From the December 2000 Idaho Observer:

Is the lapdog dominant media being replaced with watchdogs?

By The Idaho Observer

The number of Americans, from both the left and the right of the political spectrum, who have become disenfranchised with how the dominant media reports “the news” in this country has increased exponentially over the last few years. The result has been an explosion of “alternative” media outlets in this country.

There are several signs to indicate that “alternative” newspapers, magazines, independently produced radio and TV talk shows and electronic Internet news digests are beginning to pull the American people's attention away from the powerful corporate networks that have, until recently, enjoyed a virtual monopoly on the minds of the body public.

The trend began in the early 90s when dominant media's unquestionably pro-government treatment of Ruby Ridge, Waco and the Oklahoma City bombing illuminated the need for Americans to have access to news sources that are independent of government and corporate influence.

More recently, dominant media coverage of the Clinton impeachment process (and all the other Clinton scandals from Chinagate to Whitewatergate) has caused an even broader spectrum of the American public to distrust corporate network news.

During the Viet Nam era millions Americans gathered around the television every night for the evening news and trusted Walter Cronkite and David Brinkley's every word. In the soon-to-be post Clinton era, very few of the hundreds of people informally polled believe that what Dan Rather and Tom Brokaw are telling us is the truth.

See pages 11-13 for coverage of the first annual American Media Association convention.

We have entered the age of American activism where millions of people all over the nation are applying their passion, their intelligence, their time and their resources to fixing the things that have gone wrong in our beloved nation. Corporate network government lapdog dominant media will continue to portray their noble endeavors as part of the anti-government movement in this country. As activism increases and people demand truthful reporting of government issues, the resurgence of the independent watchdog media will continue to gain credibility and marketshare in the U.S.