As anti-war rallies and marches have been organized and carried out throughout the world, there have also been a small handful of pro-war rallies. But who is in charge of organizing these — Clear Channel.
Clear Channel owns over 1,200 radio stations, 37 television stations and operates over 200 concert venues. They have the most powerful influence in radio and entertainment, and they now play a very important role in public deception and the pushing of the Bush Administration’s agenda.
These “Rallies for America” have been held in cities all across the country including Cleveland and Cincinnati. All of these have been funded, organized and hosted by Clear Channel.
This recent occurrence further proves a right-wing bias in corporate, and especially, Clear Channel media. This really comes as no surprise. A war on Iraq and Republican rule benefits Clear Channel greatly. These pro-war rallies are a conflict of interest. However, Clear Channel won’t have to worry about unfair play because Colin Powell’s son, Michael Powell, is the head of the FCC.
Not only has Clear Channel done this, but they have also banned the Dixie Chicks from many radio station’s playlists simply for speaking out against the Bush Administration. So what’s this? You speak out against your government and you become blacklisted from corporate exposure? War aficionados constantly state that this war is for “the protection of freedom in the U.S.” What freedom? The Dixie Chicks are denied this.
This further points out corporate media’s interest in only presenting the conservative perspective. Clear Channel has fully taken advantage of deregulation by the FCC. They are now pushing their conservative agenda by means of their powerful media corporation. Talk shows are dominated by right-wing conservative hosts.
Bowling Green is extremely fortunate that they do not have to put up with corporate radio if they choose not too. WBGU 88.1 FM broadcasts completely independently of corporate, advertising and conservative pressures in terms of music and speech.
When presenting “news,” Clear Channels interests lie solely in benefiting their own conservative agenda. How can people not see this bias in presentation of news through not only Clear Channel but also other “news” corporations such as FOX, CNN, NBC, etc?
While I may come across as overly bitter about corporate media ties to conservative agendas, I think it is important for us to understand how this influences our opinions. I also believe it’s important to evaluate independent and international news sources to gain a broader perspective (i.e. CBC, indymedia.org, democracynow.org, etc.). By doing this, we can better evaluate the actions of our government.
kyle gebhart
STUDENT
Proposal will make USG a useless society
The Undergraduate Student Government will officially become an irrelevant society if this anti-war proposal gets passed. No longer will it be an organization where the student government passes legislation that affects the students personally. No longer will we see students’ rights protected by an elected body. We are now bombarded with partisan resolutions that have no reason to be debated on the floor.
I am pro-war, but this is not my reason for opposing this bill. There are a few more valid reasons other than my bias. One reason is that BGSU does not have a foreign policy. We do not make treaties, declare war or declare peace. That is the job of our national government. What the USG should be focusing on is domestic problems within the University.
Another reason, somewhat connected to the previous, is that this proposal wastes time and money. Since the USG is not focusing on campus issues, they are wasting our tuition money set aside for that organization. The USG should be seeking out what the students’ needs are, especially needs that they can tend to. I would prefer that USG debate issues that they can control, rather than a few people’s anti-war agenda.
A third reason why I disagree with this legislation is that it needlessly alienates a portion of the student body. Some legislation passed in the USG has certainly made me mad; the socialized healthcare bill is one such bill, but I understand why it was debated and passed. It actually has a function on this campus. The anti-war proposal, if passed, will serve no function but to anger a certain portion of students. I would figure that an elected official wouldn’t needlessly offend his or her constituency, but this seems to be the case in this instance.
I hope that the vote will be a roll call vote so I as well as others can see who votes “yes” or “no” on this proposal, because I want to know who seriously wants to help better this college, as well as keep their jobs. Focus on matters that affect students, not feel-good legislation that wastes our time.
brent bucher
STUDENT
