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Below is the media consortium letter sent to the Stein campaign on August 10.  It says that they will admit Jill to their debates only if she meets three criteria.

– – –

August 10, 2010

Daryl Sprague

info@jillstein.org

Jill Stein for Governor

           This is an invitation for Dr. Stein to participate in two Massachusetts gubernatorial debates sponsored by a consortium of news media outlets in Boston and shared with broadcast stations in other cities in the state. The sponsoring media outlets include The Boston Globe, WCVB-TV (Channel 5), WHDH-TV (Channel 7), WGBH-TV (Channel 2), New England Cable News (NECN), WBUR, WTTK-FM, WBZ-AM, and Gatehouse Media.

           The first debate will be held at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 21. The second debate is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Tuesday, October 26. The venues and formats will be determined in short order.

           This invitation to participate is contingent on your candidate fulfilling all of the following criteria:

1.     The candidate must have an established campaign headquarters with at least three paid staffers and communicates, on a daily basis, with recognized non-partisan media outlets such as television stations and newspapers.

2.     The candidate must have raised at least $100,000 between January 1 and October 1 for the purpose of running for governor. .

3.     The candidate must receive 5 percent in a poll conducted by a media organization or academic institution that is recognized by the Boston Media Consortium.

           I’m sending this to you in your capacity as campaign manager. Could you acknowledge receipt, let me know who will be handling debate matters, and respond to the invitation as soon as possible? I’m reachable at the return email address, or at 617-929-3059.

           Thanks very much.

Brian McGrory

The Boston Globe

Below is the media consortium letter sent to the Stein campaign on August 10.  It says that they will admit Jill to their debates only if she meets three criteria.

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August 10, 2010

Daryl Sprague

info@jillstein.org

Jill Stein for Governor

Stein Campaign Response to Debate Exclusion

Submitted on Sun, 09/12/2010 – 6:45pm

Category:   Campaign News and Information

(In response to Media Consortium Letter.

August 20, 2010

POSITION OF THE STEIN CAMPAIGN ON DEBATE INCLUSION

This is the position of the Jill Stein campaign on debate inclusion:

All candidates that have qualified for the ballot under the election laws of the Commonwealth should be invited to participate in debates that use the public airways.  We also think that fair treatment of all candidates is to be expected from the media corporations that are taking advantage of the privileges our society accords to journalistic enterprises.  Those privileges are based on an assumption that journalists will contribute to the free and open dialogue that is essential to a healthy democracy.  Journalists should refuse to be parties to any attempt to restrict the flow of information that voters need and deserve.

Continue reading Media says that democracy is conditional in raising a lot of $

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Originally posted at Open Media Boston

by Jason Pramas (Staff), Sep-10-10

It’s not usually the practice of this publication to spend much time in our weekly editorials sniping at the flaws of other Boston news media. Perhaps if we start up a media review column at some point, we’ll do some more regular critiques of our big sibling local news outlets, but it hasn’t been a priority for us primarily because Open Media Boston was not founded to be a reactive publication. We like to offer constructive criticism on issues of the day, but in doing so we really like get at discussions of what a better Boston (and better world) might look like, and how regular people might work together to build that better future. Nevertheless, sometimes the mainstream media screws up in a way that’s impossible for us to ignore, and we’ll weigh in on it. This is one of those times. To wit, on Tuesday the first televised gubernatorial debate was held on WBZ Channel 4. To its sponsors’ credit, all 4 candidates – Gov. Deval Patrick (D), Charlie Baker (R), Tim Cahill (I), and Jill Stein (G-R) – participated. And all did a credible job. In my opinion, Patrick and Baker both did very well in the back-and-forth. Cahill and Stein were both more shaky in their delivery – with Stein perhaps more articulate and better prepared on issues. However, to read the debate coverage in the Boston Globe and Boston Herald the next day, you’d think that Cahill and Stein had barely said a word. Cahill got some extra coverage in the Globe later in the week, and has gotten more attention in other media all along. But Stein has been largely rendered mute.

Continue reading Editorial: Jill Stein Deserves More Visibility in Mass. Gubernatorial Debate Coverage
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Originally posted in South End News

by Shirley Kressel, contributing writer

Wednesday Sep 8, 2010

Democracy depends on a fully informed electorate. But our media have decided to be the gatekeepers of information and narrow our political options according to their expectations, as if voting were a horse-race and accurate prediction were the goal instead of expression of public will. This enclosure of the journalistic commons coincides with the increasingly concentrated ownership of the media outlets by powerful corporations with massive financial interests to promote to the government and the public.

