Abstract

AL GORE GETS DOWN

The article discusses former United States Vice President Al Gore's launching of a cable television network to inform young adults about political issues. The rap musician Mos Def was anchoring the pre-launch party for Gore's youth cable channel, Current, reflecting the reality of the television business, where hipness trumps values. What Current has become is quite different from the vision Gore and his partner, Joel Hyatt, started with. What began as an effort to challenge the right-wing domination of the corporate media has transformed into a business proposition to lure a youth audience with lofty rhetoric, new technology and pop-culture content. After the 2000 election, Gore became increasingly concerned about the conservative shift in the press. Whatever Gore and Hyatt create will not be part of a broader progressive movement reclaiming American media.