Exploitation of Georgia’s Children In Reality TV Programming

After telling the officers in Douglas County, GA that she’s a gangbanger, Deja’neke continues the jail tour in shackles. Photo courtesy of AETV.

Shame on Douglas County, Georgia. Shame on Disney (A&E’s parent company) for supporting and funding (but mostly exploiting Georgia’s children), for profit, the production and broadcasting of the reality show Beyond Scared Straight on A&E.

The episode airing tonight, Thursday July 25, 2013, on A&E’s Beyond Scared Straight at 9pm features a juvenile reform program in Douglas County, Georgia that was created and implemented using tactics and practices of fear, violence and intimidation.

Of such tactics, Leonard Witt of Kennesaw State University’s Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, has this to say in an editorial:

They (academics studying conflict management) can tell you a few things about how violence begets violence and why piling trauma on kids who have suffered trauma their whole lives is not such a smart approach. Ever hear of programs like restorative justice?

Governor Nathan Deal should weigh-in on this media matter, as he has spoken out recently on matters of criminal (and juvenile) justice reform in Georgia, and he, Deal, fully supports reforming Georgia’s juvenile justice system.

However, this exploitative show features a method of “reform” that is not only dangerous, cruel and unusual, but has been demonstrated to be grossly ineffective; thus significantly undermining the effort, and new legislative mandate too, to legitimately and wisely reform our system of juvenile justice here in Georgia.

The Hypocrisy of CNN. Seriously.

Oh this is classic! CNN mocks all-things Occupy Wall Street, as a movement. But with its other hand doesn’t hesitate to solicit the movement’s media – without paying for it! Via iReport.

I hope no one’s stupid enough to give away their media to a corporate hater. At least charge ’em for it. Jeez.

Note the insertion of the iReport ads soliciting free media stuck in here.

Practice safe media, kiddies!

Internet Access as a Civil Right

Do you think of Internet access as a civil right? That’s the new buzz term being tossed around by Comcast. Seriously.

Comcast has been mandated by the feds to reduce the price of Internet access for low-income households… as a term of the Comcast/NBC mega-merger.

Please… let me know what you think about Internet access as a civil right. My opinion is just that – only my opinion. I want to hear others’.

To find out more about the Comcast Internet Essentials program, and how it will be applied to metro Atlanta, which has its own severe digital divide, please watch the video.

How Does An Atlanta Fox News Affiliate Cover Murdochgate?

Very quietly, that’s how.

After seeing some stuff in The Atlantic and on CNN (what’s a 10-foot turban?) about how Fox News/News Corp’s many American media outlets are being very quiet, ok almost silent, on the parental company’s, News Corp’s, Murdochgate scandal raging overseas, I got curious. (Every now and then curiosity will happen. Even to me.)

What kind of internal memos are being issued (and I’m almost certain there are memos being blasted out) across Fox News/News Corp’s vast American media farms right now on just how to cover (or not) Murdochgate stateside?

Being that one’s backyard is always a great place to start, and up to this point no one has fowarded me any internal communiques, I checked-in with the Fox News affiliate here in Atlanta, Fox 5 Atlanta. Or just plain WAGA, as us longtimers still call our TV news stations.

I found a few links on the My Fox Five (hey, it’s mine, so let me see what’s going on inside) website’s International section, the latest being a scrubbed-up piece about the Murdochs now agreeing to testify in the British Parliament. But that was about it. Anyone heard anything on their broadcast product? If so, let me know in the comments here. I could have easily missed it.

Creative Loafing used to, moreorless, be on the e-blast list every time Julia Wallace issued one of her now-infamous memes to the AJC staff about how great they all were but they were getting the ax. And thus I (we) could tune-in to Cox Plantation internal maneuvers that way.

But that, er, two-way street isn’t quite as wide open in Fox News/News Corp Land – Atlanta. So I gotta get out a machete and hack around a bit. Make phone calls and stuff.

As of 2:45pm I called the VP of News at WAGA and got that person on the phone, and, once I explained that, yes, I guess you could call me a reporter, although I’d rather be called a blogger, I asked if reporting *guidelines* on Murdoch and co. were being circulated there on Briarcliff Road.

I was politely referred to, conveniently with name and contact number, the Fox News corporate PR person in NYC. A Claudia Russo, a familiar name actually, although I can’t place where I’ve come across it. Likely Mediaite or some other TV news blog. Or maybe she used to be with GMA? Every time I can’t place a name in corporate news I assume they worked for GMA – a people-churner if there ever was, but I diverge.

I put in a call to Ms. Russo, left a message, and never expected to hear back from her. Ever. But, get this, I just did. Russo referred me… on down the line. Sigh.

