How can the people take the enormous amount of power that BIG MEDIA has in presidential elections?

The press plays a vital role in our democracy, shaping citizens’ understanding of social and political issues and functioning as gatekeepers through which issues, people, and events must pass. No matter what you care about — gun rights or abortion rights, the environment or economics — the media influence the perceptions of citizens and policymakers, affecting the policies that touch us all. Media must not be considered just another business: they are special institutions in our society. Information is the lifeblood of democracy — and when viewpoints are cut off and ideas cannot find an outlet, our democracy suffers.





Traditional media, telecommunications and cable are converging, all becoming firmly linked to the Internet. The ways we share information, the ways we receive information, and the ways this information is produced are all changing rapidly. In the halls of power — from corporate boardrooms to the corridors of the Capitol — policies are being rewritten to prepare for this new era.








Big Media, Big Cable and Big Telecom are some of the strongest and fiercest lobbies in Washington, and, indeed, across the country. One of the most profitable industries and one on which politicians depend to make their views heard, it is difficult to battle such clout. Media outlets unwilling to report on their parent company’s interests and broader issues of media reform put more obstacles in the way of public interest advocates.





BIG MEDIA has a huge effect on who wins presidential primaries. the major television news outlets are viewed by most americans, which gives them the power to manipulate the masses' opinions on candidates that would help them by relaxing laws on media ownership. They also have the power to essentially blacklist candidates who would be a threat to them by passing new laws that would be more in line with the constitution. So you can see how a candidate that values the constitution would be a major threat to them.





if Dr. Ron Paul got the amount of attention that Obama, hilary, edwards, romney, mccain %26amp; guiliani get, i am sure that he would win the election by an enormous number of votes. If the average american knew who he was, and what he is all about, he would be a huge threat to hillary's presidential campaign. Ron paul is EXTREMELY popular among the people that know who he is because he truly represents the american people, not the establishment. Ron Paul has a voting record in congress that demonstrates that he will not be pushed into voting for any unconstitutional legislation, such as the patriot act, or the real id act, or the torture bill. He is 1 of only 6 republicans that voted against the war. Ron Paul has also been named "the taxpayers best friend."





Many web sites and forums have had to shut down, due to the overwhelming number of people writing messages of support for Ron Paul. a MySpace page titled "Opinion Polling" posted the following note this week: "Temporarily shut down due to Ron Paul. will be back eventually." A source said that the page's owners shut it down because Paul supporters "invaded the place."





here is a website called techPresident.com that has an ongoing internet poll displayed on it.


http://techpresident.com/scrape_plot/mys...





the poll shows that Ron Paul is the top republican candidate among internet users.


Yet, the big media companies IGNORE Ron Paul on their 24 hour news networks. Every other story is about which celebrity is endorsing barak obama, or what color dress Hillary wore last week at a fundraiser. How did this happen? WHat can be done about it? i am thinking maybe the fairness doctrine should be applied to the big cable news networks, even though i am a libertan.











here is an article (which i used some quotes from) that explains this further:


(http://ronpaul.rescue-us.org/2007/03/02/...


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Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who has explored a presidential run, doesn't register very high in the national polls featuring 2008 presidential candidates (1 percent, tops). But there's one place that he simply rules: the Internet.





Fans of the libertarian have stormed the Web -- in ways both good and bad -- to show their support. Over at TechPresident.com -- a Web site that tracks candidates' "friends" on the popular social networking site MySpace.com -- Paul is tops for Republicans, with 3,107 "friends" (Mitt Romney is second with 1,785).





But elsewhere, the voraciousness of Paul's supporters has sparked the ire of others. The Web site 2008HorseRace.com, which features an ongoing poll for candidates, issued this notice on Feb. 23: "Ron Paul has been suspended for two weeks because of repeated use of mob intimidation tactics and multiple threats made by Ron Paul supporters against racetrack operators, racetrack officials and racetrack sponsors." PajamasMedia.com removed Ron Paul from its presidential polls after it was discovered that someone had rigged the poll system in his favor. It has since implemented a rule that it will only include candidates polling at 1 percent or more in credible national news polls.





And a MySpace page titled "Opinion Polling" posted the following note this week: "Temporarily shut down due to Ron Paul will be back eventually." A source said that the page's owners shut it down because Paul supporters "invaded the place."





Paul's exploratory committee spokesman Kent Snyder thinks he knows why Paul's supporters are so gung-ho for their guy. "One of the reasons that Dr. Paul is getting a lot of cyber support is because he voted against regulating the Internet," Snyder told Yeas %26amp; Nays.

How can the people take the enormous amount of power that BIG MEDIA has in presidential elections?
One thing sure..the media is over due for public scrutiny.... it's almost imbarasing to see so many americans under the influence of so few sorces of informative and unbiased information.


Lets hope the net remains an open media...


Perhaps the siber world will solve some of the problems...but then...maybe not.. people tend to get a bit baulky once they find some affermative cause, or means, or logic... i doubt we will change very much.


Good information in your ...[?]... question... thanks
Reply:It is really easy to focus on a Target and say that they are the reason that things are so bad. In truth the problem rests with the individual. If you think that the new is clouding your mind turn it off. It is just that easy.
Reply:This is not a press. It is a commercially driven enterprise. Get started and begin a press again the way the US Constitution intended.
Reply:Can you imagine that when or if the govt takes control of the Internet, our reality will be what they want us to know. Like in 'V for Vendetta' how the news scrambled the stories to suit their propaganda. It also showed how hard it will be to undo such a totalitarian govt once it is established. I like Ron Paul, D Hunter and Huckabee but the main thing is to get united on one of these and group together. Pretty soon whichever one is ahead, I'll back him too.