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The Cyrano's Journal Story--Why an irreverent media review came into being
By P. Greanville
Cyrano is a radical media review, meaning by that it is not afraid to look at the hypocrisies of power in the eye, especially as they manifest themselves in the System's mass communications organs. In this article summary the author explains why Cyrano (today at cjonline.org ) was set up, and the importance of this kind of work for the survival of American democracy.
"The rise of populist media watchdogs stems from the very gravity of the problems we face and the continued deterioration of mainstream media standards. Some argue that mergers and conglomeration, and the naked drive for profits, have ruined the profession and stifled diversity. There is a feeling of nostalgia for the good old days, when higher standards supposedly prevailed. While there is some merit to this argument, we better skip the tears. The media's deplorable performance is nothing new. The list of misfires spans at least half a century or longer. The media dropped the ball with the Palmer Raids, with the Cold War, with Joe McCarthy, with the Korean and Vietnam adventures, with the Reagan canonization, with the criminal CIA shenanigans all over the world—from Greece to Iran to Guatemala, to Chile, to Nicaragua, to El Salvador, to Indonesia—to scores of other places we may never know. While busy mythologizing JFK, it stood helpless when, after decades of demonizing the Soviet Union, the Cuban missile crisis suddenly brought the world to the brink of annihilation. If the media had been doing its job the GOP would have long been relegated to the dustbin of history, where it belongs. Instead, it continues to win elections and conduct its noxious business in the name of the American nation. And if the media had been doing its job we'd probably have today a much more honest parliamentary system, universal health insurance, a different, far more egalitarian and stable economy, cheaper drugs, a sane, generous policy toward the environment, and, yeah, no Iraq war, no global warming, no Enrons, and, in all probability, no 9/11 in recent memory, either. Oh. And American democracy might not be in its deathbed. Need I go on?" Not the kind of thing you'll see in the New York Times, nor hear on Scarborough Country. That's for sure.
About the Author
P. Greanville, a founding editor of Cyrano's Journal, is a former economist and media reform activist. He has taught economics and history in the US and Latin America.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/4265.html
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