[Marxism] The First Medialens Book *Guardians of Power*

["Calvin Broadbent" <calvinbroadbent@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

MEDIA LENS: Correcting for the distorted vision of the corporate media

October 4, 2005


MEDIA LENS APPEAL: THE FIRST MEDIA LENS BOOK - GUARDIANS OF POWER - AND A
REQUEST FOR SUPPORT


We are very pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of the first
Media
Lens book: Guardians Of Power - The Myth Of The Liberal Media. (Pluto Press,
December 2005;
<http://www.plutobooks.com/cgi-local/nplutobrows.pchkisbn=0745324827&main=&second=&third=)>

In his foreword to our book, John Pilger writes:

?The creators and editors of Medialens, David Edwards and David Cromwell,
have
had such influence in a short time that, by holding to account those who, it
is
said, write history?s draft, they may well have changed the course of modern
historiography. They have certainly torn up the ?ethical blank cheque?,
which
Richard Drayton referred to [in the Guardian], and have exposed as morally
corrupt ?the right to bomb, to maim, to imprison without trial...?. Without
Medialens during the attack on and occupation of Iraq, the full gravity of
that
debacle might have been consigned to oblivion, and to bad history.

?They have not bothered with soft targets, such as Rupert Murdoch?s Sun, but
have concentrated on that sector of the media which prides itself on its
?objectivity?, ?impartiality? and ?balance? (such as  the BBC) and its
liberalism and fairness (such as the Guardian). Not since Noam Chomsky?s and
Edward Herman?s Manufacturing Consent have we had such an incisive and
erudite
guide through the media?s thicket of agendas and vested interests. Indeed,
they
have done the job of true journalists: they have set the record straight.

?For this reason, Guardians of Power ought to be required reading in every
media
college. It is the most important book about journalism I can remember.?

In his endorsement of the book, Noam Chomsky writes:

"Regular critical analysis of the media, filling crucial gaps and correcting
the
distortions of ideological prisms, has never been more important. Media Lens
has
performed a major public service by carrying out this task with energy,
insight,
and care."

Edward Herman comments:

"Media Lens is doing an outstanding job of pressing the mainstream media to
at
least follow their own stated principles and meet their public service
obligations. It is fun as well as enlightening to watch their
representatives,
while sometimes giving straightforward answers to queries, often getting
flustered, angry, evasive, and sometimes mis-stating the facts."

We are delighted with the book and with this positive reaction from people
we
admire so much - media analysts who have been major inspirations in our
work. We
are also, of course, looking forward to the reaction of the media to what we
have written.

Curiously, we both found the process of writing the book a real eye-opener.
Concentrating the most outrageous examples of media bias on the most
important
issues in such a small space seemed to generate a kind of critical mass in
the
mind - the propaganda role of the media became far more obvious than usual,
with
any lingering doubts removed.

Readers may be surprised to learn that the hundreds of Media Alerts we have
written (nearly 1,800 pages of analysis) since 2001 have been produced
mostly in
our spare time after doing paid work. Over the last two years one of us,
David
Edwards, has been able to work full-time on the project. David Cromwell,
however, has continued to do what he can in his spare time in the mornings,
evenings and at weekends.

This is extremely frustrating for us. There is so much more that we want to
do,
so much that we believe we are able to do, but we are held back simply by
limited time and energy. We therefore appeal to readers who value what we
are
doing and who are financially secure, to consider donating to Media Lens.
Also,
please let us known of any organisations or donors that might be willing to
help
with the funds we need to continue and expand our work.

Most of us take for granted that we have to pay for corporate newspapers,
magazines and TV services. We are determined that Media Lens should remain
free.
A big part of our motivation is the hope that our work can provide an
example,
however flawed, of generosity and compassion as a counterpoint to the greed
and
brutality of the corporate media system.

But however well-intentioned the motivation, the simple fact is that radical
media do not come out of thin air and cannot survive on thin air. They +do+
need
the support of large numbers of people. We are three people (two editors and
one
webmaster, Olly Maw), but our work is rooted in the effort, expertise and
financial assistance of countless others.

Thanks for your support.

Best wishes

David Edwards, David Cromwell and Olly Maw


Write to us:
Email: editor@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Please consider donating to Media Lens: www.medialens.org/donate

Visit the Media Lens website:
www.medialens.org

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