by Press Release
After 15 years of legal tussling to bring democracy to the public
airwaves, Adbusters has finally scored a great victory. The Supreme
Court of British Columbia has granted us an appeal in our landmark
case against Canada's CBC and Canwest Global, giving us the go-ahead
to set a precedent and establish some public rights over the airwaves
(check out the judges’ ruling here).
People are spending an unparalleled 8.5 hours per day in front of
screens and even with the influx of new screen formats – cell phones,
computers, Kindle – TV is still dominant. It’s the most powerful
social communications medium of our time. And yet it is a place where
commercial imperatives rule and dissenting voices are routinely
censored. Adbusters’ attempts to purchase airtime from major
commercial broadcasters for its socially-minded public service spots
have been repeatedly denied over the years.
The airwaves are public property – just like city sidewalks or parks.
They are a public space where freedom of speech must prevail. This is
an inspiring idea for media activists and could pave the way for
further legal victories down the road not only on the TV airwaves, but
in cyberspace as well.
Not surprisingly, none of Canwest’s 13 daily newspapers or 23 TV
channels covered the appeal court ruling. The silence has been
deafening. Canadians citizens should be aware that the largest media
conglomerate in our country is censoring the news to suit its own
interests.
Here’s who did cover the story: CBC Radio, the Globe and Mail, the
Georgia Straight and the Tyee.
CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, MTV and the Food Channel have also repeatedly
refused to sell us airtime over the past 15 years and we would like to
launch a freedom of speech legal action in the US. If you know an
American lawyer who may be interested in being part of our legal team
then let us know, email
kono@adbusters.org.
The endgame will be a series of lawsuits around the world forcing the
half a dozen media megacorporations controlling the bulk of news and
entertainment flows around the planet to return some control back to
the public.
Email kono@adbusters.org if you want to talk strategy or contribute to
our legal war chest.
