BRAVE NEW FILMS – In The Media

By Steve1960 for DailyKos

Making the case that American capitalism oppresses the white middle class was a tough sell back when I was a wee lad. For one thing, the thirty five percent of the American workforce that belonged to a union (and most of the rest who experienced the obvious "knock on effect" of a union scale wage) would strongly disagree. Today the story is much different. Such looming threats to the US middle class as predatory lending, union busting, changes in the bankruptcy laws that favor creditors, higher regressive local taxation and the shipping of jobs overseas all pale in comparison to the one only beginning to rear its ugly head: debtors prison!  In all honesty, people aren't actually sent to prison specifically for unpaid debts. But more and more are being sent for "violating a court order" to pay or for simply failure to appear in court when being sued for debt repayment. A report by popular radio show host, Thom Hartmann contained these harrowing lines;

By New Hounds Ellen for Crooks and Liars

You may think that Fox’s bias has always been common knowledge but it was the 2004 documentary Outfoxed that brought it front and center and put a stake through the heart of Fox’s “fair and balanced” mantra. As one of the researchers for the film, I am so proud to have been part of that effort.

By Manhasset Press

Billionaires David and Charles Koch are the subjects of a new documentary by Brave New Films that will be shown on “A SANE Voice, ” Great Neck SANE/Peace Action’s monthly program on Public Access Television.

By Jordan Melograna for Truthout

A hundred years ago, labor leaders fought for all the protections we know and rely on today in the workplace - safe conditions, the 8-hour workday, overtime pay and the ban on children in factories. These are rules so obvious today that is seems fantastical that people once had to march in the streets to get them. Yet, today, something even more fundamental is under attack. Workers are seeing their wages stolen by their bosses, with little recourse to do anything about it.

By Lindsay Waite for the Examiner

Shopping at Walmart offers convenience, low prices, and a lot of variety. I finally succumbed after years of resistance to occasionally shopping at Walmart. After all, they were touting that they had local produce, some organic. And their employment policies did not automatically exclude people with criminal records, pretty progressive in the USA. Walmart's spin of stories on discriminatory employment practices was covered by the media, suggesting these were rarities. Money talks and advertising pays big, I guess.

By Ellen for Newshounds

Marie Therese shares her thoughts about the 10th anniversary of Outfoxed and NewsHounds - with some reminiscing about how we tried to warn John Kerry and the Democrats about the Swift Boat campaign. When Ellen emailed to say that this month is the 10^th anniversary of the inception of the NewsHounds blog, I have to admit it caught me by surprise.  Ten years?  It can’t be!  After the shock wore off, I found myself reminiscing about the serendipity that eventually led eight dedicated women to first volunteer to do research for the documentary OUTFOXED and then to start a blog whose sole purpose was (and is) alerting the public to the fact the FOX News is anything but a news channel.

By Ellen for Newshounds

Can you believe it has been 10 years since “Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s war on journalism” premiered? You may think that Fox’s bias has always been common knowledge but it was that documentary that brought it front and center and forever shattered Fox’s “fair and balanced” mantra. I and the other original News Hounds are proud to have been a part of the effort. Our friends at Brave New Films, which produced Outfoxed, have put together a video honoring this groundbreaking film. Check it out (and you can even see me a time or two) after the jump.
Read more at http://www.newshounds.us/happy_10th_anniversary_outfoxed_and_newshounds_07122014#fgJHVPopVyKriPcq.99

By RareBird0 for DailyKos

A house divided against itself will can not stand. Abraham Lincoln's subjective opinion? Or generally universal fact? The side of a divided house who pulls every trigger, breaks every rule, scoffs at every law, brings law suits alleging guilt of the very thing they are guilty of,  versus the side that mostly doesn't even recognize the genuine reality of the division and carries on democracy as if nothing has changed in decades and just wants everything to resolve itself without having to do anything is bound to be run over or go down in flames. Please allow me to share a recent experience that I think typifies the extremes of this divided house (and the prospects for the side that isn't the anti-social of the two).

By Janet Hays for the New Orleans Advocate

I followed the spring legislative session in Louisiana closely because of my concerns with issues about health care, criminal justice, education and the environment — to name a few. Everywhere I looked, I saw the influence of big money. CEOs and corporations used their extraordinary wealth to railroad over our human rights just to safeguard their own private interests despite the fact that they pollute and poison our environment, keep us locked in prisons, starve us of health care, starve us of decent living wages, starve us of a decent education and the list goes on.

By T. Keung Hui for the Charlotte News Observer

Add the National Education Association to those accusing the conservative Koch brothers and the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) of having backed the Wake County school board's former Republican majority that won the 2009 elections.