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Thar be good things ahead as we commence sailing this ship forth!

Free that Lee!

Introducing “Free Henri Lee – the T-shirt”, and “Free Henri Lee – the stickers.”

Check out Red Bubble Tees for all products. Order away and spread the message of the Lee this summer.

Huge thanks to the man, the legend, the supreme Justin of Air Drawn Industries for the ongoing support and all round excellence.

Click “Read More” for the Vid.

If you’re going to protest, THIS is how you do it.

Announced on the 11^th of September 2011 by the Minister for Communications, Senator Stephen Conroy, an independent inquiry has now been launched into the Australian media.  The inquiry was instigated on the basis that

“The Australian Government believes it is incumbent upon government to ensure regulatory processes and industry structures are sufficiently strong to support the continuation of a healthy and independent media that is able to fulfill its essential democratic purpose, and to operate in the public interest.”

In one of the first submissions to the print media inquiry, Bob Brown claimed that the inquiry ‘had been “trammeled by the fear” after being branded as unwarranted by some of the newspapers it was investigating before it had even begun.  The media “owned by the wealthy” was happy to hound people when it suited, but “they do not like to be hounded themselves”’.

The Sydney Morning Herald story tells of Ninemsn arguing ‘the concept of quality journalism would evolve with the needs of audiences, “not with what a government regulator wants journalists to produce”’.

SMH’s sister paper, The Age, reported that a Dr Martin Hirst, Associate Professor at Deakin Uni’s School of Communications was “blown away” as to how obvious a negative slant News Limited and in particular The Australian newspaper placed on stories about the government.

The same piece talks of academic Robert Manne’s submission to the inquiry and that while he was concerned as to the amount of control News Limited had, particularly on political coverage, he “would be worried about further statutory limits on freedom”.

But…before we’re too deep in to the issue, let’s pause and rewind for a minute – back to a time called 1993 when Whoomp!…there it was, when hard drives were still measured in megabytes and grunge shirts were the uniform of disaffected youth.

1993 was also the year that Walkley and Logie Award winning journalist Iain Gillespie released “Fear or Favour“, a 53 minute documentary on cheque book journalism, free speech and flexible ethics in Australia.  Whether watching one of the three short snippets still available online or digging up the full deal through the National Film and Sound Archive, it becomes quickly evident that nothing has changed in the 18 years since it was released.

Gillespie kicks things off by boldly declaring “We’re going to question the questioners”.  We being the royal we and the questioners being his then journalist colleagues.  With his Selleck moustache firmly in place he continues, “Journo’s decide what’s ethical and what’s not about their own behavior…(but)…to who or what are they accountable?”.

Wait, WAIT!  Sound familiar?

Regarding journalists, he asks (again, in 1983) if “Doctors can be kicked out and lawyers can be disbarred – what happens if you’re unethical?”.  “Journalists do have a code of ethics…administered by the union” (now the Media Arts Entertainment Alliance, the current ethics can be found here).

“But from here the search for a code of journalists’ behavior that is actually enforced becomes a puzzle worthy of Sherlock Holmes”.

He then explains, and as is still the case, that the Journalists’ Union has the power to fine, suspend or expel a journalist.  But at that point, and to this day, that’s really the full extent of the powers of the body.

Fear or Favour also acknowledges the Australian Press Council (ignoring radio and television), funded by newspaper proprietors and dealing with complaints against publications rather than actual journalists.  Whilst complaints to the Australian Press Council are dealt with in public, complaints against specific journalists are handled behind closed doors and out of the public eye – unless there’s a legal issue at heart as is the case with the recent conviction of Andrew Bolt of racial vilification.

At the time of the release of the film, outlets such as The Age were implementing a special charter which augured well for journalism with integrity and a strong motivation for quality writing and reporting.  However, this itself has now lost some bite with the outsourcing of sub-editing for The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald to Pagemasters, a division of Australian Associated Press.  If you’re to believe the information on the AAP website, “Australian Associated Press is one of only a handful of news agencies worldwide not funded or influenced by its government.” but does admit that it “is run on a commercial basis.”

So exactly who has commercial interests in AAP?  Four organisations: John Fairfax Holdings, News Limited, West Australian Newspapers and Rural Press.  While at face value it’s at least not just another News Limited subsidiary in its entirety, the big players in media are still at the helm with Fairfax and News owning a collective 90%.

Although not in the clips of Fear or Favour available online, the full footage shows a slightly lower paid Neil Mitchell who openly admits that profit (in the form of circulation, readership, advertising dollars etc.) is the prime motive of the journalist and the media outlets rather than integrity or quality of journalism.

And don’t forget, this was in 1993 – long before the internet was the behemoth it is now and long before the proliferation of online advertising, the revenue of which is increasing at an exponential rate.

