SIUSLAW NEWS | WEDNESDAY, MAY 23, 2018 | 7A
you caught a fish, you couldn’t
Cohen explained, “There are cording to literature by NASA
eat it. Mom-and-pop fishing exceptions to every rule. I know and the National Park Ser-
as well, but it did appear that
Cohen spoke with Siuslaw shops were closing up. It’s a that there were some references vice, 97 percent of climatolo-
not as many people were stay-
News about the film and the is- dramatic story. It’s got visuals to the Hudson River. But if you gists believe that the climate is
ing out as late as in the past,”
sues he sees in the current me- on the river, it’s got victims of find thousands and thousands warming and that trends point
he said.
dia climate.
to human activity being
The observations from
At the heart of the film is
“extremely likely” a cause.
“We have a society that’s dominated by giant corpo- However, there are the
Pitcher were reinforced by the
a conversation about Stone,
emergency call and response
who was an independent, rations. They dominate our economy, our politics and three percent of scientists
numbers generated over the
investigative journalist and our culture. And you can judge mainstream media sys- who disputed the findings.
weekend.
writer who released a four- tems by how well it covers those dominant institutions, By giving voice to the three
Statistics provided by the
page weekly publication and I would say it fails. I would say the U.S. media sys- percent, Cohen felt it dele-
police department show that
that covered topics from tems covers the corporate state deficiently, just like the gitimized the science.
there was only a single cita-
McCarthyism and racial Chinese media system is deficient.”
Cohen also believes that
tion issued for DUII, seven
discrimination. Stone’s type
mass
media is preventing
— Jeff Cohen
incidents of disorderly con-
of journalism, indepen-
certain
voices from being
media critic, journalist, professor and
duct and four accidents oc-
dent and free of corporate
heard,
particularly pro-
“All Governments Lie” documentary producer
curred. This is down from
ownership, is what Cohen
gressive liberalism, which
similar weekends in the past.
would like to see a resur-
he unabashedly claims as
The sense that this year’s
gence in.
fishing operations closing and of stories, and only two of them his political leaning. While he
celebration was less vola-
“Independent outlets have it’s got a villain. But the villain refer to the Hudson, that’s an believes that FOX is adept at
tile, and thereby less chal-
smaller owners, or they’re non- owns the television station.”
issue. I was at Fox News. Does showing the right’s point of
lenging for first responders,
profits,” he said. “They don’t
Of particular concern was that mean that Fox News is not view, outlets such as MSNBC
was echoed by Western Lane
have powerful corporate bosses GE’s attempts to delay the riv- conservative because they have fit squarely in the left of center
telling the journalists what they er’s cleanup. In 2001, the Envi- a progressive like me on the spectrum.
can and cannot investigate.”
ronmental Protection Agency air? No. It meant that I was the
“Baby step of left of cen-
Cohen stated he had seen (EPA) released a study regard- exception to the rule.”
ter,” he said. “During the fight
Port Seeks Commission Applicants
media manipulation first hand ing PCB contamination in the
But even being a token voice between Bernie and Hillary,
The Port of Siuslaw Board of Commissioners will appoint a
in his career in cable news. He Hudson, and the cleanup proj- in a partisan network can have with Hillary being a political
district citizen to fi ll the Position 2 vacancy created by the recent
had been a media critic for ect would cost GE hundreds its limits. Cohen stated that af- centrist and a war hawk, and
resignation of Nancy Rickard and Position 4 vacancy created by
years, starting FAIR in 1986. of millions of dollars. But the ter raising questions about the Bernie being an actual politi-
the recent resignation of David Huntington who became Port
But after speaking out against dredging of the river didn’t take veracity of the evidence sup- cal figure on the left, NBC tilt-
Manager. The term of the appointee will expire on 30 June
bias and censorship, something place until 2009.
porting the 2003 Iraq invasion ed toward Hillary. And so did
2019 at which time an elected successor will be seated. Persons
odd happened — he was invit-
“The real crime was that by the U.S., the networks began Rachel Maddow. If they were a
wishing to be appointed to the Port Commission vacancy should
ed onto these channels to be a they spent decades preventing cancelling his appearances, and left-wing network, they would
obtain an application from the Port offi ce at 100 Harbor Street,
commentator.
Washington, D.C. from clean- he was essentially drummed be going crazy about Bernie
or the Port’s web site www.portofsiuslaw.com. Applications will
“It was a fluke,” he said. “I ing it up,” Cohen said.
out of the cable news business. Sanders, but that’s not what
be accepted until 5:00pm Friday, 15 June 2018. Applicants must
was someone who worked in
The report was released
“I feel totally vindicated by they were doing.”
be registered voters residing within the Port of Siuslaw district.
mainstream media news, but around the time Cohen was questions I was posing, but
And then there’s the cover-
Applicants may be invited for interviews.
was somewhat of an outcast, a working for MSNBC. But the those questions got me termi- age of President Donald Trump
The Port of Siuslaw is a Special District authorized by Oregon law
critic of mainstream TV news.” network did not cover the is- nated and my TV career end- and accusations of Russian
to help sustain the economic vitality of western Lane County.
