Following traditional "news" over the past several months has been akin to looking into a carnival funny mirror-the image you intuitively expect is weirdly distorted. The incessant "save Terri Schiavo!" passion play performed 24/7 on cable news did not jive with the overwhelming public support for the court-ordered removal of her feeding tube. Cheery pronouncements from the Wall Street Journal Op Ed page heralding the economy's robust prospects do not wash with eye-popping gas prices or the biggest drop in the stock market value in the past three years.

This dissonance between the reality of the world confronting Americans versus the one projected over print and electronic transmission waves has emboldened some critics of the media to initiate a vigorous debate on whether America's so-called "liberal media" is actually conservative in political view, disconnected from the mainstream America, and more public relations than journalism.

One such critic comes to Portsmouth next week to make her case that the U.S. media is "embedded" with the Bush administration and the corporate interests that support it. Amy Goodman, an internationally recognized journalist and host of the daily radio/TV program, "Democracy Now," will speak on Tuesday, May 3 at the Unitarian Universalist (South) Church about her book, "The Exceptions to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers and the Media that Love Them." The event is sponsored by a number of local organizations including The Seacoast Peace Response, Seacoast Alliance for Democracy, Portsmouth Community Radio, Grassroots NH and NH Peace Action.

In an interview with Yes Magazine (April 2005), Goodman defined the underlying philosophy of her work: "It's journalism's role to get to the truth. Those in power are an increasingly small elite. That elite doesn't represent the mainstream view of people in this country or the world. Even if all those in power are in agreement, reporters should ask, is this true what they're saying?"

Goodman's appearance coincides with other exposes of media complacency currently on newsstands. In the May edition of the glossy Vanity Fair, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. writes of America's "disinformation gap" and the studies that illustrate how certain media sources misinformed the public about Administration policies on the Iraq war and world terrorism. As an example, Kennedy points to a study that showed that 72 percent of Bush supporters believed Iraq had weapons of mass destruction versus 26 percent of Kerry voters. A search by 1,500 investigators found no such weapons.

Eric Alterman, a well-known political blogger and author of the bestseller, "What Liberal Media?" provides an extensive analysis of "Bush's War on the Press" in this week's Nation magazine (May 9,2005). Alterman outlines the extensive Orwellian techniques used by the Administration to both encourage supportive media coverage and block reporting deemed intrusive or negative.

As questions over the relevance of traditional media have increased, so has the rise in the "alternative media", especially on the internet. However, cautions Joshua Meyrowitz, Professor of Media Studies at UNH, "'Alternative' doesn't necessarily mean "true," but it does mean different. And, past experience suggests that the alternative media have been far ahead of the mainstream, corporate media in identifying omissions and distortions in "official" reports.

"Alternative" is often linked to the "politically left," and Goodman, Kennedy and Alterman certainly sit on the left side of the political spectrum. So why would someone who voted for President Bush consider their arguments? Because, at some point, a lazy traditional media will endanger their political causes.

In the current issue of Rolling Stone, sandwiched between news on Kelly Osbourne and a review of Ashton Kutchner's latest movie, is the story of the Bush administration's below the radar proposal to create a "sunset commission." Specifically, the proposal would give the president the power to appoint an eight-member panel that would systematically review federal programs after a certain time period, 10 years for example. Any program not producing results-however defined by the commission-would automatically terminate unless the Congress directly acts to save the program. A deadline missed, Congress is in recess, and voila, the Center for Disease Control could be disbanded based on the say so of eight un-elected individuals.

Killing off ineffective federal programs is politically popular. But what about the programs you support? The only way you could fight this would be through congressional representation and, as Congressman Henry Waxman (D- California) points out, under this quiet proposal, "Congress would relinquish its constitutional power to legislate. ... Power would be consolidated in the executive branch and the legislative role would be emasculated." This modest proposal would alter the balance of power between the three branches of government.

Are Katie Couric and Matt Lauer bringing this to your attention? Do you know more about where Michael Jackson's hands have been than the impact this proposal has on the Constitution? Which story is more likely to personally affect you? Is your media truly reflecting the issues of your world?

discuss media control in Portsmouth

Amy Goodman will speak about her book "The Exception to Rulers" on Tuesday, May 3 at 7 p.m. at the UU/South Church. 292 State St., Portsmouth. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call Dave at 603-749-9159.

Prior to the speech, Portsmouth Community Radio will host a fundraiser with Goodman at the Tony LaPanza Room below the Portsmouth Brewery, 56 Market St., from 5 to 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $30 for one or $45 for a pair. Each ticket holder will receive a copy of Goodman's book. Cash bar. For more information or to sign up, go to This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it