John Boyer

John Boyer is a lecturer, producer, and founder of the Media for America website following the National Conference on Media Reform in November of 2003.  Boyer has taught in the Television and Media Arts program on the Newark Campus at Rutgers University from 1994-2002.  He founded the �Youth Civic Media Project, Network Newark-N.J.� as a way to encourage college students interested in multimedia production to document other under-reported civic programs in need of exposure and funding.  Boyer�s previous work includes working as a public affairs television researcher and producer for PBS, specializing in international affairs in the media and senior producer on the acclaimed 1992 documentary, �On Television: Teach the Children.�  Boyer also produced the 1996 national PBS documentary, �Media Literacy:  The New Basic� with John Merrow.  Boyer now lives and works in Washington D.C., where he supports the Youth Civic Media Projects, the media reform, and the establishment of the digital dividends trust fund that funds research and development of the public sector educational technology in which Network Newark, N.J. is an example.

Boyer�s website, Media for America, can be found at www.mediaforamerica.org.  His daughter was instrumental in helping develop the website.  Media for America started following the National Conference on Media Reform in November 2003 in Madison, WI.  2,000 media activists, broadcasters, academics, journalists, policy makers, and others joined together to celebrate the opposition of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) vote that allowed even greater concentration of the media ownership in the United States.  Media for America includes other links to explore as well as how to get involved through groups like Our Democracy and Free Press.  Boyer also recommends visiting local television stations and inquiring about what they claim to be serving as public interest as well as their intake from public advertising from the current election. 

Media for America works with several seniors, church groups, and media educators to raise awareness and to voice their opposition to a 3 to 2 vote that the FCC to allow even greater concentration of media ownership in the United States.

Boyer recommends watching and reading all kinds of media from American media to geo-political media including the foreign press.  He believes that by examining cross-culture than the citizen can receive unbiased and more information regarding politics and other news.