About Us | Women's Rights | Media Reform | Political Reform
No society is free without a free, fair, and responsible press. Due to corporate ownership, media consolidation, and lack of accountability, the American media are increasingly controlling almost everything we are allowed to see, know – and most of all – think. A powerful, monopolized, and unchecked media is every bit as alarming as any third-world dictatorship. In many ways, it is far worse, because it pretends to be what it's not: a watchdog for the public interest. Without informed citizens, a democracy cannot flourish. American mainstream media have fallen down on their job, and we intend to do something about that. Here are some links for taking action and to learn more about the scope of the problem...

"Enlighten the people generally and tyranny of body and mind will vanish like evil spirits at the dawn of day." – Thomas Jefferson

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TAKE ACTION

Media Outlets
Use these sources to get your message out to the public (Um...maybe ).

• California Newspapers and News Media Guide – A list of media contacts throughout the state of California. <www.abyznewslinks.com/uniteca.htm>
  
• California Alternative Media Resources – A list of alternative media contacts in the state of California. <www.sanjosenow.org/action/media/action02.html>
  
• An Example of a Public Relations Plan – The following PR plan outline allows you to see the critical parts of a PR strategy to use in your own public relations endeavors. <www.davedolak.com/prplan.htm>
  

Grassroots Organizations

• Stop Big Media – Congress needs to hear from YOU. Corporate giants are silencing our voices. Only YOU can stop them. Get the facts. <stopbigmedia.com>
  
• Oakland Fight Big Media Meetup - Local Meetup Group. – "If you are concerned about the state of our media (and country), you are welcome to join our discussion -- no matter what your political persuasion." <www.meetup.com/fightbigmedia-300/>
  

Hold the Media Accountable

• File a Complaint Against MSNBC – This has been one of the worst offenders in the areas of media bias and misogyny. <fair-reflection.blogspot.com/2008/10/how-to-report-msnbc-news-when-they.html>
  
• FCC: Federal Communications Commission – The FCC is an independent United States government agency charged with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. Its jurisdiction covers the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. possessions. Use this link to make a complaint or comment. <www.fcc.gov/contacts.html>
  

EDUCATE YOURSELF

Media Bias During the 2008 Presidential Race

• DiscoverTheNetworks.org – A guide to the political left. Discusses the "Shadow Party". <www.discoverthenetworks.org/ShadowParty.asp>
  
• Logistics Monster – "A PUMA's view of the World. It's All in the Details – Ties a lot of loose threads together about Obama, the DNC, and educates about our political system. <logisticsmonster.com/>
  
• Article: The Media's 'Due Dilligence' – "...the news media's flagrant bias may cost journalists more than a loss for the candidate they're stacking the deck for." <www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/09/the_medias_due_dilligence.html>
  

Why the Need for Media Reform?

• Women in Media Fact Sheet – How unequal is the media? – The National Organization for Women cites the facts. <www.now.org/issues/media/women_in_media_facts.html>
  
• Article: Truth – "...this is the information they didn't want us to notice. In this site you will find sexism, lies, and corruption. This is not a fictional novel. This is happening now." <puma-facts.com/default.aspx>
  

How Media Influences Our Minds and Behavior
Corporate mass media and entertainment, consumer advertising, political and government propaganda, opinion polls, data-gathering of personal information into integrated database systems, loss of privacy, ID theft, few regulatory laws, and loss of democracy are all inter-connected. It's vital that people understand this NOW, because this convergence is growing and the result won't be good. Only aware citizens using their Constitutional rights can change the trend.

• The Art of Propaganda: 7 Common Tactics Used to Influence Behavior – Propaganda is created to influence the minds and actions of people in order to generate a response that achieves the goal of the propagandist. Politicians and governments often use propaganda to obtain support/compliance for their policies. <www.doshdosh.com/the-art-of-propaganda-seven-common-techniques/>
  
• Hub Pages: Mass Media Influence on Society – Exposes some methods used by media to mold public opinion. Watch the videos! <hubpages.com/hub/Mass-Media-Influence-on-Society>
  
• Video: 1985 Interview with a Soviet Defector – Ideological warfare explained in a 1985 interview with a Soviet defector and former KGB agent. He describes propaganda methods being used in the USA right now. <www.poorschmuck.net/wordpress/?p=6306>
  
• Big Media: Masters of Deception – Whether it’s the military co-opting news programs to win support for the Iraq War, advertisers using deceptive ad practices in TV shows, or producers airing exploitative music videos, the media is consistently misinforming the public. <www.stopbigmedia.com/blog/2008/10/24/big-media-masters-of-deception/>
  
• Do Campaigns Really Change Behavior? (PDF document) – This article gathers recent research on advertising, political campaigns and health campaigns that show it is now possible to document relatively large effects of media campaigns on behavior. <www.nordicom.gu.se/common/publ_pdf/157_277-290.pdf>
  
• Reading Consumers’ Minds: Next Generation Market Intelligence and Targeted Advertising – Progressive consumer modeling combined with modern analytics allow businesses to identify key but hidden drivers behind consumer behavior. This approach "reads consumers' minds" in a way far superior to "recommendation engines" used today. <www.hvs.com/Jump/?aid=3030>
  
• Consumer Behavior: The Psychology of Marketing – One "official" definition of consumer behavior is "The study of individuals, groups, or organizations and the processes they use to select, secure, use, and dispose of products, services, experiences, or ideas to satisfy needs and the impacts that these processes have on the consumer and society." <www.consumerpsychologist.com/cb_Introduction.html>
  
• Effects of Media Framing on Beliefs and Values Concerning Detainees, Civil Liberties, and National Security After 9/11 – Media "framing" shapes the news we’re exposed to and the issues we think about. It can move people to vote against their best interests, buy products that are not good for them, and help dissolve boundaries separating fact, marketing, dogma, and ideology. <www.rcetj.org/?type=art&id=82283&>
  
• Could Ghandi Have Helped Kerry? – "So basically, all we have to do as advertisers (or campaign managers) is to understand the habits, attitudes, beliefs and expectations of those we are attempting to influence, then change them! Somehow the word 'ominous' springs back to mind." <www.talentzoo.com/news.php?articleID=565>
  
• Book Review: Can't Buy My Love (How Advertsing Changes the Way We Think and Feel) – Be warned - this book is dense and hopefully will inflame your sense of decency and inspire social protest! The message of the book is that whether or not we admit it, we are each profoundly influenced by advertising, and our children are growing up in a toxic cultural environment. <www.healthline.com/blogs/teen_health/2008/02/book-review-cant-buy-my-love-how.html>
  

Media Monitors and Think Tanks

• Media Matters – A biased site that has recently taken to wholeheartedly defending Barack Obama, but it still does much-needed work. It systematically monitors a cross section of print, broadcast, cable, radio, and Internet media outlets for conservative misinformation but, of course, NOT liberal misinformation. <mediamatters.org/>
  

Less Biased Sources of News
We're searching for more and better links here.

• BBC – The British Broadcasting Corporation has been recommended by a number of sources. <www.bbc.co.uk/>
  
• Fox News – Somewhat right-leaning, but less biased that some. <www.foxnews.com/>
  
• CNN – Somewhat left-leaning, but less biased that some. <www.cnn.com/>