Tell Today "Thank you for listening!" re Kitty Kelley (our emails on air!)

[IdaBriggs]

Okay, folks, NBC has finished their three days of Kitty Kelley. They were under TREMENDOUS PRESSURE by the White House NOT to do the interviews, BUT THEY DID THEM ANYWAY. Granted, the first two days Matt Lauer was a complete idiot, but today He Redeemed Himself. He still has issues with her book (yes, he has a brain, so who can blame him for that -- its gossipy!), but at least he acted like an INTERVIEWER instead of an INTERROGATOR, and he addressed the "golf" issue.

Its time to say "thank you." Take five minutes to make sure THEY WILL DO THE RIGHT THING THE NEXT TIME something ugly and controversial that the "most powerful family in the world" doesn't want us to know about comes around. It might not have been perfect, they may have protested the entire time, but THEY DID IT -- and YEAH!!! for them! (And us!)

Here is the information:
Today Show Producers: [phone]
NBC: [phone]
E-Mail: [e-mail] <[e-mail] >

For details on today's show (including him reading e-mails from DU folk): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=105x1674413

For "the golf scandal story" on yesterday's show: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=132&topic_id=808408&mesg_id=808408)

[otohara]

1. Fuck Them

Praise them for doing the right thing for once? - tomorrow they will be back to their shilling for Bush routine.

[IdaBriggs]

3. Yes. Praise Them for Doing The Right Thing.

Doesn't matter if it is "only once." This is how you train children -- you correct them when they do something wrong, and PRAISE THEM when they do something right. Human beings prefer praise, but will take ANYTHING when they are ignored.

It doesn't matter whether they are back to shilling for the other side tomorrow. For three days they bucked the bad guys (protesting the entire way just like obnoxious teenagers who don't want to fill-in-the-blank) and DID THE RIGHT THING. Either you APPRECIATE when they do the right thing, or you don't CARE whether they did it or not, in which case you NEVER get to whine about "bad media" again.

Who ever said supporting Kerry was going to be easy? You know what to do. :)

[el_gato]

6. Bullshit

NBC and the rest of the corporate media establishment can burn in hell for all I care. You will never see them do anything that does not have ulterior motives. Don't be fooled. The corporate media is not your freind and neither is it your child.

Staring bug-eyed at the t.v. is a waste of precious time.

[IdaBriggs]

7. Of course they have ulterior motives -- DUH!

"Burning in hell" is hyperbole, and I get that you are upset with them. But the bottom line is They Are Trying to Make a Profit -- I'm okay with that, because I'm a capitalist. I do not assume they are my friends -- but I do consider corporations to be similar in behavior patterns to your average teenager.

1: Short term thinking (because there is no advantage for the folks making the decisions to worry about long term as they will be in new positions and not get credit or blame); 2: World revolves around them (because paychecks depend on short term goals); 3: Reality is only what their "buddies" say (because they are the only ones giving feedback); 4: Outsiders are not relevant (because only your boss's opinion on your performance review and/or paycheck status is the one that matters); 5: Everyone else does things this way (so it must be right); and 6: It only counts if you get caught.

I'm in the whack 'em upside the head and make 'em fly right philosophy of teenagers. Yes, they are going to whine about how all their friends can (fill in the blank), but MY HOUSE, MY RULES -- no mercury in the water, no lying allowed, and theft is punishable by imprisonment. (See #6 for most caveats.) But when they do something right, you say so, because people need positive feedback also.

Television can be a waste of precious time, but it is one of our primary sources of information and entertainment. I've whacked for two days now, and while not perfect, I think they did some straight flying today. Time to say "good job!"

:)

P.S. No, I have not seen the film "The Corporation." Its on my list as something I want to see. I keep hearing wonderful things about it! :)

[el_gato]

8. Corporations will sacrifice profits to prevent exposure of information

Take a look at what Disney did with F9/11. The profit motive
is secondary to the power motive. In fact, propaganda needs
trump profits everytime.

This idea that profits are the be-all-end-all of corporate actions
is very similar in it's underlying assumptions that the media is
somehow lazy (hence does nothing but repeat white house talking points).
The ultimate goal is to mold public opinion so as to create support
for the elitist oligarchy that runs this country.

The only real solution is to help build a stronger oppositional
infrastructure with shows like DemocracyNow!, etc. We have to ween
people off of the corporate media machine and then replace it.
I would prefer to see NBC, CNN, and all the others die on the vine.

