FAIR is a national media watch group that offers criticism of media bias and censorship. It seeks to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and scrutinizes media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints.
FAIR believes that independent, aggressive and critical media are essential to an informed democracy, but thinks that mainstream media are increasingly cosy with the economic and political powers. With mergers in the news industry, limiting the spectrum of viewpoints, U.S. media outlets overwhelmingly owned by for-profit conglomerates and supported by corporate advertisers FAIR sees independent journalism compromise.
FAIR was established in 1986 to shake up the establishment-dominated media. As an anti-censorship organization, FAIR exposes important news stories that are neglected and defends journalists when they are muzzled.
Strategies and Policies
Research and Monitoring: FAIR monitors a wide range of national news media - newspapers, magazines, television and radio - and publishes regular reports documenting pro-establishment, pro-corporate tilt in major news outlets.
Media Outreach: In its efforts to challenge bias and censorship, FAIR maintains a regular dialogue with journalists at news media outlets across the country. FAIR makes recommendations to media professionals on how to expand, diversify and improve coverage of a wide range of issues.
Media Activism: FAIR encourages media consumers to become media activists and regularly puts out activist alerts. It works with a nationwide network of local activists and groups that focus on key issues in their communities and participate in national campaigns coordinated by FAIR.
Media Watch Desks: FAIR operates specialized research and advocacy desks that work with activists and media professionals on specific issues. The Women's Desk analyses the effects of sexism and homophobia in the media and works to get feminist perspectives included in the public debate. The Labor Desk scrutinizes and confronts class bias in news coverage that favors moneyed interests and slights workers and unions. The Racism Watch Desk monitors and combats the media's marginalization, misrepresentation and exclusion of people of color.
CounterSpin: FAIR runs a radio program, which draws on a network of experts, analysts, activists and artists, which expose and highlight censored stories, biased and inaccurate news and the corporatisation of public broadcasting.
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B2-92 is an independent FM radio station based in Belgrade, which has won a number of international press and media awards. Their broadcasts and music and uncensored news heard across Serbia through a network of local partner stations. Their signal was also picked up by the BBC World Service and retransmitted via satellite around the world. In December 1996, B2-92 began using technology to stream live audio broadcasts and short video clips over the Internet.
Strategies and Policies
From its start as a terrestrial broadcaster B2-92 has been a respected source of independent news in the Balkans. Although B2-92 has been constantly subjected to repression and threat by government authorities it continued to provide music and news. When in December 1996 B2-92 was banned from broadcasting it began to distribute its content via streaming audio and video on its website. A web savvy support group was formed helping B2-92 to continue its distribution of news. Anonymous e-mail lists were developed to protect the identity of those wishing to express their views about the war, as well as a message boards linking to the Help B2-92 Campaign site. Furthermore encrypted e-mail services were provided for journalists and others in the former Yugoslavia who found themselves under threat. B2-92 also co-operates with various media activists and support groups and networks, which help B2-92 to continue its content distribution.
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To be able to participate in community life and make political choices citizens heavily rely on information. They need to know what is going on and the options that they should weigh, debate and act upon. An essential element for a functioning public sphere therefore is information.
Whereas formerly communication mostly happened on a face-to-face basis in large and complex societies (mass) media have evolved as the principal source of information. They act as a transport medium for the information necessary for a citizen's participation in the public sphere. Ideally there should be a wide range of media, that represent the diverse opinions and viewpoints on issues of public interest existent in a society and which are independent of the state and society's dominant economic forces.
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