It doesn’t take a genius to dismiss certain current affairs programs as unreliable, more often than not peddling misinformation, hysteria and fear.  Take Today Tonight as an example and as recently taken to task by Media Watch.  Their piece aired on the 24^th of October this year regarding luxury living asylum seekers was torn to pieces as being completely inaccurate, with interviews and comments obtained either through misinformation or without the knowledge let alone explicit approval of the subjects.  Against any professional or personal code of ethics, a particularly shady practice.

Even back in 1993, Iain Gillespie refers to the video editing process of news footage as “electronic wizardry” and potentially slanting of a story.  Whilst the humour of shows such as ABC’s The Chaser and now Hamster Wheel, may not appeal to you – you have to hand it to them along with the long running Media Watch for pulling apart purportedly factual reporting and uncovering such instances of misleading editing practices.

Which then brings us to morning “current affairs” shows like Sunrise and Today.  So much of the content is thinly veiled product placement dressed up as newsworthy when it’s really only one step away from your Zoot Review or Brand Power news styled advertorial.  Not that there’s necessarily anything wrong with advertorial  - however, dipping the proverbial turd in glitter further blurs the line between what is actually true and factual and what is, in fact, a turd.

So what’s the solution or how can we as consumers of news can make a difference?  By heeding the advice of an old journalist in the closing minutes of his now 18 year old expose: by not watching the news service we know is corporately driven and by not buying and reading the paper with proven far right leanings.  Switch it off and while you’re at it, bin the poor excuse for a print publication.  Wherever you source your news, at least exercise a discerning eye and an keep open mind.

At the risk of sounding like a left-wing latte drinker, you can generally trust news services like your BBC’s and ABC’s.  The fact they’re government run would ring alarm bells in countries with governments controlling the mainstream media with an iron fist.  However, the nature of the ABC here in Australia is that while it’s fiscally slim and run on the smell of an oily rag, they operate under the Australian Broadcasting Corporation Act, ABC Charter and ABC Code of Practice as well as being held accountable to strict editorial policies.  These additional checks and balances mean facts are verified absolutely not to mention the consideration of avoiding any costly defamation or libel lawsuits.  Not only can the ABC cost themselves penalty money according to the various acts and guidelines under which they’re governed, they can jeopardise funding in one fell swoop.

So…let’s get back to the elephant in the room.

*LOOKS AT THE FURROW BROWED OCTOGENARIAN UP THE BACK AND CAREFULLY AVOIDS HIS JUDO CHOPPING SIDEKICK*

Ah yes, Rupert Murdoch and the News Limited empire.  The bods who own 70% of newspapers circulated in Australia not to mention various rather significant former and current assets including magazine publishing interests and at the News Corporation parent company level, TV, radio, online, film/production and entertainment assets.  News Corporation is second only in size to the BBC as a broadcaster.  No matter how you look at it – that’s all ten of Rupert and Co’s fingers in a lot of pies.

Which is why now is a good time to revisit media ethics with a legal binding and a full government review of media ownership, with not just commercial interests and shareholders as a focus.  While not advocating a break up of monopolistic media owners, we need to question the position and motivations of those who control the news agenda and yield strong political influence.

By no means do we need full government control and regulation of the media a la China but surely a rational, logical and honest discussion can’t be a bad thing?

“And if we are to produce a more civilized society, a more just society, it has to be based upon the truth. Because judgements which are not based upon the truth can only lead to outcomes which are themselves false.” – Julian Assange

Coming soon to Free Henri Lee…part two…well, sort of…

But the vision is the big one.

To get the ball rolling, we’ve attempted to draft up a kind of “Henri Lee Humanistic Conception,” which is really just a basic statement of values and preliminary directives for the better world to come.

Call us a bunch of rampant idealists all you want. Guilty as charged, dreamers we are. If our lives are the product of our thoughts, and we paint the pictures of our imaginations each and every moment we dwell on this earth, then we have to dream.

Think unashamedly big, if we want to build something great!

The Henri Lee Humanistic Conception

Henri Lee envisions a world in which…

- Love and truth really come into vogue

- Deception and fear become relics of the past

- Violence is a nonexistent phenomenon; war, no longer an accepted means of conduct

- Individuals empower themselves with free access to knowledge and information

- A balance of commerce returns to the community with emphasis on “Localisation”

- Spirituality is openly discussed and explored to bridge learning between wisdom traditions and religions

- Human sexuality is candidly explored, discussed, debunked and emancipated from societal guilt, fear and disinformation

- Society’s “scripts” are overhauled and binned if necessary

- Media is diversified, driven by integrity not profit

- Corporates no longer share sleeping quarters with politicians

- Wealth is distributed with greater fairness

- Abundance is thought of as a package deal — spiritual, emotional, psychological — not just material

- We make better informed choices about what and how we eat, and rekindle the relationship from food to plate

- Poverty is no longer tolerated

- Creativity is harnessed and considered paramount to human happiness

- Humans live in greater happiness

We think this is a fine place to start. Let us know what you think. What should we add? Comment below, or drop us a line at the mail icon at the top of the page. We’ll be exploring this stuff with you in the weeks and months to come. Stay Tuned!

