Freedom House yesterday released its annual Press Freedom Survey, and you’ll be delighted to hear (or not) that the US ranks 22nd, tied with Jamaica and Estonia. Seriously.
The country that proudly touts the first amendment to the Constitution:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
Perhaps Congress made no such law, but the chilling effect on the media by its corporate overlords is quite clear.
I launched my own, unscientific “free press” survey yesterday. I watched more hours of MSNBC “news” than any person should be subject to, looking for one mention of yesterday’s world-wide, massive MayDay actions, marches, protests. Between 6 and 10pm, the effort was for naught.
At 10, as I’m unable to watch the bullying Lawrence O’Donnell, I flipped over to Current for the Young Turks rebroadcast, to hear Cenk do the story justice.
But I was really missing Keith Olbermann’s presence on my TV last night, as he was the guy who regularly gave the occupy movement the coverage it deserved.
Since the corporate media was derelict in its duties, I spent much of the first hour today reaching out to some who participated yesterday. I spoke with Linda Busch Somach in NY and Rob Rousseau in DC, and lamented the loss of an open free press in the US.
In the second hour, I was joined on the subject by the adorable and very funny Maysoon Zayid (who’s appearing tomorrow night in San Francisco!)