Cohen’s main argument sue.
ed,” he said.
collusion, which networks like
The district boundary encompasses most of the Siuslaw River
against television news, along
“I go to the president of
It was then that Cohen be- CNN cover on an almost min-
watershed, including the coastal communities of Florence and
with major news outlets such MSNBC, and we’re making came a writer and a film pro- ute-to-minute basis.
Dunes City, and extending upriver to Mapleton, Walton, Lorane,
and Blachly. The Port is the sponsor of the federal maritime
as The Washington Post, is that small talk,” Cohen recalled. “I ducer, and was later recruited
“The main reason that Hil-
investment in Lane County for maintenance of the channel,
stations are owned by massive said that MSNBC was not tell- by Ithaca College to help create lary Clinton lost had nothing
harbor, jetties, and navigable ocean bars. The Port also has
media conglomerates.
ing the truth about the Hudson the Park Center for Indepen- to do with Russia,” Cohen said.
signifi cant authority under Oregon statute for local economic
“When I was in TV news, River. (The president said), dent Media. It was there that “That’s the left point of view.
development and infrastructure projects that encourage job
they would say you need the ‘I know they’re lying, and we he created the annual award The left point of view is that
creation and tourism.
three V’s: visuals, victims and both know that we’re not going for outstanding achievement the main obstacle of peace in
The Port of Siuslaw Board of Commissioners meet regularly
villains,” Cohen said. “But, vil- to go on NBC and say that GE in independent media, the Izzy, the middle east is not Iran, it’s
at 7:00pm on the third Wednesday of each month in the Port
lains are usually powers that is lying.’ It’s how people talk. named after Stone.
countries like Saudi Arabia and
offi ce at 100 Harbor Street in Florence. Regular Port Commission
be in society, especially greedy They talk privately about the
“Some of the best journal- the Israeli oppression of Pales-
meetings are open to the public.
corporations. And corpora- crimes of their boss, and they ism is being done at places tine. But if you watch the news,
Questions should be directed to the Port offi ce at 541-997-3426.
tions own the media. A lot of know that story will never get like Democracy Now!” Cohen all you hear about is Iran and
these exciting stories that have on the air.”
said. “You have these indepen- Russia.”
those visuals, victims and vil-
The Siuslaw News reached dent news sites like TruthOut
These are the topics that gar-
lains can’t be told on television. out to MSNBC for comment and Truthdig that are doing ner ratings.
But the villain can be a shark.” about Cohen’s claims, but did excellent reporting. You have
In 2016, CBS Executive
Cohen likened the current not receive a reply by press community radio which has Chairman and CEO Leslie
Melody Beaudro
media situation to that of the time.
become so important. You have Moonves discussed how the of-
Principal Broker
C h i n e s e. D e m o c r at i c gov -
However, actual directives individual bloggers which have ten-chaotic Republican prima-
541 991-2151
ernments are often critical of do not come down from media become so important.”
ry was good for the company’s
the country because the party owners to squash these stories.
Cohen defines independent bottom line.
Ocean View Dr #7400 – Build
tightly controls its media out-
“I’m not a conspiracy theo- journalism as institutions free
“It may not be good for
your dream home to accentu-
lets, and censors certain stories rist,” Cohen said. “I don’t be- of corporate owners. However, America, but it’s damn good
ate the ocean, river, and city
that could place the party in a lieve there are 10 evil people this is not to say that they are for CBS,” Moonves famously
views! Elevated lot ready for
negative light.
running the world. Institutions completely free of bias.
said. “Man, who would have
your house plans. Gated com-
munity of custom homes and
“By that same token, we have are very subtle, and the peo-
“Even though they may have expected the ride we’re all hav-
underground utilities enhance
a society that’s dominated by ple who get promoted are very smaller owners and smaller ing right now? ... The money’s
your living experience. Adja-
giant corporations,” he said. diplomatic and soft, and the boards, whoever the manag- rolling in and this is fun. … I’ve
cent lot also for sale. $83,000.
