Why is the media not jumping the overtime pay cuts??

[veganwitch]

This is just ridiculous. Granted I don't watch television but I listen to c-span and read the paper and im getting nothing, other than the press conferences. It hardly gets any play on the sunday news talk shows. whywhywhywhywhywhywhy????????

If this was running as the top story on the local news chanels the country would be in an uproar. TV-watchers, is this getting play?

I know the obvious answer to my rhetorical question but this is mind-boggling.

[theivoryqueen]

1. did that go thru yet??

I heard it was blocked with the rest of the "omnibus" spending bill

[veganwitch]

11. no not yet

but thats not going to stop them from trying.

just the suggestion might as well put us back to the 1910s.

[TeamsterDem]

20. I think there's two reasons ...

1) The large corporations who own the media agenda-setting companies (AOL Time Warner, Viacom, GE, etc.) will benefit drastically from stripping their employees of their overtime rights.

2) The media has become very complacent in recent years, seemingly happy to take stories from the White House and regurgitate them without even 2 seconds' worth of investigation to check the veracity.

It's unfortunate, but hopefully with guys like Byrd and Kennedy, we'll be able to block the rules; although I'm not holding my breath considering the hard-charging republicans are doing to cram this one through.

[theorist]

2. Journalists and Pundits DON'T CARE.

This is usually my answer to this sort of question. If it's not covered, either the reporters don't care about it or they receive orders to ignore. I usually pick the former.

[Terwilliger]

3. why does the media do (or not do) anything?

$$$$$$$$$$

I'll add that, since the media always reports in such a way as to never criticize most business, they know that this bill will help most businesses (anti-worker) so they're all for it.

[izzie]

4. They usually say they are out of time.

Crazy as they replay the same old programs over and over. I can get anything I miss on CNN at some time during the 24 hours. We do need to hear about Laci of course.

[Scott Lee]

5. Because it robs air time from pumping Bush-hole

I mean, come on there is only so much space in a paper, or time on TV.

[redqueen]

6. Not mind boggling at all

They're helping to enslave us. Duh.

[amazona]

7. because they aren't paid by the hour

Journalists, reporters, news readers etc. are not affected since they are salaried and don't get overtime pay in any case.

[Newsjock]

10. Nope

Media companies, including the large faceless one for which I work, are positively giddy over the overtime rule changes -- precisely because they say they'll be able to stop paying overtime to their already-underpaid reporters and line editors.

At a news meeting a few weeks back, our top editors were actually giggling with glee at the prospect of not having to pay any more overtime. It was disgusting.

[xxqqqzme]

8. this is way 2 easy....

cuz the corporate media want OT 2 disappear. Same reason they didn't cover the FCC rulings...the uproar over the giveaways was generated on the internet spurred by on Moyers who would not let go.

[proud patriot]

9. Becuase if they do They'll get FIRED

look at Buchannon and Press

[Marlie]

13. Prescription Drug Bill

No one discussed the details before the vote, however, after it was
voted into law, a have seen a few people arguing the pros and cons.
After the bill on overtime pay is passed, then they'll hash it out,
you know, just to show how they try to educate the people, of course,
after the damage is done. They all are so bought and paid for
by Corporate America and the Republican Party it's enough to make you
want to just give up sometimes. But, I won't!

[Redleg]

12. Because they don't get overtime pay.

On their nice fat salaries they don't mind putting in a few extra hours here and there. Just as Eric Alterman said in his book "What Liberal Media?" the media tends to tilt to the right regarding economic issues. They just don't get the working man and woman's troubles.

[Newsjock]

14. Please, please, please ...

Distinguish between the big-name network TV stars with "fat salaries" and the workaday wonks at your local newspaper -- some of whom may actually be on public assistance because of the criminally low pay they get.

[redqueen]

17. Yep

On C-Span this morning, one of Kennedy's charts showed what kinds of professions would be affected, and journalists was one of them.

Read the e-mail linked in my thread "Welfare State" to find out what life could be like, if only we stopped voting out of fear and started demanding real change to benefit the people and not the powerful.

By the way the C-Span panel covered was really good. If you missed Kennedy's presentation it's worth checking out on their site (if they have it available).

[LuminousX]

15. Because the media is a business and will benefit from this.

[Ksec]

16. Corps own media , corps own Repubs, Repubs pass favorable legislation for

corporations. Its basic scratch yer back stuff, and its glaringly obvious anymore.

[redqueen]

18. That would make sense... if...

if it were demonstratable that Democrats weren't complicit in this raping of the American worker.

I know most aren't, but some are.

We must stop rewarding those centrist backstabbers with votes. They're dragging us rightward toward serfdom. They get their cut, and sell us out.

[loudnclear]

19. Because it's not about sex, Cllinton, or Micahel Jackson.

and it doesn't affect them!