According to DickMorris.com, the U.S. Government launched a new program aimed at monitoring the nation's news coverage, called the "Multi-Market Study of Critical Information Needs." It involves requesting information from all radio and TV stations, as well as newspapers, about how they cover news, who decides what gets covered, and what criteria they use in the decision. The FCC will also conduct a "content analysis" of one week's coverage to decide whether each of eight "critical" categories of news is being given adequate attention.
Surveys will be distributed to reporters, news editors, assignment editors, publishers, owners, on-air reporters, film editors and other station or newspaper staff. The questions they will ask are listed below. Although the grilling does not apply to bloggers, I will answer the questions regarding my human rights blogs and Blogtalkradio shows:
• What is the news philosophy of the station?The philosophy of my blogs and radio shows is the same philosophy laid out in the International Declaration of Human Rights. The rights thereunder are not to be ignored or compromised at the whim of any government administration among member nations, even for "security." See the provisions at this link:
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
• Who else in your market provides news?
Many independent news journals and bloggers also provide news relevant to Americans' human rights. The three stories that I cover that are ignored by mainstream news as well as so-called "independent" news outlets and most other bloggers (maybe because they do not know about them or lack the courage to divulge the information) are: (1) the secret arrest and murder of Larry Neal, a lifelong paranoid schizophrenic heart patient who was secretly arrested for 18 days and murdered in the Memphis Shelby County Jail while the jail was under direct supervision of the U.S. Department of Justice; (2) The (Johnnie) Cochran Firm's fraud against the Neal family and hundreds more of its predominantly African American former clients, many of whom filed lawsuits against the frauds for racism, malpractice, and fraud; and (3) intimidation and persecution against the Neal family for revealing Larry Neal's murder cover-up and promoting human rights for all people, including America's mentally ill people who are the backbone of the nation's private prison industry (1.25 million mentally ill people are inmates, comprising over one-half of the prisoners).
• Who are your main competitors?I have no competitors. I regard everybody who publishes human rights news as partners. I am especially grateful to people and orgs who sign my "Petition to Free Mary Neal" and to individuals, groups and organizations that re-publish my articles, poems, and art. The petition to have the U.S. Government and local government honor and protect my First Amendment and human rights to free speech and freedom of press is at this link
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/free-mary-neal/ . The petition's latest three comments are:
• How much news does your station air every day?
In addition to publishing articles in several Google Blogger blogs, I also post human rights news at G+, Facebook, Twitter, and Care2. For the longest time, I was not permitted to comment on mainstream news articles using my Disqus account and other accounts whereby the public makes comments. Stalkers kept changing my passwords and preventing my access to reset them (probably racist criminals in The Cochran Firm, the U.S. Department of Justice, or prison profiteering companies).
• Is the news produced in-house or is it provided by an outside source?
• Do you employ news people?
• How many reporters and editors do you employ?
• Do you have any reporters or editors assigned to topic "beats"? If so, how many and what are the beats?
• Who decides which stories are covered?
• How much influence do you have in deciding which stories to cover?
• How much influence do reporters and anchors have in deciding which stories to cover?
• How much does community input influence news coverage decisions?
• How do you define critical information that the community needs?
• How do you ensure the community gets this critical information?
• Have you ever suggested coverage of what you consider a story with critical information for your customers (viewers, listeners, readers) that was rejected by management? If so, can you give an example? What was the reason given for the decision? Why do you disagree?
Note: I will finish the 11 remaining questions later. These people want to know EVERYTHING, don't they?
DickMorris.com says, "These intrusive questions, which pry into station politics and policies, can only send a chilling message to radio and television outlets." I already received the message: Publishing news and viewpoints that differ from what the Government wants published may result in your financial persecution, censorship, and other targeting. There is reason to suspect that more extreme punishments for noncompliance may be employed. These are the End Times.
MaryLovesJustice
Website: Wrongful Death of Larry Neal.com
(678) 531-0262
Director of:
Assistance to the Incarcerated Mentally Ill
The Davis/MacPhail Truth Committee
The Human Rights for Prisoners March
The Dog Justice for Mentally Ill movement
The "Boycott 4 Justice" initiative
Etcetera
