So this is my first blog ever, it's such an exciting experience. I
mean, the entire world can see me; to think we all once thought the world was
flat... Hi Mom!
My
purpose of this blog is to learn about this experience called
"blogging". My eyes have been opened to this world of independent
media, and my ophthalmologist was Professor Jeff Cohen, oddly
enough my Independent Media Studies' professor at Ithaca College.
At the top of our syllabus, there is a quote by Bill Moyers that
said, "What is really important for the journalist is not how close you
are to power, but how close you are to reality." I am a Sportscenter zombie
and the only news channel I watch is ESPN. So I am fairly ignorant to other
media powers, however, it is becoming clearer to me how much power large media
corporations possess. It's a power so uncanny, it can control society as the
legendary Illuminati would. Social standards, public good, magnifying
unimportant issues, you name it. Public opinion can switch at the click of a
television remote.
I
read the article from the link below, and it reminded me of the power of large
media corporations. According to the article, 95 percent of homes have
televisions in Mexico, 30 percent have access to cable. In terms of news
outlets, there are two main channels, Televisa and TV Azteca. These two outlets
dominate news coverage in Mexico, thus they have a lot of influence on the
public. Presidential candidate Enrique Peña Nieto, governor of the State of
Mexico, knew of this power and wanted to use it to his advantage. It was
reported that Nieto paid Televisa $90 million to promote himself and his
campaign. There were other reports that Nieto paid over $3 million to
journalists who gave more positive coverage on him.
Once the people found that this was true,
hundreds of thousands marched throughout Mexico City, marching towards the
Angel de la Independencia statue. The crowd was chanting, “The people, quiet,
will never be heard,” protesting against Enrique Peña Nieto. The protesters
call themselves “Yo Soy 132” and “Mas de 131”, after 131 college students
protested together online through YouTube. These protesters are joining the 131
and believe their needs to be a free campaign.
What this
group decided to do was to use the power they used on YouTube and organized a
debate that would broadcast on YouTube for a fair debate. It was Mexico’s
first-ever presidential debate organized by anyone other than the government’s
federal elections commission (Flannery). Enrique Peña Nieto didn’t attend this debate, knowing the
crowd would not favor him, believing the environment would fail to “guarantee a
space of neutrality.” So the debate had only one empty stand, Nieto’s space.
It’s unusual to have an empty stand in any political debate no matter what
country you’re in. Duncan Wood, a professor at ITAM, said that Nieto’s decision
not to show up, "damages
his image in terms of his commitment to democratic discourse,” and that, “The
empty seat was emblematic."
I
take two things from this story. One of which I already mentioned, and that is
the power of large media corporations. This power makes me think that Mexico
isn’t the only country that abuses their power in this way. Not that I have any
proof, but I wouldn’t be surprised if under-the-table payments are made for
people to make themselves look good.
But
what I also take from this article is that although large media corporations
have so much power, it still is not as much power as the people have. Nieto’s
attempt to brainwash his community through bias ads could have worked. Luckily,
with an investigation and brave college students, the people were able to
organize their own debate and regain power in their own election. Events like
these are perfect examples of how independent media and “no-names” can make an
impact in the world.
Nice job
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