[WSIS CS-Plenary] RE: U.S. worried about Tunis phase?, Perhaps.

[Richard Vincent]

Sasha,

Actually, the message I was responding to directly was this message of yours attached below....

I must admit that I am a bit surprised (Okay, call me a naïve American!) by the flood of US written press stories on internet governance and cultural diversity over this past week.  The recent NY Times piece (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/10/13/arts/13unes.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1129327300-IKG0L2GS4PMwVoJogc3fCA ), the Washington Post article (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/12/AR2005101202210_pf.html ), the Heritage Foundation story (http://www.heritage.org/Research/InternationalOrganizations/wm885.cfm ), the Senator Norm Coleman press release about his introduction of a Senate Resolution to protect the U.S.'s role of Internet operations (http://coleman.senate.gov/index.cfm? ), the George Will op ed piece (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/10/11/AR2005101101320.html ), and the many other news stories that have surfaced all paint an alarming pattern that has not likely happened by chance.  It all, in lieu of any contradictory reports, looks very similar to that which happened about 20 years ago when the State Department sponsored a media blitz on the NWICO activities at UNESCO.  That served, of course, as the main reason the US withdrew from UNESCO for 19 years.  

I have often not been proud of the US press's blindly following stories out of Washington, and my disappointment only grows greater with developments such as these. The US press honestly sees itself as a model for so-called objective journalism, yet it continues to support this type of nationalistic propaganda, without hesitation, yet it stands dumbfounded when academics and critics question the foundations upon which American journalism has been built.  Hey, they cannot have it both ways!

Rick Vincent



Dr. Richard C. Vincent
Professor 
Department of Communication
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN 47809
U.S.A.

email: rvincent at indstate.edu
telephone: +1 812 237-3246
fax: +1 812 237-3217
>>> Sasha Costanza-Chock <schock at riseup.net> 10/18/05 11:06 PM >>>
Hi all,

Regarding the question of whether the USG is adopting a more aggressive 
stance on international communication policy, it seems the answer is 
shaping up into a clear 'yes.' We're seeing a ton of press on the 
ICANN/UN debate, as well as a sudden unexpected hardline stance, flurry 
of press releases, and right-wing think tank commentary on the UNESCO 
convention on cultural diversity. (See the newswire of 
http://www.mediatrademonitor.org for links to this week's spate of 
articles on the UNESCO process).

It's not only telecom and audiovisual policy battles; my sense is that 
this is all part of the broader Bush admin strategy to delegitimize the 
entire UN system.

IMHO This list/network should really pay some more attention to what's 
shaping up in Hong Kong WTO negotiations and in the continued post-HK 
ministerial talks over the next year or two. Watch for heavy pressure 
from USTR for all countries to commit both 'audiovisual services' and a 
new category they are calling 'information services.'

For example, US telcos are losing their bid to shut down muni wireless 
by introducting state-level legislation, so they are venue shopping by 
going simultaneously to DC (where they may still convince Congress to 
pass legislation overruling states on muni wifi) and to Geneva (WTO 
GATS) where they will try to introduce the same.

It's not a 'nefarious plot,' it's business as usual: incumbents trying 
to lock in rents by any means necessary.

sasha

--
http://www.mediatrademonitor.org





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