Who Owns The Media? The 6 Monolithic Corporations That Control Almost Everything We Watch, Hear And Read. Back in 1983, approximately 50 corporations controlled the vast majority of all news media in the United States. Today, ownership of the news media has been concentrated in the hands of just six incredibly powerful media corporations. These corporate behemoths control most of what we watch, hear and read every single day.
They own television networks, cable channels, movie studios, newspapers, magazines, publishing houses, music labels and even many of our favorite websites. Sadly, most Americans don't even stop to think about who is feeding them the endless hours of news and entertainment that they constantly ingest. Most Americans don't really seem to care about who owns the media. The six corporations that collectively control U.S. media today are Time Warner, Walt Disney, Viacom, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., CBS Corporation and NBC Universal. But it is the "big six" that are the biggest concerns. Back in 1983 it was bad enough that about 50 corporations dominated U.S. media.
Viacom. Govt removing web info. Appeared in the Toronto Star on October 6, 2012 as Ottawa's Web 2.0 Policy Needs Tweaking Given the enormous popularity of social media, establishing a foothold on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other popular websites has become a top priority for most organizations. The same is true for the federal government, which last year released a lengthy policy document that established the rules for departmental engagement with "Web 2.0" sites and tools. The policy document encourages officials to use the sites "as an efficient and effective additional channel to interact with the public", noting that the Internet offers opportunities for public consultation, recruitment, collaboration, and the provision of government services.
The government acknowledges that there are risks, however. These include potential misuse of government content or the possibility of negative perceptions associated with official use. {*style:<i> </i>*} Related Items: Canada Joins International Open Government Partnership.
Ouch! MIttTheTwit. Ryan says Obama compromises Judeo-Christian values. Revote urged in 5 election districts in Ukraine after election denounced by the West. Competition Bureau approves BCE-Astral deal with conditions - Canada. Canada's Competition Bureau has cleared BCE Inc.'s $3.38-billion takeover of Astral Media, but has attached conditions. Under the deal, BCE's Bell division would have to sell a number of Astral's pay and specialty channels, including Teletoon, The Family Channel and Disney XD, as well as a number of radio stations. Media company Corus Entertainment will purchase six of the TV stations and two radio stations for $400 million. The others will be sold in an auction process. Bell would be prohibited from imposing "restrictive bundling requirements" on providers seeking to carry The Movie Network – which includes HBO Canada – or Super Écran.
Bell would retain eight of Astral's television channels, along with 77 radio stations and the company's out-of-home advertising business. BCE CEO George Cope welcomed the decision, saying it "preserves the tremendous value the transaction represents to consumers, the Canadian media community, and Astral and Bell shareholders. " Koch Industries' Clean Energy Assault Reaches Far And Wide. A recent flood of Koch-supported think tanks, junk scientists and astroturf groups from inside and outside of Kansas are awaiting the outcome of a bill that could stall progress on the growth of clean energy in Kansas. States around the country, including Texas, Ohio, Missouri and North Carolina are poised to cut back on government support for clean energy jobs using model legislation from the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC). ALEC, which brings companies together with state lawmakers to forge a wish list of corporate state laws behind closed doors, is coordinating this year’s assault on state laws that require a gradual increase of electricity generated by clean energy sources.
ALEC and a hoard of other Koch-funded interests operating under the umbrella of the State Policy Network have hit Kansas legislators hard with junk economic studies, junk science and a junk vision of more polluting energy in Kansas’ future. Image via Shutterstock Beacon Hill Institute.
Marois pushes for PQ majority, warns against Liberal-CAQ coalition. Pauline Marois is urging voters to give her Parti Québécois a majority government in the Sept. 4 election, warning a coalition of Liberals and Coalition Avenir Quebec will cause social unrest. The PQ leader warned that unless she wins a majority, the student strike over tuition fee hikes will remain unsettled, mining companies will pay less royalties, there will be no new language law, and little improvement for daycare services or homecare for the elderly.
Sovereignty would also have to take a backseat in the event of a PQ minority. “What we are saying is that in order to do this, it will take a Parti Québécois majority government,” Ms. Marois said. “A minority government would find itself up against a coalition of people who would prevent us from adopting bold progressive policies.” Ms. “I tell these students you have a way to solve the situation: go out and vote on Sept. 4,” Ms. For Ms. Ms. “It is a close race with the CAQ. Ms. “I am fighting hard for a majority government. Obama spending binge never happened. By Rex Nutting, MarketWatch WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) — Of all the falsehoods told about President Barack Obama, the biggest whopper is the one about his reckless spending spree.
As would-be president Mitt Romney tells it: “I will lead us out of this debt and spending inferno.” Almost everyone believes that Obama has presided over a massive increase in federal spending, an “inferno” of spending that threatens our jobs, our businesses and our children’s future. Even Democrats seem to think it’s true. Government spending under Obama, including his signature stimulus bill, is rising at a 1.4% annualized pace — slower than at any time in nearly 60 years.
