Just as the government tries to reduce violence on television and professional groups hold their members to a strict code of ethics, there are a number of media watchdog groups that regulate the media too. Groups such as these are working to expose bias and censorship in the mainstream media.
F.A.I.R.
Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting is a national media watch group that "scrutinizes media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints."
FAIR argues that advertiser pressure, corporate ownership of the media, and right-leaning news programs are diminishing the quality of objective reporting. FAIR also tries to expose anti-labor bias, sexism, racism, homophobia, ageism and anti-semitism in the media.
project censored
Project Censored was created in 1976 by Dr. Carl Jensen of Sonoma State University in California. Every year since then, community volunteers, students and media scholars have compiled a list of 25 important stories that were largely ignored by the mainstream media.
The project's goal is to "explore and publicize the extent of censorship in our society by locating stories about significant issues."
adbusters
Adbusters is a quarterly magazine put out by the Media Foundation, "a media activist organization counteracting those who would pollute our physical and mental environments." The magazine harshly criticizes corporate control of the media, and of people.
Adbusters encourages everyday people to take action against the media by "culture jamming." Culture jamming strategies recommended by the adbusters website include defacing billboards, creating tv un-commercials, and celebrating buy nothing day.
accuracy in media
80 to 90 percent of the mainstream media consistently vote for the Democrats. Accuracy in Media aims to expose the liberal slant in media coverage of political issues, claiming that much of it is anti-business, pro-big government, anti-family and anti-religion. They achieve this through a bimonthly newsletter, a syndicated newspaper column and daily radio commentaries.
national coalition on television violence
NCTVV is an organization that focuses on television violence and its effects on children. They work with parents and teachers to limit children's exposure to media violence and help them understand the violence that they see.
sources:
- Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting website.
- Project Censored website.
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Adbusters website.
- Accuracy in Media website.
- National Coalition on Television Violence website.
- Kathryn C. Montgomery. Target: Prime Time. Advocacy Groups and the Struggle Over Entertainment Television.
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