What's happening with the Internet? It's changing so quickly it's hard to keep up. The same is true with the media in general. How do they affect our politics, and vice versa? What might their evolution mean for democracy in the United States?What's happening with the Internet? It's changing so quickly it's hard to keep up. The same is true with the media in general. How do they affect our politics, and vice versa? What might their evolution mean for democracy in the United States?
In his latest book, Dollarocracy, cowritten with John Nichols, Robert W. McChesney discusses how, thanks to a 2010 Supreme Court decision, more than $10 billion was spent on the 2012 election campaign. Most of it came from (now legally) unidentified billionaires and corporations, and was given to media corporations to pay for vicious or "issues-free" advertising. Meanwhile, useful campaign coverage virtually disappeared from mainstream "news" media.
Also this year McChesney published Digital Disconnect, an exhaustive study based on 15 years of research into the Internet and media and their effect on democracy.
McChesney will pull all this together for us in his talk, "Corporate Dominance of Media, the Internet, and Politics" -- with practical suggestions for how to reform this broken system and save democracy.
Students and faculty in politics, communications, history, writing, computer science, and pre-law are especially encouraged to attend, although the topics McChesney discusses are relevant to all disciplines and to everyone's life.
McChesney is a prolific author, communications professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, policy adviser, cofounder of FreePress.org, and former host of the long-running radio show Media Matters. He serves on the boards of many public interest organizations, advises numerous nonprofit media outlets, and has made hundreds of presentations and media appearances. He has received numerous honors for his writing, teaching, and public service.
The presentation will take place at 7:30 p.m. in Park Auditorium in the Roy H. Park School of Communications. Sponsored by the Park Center for Independent Media, it is free and open to all.
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodation, please contact Brandy Hawley at bhawley@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-3590, as soon as possible.
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20130929203120668