But it didn’t happen. Even hapless Herbert Hoover managed to increase spending more than Obama has. Here are the facts, according to the official government statistics: • In the 2009 fiscal year — the last of George W. . • In fiscal 2010 — the first budget under Obama — spending fell 1.8% to $3.46 trillion. Clinton urges America to 'renew Obama's contract' - Politics.
Democrats turned Wednesday to a hero of the past, Bill Clinton, to boost the shaky re-election prospects of Barack Obama, with the popular former president from the prosperous 1990s assuring worried Americans that he feels "with all my heart" that Obama is steering the country to an economic recovery. Clinton, in a rousing address to a television audience of millions, conceded that many struggling in a slow-recovery economy don't yet feel improvement, but said circumstances are indeed getting better, "and if you'll renew the president's contract you will feel it.
" Clinton formally nominated Obama as the Democratic candidate in what is expected to be a tight race against Republican Mitt Romney. Minutes later, delegates at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, N.C., began the state-by-state roll call vote to make the nomination official. Clinton followed through on the theme. Clinton described the Republican campaign argument as fairly straightforward.
Populist charm. Sarah Silverman | Get Nana a Gun | Sarah Silverman Videos. Rick Mercer: Why I rant. And why you should too. - Canada. Rave on: Mercer thinks Canadians don’t rant enough, with dire consequences I didn’t come out of the womb ranting but chances are I heard a few good ones while I was in there. Indeed, if my instinct to rant comes from anywhere it’s my mother. One of my earliest life-defining memories as a kid was being dragged against my will to the bank because Mom had a meeting.
I can remember sitting in a chair next to my mother while she had an excruciatingly dull conversation with a banker. I remember wondering what I had done to be forced to sit through this and if it were actually possible to die from boredom. And then everything changed. I will never forget the moment. From my point of view the day just got a whole lot better; for the man behind the desk the opposite was true. To say the oxygen was immediately sucked out of the room would be an exaggeration. Go Mom! Everyone should rant. Canadians don’t rant enough.
But the danger in not ranting is dire. We are the boss. And the Prime Minister? National media's political coverage declining, resembling sports reporting. Politics & The Pen Gala, April 2, 2014: photographs by Jake Wright April 7, 2014 The Hill Times photograph by Jake Wright Transport Minister Lisa Raitt and NDP MP Megan Leslie, pictured, April 2, 2014, at the annual Politics & The Pen Gala at the Chateau Laurier Hotel, singing Gloria Gaynor's song, I Will Survive.
The two hosted the event, which attracted 500 people, and raised $350,000 for the Writers Trust. NDP MP Charlie Angus. Jay Hill, author Denise Chong, and her husband, former CTV Hill reporter Roger Smith. Jodean and Brian Tobin, former federal Cabinet minister and former premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Inuit Tapriit Kanatami executive director Stephen Hendrie, looking quite snazzy. The Times photograph by Jake Wright Kelly Mounce and Agnes Augustin, head of the Shaw Rocket Fund. NDP MP Jack Harris and Conservative Senator Norman Doyle, who wrote a book last year, According to Doyle: Recollections. House Sgt. Photo bomb! NDP MP Paul Dewar. Columnist L. Conservative MP Dean Allison. Britain warns Ecuador over Assange asylum - World. Ecuador accused Britain on Wednesday of threatening to storm its London embassy to arrest Julian Assange after the U.K. issued a stern warning to the South American nation ahead of its decision on an asylum bid by the WikiLeaks founder.
Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said Britain had earlier in the day issued "a written threat that it could assault our embassy" if Assange is not handed over. Patino also said he would announce on Thursday morning whether Ecuador would grant the request of the secret-spilling former Australian hacker, who took refuge in Ecuador's embassy on June 19 to avoid extradition to Sweden.
Assange faces questioning there for alleged sexual misconduct. As news broke of the warning, police were seen reinforcing Scotland Yard's presence outside the embassy in a tony London neighbourhood near the Harrods department store. In Quito, about 30 people yelling "England, what part don't you understand? U.K. has ‘obligation to extradite’ "We have an obligation to extradite Mr.
Julian Assange: Ecuador grants Wikileaks founder asylum. 16 August 2012Last updated at 17:04 ET Julian Assange's Wikileaks website published leaked diplomatic cables Ecuador has granted asylum to Wikileaks founder Julian Assange two months after he took refuge in its London embassy while fighting extradition from the UK. It said his human rights might be violated if he is sent to Sweden to be questioned over sex assault claims. Foreign Secretary William Hague said the UK would not allow Mr Assange safe passage out of the country and the move was also criticised by Stockholm.
