By Free Press

Federal Communications Commission Administrative Law Judge Jane Halprin issued an order Tuesday dismissing the Sinclair Broadcast Group’s application to transfer Tribune Media Company’s broadcast licenses to Sinclair. Halprin found that an administrative inquiry would be a purely “academic exercise” because Sinclair withdrew its application in August 2018.
In her order, Halprin also stated that a broad inquiry into whether Sinclair is of fit moral character to “hold any station license . . . would be more appropriately considered in the context of a future proceeding in which Sinclair is seeking Commission approval, for example, involving an application for a license assignment, transfer, or renewal.”
“At that time, it may be determined that an examination of the misrepresentation and/or lack of candor allegations raised in this proceeding is warranted as part of a more general assessment of Sinclair’s basic character qualifications to be a Commission licensee,” wrote Judge Halprin, adding, “[h]onesty with the Commission is a foundational requirement for a Commission licensee” and that “providing false statements to the Commission has been a basis for license revocation since the inception of the Communications Act in 1934.”

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Posted on March 5, 2019

By Michael Socolow/The Conversation

A common practice in American journalism has, once again, sparked outrage.
CNN recently announced the hiring of Sarah Isgur Flores to be “one of several editors” who will help “coordinate [political] coverage across TV and digital.”
Though a CNN spokesperson told Splinter that Isgur “is not leading, overseeing, or running CNN’s political coverage,” the new hire will undoubtedly influence the cable network’s coverage of the 2020 presidential election.
Isgur has no professional journalism experience. But she’s been active politically, which may have qualified her for the job.
Isgur most recently worked as the spokesperson for the Department of Justice, where she disseminated information about the department’s new policies under President Trump and Attorney General Sessions in order to inform and influence journalistic coverage.

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Posted on February 26, 2019

By Jon Queally/Common Dreams

Whether you paid $8.99 for basic, $12.99 for standard, or splurged for the $15.99 premium package so you would have the privilege of watching endless streaming shows and movies on Netflix last month, a new analysis shows you still paid much, much more than the company paid in federal and local income taxes for the entire year.
“The popular video streaming service Netflix posted its largest-ever U.S. profit in 2018­ – $845 million – on which it didn’t pay a dime in federal or state income taxes,” says Matthew Gardner, a senior fellow at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy (ITEP),
Not a dime. Not one penny.

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Posted on February 6, 2019

By Zahra Khosroshahi/The Conversation

In a speech to the UK’s House of Commons in March 2017, actor and rapper Riz Ahmed, a Muslim, delivered a message about the importance of diversity and representation in the media:

What people are looking for is a message that they belong. Every time you see yourself it’s a message that you matter, that you’re part of the national story.

But when it comes to the “national story,” the one about Muslims is pretty grim. The pressing issue of Islamophobia is both fueled and defined by the misrepresentation and stereotyping of Muslims in the media.
Instead of challenging the images of the “oppressed” Muslim woman, or the violent Middle Eastern man that propagate our media, mainstream films often reinforce them.
But films are also platforms with the potential to create change through alternative narratives. Our visual culture can play a crucial role in the way we understand the world.
So the question is, what do our visual platforms tell us about our cultural perceptions of Muslims? In other words, how are Muslims represented in our stories?

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Posted on January 25, 2019

By Jake Johnson/Common Dreams

After West Wing producer and screenwriter Aaron Sorkin lectured the bold freshman class of congressional Democrats to “stop acting like young people” in a CNN interview on Sunday – remarks that were quickly interpreted as a call to move right – Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) responded that the progressive policies championed by young Democrats aren’t mere “trends” with no real-world consequences.

News Flash: Medicare for All & equal rights aren’t trends.

When people complain about low turnout in some demos, it’s not because communities are apathetic, it’s bc they don’t see you fighting for them.

If we don’t show up for people, why should you feel entitled to their vote? https://t.co/oGRsG9NZV3

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) January 20, 2019

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Posted on January 22, 2019

By Gash Scav/YouTube

Scandinavian style.

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Posted on January 21, 2019

By Jessica Corbett/Common Dreams

In a biting resignation letter published in full by CNN, longtime NBC News reporter, commentator, and military analyst William “Bill” Arkin blasted the corporate media network for embracing U.S. “national security leaders and generals” while “ignoring the empirical truth of what they have wrought: There is not one country in the Middle East that is safer today than it was 18 years ago. Indeed the world becomes ever more polarized and dangerous.”
Reflecting on his past couple of decades working with the network – in addition to writing books and columns for major newspapers and serving as as military adviser to human rights and environmental groups – Arkin laments, “My expertise, though seeming to be all the more central to the challenges and dangers we face, also seems to be less valued at the moment. And I find myself completely out of [sync] with the network, being neither a day-to-day reporter nor interested in the Trump circus.”
Noting in his 2,228-word memo that “the world and the state of journalism [are] in tandem crisis,” Arkin delivers a scathing critique of how NBC has responded to the foreign policy of Donald Trump – whom he calls “an ignorant and incompetent impostor” – asserting that “in many ways NBC just began emulating the national security state itself – busy and profitable. No wars won but the ball is kept in play.”

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Posted on January 8, 2019

By Julia Conley/Common Dreams

Taking advantage of the attention brought to his Netflix series Patriot Act by the Saudi government’s objection to an episode that criticized Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, comedian Hasan Minhaj called on supporters to contribute to aid efforts in Yemen, where tens of thousands of civilians have been killed by the Saudi’s U.S.-backed military campaign.
On Tuesday, on Saudi orders, Netflix removed from its Saudi platform a Patriot Act episode released shortly after the killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi by Saudi agents – which the CIA concluded was ordered by bin Salman, often called MbS – because Minhaj discussed the need for the U.S. to cut ties with the Saudis in light of the murder. However, the episode remained on YouTube in the country and is still available on Netflix outside Saudi Arabia:

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Posted on January 2, 2019

From Denise Zaccardi/CTVN

Hi from the Community TV Network Youth Media Center. For the last four years we’ve provided a safe learning space for Elsa Concepción. Here’s her story.
“My name is Elsa. Since 2014 I’ve been part of this organization and it’s transformed me into a dynamic, smart, creative woman. Allow me to say why.
“Four years ago, I came here to learn film, but there’s more I’m getting from here. I found enormous support from CTVN staff during a tough time I had after my dad passed away. CTVN became a safe place for me to go to. Since then I’ve learned to cope and learned so many cool things!
“My documentary How to be a Man, on how sexism is affecting young adults, won ‘Best Doc’ at the Our Voices Film Fest in Vancouver and was the official youth film selection for the Screen Test Film Fest in Schaumburg. I’ve developed strong research and producer skills for human rights journalism and documentary.

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Posted on December 28, 2018

By Aerial Cities/The Smithsonian Channel

No spoiler: You’ll have to watch the video.

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Posted on December 19, 2018