Edward Snowden and the Mass Media: Missing the Big Picture

Versions of this commentary were published in truth-out's SpeakOut, the Morning Call, and the Baltimore Sun --June 17, 2013 and June 20, 2013.

In the aftermath of the Edward Snowden revelations about government surveillance, the national mass media are in their element:  a highly controversial issue framed as national security vs. individual liberty, a dramatic figure to focus personal scrutiny and condemnation on (Snowden), the public as stakeholder, and government officials falling in line to reassure the public that our rights are secure.  Trust us, they declare.

What is, and will continue to be, missing from the mass media debate, however, is the connection between government surveillance and the larger imperative of maintaining a system both at home and abroad designed to maximize corporate profits.  Those who argue for a vastly more democratic system –notably the left— continue to be excluded from the mass media’s “legitimate” debate.

Progressive Solutions Can Solve Nation's Problems

Published in the Morning Call, Allentown, PA  6:17 a.m. EST, February 25, 2013

I've been thinking for a while about Bill White's Jan. 22 column praising U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent and the No Labels group, calling for "more moderation" in congressional politics.

You can certainly make an argument for less bitter partisanship in Washington. The public is rightly fed up with a Congress so paralyzed by partisan bickering that it doesn't seem to solve any of the problems facing us. No Labels' call to "Tell the full truth" and "Govern for the future" is admirable. Indeed, if these proved to be more than rhetorical slogans, they would be complete novelties in American politics of the last 35 years.

However, the key flaw in Bill White's argument is that more centrist or moderate policies in Congress won't do anything to solve the critical, deepening problems we face as a nation. The public wants less bickering in Washington so that the problems we face may be constructively resolved.

Despite Election Victories, Escalating Poverty and Inequality Remain Largely Ignored

 Tuesday, 27 November 2012 09:58 By Ted Morgan, Truthout | Op-Ed 

     Probably the most striking feature of the recent election was that it appeared to be a clear victory for multicultural America. The long-running, right-wing Republican strategy of attacking women and the nation's many minorities collided with a multicultural electorate, symbolized by the re-election of an African-American president. The question is: What are the longer term implications of this victory?