Funferal

MoveOn, Schechter, and political efficacy

Danny Schechter has some interesting comments on MoveOn, in an interview in an IPS story:

Grassroots support is the mainstay of MoveOn and the appeal for many observers, including media analyst Danny Schechter, founder and editor-in-chief of media monitoring group Media Channel.
But while he thinks the ‘Bush in 30 Seconds’ competition is “cool and fun and imaginative,” Schechter also says that it will not be sufficient to actually change anything.
“If you play according to your enemy’s rules, you are going to lose, because, in this case, you don’t have enough resources,” says Schechter. “People who run politics play by a rulebook which is based around 30-second TV slots.”
Even if there was some way to beat the politicians at their own game, says Schecter, the victory would be hollow.
“There is a danger in relying on 30-second ads. It means people absorb politics as slogans, and that is one of the reasons why the political culture is so degraded.
“The Bush in 30 Seconds competition is “probably good,” he says, “but there are deeper problems.”
What really needs to change, argues the analyst, is people’s involvement in the political system. People need to vote, and people need to be given information so they can think critically about politics, he says.