Rocky Mountain Views-Films for Action. Fox, The Right to LIe. FOX asserted that there are no written rules against distorting news in the media. They argued that, under the First Amendment, broadcasters have the right to lie or deliberately distort news reports on public airwaves. December 1996, Jane Akre and her husband, Steve Wilson, were hired by FOX as a part of the Fox “Investigators” team at WTVT in Tampa Bay, Florida.to investigat bovine growth hormone (BGH), a controversial substance manufactured by Monsanto Corporation. Fox executives and their attorneys wanted the reporters to use statements from Monsanto representatives that the reporters knew were false and to make other revisions to the story that were in direct conflict with the facts.
Fox editors then tried to force Akre and Wilson to continue to produce the distorted story. Akre and Wilson refused and threatened to report Fox's actions to the FCC, they were both fired. During their appeal, FOX asserted that there are no written rules against distorting news in the media. Rocky Mountain Views. ColoradoTV3. Matthew Toplikar. Films For Action. Films For Action - A Compliment to Op-Ed News, Providing a Go-To Resource for Progressive Video.
With excellent independent media sites like OpEd News, Truth Out and Common Dreams providing progressive news in written form, Films For Action.org has dedicated itself to filling in the progressive video niche. "It's probably the most comprehensive collection of videos dedicated to social change online," says Tim Hjersted, co-founder and director for the project. "With the overwhelming amount of junk-food-news and political gossip out there, people have really grown hungry for diverse, nutritious information. We've spent hundreds of hours looking for videos all over the internet so that we could catalog the best of these all in one place. After 4 years adding only the best gems, the website has become a treasure trove for people wanting to learn about what's really going on in the world. " "With so much content to discover on the site, accessibility was key," says Mason Umholtz, the team's Chicago-based graphic designer.