Pollina’s Media Ethics
January 15, 2008 | 4 Comments
I’m glad to see that the Burlington Free Press and WCAX finally got on board with the story about the Progressive Party’s candidate for governor, Anthony Pollina, and his radio show at WDEV. I called WDEV’s star of talk Mark Johnson last week while he was hosting Pollina-the-guest to ask them both about the issue of Pollina being both a radio show host and a political candidate. But, more specifically, I wanted to know what kind of ethical rules they were employing at the station when Pollina-their-colleague paid a visit as Pollina-the-candidate. It’s a conflict that should raise more than a few eyebrows.
Mark Johnson got defensive, as he usually does when questions about the media come up. And while he defended what is certainly his right (and responsibility, I might add) to invite Pollina as a guest since he’s running for governor, Johnson seemed to not understand the concerns about blurring Pollina’s roles at the station – host, guest, advertiser. Or, if you will, how the WDEV news and talk professionals will deal with a candidate who is also a colleague on the dial.
“I’ve only seen Anthony here probably twice in the three years he’s been on the station,” declared Johnson. “It’s not as if we’re hanging out.”
But that’s not the point. The point is that the roles are blurred, as was proven by the typically smooth segues that Johnson served up when moving from talk about Pollina’s radio show to talk about his candidacy. One minute joking about their mutual “boss,” the omnipresent Ken Squier, and the next a question about Pollina’s opinion on matters of the state. Sorry, but it’s just strange. Illegal? No. But strange.
And it’s Pollina who should have understood this from the beginning and not put people like WDEV, Squier and Johnson in the hot seat. In fact, Pollina remained largely silent when I brought the issue up to him on Johnson’s show, basically declaring that he’ll stop the show when he gets too busy with the campaigning.
Pollina should know better. Remember, his show is called “Equal Time,” a title based on the belief that the media lacks fairness. Indeed. And it’s also doesn’t seem real fair that a candidate who works for a media outlet – folksy as it is – can also sit down with that outlet’s news department for an “objective” interview.
Isn’t this the kind of political and corporate media mingling that understandably drives progressives like Pollina crazy about Rupert Murdoch’s empire, most notably Fox News? Imagine the outrage if a Fox News host became a candidate, kept his or her airtime, and then also started appearing on other programs as candidate/guest. Or, if you’d like to bring it home, how about if the same happened with a WCAX personality? Or a Free Press employee?
It just doesn’t pass the smell test. And any good populist progressive should know that.
But now that the story has morphed from me bringing it up on the Mark Johnson Show to now being covered by the mainstream media, Pollina is finally figuring it out. And he’s also listening to the wise words of Squier, who has been clear that he’d like Pollina to find a replacement for his show – and soon. It’s Squier who has built a local radio station that is the pride of Central Vermont, bucking the trends of push-button-pop and all-Brittany-News-all-the-time for a real commitment to all things local. And how ironic that it’s a Prog who’s bringing the ethical stench to his doorstep.
Pollina wants it both ways. He wants us to listen to his words and ignore his actions. Pollina wants us to believe him when he proclaims to be the media underdog but forget that he’s forking over $600 a week to be the media. He wants us to hear his words about campaign finance reform but forget that he balked at that kind for reform when it didn’t suit his personal needs. And he wants us to listen to his rants against the two-party money chase but forget that his party’s main goal right now is to amass $100,000 for him in six weeks.
Not a great start to a progressive candidacy. But it’s not as if Pollina’s been in the business of winning these things.
The State of the Day (updated)
January 15, 2008 | 2 Comments
Ladies and gentlemen, I have reviewed the day and I am pleased to report that the State of the Day is confused. A little of this. A little of that. But not much cohesion in purpose and/or goals. Therefore, a couple random bits:
I had this weird dream that a major media corporation was fighting in the courts to prevent a presidential candidate from appearing on its station’s debates. Oh wait, that’s no dream. Good morning, America.
Yep, MSNBC and its parent corporation, NBC, and the parent of that corporation, General Electric, are in a fast and furious legal battle with Dennis Kucinich over his involvement – or lack thereof – in the Nevada-based Democratic presidential debate. The network (a.k.a.: The Corporate Goliath) first ruled that Kucinich could, indeed, participate. But it quickly reversed itself and literally dis-invited Kucinich. He responded with a trip to the courts and won a ruling that ordered his involvement. And now The Corporate Goliath in control of what was in the good-old-days considered the “public’s airwaves” is now frantically trying to appeal the ruling in every legal venue it can think of.
This is just ugly. It’s repulsive enough that the NBC’s, CNN’s, Fox’s and the like routinely stifle true public debate on the public’s airwaves. But NBC has taken the exclusion of opinions to a new low by actually fighting court orders that are aimed at expanding public discourse.
There was a time, you know, when this nation’s founders feared just such a power grab and subsequent subversion of our democratic ideals. That’s why corporations were originally looked on very suspiciously. The original corporations were only granted a charter for specific time frames in order to complete specific functions deemed in the public’s interest (building a road, for example). When the task was done, the charter was gone.
There was an understandable concern that corporations – when left unchecked – could accumulate too much power and seek to monopolize not only the markets and the business environment but our democratic institutions as well. And here we are, in 2008, with a Goliath of a corporation that owns and controls everything from nuke plants to dishwashers to television and radio stations seeking to unilaterally decide which presidential candidates we should hear from. Like I said, it’s ugly.
This battle for inclusion in the debates could be Kucinich’s shining moment. Well, if you want to ignore his feisty insistence that we end the war now, provide health care for everyone and put an end to the corporate stranglehold over our political and cultural institutions. But Kucinich’s battle for inclusion should put a spotlight on just how rotten the system has become – from the corporate ownership of the media right down to how the votes are being counted. And, if people are listening, it should inspire the pursuit of redress.
But I’m guessing we’re not going to read or hear much about Kucinich’s Sisyphean battle with the corporate Goliath. Most likely because the other corporately-controlled media outlets aren’t going to be too interested in undermining the systemic control they are all enjoying. In other words, it’s their ball. Their ballpark. And their referees.
Good morning, America.
[Tuesday afternoon update: As of 5:00 p.m., the matter of Kucinich v. NBC is still in the courts. The debate is supposed to start in 4 hours and the lawyers are currently giving oral arguments to a judge about -- get this -- whether a candidate who is running a national campaign should be included in the debate. But we should all notice how Kucinich's Democratic opponents are handling the situation. In case you missed it, they're ignoring it and him. If they had a political justice bone in their bodies, Clinton, Obama and Edwards would be joining together and speaking out about it. Better yet, they'd be releasing a statement declaring that if one of the them is excluded, all of them are refusing to participate. But don't hold your breath. Oh baby, feel the change...]
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Hillary on Meet the Press: Yikes. I saw it. We can’t possibly be looking for four more years of that bullshit, can we? The Clintons are robots. And they’re wired for only one thing: self-power. Worse, they think they are completely entitled to it. That’s why it’s so easy for them to slip and slide all over the political landscape in search of the most advantageous place to be. They can’t speak from their hearts because they are robots. I’m convinced of it.
During her Sunday appearance with Tim Russert, she was given one opportunity after another to look human and/or humble. But she refused. And, instead, talked in not-so-nice verbal circles that said this over and over: me, me, me, me. Worse, she wouldn’t let Russert talk on his own show. I am Hillary, hear me roar. And roar. And roar.
Until we change the channel. Click.
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Rinse Your Media Brain.
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Do Not Think Bad Thoughts.
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Do Not Stick Your Finger in the Plum.
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Wash Your Hands.
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And Get Back to Work.
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