Richer Media, Poorer Democracy

"Journalism is the oxygen of democracy," declared media critic Robert McChesney. "Our journalism is a flop. It's a very poor watchdog. It's a media system that works against democracy. It's part of the problem, and in a democracy it should be part of the solution."

McChesney spoke on April 25, 2002 at Illinois State University in a lecture on "Corporate Journalism and the Bogus State of U.S. Democracy" sponsored by the Indy newspaper. As the author of Rich Media, Poor Democracy and numerous others, McChesney (www.robertmcchesney.com) offers an extensive critique of the media in America.

McChesney traced the rise of professional journalism in the 20th Century, and how it has changed the media marketplace and the sources of information. One effect has been an increased reliance on official sources, which "removes the controversy of story selection" and "makes journalism cheaper." However, it also means that "people in power become the assignment editors." Today's journalism also avoids any context for its reporting, and "strpis politics of all the passion and values," which McChesney said helps explain why "we whave the most depoliticized society in the world." Professional journalism also dampens investigative reporting, because a "hard-hitting story on the CIA" is a "sure way" to lose your job (as happened to several journalistic contributors to a new book, Into the Buzzsaw [Prometheus Books, 2002], for which McChesney wrote the concluding chapter). [Full Story]

Java Justice

Do you just want a cup of coffee, or would you prefer some social justice with your coffee? ISU President Vic Boschini and Food Service Administrator Debra Grossman have agreed to purchase and sell Fair Trade Certified coffee through Brewsters Beans, a label owned by ISU.

Coffee is the second most heavily traded commodity in the world after oil. But the workers who toil in the coffee plantations of Latin America often endure harsh labor conditions and unpredictable commodity prices. Fair Trade Certified coffee provides farmers a secure wage to grow coffee beans and free themselves from dire poverty.

The United States is the world's largest coffee market, dominated by Kraft, Proctor & Gamble, Nestle and Sara Lee. These corporations have heavily advertised name brands such as Folgers and Maxwell House, along with low supermarket, gas station and restaurant prices, which make these brand names so popular that no one questions their dominating market power. While coffee prices have plummeted, retailers will still raise retail prices to maintain their needs in concept, financing, design, real estate acquisition, menu development, rent, staff, insurance, taxes, non-coffee goods and other expenses. [Full Story]

Do Good, Eat Well

Henry Brockman grows vegetables like your grandparents used to eat. Against all conventional advice, he began farming several acres in central Illinois the old-fashioned way ten years ago. In a world where the average age of a U.S. farmer is 62, Henry, a 30-something native of Bloomington-Normal, is an anomaly.

At first bite you notice how delicious are Henry's tomatoes, carrots, arugula, potatoes, mustard greens, and other varieties of vegetables. Customers say that Henry's produce tastes as good as the vegetables their mothers served them. By and large, today's vegetables and fruits are tasteless, watery, or mushy. And that's no surprise as your salad has been on the road for 6 to 12 days after harvest. The food you ate today came from factory farms an average of 1,500 miles away, grown by people you will never meet and using methods and chemicals you will never know about. Not too long ago, Great-grandpa bought his produce from neighboring farmers who kept small independent organic farms providing fruits, vegetables, grains, eggs, milk, and even meat to the local community. [Full Story]

Corporate Hog Factories

Harming People and the Environment

Hog factories have been destroying the fabric of our country through the degradation of the environment, displacement of family farmers, strain on rural communities, and contempt towards consumer health. Corporate Farming raises hogs in the smallest possible space to maximize profit and productivity. Independent farmers have been losing their way of life as these corporate farms have taken over the industry while inhumanely treating animals, degrading the environment, and risking the health of the rural communities and consumers of these products. This is the case for all kinds of farming, including beef, poultry, and dairy.

Hog factories have raised an enormous concern for rural farmers, environmentalists, and the animal rights groups. Federal and state governments need to be pressured introduce legislation that will prohibit corporations from using these unsustainable farming methods. They utilize completely inhumane methods when treating their animals, degrade the environment, and eliminate the family farmer's way of life. There must be consumer pressure on grocery stores and restaurants to stop buying their products from corporations that run hog factories as well as other unsustainable and inhumane farming practices. [Full Story]

The Struggle for Sustainable Development

Concerns over industrial pollution and environmental degradation have received more attention in the national and international arena over the last half-century. Many activists and public interest groups are concerned with the need for sustainable development and the utilization of renewable energy resources. They realize that in order for the Earth to provide for future generations, the pollution caused by economic and industrial development needs to be addressed head on.

The corporate conglomerates that dominate energy production (groups like Bechtel, GE, and Westinghouse) have traditionally relied on public ignorance and marginalization in order to exploit non-renewable fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) in their quest for unending profits. What the corporate elite truly fear though is that one day a democratically informed citizenry may encroach upon their decision-making powers and restore these powers to their proper owner: the public. But in order for this reality to materialize, individual citizens must educate themselves about the dangers of environmental pollution and the negative effects that non-renewable fossil fuels have on the environment. [Full Story]