This would make a great six-hour YouTube video.

Italy: Public service RAI becomes a “megaphone” of the government

Public service broadcaster RAI has decided to grant ministers and undersecretaries unrestricted airtime on its programs when referring to institutional matters. On 11 April, journalists and news hosts on the main channels of RAI interrupted news programs to read a statement from the Rai Union of Journalists (USIGRai) statement explaining RAI’s new policy, and condemning it, comparing RAI to the government’s “megaphone”. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) together with their affiliate the Federazione Nazionale Stampa Italiana (FNSI) condemn this further attempt to politicise public information services for propaganda purposes and demand that RAI respects fundamental journalistic principles.

“The government majority has decided to transform RAI into its own megaphone,” so began the speech of USIGrai journalists in the aftermath of the policies announced by RAI’s Supervisory Commission. This approved a rule allowing government representatives to “speak in talks without time constraints and cross-examination”.

The statement continued: “This is not our idea of public service broadcasting. Journalists’ work should be central, where they ask questions, even uncomfortable ones, verify what has been said, and point out inconsistencies. For this reason, dear viewers, we inform you that we are ready to mobilise to guarantee you independent, balanced and plural information."

Another rule will allow Rai News to broadcast political rallies at any time, and in full, announced only by a short introduction and without journalistic mediation

RAI’s decision illustrates once again Italy’s government's attempts to make use of public service for personal and propagandistic purposes, and in contravention of the main pillars of journalists' work.

President of FNSI, Vittorio di Trapanisaid: “RAI News risks becoming a deluge of electoral rallies, trampling on the editorial autonomy of its journalists and its editorial team.”

The IFJ/EFJ stated: “We stand in full solidarity with RAI journalists, whose press freedom and ethical principles are being undermined by the Italian government. We remind RAI of its need to respect fundamental journalistic principles as they are stated in the IFJ Global Charter of Ethics for journalists. We ask the Supervisory Commission to review its decision and to allow transparent and pluralistic information in compliance with the principles of cross-examination and the public interest.”l

Source: IFJ

The “enormously powerful Atlas Network, a global network of more than 500 member think tanks advocating for “free market” policies.”

Started by Antony Fisher and his Institute of Economic Affairs in the UK. It went worldwide with assistance from the Koch family and Rupert Murdoch, along with funding from big oil companies.

☝️👏🤯

I've seen a lot of (usually white) feminists talk about how western/European women should also replicate/do '4B' as well just as Korean women have -without recognizing or understanding the context with which 4B arose.

The current very right-wing South Korean President, Yoon Suk Yeol, is very much responsible for continuing to put the health, well-being, as well as safety of Korean women at risk. Whether it be through him vehemently stating gender discrimination no longer exists to attempting to abolish the ONLY organizing that focuses on supporting women -the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family.

He has also only added a handful of women into his cabinet AFTER he was criticized for not having done so in the first place. When he was elected back in 2022, my solidarity has and will always remain with women and folks who experience marginalization in South Korea, such as those in the LGBTQIA+ and disability community, among many. I will, nor should NO ONE ever forget how this man campaigned/how he was elected in mass by misogynistic men.

President Yoon Suk Yeol also remarked about creating incentives for MEN by lowering their mandatory military service if they have more children with their wives... needless to say, 4B is specific to the lived experiences and realities of living under patriarchy in South Korea in many elements of her daily life. I stumbled on this video on my fyp, and this Creator gives SO much great context to 4B, and for those who can watch/listen I highly recommend this video as a start to understanding Korean feminism.

Excerpt:

The research, conducted with three other colleagues, consisted of seven experiments involving more than 2,000 American and Chinese participants. We showed that there is a psychological link between eco-friendliness and perceptions of femininity. Due to this “green-feminine stereotype,” both men and women judged eco-friendly products, behaviors, and consumers as more feminine than their non-green counterparts.

-🌈The Where True Love is Movement 🏳️‍⚧️ @WhereTrueLoveIs ‘#lgbtqia’ · Jun 2, 2023 via Twitter

Hapa power

Isn't it funny how the whole concept of the punk rock movement was to escape stereotypes and labels and to promote the inclusivity of all people and the lovely things that make them different?

Yet, in the process... they labeled themselves, afflicted themselves with one of the most crippling stereotypes and became one of the most non inclusive and gatekeeping groups of all time. Most punk rockers spend more time debating what the definition of "punk" is, and kicking those out of the scene who don't fit their own personal definition, than they do actually chasing their own ideals.

And it's sad. I love the punk rock movement in concept... but the reality is very different.

In my studies and observations, I feel that punk was never about fighting for one specific thing. Punk was about radical individuality and accepting yourself the way you are. It was about fighting the system. It was about bonding together over music and fashion and culture so tightly that they could never break us apart. Yes, punk is a political movement, but it's not just about ONE political belief. It wasn't about what you believed but rather HOW you believed it.

The Ramones and the Sex Pistols were both right wing bands. The Clash was left wing. There's videos of punks from the eighties, the OGs, talking about being conservative and fighting for right wing politics. And in actuality, the whole idea was built on Anarchy anyway, not this dividing, ostracizing, black and white mindset that modern day American politics uses to turn us against each other and make us weak.

Are you fighting for what you believe in? Are you out there being bold and raising hell and never compromising or selling out? Fighting for the greater good of humanity, whatever that is to you? That's punk rock to me. Unfortunately, the new generation of punk rockers doesn't see things that way. Which is alright with me, I suppose. The title isn't worth enough to me to argue with my brothers and sisters over it. I'm just here to rock out and throw up the finger at the Man.

I never wanted the labels anyway.

In summary, punk's not dead. Just confused.

I've learned through activism and my educational background in Women's Studies that power is power. It can corrupt anyone in spite of themselves. Women are not immune to such corruption. Women's movements can be just as destructive as they are constructive especially when used to disguise bigotry and pure hate. This concept is not new and it was the foundation for the third wave of feminism. It is troubling to me at how shocked and appalled the reactions by the general public continue to be whenever women are exposed as central to hate speech and bigotry. Accountability should always be the standard in any movement. Women continue to oppress other women by weaponizing feminism.

"While the organization is new, its politics are anything but. The mobilization of right-wing women, particularly mothers on a mission to protect children by battling educators and school boards, has been central to conservative politics in the US for much of the past century. And while schools might be the focal point of their activism, groups like Moms for Liberty aren’t composed primarily of education activists concerned with “parental rights.” They also have to be understood as a core part of a broader and longstanding reactionary movement centered on restoring traditional hierarchies of race, gender and sexuality — a movement in which conservative mothers have always played a particularly powerful role."

You know history class is about to get wild when the teacher asks "So who here knows the difference between Left and Right wing politics?" and me, the token middle class trans guy, and the rich homophobic white boy who's parents own the fucking school both raise our hands.

Tom Tomorrow.

The amount of times a Libertarian admit out loud that their Ideological Standpoints are a LARP to cover for the reality that they are Fascist Bootlickers that seek to appeal of Fascism is equal to the amount of grains of sand on a beach.