In Desperation for Funds, "The Nation" Slanders BuzzFlash: Progressive Sites Need More Dollar Support So This Won't Happen Again

BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG

by Mark Karlin

It's a disastrous byproduct of corporate consolidation and control of the mainstream media by wealthy corporations (Murdoch, GE [soon Comcast], Viacom, Clear Channel, etc.) that progressive publications, radio, and television programming (what there is of it) struggle to survive -- for the most part -- on relatively small contributions from goodhearted, committed progressives, and populists.

This year, due to the dismal economic situation for just about everyone who is not a Bush tax-cut wealthy person and the ever-growing gap between the rich and the rest of us, progressive publications -- including BuzzFlash -- have had some hair-raising financial close calls as bills pile up while people who can afford donations dwindle.

Through all of this, nearly 10 years, BuzzFlash has never accepted corporate advertising or any advertising at all. We have never taken money for selling our premiums (product placement); we choose every progressive item in our catalogue without any financial incentive. We don't sell story placement.  The list could go on of how we avoid external influence, but we don't think of ourselves as saints.

BuzzFlash just believes there should be at least a few models of advertising, corporate-free media where people can turn. We also believe that the Madison Avenue creation of stimulating a consumer economy by creating the perception of "aspirational need" is ultimately ruinous. Naomi Klein (who writes often for "The Nation" and whose books we heavily promote and sell) and Adbusters are our mentors in understanding how the need to buy things one doesn't need, but one associates with attributes one desires, is an economic model that will hit a brick wall, as it has, and that ends up exploiting workers.

BuzzFlash has been debating running an article on how some progressive sites are now running misleading ads: for Coca Cola (The Nation), promoting the Comcast acquisition of NBC (Open Left), and the Dick Armey Tea Party Organization (Huffington Post), but we hesitated to start a shooting circle among progressive sites who all need money, because the wealth and investment in political media is on the side of the right wing. 

Ultimately, we decided to develop the ad piece and how these ads are run for a reason (to soften the toxic or negative image of corporations doing environmental, slave wage, or economic harm -- there are banking ads too), but to give our progressive colleagues their due for how much they sacrifice for a better America. We can assure you that they would all (except the Huffington Post, which is an investment enterprise with the goal of increasing market value) rather not run the deceptive ads, including the Nation.

This article will run soon on BuzzFlash.

In the meantime, we were a bit astonished to receive a mass solicitation e-mail on December 16 from Katrina vanden Heuvel (the editorial and marketing genius currently publishing "The Nation") -- whom we deeply admire -- accusing BuzzFlash, among others, of running "Nation" stories "without contributing a penny to support and produce the journalism we invest in."

We don't mind being called out by name by people who have a different opinion, but it's another story when a publication you deeply admire slanders you. The fact is that we post headline links to "The Nation" stories from which they derive more hits because of our size, and they then can charge more money to the likes of Coca Cola and Discover Card for running ads for those corporations. BuzzFlash has never reproduced, copied, nor violated the copyright of any "Nation" article, and many of "The Nation" writers, including Jeremy Scahill whom vanden Heuvel mentions, read BuzzFlash and have been interviewed by BuzzFlash.

In short, as far as BuzzFlash is concerned, Katrina vanden Heuvel is defaming our proud and unblemished heritage.

Furthermore, BuzzFlash is probably the largest non-bookstore seller of Nation Books on the Web and plans to continue selling Nation Books, just as we plan continuing linking to "Nation" articles. 

Vanden Heuvel, with whom we have communicated positively and admiringly in our early years (including an interview we did and posted about her book "Dictionary of Republicanisms"; BuzzFlash also sold her tome, "Meltdown"), also should know that BuzzFlash has a staff, posts much of its own original content on our blog, runs advocacy campaigns such as Turn Off Fox, and has created a marketplace for progressive writers, musicians, actors, Fair Trade (living wage), and eco-products. Our staff has broken and brought to the forefront many a story over the years. 

In fact, BuzzFlash has played an instrumental role in publicizing and distributing Nation Books such as "Blackwater" and "Republican Gomorrah" and many others. Katrina vanden Heuvel sits on the Board of the Nation Institute, which publishes Nation Books (through Perseus), and the Nation Institute is strongly affiliated with "The Nation."

In short, vanden Heuvel writes in her e-mail fundraising plea, "While I suspect you may have read Scahill or Roston or Jones -- and other Nation investigations -- on Common Dreams, Alternet or Buzzflash, please remember that these 'aggregator' websites use our work without contributing a penny to support and produce the journalism we invest in."

I can't speak for Common Dreams or Alternet, but vanden Heuvel is making the same argument that Rupert Murdoch does, which makes them a very odd couple indeed. Let's see: BuzzFlash links directly to Nation articles, which drives up their "hits" and page views, which means that they can charge Coca Cola more money to greenwash itself! And BuzzFlash promotes "The Nation" writers and books through interviews.

I personally revere the history and quality writing of "The Nation," but Katrina vanden Heuvel doesn't need to slander BuzzFlash.

It's not becoming, and it doesn't help the battle we all face as progressive publications: The other side has billions and we have nickels.

The truth is that all the publications vanden Heuvel cited need more funding.  "The Nation" fills a niche, an important contemporary and historical one, but it is not alone. Against the power of television and radio, we collectively need all the financial support that we can get, because unless our megaphone gets louder, we are going to lose our nation to the Teabaggers and Neo-Confederates, backed by the global corporatists and bankers who pull the strings on Capitol Hill.

BUZZFLASH EDITOR'S BLOG