Local TV New Harms Our Democracy
Gary Tilzer
Local TV has moved way beyond happy talk and good looking clueless reporters. They now have become the instrument that the special interests communicate with the public and government leaders. Now the mayor whose has been attacked by the UFT and AFL-CIO in ads is running his own commercials. Ads have also been run by in support of the Cuomo budget by the big business back Committee to Save NY, The NYS Democratic Party and the governor himself. The mayors ad features the kind of upbeat music and imagery one would normally expect from a political front-runner. The union is not mentioned by name. Instead of being punished for their lack of objective analysis on Albany's budget battles the owners of the TV stations are now making millions from the mayor and other special iterests trying to win the budget battle.
Baruch College Prof. Doug Muzzio makes his usual dumb one liner quote for the press, "the ad makes it look like Bloomberg is running for something, but perhaps it’s the position of “independent wise man.” Prehaps Prof. Muzzio should love at what this issue ads are doing to our democracy. If we had more experienced investigative reporters there be less corruption in New York.
The Founding Fathers push Freedom of the Press to keep the government informed on what they government is up to. Can anyone say watching local TV keeps New Yorkers informed? Where is the Edward R. Murrow of this generation to critize TV News? It is not only a wasteland, it has become Orwellian, harmful to our democracy. Mike $trafes UFT in ad war(NYP)* Mayor Counters Teachers’ Ads With His Own (NYT) * Bloomberg Takes to the Airwaves(WSJ) * Bloomberg Defends His Administration With TV Ad (NY1) * The mayor is spending almost $1 million of his own cash to air the ad. * Bloomberg Government to hire 100+ journalists, analysts in D.C. * Bloomberg L.P. Forms Bloomberg Media Group * Cuomo releases new video message: http://bit.ly/g6QMTD. In loudest saber-rattling yet, warns of possibility of gov't shutdown.
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