>I love the movies, but at heart I like to see the whole picture, that is, to see the social and economic fabric that makes up, and even determines, our lives. Given that, I find examinations of media, not just film, but the media that provides us a view on the world, namely the news, to be fascinating and always timely. I had the privilege of studying mass media in college and have since then been very suspicious of big media – that is, large corporate media owners & outlets. Needless to say, those in power generally want to increase their power – it’s just human nature I suppose – and having control over the means of media production is a powerful tool in that quest.

With this in mind, I was stunned and pleased to hear (via youtube) Bill Moyer’s keynote speech at the Media Reform Conference, a three-day convention organized by Free Press, a nonprofit group that describes itself as part of a growing movement to increase public access to all forms of American media. Moyers, an award-winning PBS producer and commentator, warned conference participants from around the country that corporate America wants to expand its control over the Internet while limiting access by average citizens. [For the AP article see: http://www.freepress.net/news/20315 ]

I highly encourage everyone to take the time to listen to this hour long address.

Bill Moyers keynote at Media Reform Conference
PART ONE

PART TWO


Here is the Marge Piercy poem that Moyers ended with:

The Low Road

What can they do
to you? Whatever they want.
They can set you up, they can
bust you, they can break
your fingers, they can
burn your brain with electricity,
blur you with drugs till you
can’t walk, can’t remember, they can
take your child, wall up
your lover. They can do anything
you can’t stop them
from doing. How can you stop
them? Alone, you can fight,
you can refuse, you can
take what revenge you can
but they roll over you.

But two people fighting
back to back can cut through
a mob, a snake-dancing file
can break a cordon, an army
can meet an army.

Two people can keep each other
sane, can give support, conviction,
love, massage, hope, sex.
Three people are a delegation,
a committee, a wedge. With four
you can play bridge and start
an organization. With six
you can rent a whole house,
eat pie for dinner with no
seconds, and hold a fund raising party.
A dozen make a demonstration.
A hundred fill a hall.
A thousand have solidarity and your own newsletter;
ten thousand, power and your own paper;
a hundred thousand, your own media;
ten million, your own country.

It goes on one at a time,
it starts when you care
to act, it starts when you do
it again and they said no,
it starts when you say We
and know you who you mean, and each
day you mean one more.

-Marge Piercy
From “The Moon is Always Female”, published by
Alfred A. Knopf, Copyright 1980 by Marge Piercy.