An Open Letter to Michael Moore: Make a Movie about the American Mainstream Media

Update: See the response to our open letter and, of course, email Michael Moore!

Mr. Moore,

This letter is in direct response to your recent open letter to CNN and their subsequent response.

As an American, I (obviously) watch quite a bit of television. As a political junkie, I am constantly seeking out information on politics, government and society. Unfortunately, this is not a particularly safe combination in this country today.

I pride myself on keeping abreast of local, national and global news. I've been an (over)active consumer of broadcast news for the majority of my adult life. This may not be an extraordinary amount of time, but even over just the past five years I can say with confidence that we have seen a gross deterioration in the quality and neutrality of the information with which we are presented by the media.

You know as well as anyone that American mainstream media is owned by just a handful enormous (and generally evil) mega-corporation media conglomerates. Folks like Rupert Murdoch that have lots of money and lots of opinions leverage their media influence to ultimately influence American public opinion to better serve their own interests. And, for the most part, it works. But some of us are sick of it.

You (and many others) have called out the media's blind flag-waiving (edit: "waiving" was initially a typo, but it's a nice Freudian slip so I'm leaving it in) during the lead up to the Iraq war. You have plainly stated that the media is responsible for (most of) the American public support for the invasion, and gone so far as to say that the blame for deaths of our soldiers can be placed on the American media.

As is often the case with such bold claims, important questions are being raised. Do we need media ownership regulation reform? Is ownership regulation itself the problem? Should the media be held accountable for their actions/reporting? Can they be? By whom?

Fortunately, today we have the internet. I no longer have to sit in front of the television and take what I am told as fact. Regular people like myself can share opinions, research facts and (perhaps most importantly) organize. Websites like Digg, Reddit and even your own allow popular opinion to be shared with a (relatively) large audience. Unfortunately, the internet affords such organization and dissemination a fairly limited reach in the grand scheme of things. And that is why I am writing you.

Make a movie about the media. Extend our reach on the issue. Bring it to light. Name names and cite sources. Make a scene. Start the discussion.

There are people, myself included, that are moderately skeptical of your work. This is not surprising to you, I'm sure, and I actually think it lends credibility to this request. I think your movies are important. As controversial, biased and contested as your films may be, they often start a discussion.

You have done it with corporate corruption, gun violence, terrorism and health care. Do it for something you're obviously passionate about and that is just as dangerous, if not more: the gross misinformation and manipulation of public opinion by the mainstream American media.

Help us escape from this infotainment garbage. America deserves better.

Thank you.


P.S. - I also think it is important to note that there are television news shows that provide the desperately needed vehicle for the voice of the public. There are those few programs that take an introspective look at the American media system. For some of us, there is nothing more satisfying that watching Jon Stewart respond to a mainstream news report by looking straight into the camera and screaming, "Seriously, what the fuck!?" It's exactly what we're all thinking.

P.P.S - Mr. Moore, if by whatever means you actually happen to end up reading this and have thoughts to share... blogyoulikeahurricane@gmail.com