“They dominate our economy, people who don’t get promot- ers are, they have their own never seen anything like this,
#2760-17457532
our politics and our culture. ed are the toughest journalists. bias,” Cohen said. “(Democ- and this going to be a very good
And you can judge mainstream They’re not encouraged, not racy Now! Host and Executive year for us. Sorry. It’s a terrible
1749 Highway 101 • 541-997-1200
media systems by how well it ‘disallowed’ (from covering Producer) Amy Goodman has thing to say. But, bring it on,
covers those dominant institu- those topics).”
her biases toward social justice, Donald. Keep going.”
tions, and I would say it fails. I
It should be noted that while but she doesn’t have a corpo-
Whether or not one believes
would say the U.S. media sys- the Siuslaw News is owned by rate owner saying, ‘You can’t Cohen’s politics, gaining a wide
tems covers the corporate state News Media Corporation, an cover that environmental story variety of perspectives is vital
AVAILABLE
deficiently, just like the Chi- entity that is independently because it’s going to hurt Du- to a healthy democracy. So far,
7 DAYS
nese media system is deficient.” owned and not influenced or Pont.’ That doesn’t enter into mainstream media outlets on
A WEEK
As an example, Cohen owned by larger corporations. her mind.”
television is not fitting the bill.
brought up his dealings with Journalists for this publication
Still, Cohen stated that me-
“I don’t blame the viewers
MSNBC, which at the time of have not been asked to alter or dia bias is not a completely bad because I’m one who believes
his tenure, was owned by Gen- suppress coverage, and are au- thing, as long as the bias does if cable TV news was talking
eral Electric (GE). For almost tonomous in their selections of not interfere with fairly and about the big issues facing the
30 years, GE polluted the Hud- stories.
accurately reflecting reality. In citizens in democracy, and
son River by dispensing poly-
“Your company is not owned fact, pure objectivism can be an doing it in an exciting way, it
chlorinated biphenyl (PCBs) by General Electric,” Cohen enemy to accurate reporting.
would get bigger ratings than
541•999•6078
in the water stream, causing pointed out. “You’re not try-
“The (media) that purports shark attacks,” Cohen said.
harmful environmental effects. ing to do a story on the Hud- to be middle of the road ele-
To get broader viewpoints,
“For years, if a kid fell in the son River. Your boss is a small, vates balance over accuracy,” Cohen believes that audiences
FACEBOOK.COM/PETERSENAUTODETAIL
river, you had to almost decon- regional company. My boss he said. “Sometimes the bal- should turn to other forms of
taminate them,” Cohen said. “If was one of the most powerful ance leads the reporting to be media, including radio, print
corporations on planet earth. inaccurate. Sometimes it can and online blogs.
That’s the difference.”
be totally inaccurate if it leads
And the public should also
MSNBC did cover the riv- people to believe that there’s a look at multiple points of view.
er clean up in a smattering of debate among scientists when
Cohen points to the National
articles throughout the years, there was none.”
Review as a prime example of
particularly after GE sold the
Cohen brought up the ex- a publication that differs from
company to Comcast.
ample of climate change. Ac- his political beliefs that he reads
on a regular basis. Even though
he disagrees with many of the
viewpoints, he has maintained
a friendship with the editor.
“We can get into bubbles,”
WA
ME
he
said. “I encourage people,
MT
ND
VT
MN
whether
they see themselves as
OR
NH
MA
ID
WI
NY
SD
right,
center,
left or none of the
CT RI
MI
WY
June 13th
IA
PA
above,
to
always
consult media
NJ
NE
NV
OH
March
2
1pm
MD
IN
IL
DE
sources
that
are
diverse.
That’s
UT
WV
CO
VA
1
pm
&
6
pm
CA
MO
KS
Florence
Event
Center
my
main
concern
is
that
we
just
KY
NC
consume
information
that’s
just
Vancouver
Trap St.
Club
TN
715 Quince
OK
AZ
AR
SC
NM
your worldview.”
11100
NE
76th
Street
GA
MS
AL
Cohen’s film, “All Govern-
TX
LA
Walk-in’s welcome.
ments Lie,” will be shown on
FL
See Jim for your auto sales needs!
Friday, May 25, in the Brom-
HONORED
AK
ley Room at the Siuslaw Pub-
Multi-State:
$80.00
Multi-State: $80.00
RESIDENT NON PERMIT
lic Library, 1460 Ninth St. The
Valid in Included
Washington
Oregon
No Fee
NOT HONORED
event, which was organized by
Oregon
Included
No
Fee
Oregon Only: $45.00
local resident Rand Dawson,
Oregon Only: $45.00
will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a
meet-and-greet with Cohen,
followed by the film at 7 p.m.
2150 Hwy. 101 • Florence
A Q&A will follow the presen-
(541) 997-3475 • 1-800-348-3475
or email: FirearmTrainingNW@gmail.com | www.FirearmTrainingNW.com
tation.
ROWDY from page 1A
Operations Chief Matt House.
“The weekend was great
from a public safety perspec-
tive,” he said. “We did not ex-
perience an elevated call level
and there were no serious ac-
cidents and no fatalities. We
responded to 24 calls over the
weekend, which is close to a
normal call volume for us.”
The Florence City Jail also
hosted fewer individuals than
usual during the festival,
with 20 people booked. There
were only 23 other citations
issued during the weekend by
FPD.
Pitcher summed up this
year’s lighter call volume.
“To me, it looks like the
trend of Rhody Days becom-
ing more and more of a fam-
ily event is continuing,” he
said.
MEDIA from page 1A
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