Mr. Inconvenience is telling us that “democracy is under attack”, that “democracy is a conversation” and that media organizations are obtaining greater political and economic power.
Al Gore goes after the media by saying that “the most important role of the media is to facilitate that conversation of democracy. Now the conversation is more controlled, it is more centralized.” What needs to be answered is why does it seem that the (traditional) media is becoming more consolidated?
Imagine trying to start your own TV or radio station. Imagine the FCC licenses that would need to be paid and all the regulatory paperwork that would have to be filed. The costs of starting up a competing media outlet are staggering.
Compare the above with what is happening online. We have access to blogs and Internet news and media companies. They are not as regulated (or not regulated at all) and thus entry costs are much lower. The result: a largely decentralized online community offering widely varied opinions. A lower entry barrier means that virtually anyone equipped with Internet access can start a blog or join a blogging team or establish a local or regional news agency. This is next to impossible on the traditional broadcast media, where only the major players are the ones who can “compete.”
In the end, Al Gore should only blame government intervention (permits and licenses, fees and regulations) for creating the situation that he now complains about. Centralization of the media is symptomatic of the centralization of government. And that, Mr. Gore, should inconvenience you.
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I doubt creatures such as Gore give a hoot about truth at all, convenient or not. And that’s something I’ve noticed most pinkos, fascisti and fellow travelers share: a complete disregard for cause and effect coupled with a fanactical obsession with the “here and now.” Save healthcare, kids, etc.
I’d like to know the name of a single government stoogie, professor, social worker, etc, who got so much as a tap on the wrist when it turned out that global cooling was actually global warming…and wonder if any such jerk will suffer when it’s discovered that it’s not global cooling it’s global pheton growth (or whatever boogie man) that’s hurting us all and requires immediate government intervention to save us all!
Assume for the moment that Al Gore’s assertion of a “centralized media” is correct. It may be or may not be. If it is, why is this particular centralization bad but the centralization of the schools, post office etc. good?
Perhaps we could include schools and postal services as additional types of media through which humans try to disseminate information. Financial markets too.
“Decentralize it all.” Translate that into Latin and put in on a shirt.
Lanceman: good point. They’re not against centralization of everything, just of those things that they think will get them more votes/power/recognition/street cred.
“the most important role of the media is to facilitate that conversation of democracy.” Hmm…I thought the role of media was to bring me, the consumer, the information I wish to have when I wish to have it. I fail to see why people believe the information the media provides is somehow special, and not a consumer good like any other. People end up thinking that a market for media that gives people what they want in terms of information is bad, because it fails to facilitate some “conversation” people believe we should be having.
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