Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
Free Preview Clip
[audio https://www.peterbcollins.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/McChesney.mp3]Robert W. McChesney, professor of communications at University of Illinois, connects key themes from his work on political and government reform, media reform and more into a powerful critique of America’s corrupt corporatocracy…The full title of his latest book is Blowing the Roof Off the Twenty-first Century: Media, Politics, and the Struggle for Post-Capitalist Democracy.
We open with my favorite quote from the book. After being interviewed by Charlie Rose of PBS/CBS, whom McChesney dubs “the border policeman for the range of legitimate debate”. We talk about self-imposed and corporate mandated borders on the coverage of important issues, then move to McChesney’s experience hosting a weekly radio show on the NPR station in Champaign-Urbana and a discussion of NPR’s research guru, David Giovannoni and his role in patrolling the borders at NPR.
McChesney gives a good summary of his book, which is a strong indictment of American politics, government, media and prison policies and makes the case for radical change that reduces the power of wealth. We give a special shout out to PBC listener Craig Schroeder, who found this podcast as he pursued commentary from McChesney. And we end with a brief recap over the battle for net neutrality.