This past February, we had the honor of hosting media revolutionists, Bob McChesney and John Nichols as part of the Northeastern Libraries’ “Meet the Author” Series. The dynamic pair delivered an interesting discussion on the current crisis in journalism and their quest to promote a free press. Although they may have left a few Journalism students discouraged, I think that the overall message of this talk was positive. If nothing else, the co-authors of The Death and Life of American Journalism empowered the audience to demand news in its most raw and honest form. In order to reach a full democracy in our country, it is necessary that we have access to unbiased, unfiltered, real news.
A few days after this event, I coincidentally stumbled upon the documentary, Outfoxed. It agreed with McChesney’s and Nichols’ argument, favoring a free press and fair news. Specifically highlighting Fox News, the documentary illustrated how the information we receive, supposedly objective, is altered to foster certain views. Fox, catering to the Republican party, has gone so far as using scare tactics and propaganda to build support behind war efforts.
Much to my delight, I was surprised when I saw both McChesney and Nichols appear on this very documentary! As they reiterated their message on Outfoxed, I felt that the Northeastern Library , through its “Meet the Author” series, had successfully joined their battle.
For more information on Journalism/ McChesney & Nichols, visit:
http://ajr.org/