Orwell Rolls in His Grave (2003)

An expose of only media bias that can be classed as right-wing. Every villain is a Republican, every martyr a Democrat.If you watch this and like to believe that the media is run by a right-wing group then go ahead and watch it and feel smug and holy.If you already know that media, corporations, and our governments are run primarily by self-interested individuals willing to pull strings behind the scenes to get their way then you will find nothing new but maybe get a few chuckles out of their attempt to portray the media as BUSH-LOVING Republicans towing the party line!! Hahahaha.Media is in a state of constantly-falling. They HAD a monopoly before FOX disrupted their consensus. It was not a conspiracy but a symptom of group-think among people trying to save the world, mostly left-wing supporters of big-government friends of big-media.This film endorses GREATER government regulation of the media!! There are several speakers complaining about de-regulation of media!! Micheal More is shown COMPLAINING about his very industry and, I guess, his own films! He says we are expressing too much of ourselves and will look stupid to future anthropologists. He apparently does not mind looking stupid now.Orwell would roll in his grave if he saw how his name was used to promote greater government regulation of speech and media.The solution to the media stranglehold or bottle-neck is the democratization of publication. It is the internet. It is what you are reading now and it is changing the world for the better.

This movie is a little unfocused in that it attacks the media (mainly Fox News and Rupert Murdoch), George W. Bush, and attempts to say the election was a fraud (ignoring the evidence that GWB did in fact win by all accepted criteria). As was widely reported, several unbiased news organizations did a recount of the ballots after the election and found that out of the 3 most accepted criteria for manually recounting ballots, GWB won on all counts. Even the lefty New York Times, who took part in the recount, agrees GWB won fair and square. It's amazing to see the director ignore heaps of evidence in his quest to prove an irrational point.He levels several weak charges like the fact that black voters had the most spoiled ballots. He mixes up cause and effect, and comes to the conclusion that somehow the voters are not responsible - somehow Jeb Bush is responsible. It's incredible how far partisans will screw up their logic to come up with a damning conclusion.In criticizing the media, director Pappas commits the same sin he is attempting to critique. He uses all lefty sources for his experts, much like the media has done in the last 30 years. He fails to allow anyone with an opposing viewpoint to be heard, fearing if they drag his theory into the light it might die.Charles Lewis is the only balanced interview and I admire everything he stands for in fairness in the media. Conservatives want to see localization and diversity in the media more than anyone. Conservatives have had to fight a biased media for over 30 years, and now that there is *one* media group (and a small one compared to the others) the lefties are all aghast. Of the media interest groups in Washington, Rupert Murdochs was low on the list compared to Disney and the others, yet somehow the director wants to focus on Fox News.Perhaps he should have made a film about what a struggle it has been for conservatives to get a voice in the media at all. I hope the conservatives in the United States will attack the problem at the grass roots and buy in at the bottom as well as the top.

This movie surpassed my expectations. More straight forward documentary style so it is not as "entertaining" as some others but for those interested in the collapse of our democracy in recent years this is a must see. More disturbing then Far. 9/11 or murdochs war on journalism. This movie contained more new stories then did either of the other movies. Makes you not want to even watch TV anymore. It is well worth the 30 bucks that I spent. Its one of those things where you know in a limited way the things that are going on but to see them presented all in one place at one time is thought provoking to say the least. It also really is a movie that the media would not want you to see as evidenced by the statistics presented in the movie. Buy it, watch it then give it to everyone you know.

I've only begun watching documentary films like this recently due in large part to the success of Michael Moore's films. This film is right up there with Moore's films in quality, in thought provoking content, and in sad truth. This is the kind of film that it terrifies me to see but I'm glad that I saw it. I remember when I read 1984 in high school and I thought it was great that there was literature like that so that the kind of events that take place in 1984 could never happen in real life. Orwell would be rolling in his grave because those kind of events are happening now, and this movie makes is frighteningly, frighteningly obvious. I don't care if you consider yourself Repbulican, Democrat or Independent, if you have any care for truth watch this film. The news will never look the same again.