Editorial: Ron Paul, kpaul, and Grassroots Journalism

kpaul.mallasch — Fri, 4 Jan 2008 20:12:50 -0800

By K. Paul Mallasch

I've noticed recently that big media is starting to handle the Ron Paul Revolution that's happening online quite differently than they were just a few short weeks ago. (A lot like the Herald Bulletin starting to change its Editorial tone.)

If you've followed the Ron Paul campaign, you must know that Fox News stock went down a lot after Ron Paul supporters started emailing sponsors about boycotts and other actions. (And if you haven't heard of Ron Paul, he's a Republican you should look into...)

The interesting thing to me is the way CNN has noticed this and appears to be making a conscious effort to relay more news about Ron Paul or to at least tap into the massive amounts of people traversing the web for his cause.

Great, problem fixed, you say. The thing is, the situation with Ron Paul and the mainstream media highlights some of the problems with the current media powers in this country.

How can a potential candidate be so large online but have very little overspill into mainstream news? Why must they continue harping about Hillary, Rudy, Obama and other over and over and over again? Why isn't the media pointing out that it's pretty silly to have a two party system in this the Information Age.

Is it because the politicians need to spend so much money with the media to get their point across?

As a publisher of what I like to call grassroots journalism here in the Hoosier state, I try to give the Libertarians as much play as the Democrats and Republicans. (Some of you out there might know Ron Paul actually ran on a Libertarian ticket years and years ago in 1988...)

The thing is, the blatant disregard of Ron Paul (and other candidates, those without a lot of money) by big media on a national level is telling about the state of American media.

Now, before you run off thinking I'm just some anti-corporate loon, let me state that I do see a need for profit. (This is vital as I've proved that with one person and no offices you can only go so far...) The thing is, though, we're not talking about a normal business that sells pizzas or hamburgers - we're talking about Journalism, something vital to the American way of life.

And something so important to the political process (among other things) has for too many years become nothing more than a conceited, holier-than-thou monologue spewing machine of destruction. (As Jon Stewart said a while back, the media in this country is *hurting* America...)

The current state of the media in this country is harmful - not just for Ron Paul and this election, but for America as a whole, the entire process.

This problem, though, shows another great thing about the American spirit, the willpower to affect change. Al Jordan and myself have been struggling with grassroots journalism in East Central Indiana for going on three years now.

We're starting to see a little growth from all our efforts, but without capital it's hard to build something from the ground-up. To attempt to stir up the current system of media in this country without any money is perhaps even more ludicrous, but it's something that has to be done.

We're not the only ones, of course, as there are a lot of others around the country doing similar things on their own (some for even longer than we've been at it...) The thing is, I've worked for big media for almost a decade. I don't see change happening from within.

Like the Ron Paul Revolution itself, I believe it will take the people standing up on their own and demanding a better media. Individuals like Al and I are out here on the front lines in the Midwest, willing and happy to help people create a better media.

Personally, I think the 'business model' that will work best will be one that combines professionally trained as well as amateur (citizen) journalists - so called Pro-Am journalism. I've been trying to work with other individuals in the state to create a loose confederation of media sites and sources.

I'm hoping that if we have more companies and individuals running the media and they've been started with a dialog that includes the audience from the get-go, that we have a real chance to affect change on a big scale.

Going back to the current media, though, and Ron Paul. It's too late to expect big media to admit their mistakes and do an honest and complete turnaround. With that in mind, I wonder why there isn't a 'Ron Paul Revolution' sized movement behind grassroots journalism in this country?

Where is the support for those fighting corporate Goliaths from the trenches in an effort to fix a bigger problem in the American political realm - the media itself.

If you're a national visitor and am interested in helping, now's the time.

I'm accepting donations. I have an Amazon Wishlist.

If you have *any* questions about what we're doing to create a better media in the Midwest, please feel free to ask. If you're interested in starting a site like this in your town, check out LocalJournalism.net.

Oh, and Ron Paul, if you're listening, we'd love to have you stop by America's first (AFAIK), public newsroom in Elwood, Indiana (just a bit north of Indianapolis if you're going to be there...)

Thanks for your time.