No wonder we keep getting the same old, same old from our government; we keep whiplashing between the narrow Republicrat/Demican choices we’re offered, voting NO again and again and hoping this will send the message and get us what we want. It won’t.

Jill Stein, the Green-Rainbow candidate for governor, is the only alternative to the three “old boys” of the ‘same old’ network, incumbent Deval Patrick, Charles Baker, and Tim Cahill. But our media chieftains have decided that three old boys are enough choice for the people of Massachusetts.

Continue reading Media should not edit our democratic process

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From the Stein campaign:

BOSTON – A campaign song written for gubernatorial candidate Jill Stein was released today in order to boost Stein’s push to meet her September fundraising goals.   The song, entitled  “Follow the Money”,  was donated to the campaign by songwriter Tom Neilson from Greenfield, Massachusetts.  The song pokes fun at Stein’s gubernatorial rivals while urging listeners to show support for the Green-Rainbow Party candidates,  “Purcell, Fortune and Stein.”  Rick Purcell is Stein’s Lieutenant Governor running mate and Nat Fortune is the Green-Rainbow candidate for State Auditor.

“Now when Tim, Deval, & Chuck think of casinos

Their hearts go pitter, pitter, pitter, pat

And their legs take off like palominos

For casino lobby money’s where it’s at.

Just follow the money and you’ll find your money where

Your money is like honey in the corporation lair.

But if business as usual you want to redefine

Put your check on the ballot for Purcell, Fortune, and Stein.”

Continue reading Campaign Song May Boost Stein Fundraising
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From the Stein for Governor campaign:

The 9-member Boston media consortium sent a letter to Jill Stein today telling her that they intended to exclude her from their upcoming televised debates.  The letter, signed by Jen Peter of the Boston Globe, said that “Jill Stein does not meet the criteria for participation”.

Upon being informed of the letter, Stein responded “The people of this Commonwealth deserve to hear about how badly the Beacon Hill establishment has failed them under both Democratic and Republican governors.  They deserve to hear from the one candidate who isn’t taking money from the lobbyists or from the favor-seeking CEO’s.  They deserve to hear from the one candidate who is advocating for secure jobs across the Commonwealth – not just low wage casino jobs in three communities – for universal health care, for comprehensive fair tax reform and for ending the wars that consume 10 million Massachusetts federal tax dollars each day.  These badly needed solutions will assuredly be ignored in the debates if we let the three establishment candidates crowd me off the stage.”  

Continue reading Media Consortium attempting to exclude Stein from debates
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People are listening.  While running errands downtown today, I spoke with a woman about the goings on in politics. (Complete stranger, it’s amazing how some people are willing to talk about politics; so many are frustrated and fed up.) Explained the situation and encouraged her to vote for Jill Stein in November.  She says she will.  

Sent out my 32 emails tonight to family and friends encouraging a vote for Jill Stein in November.  Received one response so far that is a yes. Some of my contacts won’t respond at all, but my email does remind them: “Oh yeah, time to start paying attention.”  So it’s helpful to get Jill’s name out there right from the get go.

So this is the way it works, town to town, region to region.  All politics is local.  Don’t forget to chat with a stranger the next time you are in your particular downtown.

P.S.  Those two votes for Jill today can easily multiply ten-fold and more.  Get out there and chat with people.

Continue reading Add two more votes for Jill today!
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Well, the numbers don’t lie. Little ol’ Green Mass Group has about an order of magnitude less traffic than Red Mass Group and Blue Mass Group. And about an order of magnitude fewer fans on Facebook. But we’re drinking (raw) milk, and one day we’re going to be big and strong.

Hat tip to demolisher over at RMG for pointing us to siteanalytics.com.

Continue reading The sad little tale of the tape
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(Full episode here).

Green Mass Group is supposed to be a respectful, civil, online community. And I truly hope that it remains one. But I can’t hold back my contempt for State Treasurer Tim Cahill. As if his “playing politics with terrorism” nonsense back in May wasn’t vile enough, Tim had to remind us in last night’s debate just how much of a divisive demagogue he really is when it comes to people who don’t look like him. Click here to watch the third segment of the debate. The immigration question comes up after the 14-minute mark, and Timmy gives his initial answer at the 15:25 mark. His real colors shine through when he replies to Stein, at the 17:50 mark. And try to ignore his odd Bush/Palin-ism of “illegal citizens”.  

Continue reading Eff you, Tim Cahill!
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