Author takes on 'corporate media'.

Byline: Matt Cooper The Register-Guard

Perhaps not surprisingly, "Alternative Radio" founder David Barsamian doesn't have much use for what he calls "corporate media."

After all, his show's Web site says his program focuses on information "ignored or distorted in other media."

In his view, five large corporations - AOL/Time Warner, GE/NBC, Viacom/CBS, Disney/ABC and Bertelsmann, a German conglomerate - control most of the flow of information in the United States. And they've done a poor job of reporting on the war in Iraq, Barsamian says.

The 58-year-old author and lecturer comes to Eugene on Monday to talk about the media and promote his two new books: "Louder Than Bombs," detailing his discussions with activists and academics on social change, and "The Checkbook and the Cruise Missile," featuring interviews with Arundhati Roy, author of "The God of Small Things."

In a telephone interview, Barsamian staked these claims:

Question: How have corporations influenced the news?

Answer: We've seen Americans essentially hoodwinked into believing that Iraq was responsible for Sept. 11, that Iraq was connected to al-Qaeda, that Iraq was an imminent military threat.

The media has acted as a conveyor belt, uncritically transmitting these major tropes from the administration. They're not providing a counter-story, they're not challenging the basic assumptions. They allow themselves to be "embedded" - it's the perfect metaphor for the servility of the corporate media.

Question: Any signs the media is doing better?

Answer: Yes. A very good example has been the series of articles by Seymour Hersh in The New Yorker (on prisoner abuse by the U.S. military).

Because of the resistance, because of the uprising, because of the opposition from the Iraqis, as well as continued enormous international isolation, the propaganda produced by the Bush administration can no longer be perpetuated. They have got to be writing about it, and they are.

Question: What is the message in "Louder Than Bombs"?

Answer: Activism matters. Commitment to social justice and change can happen, particularly if people of conscience get involved.

Question: Got an example?

Answer: Tariq Ali (a Pakistani-born writer and activist) has organized major demonstrations in Britain. He organized a huge demonstration in London on Feb. 15, 2003, in opposition to the proposed U.S. attack on Iraq.

Question: And "The Checkbook and the Cruise Missile"?

Answer: People in the Third World are not just objects or commodities that can be targeted for ad campaigns or cruise missile attacks. These are people representing great cultures and civilizations that we should honor and respect and take some time to study and learn about. This is a criticism of Bush now being expressed by very conservative commentators and columnists: The Bush administration doesn't listen. They don't care about the opinions of others.

Question: Anything else to add?

Answer: Individuals do make a difference - particularly, small groups of concerned citizens working together, and people should not feel intimidated or awed by the forces or powers arrayed against them.

You remember (cultural anthropologist) Margaret Mead - throughout history, it's always been small groups of people working together who have generated social change.

ALTERNATIVE RADIO

What: David Barsamian, founder and director of "Alternative Radio," speaks at 7 p.m. Monday at the First United Methodist Church, 1376 Olive St. His weekly public affairs program airs Tuesdays from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on KLCC (89.7 FM).

What else: A reception with live jazz follows at Cozmic Pizza, 199 W. Eighth Ave. Doors open at 8:30 p.m.

Cost: $5 to $10 for each event.