Action Guide from Freepress.net

One of the speakers at Media for the 99% Summit was Craig Aaron from Freepress.net. He spoke about the need to pay attention to mainstream media and corporate influence on consumers.

The topics ranged from Net Neutrality, urban low powered radio and the influence of lobbyists. There are a lot of lobbyists from cable, media and phone companies all trying to stake multiple claims to the airwaves.

http://www.freepress.net/resources/activist_tools

I bring this up because I got a copy of the Media Reform Toolkit that I've been flipping through. You might want to check out the Action Guide that has suggestions on how to change or contact mainstream media.

This could work if you live in a community where your local paper or television station is still viable and has influence. To me, much in the guide is old school activities that may or may not work.

Writing a letter to the editor can work for a small newspaper like the Pasadena Weekly, that has a stated policy about printing letters to the editor.

The L.A. Times?  Eh, no comment.

There is a section in the guide on making a video.that does contain good advice; get the right camcorder/recording device for your needs, have a plan, record and upload. There are no specifics but for newbies that really is the gist of what you need to do.

Look, a lot of the information in the book is good but I think those of us that use the Internet can adapt what is in the guide for our current needs.

Here is the thing. Not all of our friends and relations that need to know this stuff is on or has access to the Internet. Those of us on the Internet don't always know about techniques for activists communication. We all can stand to learn how to communicate our concerns more effectively.

When in doubt read the guide, take what you can use and then reboot into the new.