Legendary broadcast journalist Bill Moyers has said: "We've got to get alternative content out there to people, or this country's going to die of too many lies."
Moyers was asked what the corporate media means for our democracy:
"It means that virtually everything the average person sees or hears, outside of her own personal communications, is determined by the interests of private, unaccountable executives and investors whose primary goal is increasing profits and raising the share prices. More insidiously, this small group of elites determines what ordinary people do not see or hear. In-depth coverage of anything, let alone the problems real people face day-to-day, is as scarce as sex, violence, and voyeurism are pervasive.
"So if we need to know what is happening, and Big Media won't tell us; if we need to know why it matters, and Big Media won't tell us; if we need to know what to do about it, and Big Media won't tell us; it's clear what we have to do. We have to tell the story ourselves."
That's what we try to do here--tell the story ourselves. Every day, we work to tell you what is happening, why it matters, and what to do about it. As Moyers said:
"I came upon Common Dreams a long time ago, found that Common Dreams was editing the world in a way that did not deny me what I needed to know, but guided me toward what I wanted to know. Common Dreams has done a brilliant job of creating an editorial product that takes so much good material, and brings it together in one place. It is a must in my life and work."
Common Dreams is one of the few remaining news outlets not beholden to corporate interests and profits but rather to the common good.
So if you believe independent media and this kind of watchdog journalism is vital to a healthy democracy, join Bill Moyers and show your support for Common Dreams by helping us meet our crucial Winter Fundraising Campaign goal, deadline just days away.
