Why so Synchronous?
Last Monday August 3rd 2009 the Ground Zero Lounge presented a program entitled “The Dark Side of Conspiracy theory”. The show, performed in front of a live audience at Dante’s Lounge was supposed to air live on ZeroPointRadio. But due to technical difficulties on location, it was delayed by one day and aired as planned Tuesday night. The show was developed by myself and Janine Duffy to address issues of responsibility and objectivity surrounding the mainstream media and the independent media online. The show was in response to several controversial topics that were brewing in both the mainstream framed narrative and the alleged “outside the box” unbridled views that are expressed online.
The media both Independent and controlled are finding themselves in a constant state of clash and the underpinnings of “control” have been expressed by many people including Dan Rather, formerly of CBS.
Rather told an audience in Aspen Colorado that journalism has declined to such a point that it is time for the government to intervene. Rather said “traditional journalism is under siege? and called for media reform to become an “immediate national priority.”
I had expressed my concerns with the Ground Zero Lounge audience about how the Mainstream media has forfeited the public trust by reporting half truths and have taken things out of context to promote a partisan and or bias lower level of reporting.
I also expressed that I was beginning to feel technically the same way about Independent media online. I had said that while I feel that the internet gives us misinformation at times, the government should not intervene, but that the netizens should use discretion with the information they receive. Those who present information should also see it as a responsibility and not some inalienable right.
When I started in radio journalism I was always told that licenses that were given to stations and Networks and also permits that were issued to operators by the FCC were done so with the agreement that those with these permits would act in the public interest as a public trustee. That if they ever violated that trust, they would suffer the consequences of losing their privilege of being in a position that is meant to serve the public.
The public now feel that their interests are not being met with the mainstream media and so they look for information elsewhere.
There are many people who are looking for answers to questions about the distribution of power and wealth in the world. They need answers about crime, political corruption, and the cover ups of uncomfortable information. Many of them look to mainstream media outlets for this information and find themselves coming up empty. Now with the internet it is possible for individuals to find new outlets that reinforce their opinion of the world, reinforce their own perspectives and unfortunately their own prejudices.
As I opened the Ground Zero Lounge I commented on a number of trends that were beginning to disturb me. One of them was concerning the meme of the “trickster” or Joker. This theme has been the subject of Ground Zero shows for a long time and with the advent of the movie “The Dark Knight” I had expressed that this meme would always show up in the oddest of places. Just before my presentation I was made aware of a series of posters making the rounds that showed Barack Obama as the Joker saying “Why so Socialist.” I had commented the week before about the socialism creep that seemed to be heading our way and weeks before that I had talked about the trickster and the clown prince with the death of Michael Jackson.
Read More at the Krocks Radio One / Zero Point Radio site
