this a good thing? It would be, if public television’s overall lineup were balanced with controversial shows from both the left and the right. PBS has a history of playing the controversy card when criticized for running a right-wing program, while […]
PBS Reviews Its Programing
Right-wing pressure played a major role in prompting PBS to review its programing policies. The heat came from extremist groups such as AIM and from the Reaganite-dominated Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which had threatened its own investigation of PBS program content. In support of independence for public television, FAIR executive director Jeff Cohen addressed the […]
What’s FAIR?
From Extra! June 1987 FAIR is a media watch organization offering constructive criticism in an effort to correct media imbalance. We advocate for media access on behalf of those constituencies in our society that do not have the wealth to purchase their own TV stations or daily newspapers. We scrutinize media practices that slight public […]