[IdaBriggs]

9. Disney sacrificed potential SMALL profits for BIG profits.

They did a cost benefit analysis, figured that a "good" documentary sales thing would only get them maybe $20 million gross, and they would lose more than than by pissing off Jeb in Florida and the Saudis in Europe. They didn't realize it was going to be a phenomena. (Even Michael Moore didn't expect that.)

Personally, I'm in favor of making "truth" profitable, which is why I'm asking people to contact Today and say "good job -- we're watching you!" which demonstrates ratings.

I disagree with your "only" solution -- Faux created an entire network of people willing to shill for them by making it PROFITABLE. We only pretend we want fair -- we really want it "our way" which is why the next smart media mogul is going to build a "lefty" network, and then the rest will fall somewhere in between.

I don't think your solution is going to work because you are asking people to work against their own interests -- for every person you "convince" not to pay attention, twenty people whose livelihoods depend on the networks existing are going to work to get people watching. And if you don't know what the competition is saying, you really aren't in a position to know if they are telling the truth or not. Frankly, your argument sounds a lot like a Libertarian versus a Democrat (I'm an Independent): If you are IN the system, you are already corrupt! (Its what one guy told me about Kerry -- sigh.)

But, good luck with your plan; everyone needs an impossible dream or two to give their life meaning, and I could be wrong! :)

[el_gato]

10. By building up a replacement that serves the truth

we can slowly displace the propaganda machine. I have no illusions and don't pretend I want "fair" anything. What I want is for oppositional voices to be heard, plain and simple. Thus I spend my time and money on efforts to subvert the media machine in various ways. I simply don't have time to watch trash like matt lauer. But hey, you can waste your time with ingesting that garbage if you want to.

I know for a fact that once people see a viable alternative they recognize it. For example, I turned my grandparents onto DemocracyNow! a few months back. They have been avid CNN watchers for years now.
Well, guess what? She called me the other day and was telling me about stuff she was getting from Amy Goodman. She made the comment to me that "they tell the other side of the story." I just smiled because not only are they getting better information but they are also not watching CNN. This is a twofold benefit.

I see your efforts to somehow reform an entire industry that has as the very purpose of it's existence the manufacturing of consent for the agenda of the elitist oligarchy as very much an "impossible dream" rather than my very simple and straitforward effort at boosting an alternative.

We can blast the corporate media all we want but until we supplant it with something better we can forget about real change.

[mhr]

2. Kick

eom

[wishlist]

4. Matt was scrambling today to explain the golf and say Kitty trapped him

He is very defensive about his favoritism to the Bushes and today he tried to turn his flub into an accusation that devious Kitty trapped him.

Her remarks that he was overly sensitive and that he appeared to be playing golf with daddyBush were right on target. Yesterday Kitty was simply answering his question as to why Americans have a favorable view of the Bushes. Like duh, Matt, it might be because of things like Americans seeing TV host Matt hitting golf balls with daddyBush!

Touchdown for Kitty in my scorecard!

I was pleased that our emails had an effect and forced Matt to clarify his denial that served to discredit Kitty yesterday. However, I believe he was shamed into doing this and he is still being a jerk for trying to cast aspersions on Kitty when he should only blame himself for not acknowledging yesterday that he did indeed hit golf balls with daddyBush on national TV.


I sent two emails yesterday, and will send another today!

[PROGRESSIVE1]

11. I will send another one today too!

Kitty's tough and she is NOT afraid of the BFEE!

[in_cog_ni_to]

5. I emailed him this...instead of a Thank You.

"If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem."

"Is YOUR book part of the problem?"

What the heck kind of question was THAT? I'm sure you've heard of "speaking truth to power", right? THAT is what Kitty Kelley has done. She speaks truth to a HUGE power and IMO, puts the media to shame. Our corporate owned media isn't working for the people anymore. They are not our eyes and ears in the government anymore. They and you have chosen, instead, to buy the government. "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours." The $$$ is the bottom line now, not holding the government accountable. Kitty Kelley is to be admired for having the nerve to write this book. As you well know, not many people live to tell tales on the Bush family. If they do, they are, as Kitty said, "advised not to." The Bush family IS what Kitty writes and I wish the corporate owned media shills would read the book and open their eyes.