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Wisconsin PDA Member Challenges Corporate MediaBy Steve KastnerVol. 2, No. 2--March 19, 2005FISH CREEK, WI - As editor and publisher of DoorCountyCompass.com, a five-year old alternative on-line magazine that delivers information to people interested in the arts, nature, and environmental issues in northeastern Wisconsin, Steve Kastner advocates taking a David and Goliath approach to corporate-owned media. "In this neck of the woods, USA Today's Gannett Co. now owns almost every single newspaper, including the local weekly shopper. At least we never have to listen to anybody whining about the press having a liberal bias," says Kastner. With that in mind and his drive to foster the spread of progressive community values in Wisconsin, he created a new on-line publication, WisconsinProgressive.com. In January the e-zine began featuring stories, links, a statewide calendar of events, and of course, the editor's blog report. "By creating this big-tent publication we hope to provide support for all of the left-leaning organizations and groups in Wisconsin in need of a forum," explains Steve. "The zine also exists to provide encouragement for the formation of a statewide Progressive Caucus within the Democratic Party of Wisconsin." While Wisconsin stands on record as a blue state, it might be more accurately described as a deeper shade of purple. The state's Democratic Governor, Jim Doyle faces a Republican majority in both the State Senate and the Assembly. On a national level, Wisconsin's two Senators, Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl are Democrats, while House Representatives tip slightly to the liberal side with five Democrats and four Republicans. The state's history speaks with a strong progressive voice, highlighted by individuals like Fighting Bob LaFollette, famous for his fierce opposition to corporate power and political corruption; Victor Berger, the first Socialist elected to Congress; and Milwaukee Mayor Frank P. Zeidler, one of the city's three Socialist Mayors -- no other major American city has had even one! Nonetheless, Wisconsin must also lay claim to Senator Joe McCarthy, notorious for his efforts to hunt down Communists in the 1950s. Despite groundbreaking labor and social legislation enacted in the Badger state, including the Nation's first workers' compensation and unemployment insurance, the successful anti-welfare platform of four-term Republican Governor Tommy Thompson has helped to shift policies to the right. Kastner believes that the Internet is providing the means for an ever-expanding, populist, broad-band, multi-media revolution that has already begun to balance out the playing field. He points to the success and the skill demonstrated by Howard Dean at using the Web to build grassroots support and says to watch for more creative efforts like DemsTV.com and the ever-expanding blogosphere to further diminish the power of corporate dominated mainstream media. Submitted by Steve Kastner, |
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