Ecuador said it would seek to negotiate arrangements for Mr Assange to leave. "We don't think it is reasonable that, after a sovereign government has made the decision of granting political asylum, a citizen is forced to live in an embassy for a long period," Foreign Minister Ricardo Patino said. Mr Assange took refuge at the embassy in June to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he faces questioning over assault and rape claims, which he denies.
Continue reading the main story. The Saga of Patrick Ross -- Part the Sixth: Denouement. [Scroll to bottom for Dec 23, 2012 (and more recent) update.] Part 1.Part 2.Part 3.Part 4.Part 5. At this point, I think it's time to make one big push and wrap this up with a huge, ugly, Patrick Ross-flavoured bow, at which point you'll be getting your homework assignment. And you knew that was coming, so don't look surprised. I suspect a number of readers are wondering, why the hell has this been taking so long? After all, the inordinately brief summary of the judgment from back in November of 2010 seems pretty clear on what Patrick Ross is required to do, and how quickly he's required to do it: And here's where the novel property of a default judgment comes in. As explained to me, the legal requirements of a default judgment kick in only after the judgment has been personally served on the victim, uh, defendant.
In short, as of the April 29, 2011 personal service on Patrick Ross, he now had a hard, 15-day legal deadline to do two things: You'll never guess what Patrick Ross did next. Will Colombia's protesting workers be heard? - Inside Story Americas. At the beginning of this month a group of former General Motors (GM) workers stitched their lips shut and began a hunger strike in the Colombian capital, Bogota. They had already spent over a year outside the US embassy with no success in fighting against what they said was their unfair dismissal.
The protestors say GM has fired more than 200 employees after they reported on-the-job injuries, including herniated discs, carpal tunnel syndrome and tendonitis, at the company's Colombian plant. In addition, they say the US car company refused to provide any compensation to the workers and erased medical records to bolster its legal case. The US car maker, which started operating in Colombia 50 years ago and now has more than 1,800 employees in the country, denies the allegations and says it has never put the health of any employee at risk, nor discharged anyone for health reasons. But some argue that such free trade agreements often result in worse conditions for workers. Obama Seizes Control of All Communications Systems With Executive Order. President Obama has usurped all available forms of communication for use and discretion of the US government. Under an Executive Order (June 6, 2012) entitled Assignment of National Security and Emergency Preparedness Communications Functions, Obama has enabled the executive branch to control communications “under all circumstances to ensure national security, effectively manage emergencies, and improve national resilience.”
(For full text of the Executive Order, seen Annex below). Radio and wired communications systems “of all levels of government, the private and nonprofit sectors, and the public must inform the development of national security and emergency preparedness (NS/EP) communications policies, programs, and capabilities.” Cellular phone corporations like Sprint owned Boost Mobile have released messages to their customers concerning the US government’s allocation of their phone communications at the whim of the President. [White House. June 6, 2012] Section 1. Sec. 2. Sec. 3. » London Olympics: 1,200 More Troops, Enough to Continue Games in “Just About Any Scenario” Alex Jones. Melissa Melton Infowars.com July 27, 2012 With only 48 hours notice, it was announced Wednesday 1,200 more troops were told they would be protecting the Olympic games this year in what British Prime Minister David Cameron has now dubbed the “biggest security operation” ever attempted in the United Kingdom’s peacetime history.
Event organizers LOCOG noted the additional soldiers will allow the games to continue “in just about any scenario”. An additional 1,000 soldiers have been placed on standby which, if called in, would bring this year’s Olympic security total to roughly 19,200 — a number equal to the entire armed forces of the West African country of Guinea.
U.S. intelligence and British security officials have co-established a threat integration center to analyze potential Olympics threat data. Other security measures include drafted U.S. All told, the 2012 Olympics comes with a price tag of approximately $14.5 billion. Let the games begin. Print this page. Be Aggressive Or Be Eaten. EXCLUSIVE: Twitter Censorship Firestorm Rages on as New Accusations, Denials Emerge | all. Sun Media has published distorted information about CBC/Radio-Canada • CBC/Radio-Canada. Canadian Drug Shortage » Causes? The Canadian Trans-Pacific Free Trade Heist. Canada’s international reputation slipping under Stephen Harper | Canada Politics. Study shows thinking diminishes religious faith.
Google censorship: U.S. agencies request sharply more deletions from Google. Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Anonymous 99 #OpESR, End the System of Political Bribery. Canada News: PM plans own media centre. The First Bank Has Been Criminally Indicted for Mortgage Fraud. 'My place is destroyed': Albertan in wake of Red Deer River oil spill. DN! Jasonryant: Interesting idea. #cdnpoli... Our Not-So-Friendly Northern Neighbor.
Elsevier editor quits over 'restricted access' Whose 'Independent Thought' Is Andrew Coyne Plugging? The end of America: House and Senate pass final version of NDAA. The myth of how the hijab protects women against sexual assault. Leaving Facebookistan (via @scoopinion)