Photo courtesy of Planetwaves

You. One and all.

Welcome.

Sincerely, welcome to YOU!

You have arrived here today whether or not you recognize that you have within you Henri Lee.

Accordingly, you understand, or at least will soon come to understand, that that Henri Lee of yours longs to be FREE, and it’s time to unleash.

Henri Lee, you say? Me? Yes—You. Yes—Henri Lee.

“Who or what is Henri Lee?” I hear you mutter.

A fine question…

We could ruminate on the philosophical, spiritual and symbolic ramifications of who or what Henri Lee is, was, or isn’t…but to dig a little brevity, let us think of Henri Lee as the inner part of all of us that feels the most alive, feels the most love, that thrives on life and longs for freedom from the restrictions and limitations of the outside world.

Henri Lee is your personal power, your creative urge, your positive ju-ju, your vibe, your mojo, the essence of your being—the truthful YOU! Henri Lee is the creative power lurking inside you that you forgot you had, hid away or have yet to discover.

You may have noticed that it’s been a pretty wild ride on planet earth this year and the years prior.  There have been enough bumps, jilts, norths and souths to drive a person wild, a veritable rollercoaster ride both for us as individuals and together as a race of people. The past months alone are an indication of an acceleration, of a burgeoning transformation taking place in world affairs. Technology is moving full steam ahead, political trust has never been shakier, global climate change is prevalent and our world financial system feels like a wild west wagon with it’s wheels teetering over a cliff. Things once thought of as unrouseable pillars are showing signs of crumbling – old structures, limitations, institutions, roles, scripts, ideas and conceptions about life and relationship that no longer work for us and no longer serve us. All of this dovetails in what’s being marked as a new social activist movement of the information age, where grassroots creative communities such as this one unite to advance a fresh agenda, a new canvas and a set of ideas brewing, poised to enter stage right. The Occupy Movement and the solidarity from New York to Tarhir Square is a fine example of things to come.

Amidst this rapid quickening of affairs we’ve noticed that consciousness itself is changing. We are all moving somewhere fast, and the feeling is that we’re between something—neither where we left off, nor where we are headed. In this vacuum we have the choice to make changes that we want and need at this point of our collective ride on earth.

Here’s where Henri Lee comes in. The key to transformation, if we want to evolve together, is to do the inner work–to start expressing our true selves. Through individual transformation, we transform the external world. It’s up to us to direct the flow and direction, to where we want to go and be who we want to be. In this liminal, evolutionary moment, we are being asked to sing, dance, write, love, laugh, create, speak with truth and do what you know you are here to do. Life really is too short to not to create, make art and make love. It’s time stop giving yourself excuses not to.

We should add that freeing ones Henri lee doesn’t necessarily mean you should give up your day job tomorrow and begin uncharacteristically wielding a Bhagavad Gita, a fresh easel, a copy of Ginsberg’s Howl and a party pack of Ayahuasca. By all means go for it if the urge compels you. Shave your head and start chanting Hari Hari on the streets. However, Henri Lee is more an ethic, a way of processing consciousness and negotiating reality—an inner attitude. Ultimately, it’s what YOU define it to be, for YOU. It’s about finding out who you truly are, towards living a more truthful, authentic life.

The Free Henri Lee project aims to be the vanguard for this incredible moment of global revelation and revolution. We are a cheer squad for the freedom of the individual, and therefore, the freedom of the collective. We wear spandex and brandish pom poms. Additionally, we aim to function as a creative community, sharing practical advice, journalistic articles, feature pieces, creative visions, works of art, digital media and inspirational works from a wide range of contributors.

Want to contribute? Free your Lee online? Send us what you’ve got. We’ll publish it.

So, when the days get hectic and life feels like an Atlas Shrugged-style boulder attached itself to your weary shoulders, get online, read, contribute, comment and connect. Take a breath, remember that we’re all surfin’ this weird, wild wave together, and remind yourself that it’s crucial to keep your dreams flowin’.

Sure, we’ve got a little work to do on earth at the moment. Most of you would agree that there are a few things awry with the human experiment that demand our urgent attention and awareness. We’ll get there. With the birth of human #7,000,000,000 last month, we’re well-staffed for the job. Furthermore, momentum, history and the infinite power of the cosmos are all in our corner rootin’ for us.

Einstein once said that problems can never be fixed at the level of consciousness which created those problems in the first place. Through freeing our Henri Lee, we create awareness; we live with truth, we open ourselves to existence. We evolve. Our consciousness transforms. Problems turn into solutions.

So creak that cage open, prize the Lee free and get evolvin’ NOW. And remember to have some fun while you’re doing it.

The skies are blue and glorious and they’re waiting for our dreams.

“This is the Revolution: Shake everything up – your body, mind, heart, ideas, understandings and everyday routines. Shake yourself into ecstatic truth…embracing what you love, daydreaming, questioning, rebelling…what happens then is a groundswell of support for this new way of being, with more and more people empowered to perform new gestures unencumbered by history”

- Memewarriors.org