This cartoon by Jen Sorensen is a superb summary of the corporate takeover of the Internet. Many thanks to Jen and slowpokecomics.com for her permission to use it here.
Help MAIN Save the Internet!
Thanks to all who helped us meet our "Save the 'Net" goal!
They said it couldn't happen. The Internet genie is out of the bottle, and it could never be taken over by Big Business or Big Brother.
They were wrong. The cable and telephone companies are building a wall, dividing cyberspace into a fast Corporate Internet – and a second-class Internet for the rest of us. And they’re giving Big Brother easy access to our private information.
This change in the Internet’s basic operation endangers our civil liberties – such as privacy and free speech – and threatens to stifle technological innovation.
And it’s happening at a terrible time, when our ‘watchdog’ free press – a cornerstone of the Constitution’s checks-and-balances – is collapsing.
Case in point: In the spring of 2006, Time magazine announced the layoff of 650 employees – including award-winning investigative journalists Don Bartlett and Jim Steele.
A week later, Time paid $4 million for exclusive photos of Brad and Angelina’s baby. This is corporate journalism for the 21st century!
But there’s hope: MAIN is a leader in the national media reform movement, and we have one of the nation’s most promising business models for meeting these challenges to journalism and the Internet.
In addition, our high-speed wireless Internet service – if properly funded – will help solve the rural broadband problem, once and for all.
So we need you to do two things: first, take a look at this summary (including our expert endorsements) of MAIN’s plans to meet these challenges: http://www.main.nc.us/savethenet
Second, make a generous donation to help us continue this important and historic work.
We are also approaching national foundations for support, and these funders require evidence of strong local giving before adding their support. Make your donation by Dec. 31, and we will send you a free DVD of MAIN founder Wally Bowen explaining how – together – we can “Take Back the Media!”
MAIN Volunteers, Staff & Board of Directors
PS – MAIN is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt nonprofit, so your donation is tax-deductible.
