From: cedman@714-725-3165.nts.uci.edu (Carl Edman)
Subject: Graduation Pledge Of Social Responsibility For Students Of Media
Newsgroups: alt.news-media,alt.politics.elections,alt.activism
Reply-To: cedman@golem.ps.uci.edu (Carl Edman)
Date: 20 Aug 92 16:51:43 GMT

In light of the recent discussion on media bias in these news groups, I think  
the following posting of half a year ago by the moderator of  
misc.activism.progressive Harel Barzilai deserves to be reposted to a wider  
audience.

	Carl Edman

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Progressive Media Pledge, c/o NLNS, PO Box 41, MIT Branch, Cambridge, MA  
02139.  VOICE:  (617) 253-0399  Peacenet: nlns  Internet: nlns@igc.org 
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    Graduation Pledge Of Social Responsibility For Students Of Media 
      
     I,______________, on the advent of my completion of degree  
requirements in one of the various fields of media studies, do hereby  
take the following oath of social responsibility-- which I will try my  
best to live up to for the rest of my working life. I do this as a free  
individual, in full possession of my mental, spiritual and physical  
faculties, under no threat of coercive force from any outside agency,  
organization or government. 
  
The Eleven Points 
  
1)  Understanding that the mass media in the United States is controlled  
by a swiftly dwindling number of giant trans-national corporations, whose  
sole purpose is to make an ever-greater profit no matter what the human  
and ecological toll to the planet may be, I will do everything in my  
power to help build a progressive, grassroots media that gives a voice to  
all the people-- not just to those with money, political influence and  
guns. 
  
2)  Knowing that the United States Government, through various means both  
legal and extra-legal, has sought unconstitutional controls on the access  
to free speech and free press by the majority of Americans, I will use  
all my communications skills, whenever possible, to help foster drastic  
democratic changes in the body politic of this country-- either through  
reform or revolution, as my personal political beliefs dictate. 
  
3)  If I am ever forced, by economic hardship or other unforeseen  
circumstance, to work for a trans-national, the government or any  
subsidiary or agency of the two, I will do my best to bring inside  
information about the inner workings of such an organization to the  
attention of progressive activists who will be in the best position to  
expose wrongdoings to the mass of the American population. I will also  
give at least 5% of my annual salary from such an organization to the  
progressive media group of my choice. 
  
4)  Furthermore, I will never work for any "secret" government agency  
that engages in extra-legal operations in violation of the Constitution  
and international law. This includes the Central Intelligence Agency, the  
Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Drug Enforcement Agency, the  
Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Internal Revenue Service, the  
National Security Agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Army  
Intelligence, Navy Intelligence, and any other of the at least 17 US  
government agencies that function in such a manner. If I discover anyone  
working covertly in media for those organizations, I will do my best to  
expose them and their illegal work-- where personal safety and common  
sense allow. If any media outlet or project I work on turns out to be a  
front for one of the aforementioned groups, I will quit as soon as I have  
enough evidence to expose that outlet under the same conditions outlined  
above. 
  
5)  In addition, I will never work for any right-wing civilian think-  
tank or foundation. The main function of such organizations to justify  
the continuation of the military/industrial complex and all the societal  
inequities that stem therefrom. In other words, the political and  
economic lordship of the few over the many. Rich over poor. White over  
black, brown, red and yellow. Men over women.  Straight over gay.  
Examples of such organizations include: The American Enterprise  
Institute, The Cato Institute, The Heritage Foundation, The Madison  
Center for Educational Affairs and many others. All of the groups have  
intimate connections to large corporations and right-wing hate groups.  
Commentators from many of these groups dominate debate on many critical  
issues in the national media. I will fight for a national media that  
properly represents all sides of important issues, not merely the debates  
within of the ruling class. 
  
6)  I, especially, will never intentionally do media work that in any way  
gives aid or comfort to the US military establishment, in any of its  
various guises. 
  
7)  Wherever possible, I will fight the concept of "objectivity" which is  
used by the mainstream, capitalist media to restrict debate and the free  
flow of information in the interests of the various power elites of this  
country. Instead, I will strive for fairness in my own work-- fairness,  
once again, to all of the people, not just an anointed few. I will strive  
to give voice to all sides of an issue where appropriate, but I will give  
credit to people's basic intelligence and not shy away from a strong  
polemic or critique where I deem it necessary. As a progressive media  
person, I refuse to push the agenda of the right wing, either through  
action or inaction.  I will not capitulate to pressure that tells me to  
act to the contrary. I will quit a job before allowing my work to be  
censored or learning the inexcusable habit of self-censorship for  
personal career advancement. 
  
