"Defund the Media"

 

https://fineartamerica.com/featured/defund-the-media-retro-vintage-maltiben-patel.html

 

 

In light of the recent "Defund the Media" protests taking place in New York, lets talk about what this 'movement' means.. Taking the messaging right from the website dedicated to the movement: 

"In the Fall of 2020, DefundTheMedia.com will become the jumping-off point for a movement. We hope you’ll join us in spreading a message Americans need to hear- that the power and influence our mainstream and social media have over public discourse, our collective psychology, our liberties and freedoms- virtually every aspect of our shared experience- must be dismantled. A colossal effort must be shared among brothers and sisters, patriots, friends, family, coworkers, ALL Americans, to join together and REJECT the narratives they poison and divide us with. However it can be done, we hope you’ll help us do it. Until then, thank you for your commitment to DEFUND THE MEDIA."

How do they propose you do this? Under the "How you can help" section it writes: 

  "In the age of information, everyone has a voice. At least that’s what they tell us. “Be a part of the conversation, get a Twitter account.” “Have something to say? Get a Facebook account.” But that’s just noise. When everyone has “a voice”, nobody does. 

    Besides, what good is a voice if you’re censored at every turn? What good is a platform if it’s driven into the dirt?

Cut your cable. Stop visiting their websites, giving them the ad revenue they crave. Dismiss their narratives, discard their attempt to influence and control you. You have that power, the power to ignore them.

And most importantly, spread this message. 

 PICK UP SOME PROPAGANDA"

What is important about the implications and messaging surrounding this movement are two things: timing and messaging. The timing suggests that this movement emerged out of Donald Trump's failed reelection campaign. What is crucial about this connection are the shared language and calls to action both this movement and Trump (and other prominent Trump supporters in Congress) use. The cunning messaging strategy used here weaponizes terms like "propaganda", "censorship", and "Defund the Media". 

The call to action the movement uses a, "pick up some propaganda" button, which links to a page attempting to use the word as a unifying term, claiming, "The thing is, nobody disagrees with this. This is about as noncontroversial as you can get these days. Universally, everyone hates the media.". Similarly, they use the word "censorship" in a way that is reminiscent of Donald Trump's famous issues of his first term. In 2020, President Trump was notably on the side of anti-censorship and liberal-bias in the media. After his Twitter and several other social media accounts were repeatedly flagged for false claims about voter fraud in the 2020 election, him and his supporters grew outraged over the infringements on their First Amendment Rights under Section 230. The "Defund the Media" movement grew out of fear and support of President Trump's strategic messaging, and was even able to make a play off of the "Defund the Police" movement, signifying a complete rejection of that movement's message in favor of one more in line with the more Trump-favoring conservative agendas.