Tuesday, December 07, 2004
Jarvis's Big Scoop
Jeff Jarvis, in what is quite possibly the most telling media scoop in history, next to the outing of the Bush AWOL memos as a forgery, has single-handedly demonstrated that the FCC is living a lie.
The basics: FCC Chairman has been leading a crusade to intimidate pundits, radio talk show hosts, and networks ever since Janet Jackson flashed a nipple on network television. He's leveraged that to soak networks for hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, justifying the draconian measures by citing a gargantuan increase in the number of complaints, and testifying before Congress about receiving hundreds of thousands of complaints. Jarvis filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests for all documents and complaints related to Janetgate and other media indecency act complaints.
What did he find? Over 99.8% of ALL the complaints came from Brent Bozell's Parents Television Council.
The 159 complaints the FCC cited against FOX, prompting an FCC fine, came from a grand total of three (3) people.
But the FCC doesn't reveal that without being forced to by a Freedom of Information Act request.
Michael Powell is on a crusade.
Ok. Government officials are entitled to a crusade once in a while. Bobby Kennedy went on a crusade. What the hell.
But Michael Powell lied to congress.
And when he lied to congress, he lied to me.
Michael Powell should resign. If he won't resign, his sorry ass should be fired, and replaced with someone who doesn't say, intimidate networks from airing Saving Private Ryan.
And what's with all the pathetic yes-men who worked at the FCC and couldn't leak the idea to the media?
And what's with the media's failure to discover that Brent Bozell was playing a weak Wizard of Oz, pulling levers behind the curtain?
Why is it falling to bloggers to do the jobs of full-time reporters again?
Splash, out
Jason
The basics: FCC Chairman has been leading a crusade to intimidate pundits, radio talk show hosts, and networks ever since Janet Jackson flashed a nipple on network television. He's leveraged that to soak networks for hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines, justifying the draconian measures by citing a gargantuan increase in the number of complaints, and testifying before Congress about receiving hundreds of thousands of complaints. Jarvis filed a series of Freedom of Information Act requests for all documents and complaints related to Janetgate and other media indecency act complaints.
What did he find? Over 99.8% of ALL the complaints came from Brent Bozell's Parents Television Council.
The 159 complaints the FCC cited against FOX, prompting an FCC fine, came from a grand total of three (3) people.
But the FCC doesn't reveal that without being forced to by a Freedom of Information Act request.
Michael Powell is on a crusade.
Ok. Government officials are entitled to a crusade once in a while. Bobby Kennedy went on a crusade. What the hell.
But Michael Powell lied to congress.
And when he lied to congress, he lied to me.
Michael Powell should resign. If he won't resign, his sorry ass should be fired, and replaced with someone who doesn't say, intimidate networks from airing Saving Private Ryan.
And what's with all the pathetic yes-men who worked at the FCC and couldn't leak the idea to the media?
And what's with the media's failure to discover that Brent Bozell was playing a weak Wizard of Oz, pulling levers behind the curtain?
Why is it falling to bloggers to do the jobs of full-time reporters again?
Splash, out
Jason
Comments:
Hmm...I guess that is why bloggers formed in the first place...because the media was getting comfortable and failing to do their job (something we "pay" them to in a sense).
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