Is the Mass Media the Enemy of America? #VB37
Los Angeles, CA. –The issue of the war in Iraq has pervaded political debate during the 2006 mid-term elections forcing Democrat and Republican candidates to present their positions of supporting or opposing the Bush Administration on the war. The role of the mass media in manipulating public opinion against the war has developed into a topic of interest sparking a Full Disclosure Network® video debate. In a thirteen minute video news blog FDN explores the issue of whether or not the mass media is the enemy of America. The video is available FREE, 24/7, provided as a public service of FDN
Appearing in the FDN video news blog are:
Dr. James Q. Wilson, Ronald Reagan Chair, Pepperdine School of Public Policy.
Prof. Murray Fromson, Annenberg School of Communications, (former CBS War Correspondent)
Alan Bock, Senior Editorial Writer, Orange County Register
Following a September 26, 2006 presentation by Dr. James Q. Wilson at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, Full Disclosure®interviewed senior high school students from Simi Valley, California,Mark Lewis, Caleb Hargis, Reiley McClendon and Mark Sweeneyregarding their reaction to Wilson’s remarks on “War and the mass media”.
In his presentation, James Q Wilson, succinctly defines the modern mass media as portraying a negative image of America, starting with the war in Viet Nam. Citing the media’s effectiveness in turning the attitudes of Americans against the war in Viet Nam, Dr. Wilson warns that our enemies now know that they can use our own American media as an ally to win against our US Armed Forces.
In the video news blog, the perceptive students express their understanding of Dr. Wilson’s message by offering their comments regarding the power of the mass media. They also share their thoughts about the role of citizens and individuals in balancing the negatives presented by the media and it’s influence on public opinion and public policy.
Moderated by Emmy Award winning host Leslie Dutton, at the end of the video viewers are invited to participate in an interactive survey on the subject and to participate in the blog discussion on the streaming video page of the website. Known as “the news behind the news” Full Disclosure® cable television programs are featured on 43 cable systems and the Internet since 1992. In 2002 the Full Disclosure special series “L. A.’s War Against Terrorism” was recognized by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences with a local Emmy Award for a public affairs, informational series. Channels and airtimes can be found on the website atwww.fulldisclosure.net.