8)  Whenever I work on any media project that solicits advertising, I  
will fight to insure that an ad policy is established that makes it clear  
to advertisers that their financial support will in no way affect (or be  
allowed to affect) the content and politics of the production. 
  
9)  I will support all efforts to build grassroots, democratic union  
organizations for all facets of the media-- from technical positions to  
creative ones. I will fight for a living wage for all media people, and  
benefits including full health care, life insurance, a minimum four-week  
annual paid vacation, personal leave-time, a minimum of one year parental  
leave for parents of either sex, and a minimum of one year full  
unemployment benefits.  I support the right to strike and will not cross  
any union picket line at any time-- unless the union in question is  
proven to be corrupt and anti-democratic. 
  
10)  I will fight, wherever appropriate, for an end to "work-for-hire"  
arrangements and for a national union-pay-scale for freelance media  
people in all trades: writing, art and design; video, film and radio  
production, and all affiliated technical positions. If I have to work for  
a non-union house, I will look into the possibility of organizing a union  
there. If I am a freelancer, I will join a trade association or union,  
where available and appropriate. If the union organization becomes  
undemocratic, I reserve the right to leave and form a new organization  
that is democratic. 
  
11)  Finally, I will strive to found progressive media outlets and  
organizations where there are none, and to join such groups where they  
exist. I will use my particular skills to spread the idea of a people's  
media wherever I go and whatever I do. 
  
     I take this oath on this ______ day of ________, 19__. I do this,  
realizing that if I violate the promises I made today, I will not suffer  
punishment of any kind, from any agency, but I will have broken a moral  
and social contract of conscience made between myself and a society in  
great danger of collapse. I will have put the ruling elites of the United  
States one step closer to a more complete domination of the minds of the  
vast majority of Americans. I will have helped further the destruction of  
the planet by rapacious corporations and governments. I will have allowed  
another injustice to go unanswered for, unexposed. I will have let  
ignorance and falsehood win another battle against truth and fairness. I  
will have, in a word, sold-out. 
  
For a grassroots, democratic, people's media, I am, 
  
_________________________________________________ 

##################################################################

Topic 199       Progressive Media Pledge*Pramas Response  3 of  5 
newsdesk 
media.issues    11:40 am  Mar 28, 1992 

How to Use The Pledge 
  
     To use the pledge simply read it, sign it, and send your name,  
address, affiliation and phone number and send it to us at New Liberation  
News Service; so we can log you on our master database.  We will publish  
a list of signatories from time to time; so you can see who else is  
signing and what they're up to. 
  
     Probably the biggest reason I had for writing this statement was to  
provide a moral counterforce to the prevailing media status quo. I think  
one of the most successful things that young people did in the sixties  
was to suggest to the power structure that they did not plan to  
participate in the military/industrial complex. I think this scared the  
Establishment as much as many other, more organized things that the  
"Movement" sparked back then. For the rich, the idea that even their own  
children might simply refuse to follow in their footsteps, thus pulling  
the rug out from under their system of power and privilege, was a  
powerful one. And perhaps that idea caused them to try to crush incipient  
democratic revolt in the U.S. even more fiercely than they otherwise  
might have. 
  
     But they did not totally succeed. In media, as in many other areas,  
there were many people who swore twenty years ago to never sell-out, and  
they have not. I think they are worth emulating. And most certainly worth  
joining. 
  
     In closing, signatories of the graduation version of this pledge  
should consider using this statement in a more systematic way than just  
signing it individually. Circulate it throughout your graduating class.  
Get everyone to sign it if you can. Organize around the points in the  
pledge. Stop corporate and military media recruiters from coming to your  
campus. Start a progressive media jobs fair at your school. 
  
     And when commencement comes around. . .go berserk. Try to get  
everyone to wear a blue bandana around some part of their body as a show  
of solidarity with this little movement. It's the only symbol I could  
think of that seemed appropriate for us. It's simple, easy-to- find, and  
lots of people use them in their everyday life. People taking the  
professional version of the pledge should try passing the pledge around  
their workplaces. And maybe sparking off some kind of organizing drive  
wherever they are. 
  
     Everyone might consider getting in the habit of wearing the blue  
bandana now and again, especially at rallies and political actions. Maybe  
we'll eventually have a little mystic siblinghood that we'll all be proud  
to feel part off. But more than that, it is my greatest hope that  
thousands of media people in the U.S. and elsewhere will incorporate The  
Eleven Points into their daily work.  And that all of us will think twice  
before joining forces with the military/industrial complex for personal  
gain. 
  
Progressive Media Pledge, c/o NLNS, PO Box 41, MIT Branch, Cambridge, MA  
02139.  VOICE:  (617) 253-0399  Peacenet: nlns  Internet: nlns@igc.org