The cornerstone of a democratic society requires: an individual who is free of thought and 2, an unbiased source of information, that a voter can pull from to make an informed vote. In Shadows of Liberty by Dan Cantagallo, featuring Jean-Philippe Tremblay, which is a documentary that highlights and raises concern over pivotal changes made in the fabric of democracy in United States of America specifically regarding; the laws of media and free speech. The film notes that during certain terms of presidents Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton and others the influence of media and entertainment industry had monumental impact on the information the public has received. Not all information, that the people of the United States of America receive, is created equal or necessary, according to the CEO’s and CFO’s of the 5 only major media monopolies. With numerous examples of private corporations flexing their influence over tv outlets, newspapers and even political figures, how is an individual to know the whole truth of a given situation? The film looks at the history of how private corporations influence over the radio, tv, publications and even the journalists themselves and questions how the newest outlet, the internet, will be affected. All private corporations understand how the world runs, what makes it run and what is at root of everything; money. The unquenchable thirst for the green currency is and will always be ace-in-hole for any and all major private corporations. With the amount of money that Disney, AT&T and Nike have would baffle even the modest of people. Money can make people do anything; though some people will disagree with that statement. When no one is watching and there is no one to judge you, everyone has a price and those private corporations can afford it. The film looks at one example with Nike and their facility in Vietnam (Shadow of Liberty 4:30 oct 26), as Roberta Baskin; chief correspondent CBS news went to investigate what was really going on. As it turns out, Nike was exploiting the people of that region with low wages and corporal punishment. When the Baskin broke the story, hundreds upon thousands Americans protested against Nike. The news spread like wildfire and Nike’s profit dropped considerably. Baskin then was going to do a follow up story but was turned down and told that her story needed to be scrapped altogether (SoL 8:00 oct 26). Soon after, CBS affiliates were donning Nike gear at the winter olympics. When Baskin was writing her article, she was not writing on the behalf of any private corporation, she was writing for the american people, so that they may be well informed to boycott Nike and not support a company that engages in that sort of business practices. Nike was not too keen on people poking,prying and asking questions about their practices, it only wants people to consume the product that they produce. Though they did what most would call:bribery to Baskin’s bosses and had her voice quenched. When a major conglomerate such as Disney or Nike, is able to pay a information outlet to not report the facts of what is going on, then the people are no longer allowed to make a fair judgment of a company.
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This type of behavior no longer allows for opinions to be formed it only produces one type of thought; controlled thought. These controlled thoughts serve only one purpose, they serve only those who are in control. Information is not labeled as bad or good, information only exists whether someone reports it or has it suppressed, the information exist irregardless. Though it is up to the individual whether a given piece of information is bad or good, whether they want to continue buying shoes that were made by a mother subjected to worse working conditions unfathomable, to their own self. The film enlightens its audience to a reality far, far detached yet it is apparent all around. Another point brought up by the film is, how the Iraq invasion was presented and why it actually became a movement prior to 9/11. The president at the time, George W. Bush and some military leaders claimed that there had been defectors of Saddam Hussein’s regime who “claimed” that Hussein did have nuclear warheads and that he was procuring more from other nations (SoL 46:00 oct
This type of behavior no longer allows for opinions to be formed it only produces one type of thought; controlled thought. These controlled thoughts serve only one purpose, they serve only those who are in control. Information is not labeled as bad or good, information only exists whether someone reports it or has it suppressed, the information exist irregardless. Though it is up to the individual whether a given piece of information is bad or good, whether they want to continue buying shoes that were made by a mother subjected to worse working conditions unfathomable, to their own self. The film enlightens its audience to a reality far, far detached yet it is apparent all around. Another point brought up by the film is, how the Iraq invasion was presented and why it actually became a movement prior to 9/11. The president at the time, George W. Bush and some military leaders claimed that there had been defectors of Saddam Hussein’s regime who “claimed” that Hussein did have nuclear warheads and that he was procuring more from other nations (SoL 46:00 oct