The Question: What should be covered in the mainstream media that isn’t?
After a period of confusion about whether any local media outlets other than The News Gazette would be allowed to distribute their materials during the annual Urbana Sweetcorn Festival, members of the Public i collective were granted a permit and took their place under the August sun, amongst the many other booths and vendors lining the streets of downtown Urbana. We were lucky to have been visited by a number of interested passers-by, some of whom paused long enough to give thoughtful consideration to the question above. Their responses and pictures, in no particular order, appear below.
RICKY BALDWIN
I think it’s appalling that millions of American citizens are denied their most basic democratic right: to vote – because they have been convicted of perhaps minor felonies, or were incorrectly listed along with felons (as in Florida). Meanwhile election difficulties are reduced in the media to “hanging chads” and dismissed.
DANIEL LEWART
Investigative reporting. Corporate media maximizes profit and avoids offending advertisers by avoiding investigation, which is labor-intensive and time consuming. Most papers just run wire stories and corporate press releases.
JAMES ONDERDONK
No particular subject, but more alternative points of view. Less conservative articles and stories. More coverage of both sides of the story.
TARA MCCAULEY
More coverage of international issues –especially the impact of US foreign policy (wars, etc.) on other countries.
LESLIE SHERMAN
International affairs from a non-US point of view.
DAVID YOUNG
Bills before Congress and your state legislature concerning telecommunications which seriously affect consumer choice.
DANIELLE CHYNOWETH
Accurate investigative reporting on local prison authority’s handling of sexual assault cases, and the desires of local public housing residents about the future of local public housing.
AL KAGAN
The mainstream press is only just starting to question the statements that come out of the Defense and State Departments. The US press is way behind the European press in questioning the fundamental assumptions behind the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan.
WHAT’S HER NAME?
When media outlets cover international news they think analyzing the politics of other countries is sufficient. However, by covering the news in this manner they are missing the real stories. People are what makes up countries – their cultures, problems, struggles and how they cope with all this is what’s really interesting – not what their political leaders say and do.
JAN NEDERVEEN PIETERSE
Intelligence on weapons of mass destruction fudge –reported in the UK, Australia – where are US media?
MICHAEL SCHULER
Issue: living wage. Import: the first line of pre-emptive defense against violence and terrorism, at home and abroad.
C.MANN
Connections between corporations and politicians, and between media and the corporations that own them.
SI MURREY-INSKEEP
More in-depth coverage of baseball games.
FRANCIS JOHANNES
More showing of pro-soccer, not only on satellite.
GABE MURREY-INSKEEP
More war coverage.
PAUL PATTON
Bush’s misrepresentation of intelligence information to argue for war with Iraq.
ROSE MARSHACK
NEWS.
ANNE AND SARAH PHILLIPS, VIJAY SINGH
Facts! Alternative viewpoints! Anything not fear based, aka Michael Moore and Bowling for Columbine.