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Media Bits and Bytes -- October Surprises Edition

Pai gets by; DHS is watching; So is DOJ; Corpo media betray journalists; Community radio to the rescue; Comics too - of course

Art Attack,Winston Smith, via Black Mask Studios

 

Ajit Pai Gets New Term on FCC Despite Protest of Anti-Net Neutrality Plan

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By Jon Brodkin

October 2, 2017

Ars Technica

Pai's re-nomination had drawn a "fire FCC Chairman Ajit Pai" petition from consumer advocacy group Free Press, as well as opposition from Democrats during debate on the Senate floor last week.

 

People Are Worried About DHS Plans To Gather Social Media Info

By Adolfo Flores

September 25, 2017

BuzzFeed

Federal officials are planning to collect social media information on all immigrants, including permanent residents and naturalized citizens, a move that has alarmed lawyers and privacy groups worried about how the information will be used.

 

DOJ Demands Facebook Information From 'Anti-Administration Activists'

By Jessica Schneider

September 30, 2017

CNN

The warrants specifically target the accounts of three Facebook users who are described by their attorneys as "anti-administration activists who have spoken out at organized events, and who are generally very critical of this administration's policies."

 

Corporate Media Analysts’ Indifference to US Journalists Facing 70 Years in Prison

By Adam Johnson

September 26, 2017

FAIR

The attack on the press that kicked off the Trump administration—the arrest and subsequent threatening of two journalists with 70 years in prison—has been met with total silence from most major outlets.

 

Radio Stations With a Sense of Community

By Ben Fong-Torres

September 27, 2017

San Francisco Chronicle

With small signals and limited budgets, community stations rely on volunteers to fill the airwaves and on listeners for donations. But many potential listeners simply don’t know about them.

 

Comic Books That Put the Pow in Political Power

By George Gene Gustines

July 18, 2017

New York Times

A range of comics and cartoon books are reacting to the currentpolitical climate. The vast majority are left-leaning, with depictions that are allegorical and sibversive, addressing immigration, class and the White House itself.