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October 2008

The Flimflam Strategy

[Commentary] Knowing Sen John McCain wants to talk about anything but the big issues facing our country, are the media going to aid and abet the McCain campaign's obvious ploy? Journalists like to think they're too smart to be used by one side or the other in a political campaign. Robinson writes, "If we in the media really believe what we say about serving the public interest, we have a duty to avoid being turned into instruments of mass distraction. Of course we should cover what the candidates say, putting their words in context and pointing out when the candidates are exaggerating or lying. But we should also think hard about how much prominence we give to smears and counter-smears."

This Debate's Biggest Loser

[Commentary] In her debate against Joe Biden last week, Gov Sarah Palin (R-Alaska)mischaracterized Barack Obama's tax plan and his offer to meet with foreign adversaries of the United States. She found whole new powers for the vice president by misreading the Constitution, if she ever read it at all. She called one moment for the federal government to virtually disappear and a moment later lamented the lack of its oversight of the financial markets. She asserted that she "may not answer the questions the way that either the moderator or you [Biden] want to hear". Palin also said that she "and others in the legislature" had called for the state of Alaska to divest itself of investments in companies that do business with Sudan. But, as the indefatigable truth-hunter at The Post found out, the divestiture effort was not led by Palin. In fact, her administration opposed the initiative, and Palin herself only came around to it after the bill had died. In spite of it all, much of the media saw a credible performance. Much of the mainstream media, grading on a curve suitable for a parrot -- "greed and corruption, greed and corruption, greed and corruption" -- gave her a passing grade or better. Cohen agrees with Palin. It's the mainstream media that flunked.

Making sense of the tech meltdown on Wall Street

Big tech stocks lead the way down Monday. CNET's Technology Index, which tracks 66 publicly traded tech companies, dropped 4.08 percent to 1,276.67 Monday, its lowest close in more than two years. And it could have been worse: At one point in the day, the CNET Index was at its lowest point since May 2005. A late rally brought some stocks back just before trading ended. The drop in the CNET Index was similar to a 3.08 percent drop in the Dow and 4.34 percent decline in the Nasdaq index. Don't blame the start-ups for this one, though they may end up suffering the most for it. The tech crash Monday was led by one of the most sober names in tech, German corporate software maker SAP. SAP announced Monday that it would miss third-quarter expectations, sending its stock into a tailspin. SAP shares closed at $39.68 per share, down 13.08 percent for the day and a new 52-week low.

Laying it on the line with FCC Chair Kevin Martin

A long look at the tenure of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin. Lasar concludes, "What's crucial to those of us who believe in a competitive, democratic system of broadcasting and telecommunications is that the process of fighting for it stays open, accessible, and highly visible. Sometimes Kevin Martin has helped that agenda -- not always, but at important moments. That is a favor for which we who have lived through the last eight years should be thankful."

Minority Group Backs Martin's Class A Plan

A group in support of increasing minority ownership of mass media properties is backing Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin's proposal to give mandatory cable carriage rights to more than 500 TV stations for the first time. Martin's plan is expected to come before the five-member FCC at its Oct. 15 public meeting in Washington (DC). If adopted, the plan could set the stage for allowing so-called low-power Class A stations to apply for full-power status. Full-power stations, by law, have automatic access to local cable systems. "Class A stations offer the best opportunity for minorities, women and small-business to participate and compete in the television industry, which is increasingly consolidated with few opportunities for minority broadcasters," said David Honig, executive director of the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council, in a letter to Chairman Martin on Monday. Martin's plan would allow 555 Class A TV stations to apply for full-power status from the FCC. After obtaining approval, the stations could demand immediate cable carriage under a 1992 law held constitutional by the Supreme Court five years later.

NBC Universal Fighting A La Carte Proposals At FCC

NBC Universal, a major cable TV programming supplier, is urging federal regulators to refrain from intervening in the "highly competitive" marketplace between program owners and pay-TV distributors. "There's no legal or factual basis for government intervention in private carriage negotiations. The public interest will not be served by government interference in his highly competitive marketplace," NBC Universal said in an FCC filing Monday. FCC Chairman Kevin Martin has the agency reviewing various proposals, including one that would require cable programming suppliers like NBC Universal to allow pay-TV distributors to purchase channels on an unbundled or a la carte basis.

Some hope amid the gloom for broadcasters

Here's a refreshingly sunny statistic for broadcasters: It's barely October, and 22% of new scripted series already have been picked up for full seasons. Despite doom-and-gloom ratings headlines for broadcasters this fall, three viable scripted shows among the scant nine launched isn't half bad, especially out of the gate. If there has been a lesson for broadcasters, it's that it's easier to launch a show than to relaunch a show viewers barely remember.

New surveillance program will turn military satellites on US

An appropriations bill signed by President Bush last week allows the controversial National Applications Office to begin operating a stringently limited version of a program that would turn military spy satellites on the US, sharing imagery with other federal, state, and local government agencies. The government's own watchdog agency, the Government Accountability Office, has warned in an unpublished report that the more expansive program in the offing lacks adequate safeguards to protect privacy and civil liberties.

FCC Confirms It Is Seeking Info From Military Analysts

Last May, House Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-MI) asked the Federal Communications Commission to investigate a New York Times article about a Department of Defense program to recruit ex-military officers to talk up Iraq and other policies on TV, online and elsewhere. Apparently, the FCC is doing just that sending letters to the pundits in question. Congress wants to know if TV stations or networks bear any responsibility for not identifying the analyst's connection to the Pentagon or defense contractors.

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