Will keep at this little endeavor in media bureaucracy and let you know what I come up with. But should I ever get someting, and that’s doubtful, you’ll get it first and faster on Twitter. Of course.

Or someone with My Fox Five Atlanta WAGA Whatever could just forward me any internal memos! I promise not to tell where I got ’em from.

Until then…

Atlanta Woman Returns To Elisabeth Marchant

Atlanta magazine publishing mogul, Elisabeth Marchant, returns to print’s Atlanta Woman magazine, after Marchant’s long stint in the broadband video realm at Atlanta-based Multicast Media.

This will be an interesting move to watch, as we should be able to judge just how commmitted, or not, Atanta’s traditional print offerings will be to adapting to (or not) the online mileau in this broadband video-rich enviro.

While us indie v-loggers are surely the fiercest, most warrior-like of the video tribes, the Blackfeet of the Internets if you will, Multicast Media represents a tricked-out trading post kinda place to cut the best cash deals with the paleface…. as Multicast will relieve any Indian of his precious cash to “allow” a tribe to place their own video on their own website. We, the video-enabled live-free-or-die blogger types, know full well it’s all DIY… free too if you want it to be.

Biut I diverge… meanwhile, back at the print ranch, Marchant is clearly one of those “bold and dynamic” leaders Atlanta businesswomen are always clicking about in silly heels while busily organizing event stuff as a platform to write an old-school press release and fax it to “the media,” then give each other awards and publically declare each other, in some makes me wanna fidget power-suited, stuffy & formal & stagey, Oprah-wanna-be environment, yet another one of those “dynamic leaders” and “terrific giver-backer” types. 

What sets Marchant apart from Atlanta’s shoulder-padded, PR-mindful herd is that she actually is a dynamic leader with hardcore multimedia publishing chops to go with any glitter dusted on any award out there. In other words, Marchant has the capability to leave the pink corporate reservation any time she damn well feels like it.

Putting The Techno Zing In Your Patriot Act!

(This post cross-posted at Peach Pundit.)

Exactly how was Spitzer caught? It had something to do with what’s called a PEP List, or the or the Politically Exposed Persons list.You’ll have to listen to the whole Morning Edition/NPR story to get to the serious bank transaction monitoring goodies, but be on the lookout for the part where the person from the bank talks about how politicians in particular, of any flavor, are flagged for extra-special surveillance with the PEP List.

You can see a screen-shot sample PEP List here. Or call and order your own at: 877-922-5757. Literally hundred of thousands of “politically exposed persons” to choose from! Call now. Operators are standing by! You could very well be one! And your family too! One PEP product from Choice Point gets you all this and more. From the Choice Point website:

IntegraScreen PEP provides detailed, up-to-date information on PEPs and their families, friends and close associates. With hundreds of thousands of PEP entities from more than 3,000 sources, this seamless service will help you more quickly and easily identify politically high-risk individuals and associated entities that may be hiding in your current and prospective customer base.

And you think all banking transactions under 10K are simply ignored? Hahahahahahahah. It’s all part of Your Patriot Act!

Any more questions? Just ask Atlanta’s Choice Point. They make the seriously big bucks off of Your Patriot Act.

CNN Producer Fired For Pimp Rolling

Not exactly. Rather he was fired for blogging, at the Huffington Post of all places, about the recent “pimp as a verb” issue over at MSNBC. (Since the producer didn’t run this one up the management flagpole, it’s going directly to both WTF and Corporate Land catagories.)

CNN spokesmodel says, “We don’t comment on employee matters.” Well hon, we at Mostly Media sure do. Seems MSM just isn’t ready for the verb “pimp.” Another one uses it, then promptly loses it. From TVNewser:

A CNN insider tells TVNewser (CNN’s) Pazienza was let go because, “he did not get permission to publish personal writings.”

Those personal writings come from The Huffington Post, where Pazienza has been blogging since January 23. His most recent post, on February 10, took on the controversy surrounding MSNBC correspondent David Shuster.

Dated February 10, the post was titled “Pimp My Riot: In Defense of David Shuster.” In addition to supporting Shuster, the post also attacks MSNBC where, according to his LinkedIn profile, Pazienza worked from 2001-2003. 

More dirt here. Welcome to the blogosphere, the hard way, Paz!

Social Media AiMA Event Alert

Toby Bloomburg, the woman who put the “e” in e-marketing with her Diva Marketing blog, has whipped-up a tantilizing corporate social media event for February 27th in Atlanta: Social Media Marketing Gets Some Respect. Full details here.