For all of that has been made recently about the root causes of global-scale problems, it seems to me that more consideration could be devoted to the genesis of ones at home.

On the twentieth anniversary of 9/11, I have felt compelled to further consider not only the benefits but the responsibilities of citizenship.

Despite all the entrepreneurship, industry, ambition, and initiative – not to mention the profound heroism – expressed there, I, like many, believe America – and, even, New York – was never about the stock market or wall street; and that this truism is better voiced.

While no one for a moment believes we owe any debt of gratitude to the murderers who attacked us twenty years ago – uncreative bullies who would shoot to kill people – it still seems important to recognize that our enemies zeroed in not just on our strengths, such as our freedom, our participatory form of governance, and our confident determination to defend ourselves when needed, but our weaknesses as well, including, arguably, an unwillingness to hold our own accountable.

Looking ahead, it is important to survey and shore up our weaknesses as a team, encourage one another, certainly, and to confront those who knowingly operate corporations with enormous potential for good but that are choosing to rot our country from the inside out instead and keep our eye on the central pillar of strength we must guard and defend – our democracy.

When dealing with the approaches of media corporation leaders, we need to be willing to remind them, firmly, that they are operating in an arena with rules. I have felt so inspired by several films recently; and, while the physicality of the example does not apply, I believe the inward qualities – such as confidence and persistence – needed today are not unlike the ones expressed by boxing hero James Braddock in his 1934 comeback fight against competitor Corn Griffin as rendered so beautifully sixteen years ago by actor Russell Crowe. In one of the most galvanizing moments in Cinderella Man, after getting knocked down almost immediately, Braddock gets back up and faces down his opponent fearlessly, mustering the nerve to look him directly in the eye. For long enough, media corporations have been told indirectly that there are more creative ways to make a profit than to establish zones where human rights go unrecognized; and it is time to tell them directly.

Here it feels important to underscore the obvious truism that the golden rule applies to all people, including media corporation leaders. But, because they are not living beings, the golden rule does not apply to publicly-traded brands.

I loved my early years at CNN but believe recent revelations of AT&T’s newest business strategy illustrate nothing more than a zoom-out of what many media corporations have done all along – produce all the harmful and profit-first programming they want while protecting flagship brands. And I believe the racket of separate brand properties needs to be exposed.

Despite all the progress the recent women’s movement made toward helping prevent America’s form of governance from devolving from a democracy into one operated almost solely by for-profit journalism companies, for-power media companies, and marketers, I feel it as if these very organizations have since taken hostage the, also much-needed, African American rights movement, making persistence in speaking up about the deficiencies of their business model difficult.

We hear often that whatever doesn’t kill us makes us stronger, but, one could argue, we do not hear enough that, with regard to enemies like greed and corruption, this can also be true. Martin Luther King said the time is always right to do what is right; and I believe continuing to speak about where there is room for improvement in our communications infrastructure is worthwhile, although I hope I do not permanently feel alone in doing so.

I wonder whether it is possible that our greatest unifying strength today may be in recognizing that there exist more than just media corporations’ view of the world and that additional views should be heard – not always simply paid off or silenced. While it seems the case is being made through the proxy of fictional television that the beginning of reform in nonfiction television is underway, I do not believe it. I am open to the possibility, however, and would simply point out that, if this were true, media companies would prove it by apologizing for their behavior – and putting their mouth where their money is.

(Thumbnail image taken at Chambers Street Subway Station)