Introduction
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As a public service, ATMA offers Media Forum, a publication in both online and print form; a venue for articles, interviews, commentary and critique on the state of the media. 

As media professionals, we have a unique opportunity to shed light on the nature of the business, and to help the media better serve those who rely on it to provide an accurate picture of reality.

We hope you will join us !

Year-end thoughts from MEDIA FORUM for 2006:

2006 TRANSFORMATIONAL MEDIA ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
This year has seen much transformation in the media. From the sale of Clear Channel to the production of positive content in all areas of media production including:

  • DO GOODER GAMES - TIME magazine called them playstations with a "higher purpose" --they are activist
    video games which use their content to address real world issues. And they are a hit with both kids and teachers. The U.N. came up with a "Food Force" game that received more than 4 million downloads in 15 months! and we also had the MTV-affiliated "Darfur is Dying"--with more than 800,000 players since April, 2006. Let's hope that gamer's new crusade is "saving the world!"

  • MOVIES WITH A MESSAGE - Film Company Participants', CEO, Jeff Skoll, got the script for "Good Night, Good Luck"after it had been turned down by every studio in Hollywood. Skoll isn't just another new face in the crowd in LaLa land, he is a cofounder of EBay that felt the film would meld with Paticipant's mission: to change the world. North Country and Syriana also came from Jeff Skoll's vision and belief that "inspired viewers will take steps to bring about change. With each movie's release the company's partner website, Participate.net provides viewers with a way to get involved. Partnerships include working with A.C.L.U, Channel One, PBS, Salon.com and Satellite Radio. Kudos to Jeff Skoll who is living ATMA's
    mandate of media that educates and enlightens as well as entertains.

  • CONSCIOUS TV- One of the funniest and most relevant sitcoms to ever be created for television is My Name Is Earl, with Jason Lee. In its Emmy award winning second season, this delightful series, created by Hispanic writer, George Garcia, deals with karma and the premise that making amends and forgiving are the keys to a good and happy life. WOW! Be sure to watch on Thursday nights.

  • TIME's Invention of the Year goes to YouTube started by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley and Jawed Karim. They hacked together a simple routine for taking videos in any format and making them play in most web browsers on any computer. Viola! A new genre was born. They opened a portal into another dimension! People starting using it to tell their stories and as an outlet for their creativity. YouTube now airs 100 million videos and its users add 70,000 more a day!The videos may not be slick--but they are real and authentic. Less than a year after its release, YouTube has become a media giant in its own right--and a giant not controlled by the media establishment. The way blogs turned ordinary people into journalists, YouTube makes them into celebrities. Old media producers are now asking, "How do you stay relevant when people can entertain themselves?" By creating partnerships--as NBC, CBS, Universal Music, Sony and Warner Music are already doing. Go--YouTube!

    MOVIES ON A MISSION--Hats off to Stephen Simon and Dan Millman, for bringing us those wonderful metaphysical films, Peaceful Warrior and Conversations With God--both so well produced and demonstrating how the genre is advancing the mission of awakening the consciousness of the world. These films, along with "What the Bleep to We Know" are watershed events in the evolution of film making. We can only hope that 2007 brings us even more landmark spiritual cinema.

    We invite you to submit articles, commentaries and reviews to MEDIA FORUM