Progressives cheered when it was announced Wednesday that Glenn Beck would be “transitioning” off his Fox News show. Beck’s not gone for good, of course, but his daily screeds against the likes of Van Jones and Frances Fox Piven will be somewhat more limited—perhaps to radio.
That news aside, though, it’s been a rough year in media. NPR and PBS are under attack, newspapers and magazines are still struggling to make ends meet, and with a new war, hundreds of anti-woman, anti-union, anti-immigrant bills popping up around the country, the progressive independent media is stretched thin as a pancake.
As we speak, to make things worse, the Republican House is preparing to vote against net neutrality. Though Senate Democrats, including tireless supporter Al Franken, have vowed to stop it, and even President Obama has issued a rare veto threat, the House wants us to know where they stand: on the side of the big media conglomerates.
Where do you stand? Since you’re reading this, we assume you stand on the side of progressive media reform advocates. We try to keep you abreast of the latest media policy decisions as well as the range of political issues of the day, and with our partners at the Media Consortium are bringing you even more in-depth coverage of issues like net neutrality, media mergers and the latest on public broadcasting.
But if you’re in Boston this weekend, why not join us at the National Conference for Media Reform? I’ll be hosting the Friday keynote and speaking with Tony award–winner Sarah Jones, and you’ll get a chance to hear Nancy Pelosi, Joseph Stiglitz, Bernie Sanders and the Bay Area’s Malkia Cyril tell you why media justice matters. If you can’t get to Boston, keep an eye on our website as we’ll be broadcasting live with Free Speech TV!
The F Word is a regular commentary by Laura Flanders, the host of GRITtv and editor of At The Tea Party, out now from OR Books. GRITtv broadcasts weekdays on DISH Network and DIRECTv, on cable, and online at GRITtv.org and TheNation.com. Follow GRITtv or GRITlaura on Twitter and be our friend on
