Media Matters: Petition to CNBC to stop acting as Unofficial Mouthpiece for Wall Street!

[KoKo]

Take Action

http://mediamatters.org/action_center/changecnbc/

CNBC should publicly declare a drastic change of direction, committing to responsible journalism in an effort to hold Wall Street accountable in the future. As a first step, it should bring new economic voices on the air with a focus on those who were right about this crisis in the first place.

The stakes are too high for CNBC to continue acting as the unofficial mouthpiece of Wall Street. This is not a game. Together we can bring about the much-needed change we seek. That is why it is so important that you sign this petition today and then encourage your friends, family and co-workers to do the same.

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VIDEO: Tell CNBC the economy is no game…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Krt1gcOgEIA

Published Tue, Mar 17, 2009 3:03pm ET by Karl Frisch
Tell CNBC the economy is no game…

Yesterday, I noted that Media Matters president Eric Burns had joined prominent writers, economists, journalism professors and other progressive leaders in signing a letter demanding CNBC take substantial steps towards fixing their broken network. If you haven’t yet seen the letter be sure to check it out here.

In today’s call to action, Burns writes in part:

Rather than fulfill its crucial role as a journalistic outlet seeking the truth, CNBC instead abdicated its responsibility to the American people in favor of years of uncritical repetition of spin by Wall Street CEOs. This denied the public accurate information about the causes of the current economic crisis, its consequences, and the effectiveness of proposed solutions.

>> Sign the petition and demand CNBC stop acting like a PR firm for Wall Street and instead fulfill its journalistic obligation to the truth.

CNBC should publicly declare a drastic change of direction, committing to responsible journalism in an effort to hold Wall Street accountable in the future. As a first step, it should bring new economic voices on the air with a focus on those who were right about this crisis in the first place.

The stakes are too high for CNBC to continue acting as the unofficial mouthpiece of Wall Street. This is not a game. Together we can bring about the much-needed change we seek. That is why it is so important that you sign this petition today and then encourage your friends, family and co-workers to do the same.

If you haven’t done so already, please take a moment and sign the petition today then ask your friends, family and coworkers to do the same.

SIGN PETITION:


http://mediamatters.org/action_center/changecnbc/

[DinahMoeHum]

1. To paraphrase from the movie "V for Vendetta". . .

CNBC's job is to report the news, not fabricate it - that's Wall Street's job.

:evilfrown:

[KharmaTrain]

2. There's No Way They Can...

CNBC, or Greed Central, is NOT a News channel. It's a channel that covers business, just like E covers entertainment or ESPN about sports. It's not held accountable since it has a small, focused audience who expect this network to "sex" up the markets...give it some "pizzaz" rather than just shoving out numbers.

A big part of this entertainment is the cozy relationship between the network and those who they "report" on. They don't hesitate to bring on "experts" who have paid their way onto the tube or whose company bought a flight of commercials...one hand washes the other.

When Stewart showed the video of Cramer exposing this dirty little world, and how this network manipulates, that was a dagger not just at the credibility of the network, but at its parent, General Electric and its cozy relationship with Wall Street. The network's longtime slogan was "profit from it"...and that's what the game was. It never was to be objective but to be a cheerleader...a 24/7 commercial for capitalism and the glories of wealth and greed.

:hi:

[KoKo]

3. They can do better than to call Obama policies "socialism" as they sneer and they

can stop the editorializing which they've done for the past two years. As a long time CNBC watcher (even from the old FNN days before they became CNBC) I've known they promote their business interests but there's been a change in policy when Jeff Zucker decided to allow editorializing and commentary to be part of their line up.

I signed the petition (yeah...I know..some of us have "petition fatigue" but we should stay on it. It's one thing to promote business it's another to have folks like Kudlow and Santelli implying things about their viewers being "un-American" and idiots for taking out mortgages that were fraudulently offered.

They need to have push back from viewers. They used to do a far better job with more diversity than they've been doing since Zucker started meddling to compete with the new FOX business channel.

:hi:

[KharmaTrain]

5. I Prefer Bloomberg

While watching Stewart go after Cramer was satisfying, I think Kudlow's the worst at that network. Their bias is part and parcel of a corporate media problem...those who control the channels and the airwaves dominate what is seen and heard and their fears of "socialism" isn't just for the interests of GE, but many other corporates as well. The boys club on Wall Street isn't used to scrutiny...especially after the last 8 years...the reaction is due to a light being shined on them. I think that Stewart just put a little light on what needs to be flooded with sunshine.

The short term games these guys play are destroying their long-term viability. As their credibility is exposed, it's driving away potential viewers...a future investor class that we truly do need to rebuild the economy. Sadly, as you point out about Zucker, and there are many others like him heading the major broadcast enterprises, the bottom line, which has been bleeding red for a long time, is all they see, not how they've betrayed the public trust. They just don't get it.

:hi:

[pacalo]

4. I signed it.

Fairness is important to me & I would have liked to have added a comment, which wasn't provided.

I would have said, "NBC has earned my respect by allowing MSNBC to provide program hosts such as Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, & David Shuster. These hosts are the only voices of many in the entire media who give the American viewers what they desperately crave in the news: the truth. In signing this petition, I'm asking that CNBC follow their lead: tell us the truth about the finances of corporations & hold them accountable."

[KoKo]

6. Well said....

I was disappointed they didn't have comment section, too..but we have to try in whatever way we can.

[pacalo]

7. Thanks, KoKo.

:hi:

Whenever possible, I believe in giving the person or company a "good reputation to live up to" by giving credit wherever it's due.

:)

[KoKo]

8. Thank You!