Media Heroes

Media heroes are everywhere:

Journalists, activists, media innovators and educators making sure that we all have access to media that supports democratic values of justice, community and respect. Some media heroes are solitary voices keeping a candle of truth burning through a period of darkness. Others are organizers working to expand the range of people who can wield the power of publishing and broadcasting. or reveal hidden aspects of the media that is all around us.

1. Robert McChesney

Critical scholar, author, educator, media activist

Submitted by Craig Schroeder, Columbus OH: Bill Moyers described Bob McChesney as today's Paul Revere. More than anyone, it seems to me, McChesney has boiled his huge, scholarly understanding of the media we have today, and how it affects us, and how we got here, into certain key messages. Those key messages -- such as the idea that our media is a system created by policymakers and rich media owners, and it can be changed through democratic pressure -- are crucial to understanding power, media and democracy.

They're the messages that so many progressive journalists and political observers all over the place have picked up, expanded on from their own particular vantage points, and re-channelled back into the debate. They're the things you hear people say so often at the media reform conference.

People like Ben Bagdikian and I.F. Stone deserve a lot of credit, but I think McChesney, more than anyone, was the one who got these messages out to the people who then gave them the momentum and widespread dispersion they needed to set today's media reform ball rolling.
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Hurricanes

Hurricanes are severe tropical storms that form in the southern Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and in the eastern Pacific Ocean. Scientists can now predict hurricanes, but people who live in coastal communities should plan what they will do if they are told to evacuate.
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Think Before You Ink: Are Tattoos Safe?

As the popularity of tattoos continues to grow, so does the concern about potential risks. Some risks, such as the spread of infections through the use of unsterilized needles, have long been known. But what isn't clear is the safety of tattoo inks. Permanent tattoos are made by using needles to inject colored ink below the skin's surface. Permanent make-up is considered a permanent tattoo that mimics the results of cosmetic products such as an eyebrow pencil, lip liner, eyeliner, or blush.
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Fiber

An apple a day--that is, a whole apple with the skin--will give you approximately 3.6 grams of fiber. That's a good start, but you still need a lot more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to meet the daily level of 20 to 30 grams of fiber recommended by the National Cancer Institute. Eating foods with plenty of complex carbohydrates and fiber (vegetables, fruits, and grain products) is part of a healthy diet for several reasons.
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Federal Whistleblower Protection in Jeopardy

Special Counsel Scott Bloch, appointed by President Bush in 2004, is overseeing the virtual elimination of federal whistleblower rights in the U.S. government.The U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), the agency that is supposed to protect federal employees who blow the whistle on waste, fraud, and abuse is dismissing hundreds of cases while advancing almost none. According to the Annual Report for 2004 (which was not released until the end of first quarter fiscal year 2006) less than 1.5 percent of whistleblower claims were referred for investigation while more than 1000 reports were closed before they were even opened. Only eight claims were found to be substantiated, and one of those included the theft of a desk, while another included attendance violations. Favorable outcomes have declined 24 percent overall, and this is all in the first year that the new special counsel, Scott Bloch, has been in office.
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