Whatcom Watch Intern Asks Pertinent Questions About Independent Media

Sarah Kuck studies environmental journalism at WWU and is our Whatcom Watch intern. She is also the chief editor of The Planet.

Kimberly Corrigan and Susan Gleason, marketing and education outreach of Yes! Magazine, visited Western Washington University in September to talk about independent media. “Media and Social Change: the Rise of Independent Media,” the title of the World Issues Forum at Fairhaven College, gathered the two representatives from Yes! Magazine, students and community members to discuss independent media and its trials and tribulations. The Whatcom Watch caught up with Corrigan later to ask her some questions about her beliefs on the importance of independent media.

KC: “What’s important is having reliable sources for information and news that are credible, reliable and fair. News that is not corrupted by power, greed and special interest agendas. When we use the term “independent” we usually refer to those sources that are not overly beholden to corporate, military and government entities.

It’s necessary to question how the news that you’re reading is funded—follow the money and you’ll find the influence. What’s often referred to as the “mainstream media,” or what we call corporate media, is ruled by advertisers’ dollars that can impact the editorial content. This is not to say that some “independent media” sources are not corrupted by special interest agendas—it’s more a matter of being an informed and critical consumer of news and information.”

KC: “If they want the news and information they watch, read and hear to be truthful and credible then they should care about all types of media. It’s not enough to simply support independent media—citizens should demand that corporate media live up to their obligations of being the “Fourth Estate” helping to inform the public about local, national and global issues that matter. This is of paramount interest in a democracy. And folks should be concerned about the consolidation of the media—that is, that there are fewer and fewer owners of bigger and bigger media powerhouses. Monopoly systems rarely work out in the public’s favor.”

KC: “Funding is one of the toughest hurdles. The bottom line is who will pay the bill to dig up and report on the news? Political and commercial interests want to use the media to sell their ideas, beliefs, services and products, and this does not always jibe well with investigative journalism and critical reflection on our political and economic choices.

In addition to funding, I would add another big problem to the list—the complacency of the American people. If folks were more engaged in questioning authority, compelling commercial interests to behave ethically, and challenging themselves to work for the common good and less for their own individual gain, we would have a very different media landscape.

I think at some level we’re afraid to ask the tough questions—we don’t want to sacrifice, we think we deserve to live at the expense of others and we don’t want to face the hypocrisy of our stated ideals of equality and freedom and our proven record of inequality and support for foreign dictators and multinational corporations.”

KC: “My question is what can be done to reform the mainstream media and curtail the corporate welfare given to the current major media outlets?

The complete disdain for oversight and regulation of the media has lead to less consumer choice, not more, less independence, not more, less public control of their own airwaves, not more. The myth that deregulation benefits the people is a farce.

One might argue that the growth of the independent media is a barometer of sorts—a reaction to the loss of access and pertinent information from corporate sources. If it is to expand does that mean we’ve given up on reclaiming the mainstream media?”

KC: “Trust is something that has to be earned—it implies a relationship.”

KC: “The opportunity to focus on what’s going right gets me fired up. We report on the positive and powerful things happening in our region, nation and around the globe, where people are making a difference for the better. We rely on other journalists and writers to investigate and set out the problems—this is a very important job and we take it from there. We ask and then report on “if these are the problems then what are the solutions?”

KC: “This question holds the seeds of the answer. There’s no reason to accept the current state of our mass media, which is a corporate-driven monopolistic machine intent on promoting commercial interest above the public interest and protecting the status quo. If more Americans turned to, and supported financially, the independent media would it become a more powerful player? Yes. Might it fall into the same trap as the mainstream media—being controlled by those with dollars and agendas? Perhaps. The beauty of this question is that it should be asked and answered over and over again. Conversing about the media—what it is, who it serves, why it fails or succeeds—is like laundry… it never ends. A healthy democracy is built through discussions, not institutions.”

Yes! Magazine is a nonprofit organization not affiliated with any other group or organization. Every month, the magazine focuses on a different topic relevant to sustainability. According to Yes! Magazine, sustainability is living in balance and interacting with our communities and our planet in ways that will sustain all forms of life now and in the future. For more information, visit http://www.yesmagazine.org. §