U-U forum discusses media

SF UNITARIAN-UNIVERSALISTS
DISCUSS MEDIA OLIGOPOLY

"Without the right to protest,
Where would we be?
There'd be no votes for women yet,
And no democracy."

So sang San Francisco Unitarian-Universalists on Dec. 7, echoing The Raging Grannies, at their Sunday Forum
on social and political issues.

This morning's theme is the corporate media. We hear from Jeff Perlstein of Media Alliance; Annemarie Charlesworth of Action Coalition for Media Education (ACME); and Henry Kroll of Media Democracy Legal Project. Kroll warns that a mere FIVE media giants dominate delivery of information to 85 percent of Americans.

Perlstein, creator of the pioneering indy-media center at the Battle of Seattle, reports on the on-going FCC rules fight. Last summer, FCC proposals for more media oligopoly aroused protests from right, left, and center. Suddenly the National Rifle Association (NRA) and the National Organization for Women (NOW) stand shoulder to shoulder for freedom, to the surprise of both. Alas, Congress hasn't yet been able to block the FCC rules, and needs to try again in early January 2004. Meanwhile, only a temporary court order keeps these anti-freedom regulations from going into effect.

Charlesworth explains the movement for "media education" of children. In Western Europe, this term means teaching kids how to understand, criticize, and analyze mass media, including television. In the U$A, it's just getting started, and is in danger of being co-opted and perverted by mercenary media corporations.

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CONTACTS:
-- Media Democracy Legal Project:
http://www.mediaLegalProject.org
-- Action Coalition for Media Education:
http://www.acmeCoalition.org
-- Electronic Frontier Foundation:
http://www.EFF.org
-- Unitarian-Universalist Society of San Francisco:
http://www.UUsfbay.org

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UPCOMING SUNDAY FORUMS:
SF Unitarian-Universalists usually hold Sunday Forums at 10AM, in the historic U-U center, 1187 Franklin (between Geary & O'Farrell, on the #38 bus route). But their December-January schedule deviates:
-- Dec. 14, at 10AM: Tim Redmond, of the San Francisco BAY GUARDIAN, post-mortems the Dec. 9 SF city election.
-- Dec. 21, at 9:30 AM: discussion of housing & homelessness.
-- Dec. 28 and January 4: zilch.
-- Jan. 11, 2004: Sunday Forum resumes.
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PAGAN event:
San Francisco U-U center also hosts Buddhist meditations & neo-pagan celebrations.
Their Pagan Interest Circle (PIC) will hold a Winter Solstice Celebration on Saturday night, 7pm, Dec. 20.
Please bring food or drink to share. If you need more info, phone 415.435-6609.
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