United States of Distraction: Media Manipulation in Post-Truth America (And What We Can Do About It)
Mickey Huff, Nolan HigdonCongress can and should acknowledge, address, and implement many of the proposals in this book. There are only 535 elected officials for millions of Americans to instruct. Send them the plans described by Higdon and Huff and demand not just a reply, but that they hold their own town meetings around changing media and education. A petition of 500 citizens, with names, addresses, and occupation clearly marked, can bring a senator or representative to your community. Face to face!
There can be no democracy without democratic media. Look at your TV Guide and see how sports, low-grade entertainment, and endless advertising dominate hundreds of outlets. Are there, among the 600+ cable channels, any devoted to workers, consumers, students, taxpayers, or any of the thousands of nonprofit social justice organizations fighting for a better America? Of course not. We have allowed our property and our franchises to be completely seized by the corporatists, with scarcely a whimper. The big foundations do not like funding watchdog groups. But perhaps some enlightened, very wealthy people can be persuaded to do so.