A Media Matters 50-state strategy

[BobcatJH]

This is an idea that I've been kicking around since December. Thought I would post it here to see how the DU community would flesh it out.

Driving into work one morning in December, I channel surfed between breaks in "The Bill Press Show," finally landing on the right-leaning WTAM, Cleveland's No. 1 AM radio station. Once there, I heard morning drive host Bill Wills speaking with a Fox News correspondent, both misreading and misrepresenting the president's illegal domestic spying program. It was a command performance, an exercise in what can happen when we let amateurs fill people's heads with outright lies.

Imagine this same frustration taking place in other cars, in other cities, with other ill-informed hosts distorting the news. Across the country, under the radar, right-wing spin and lies are infiltrating local markets, coloring the coverage. Unchecked.

But it doesn't have to be like that. With some help, we can push back, banding together to fight the right. With December's outrage, it hit me: The Media Matters 50-state strategy.

I, like you, love Media Matters. Their mission - "comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media" - provides Americans a wonderful service. Without watchdog groups like Media Matters, lies would go unchecked, spin not countered.

On a national level, the not-for-profit Media Matters is our collective truth squad, exposing the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh and William Bennett, among many others. Already a strong community, Media Matters often receives its best stories thanks to reader tips. In fact, when Paul Hackett called Limbaugh a "fatass drug addict," the quote made it from my site to Media Matters to "The Al Franken Show" within a day. So its effectiveness is remarkable.

What Americans need and what Media Matters most likely can't provide - for purely financial reasons - is a local component, a 50-state strategy. Look how well the Democratic National Committee's similar practice has worked; we're seeing the fruits of our labor pay off with increased staffing and stronger local efforts nationwide. Knowing that mindless right-wing spin doesn't stop at the national level - if anything it increases locally - imagine how a well-funded regional Media Matters could counteract this growing trend?

Just look at WTAM. After Wills's show, the channel also airs Limbaugh's, to say nothing of afternoon drive host Mike Trivisonno's stunningly offensive, hate-filled program. When "Triv" isn't race baiting, marginalizing the poor or misrepresenting political issues like teaching creationism in schools, he's enabling an audience of rabid automatons - a group that went so far as to blame the victims of Hurricane Katrina for their plight. WTAM's other talk shows are just as bad, if not worse. If it weren't for Jerry Springer or coverage of Cleveland's professional sports teams, WTAM would be a simmering cesspool of right-wing hate.

And that's just one radio station. There are other outlets in Cleveland, other offenders. The same goes for markets across the nation, in cities much bigger than Cleveland and in towns with only a shadow of its population. And while many do a wonderful job keeping these outlets on their toes with calls, letters and small campaigns - many having powerful results - what we're lacking is national coordination, an infrastructure infusing its power into these local battles. That's where the Media Matters 50-state strategy comes in.

While Media Matters offers tips to those seeking to speak out, perhaps its latest development is its most promising. Bloggers and can now register with Media Matters to receive the latest news and information. Visitors can also sign up to receive the group's press releases, another valuable resource. It seems the infrastructure is starting to be in place. Could further coordination be next?

A dedicated Media Matters coordinator in each state would be an extremely effective tool. That way, this staffer could work with the state's bloggers and other progressives to monitor outlets, identify offenders and streamline responses. The communication wouldn't be one way, however, the coordinator would remain in constant contact with Media Matters' national office, keeping officials apprised of local activity. Media Matters' Web site could even expand with state-by-state pages, rounding up these grassroots efforts. Imagine the impact this initiative could have.

As progressives, one of our best tactics is calling media on the carpet, pointing out slanted coverage and fighting back with the truth. But we're always calling for better coordination, better resources with which to do our job. This, to me, offers us the chance to kill two birds with one very powerful stone. It all depends on money, of course, so I'm sure a dedicated fundraising campaign would be necessary to fund local or regional staffers. Volunteers could work in a pinch, but a dedicated employee would be a far-better long-term solution, making more money a necessity.

I'm interested to hear what you think about the Media Matters 50-state strategy. As an advocacy group, Media Matters performs a much-needed service. Expanding it seems like a no-brainer, although to do so would require increased resources, namely money. Having a Media Matters presence in every state would bring an already strong program into our backyards, where it may be needed most.

[More Than A Feeling]

1. All our infrastructure should be 50-state.

Otherwise, we make our failures in the red states pre-ordained and enduring, and they don't have to be. We are a national party, we potentially can and should represent every state.

[blondeatlast]

2. I see where you are going with this, but we don't need MM to do it.

We can do it on a local level. Anyone with critical thinking skills can tear apart a biased news story and expose the subjectivity and poor journalism--I've done it several times myself.

It can be done on a volunteer basis, perhaps weekly with the local papers and TV news, and posted on the internet. I've done this here at DU on occasion.

It's doable, without the tremendous expense and organizational burden. If DU has taught me nothing else, it's that motivated grassroots can make a difference.

[BobcatJH]

3. Agreed

I agree with what you say. I guess where I saw MM coming in was from the national Web coordination and "look" department, but if we can work to complete the legwork, I'm sure we could work to find the money to see it through, too.