[hi idc folks, trebor asked me to report, so here it is in full--i posted day one<br>last weekend, but if you scroll you will also find notes on Day Two<br>with good summaries of state of activist/journalist thinking about
<br>press in times of war, and other hilites as noted at beginning below]<br><br><br>What: Report on the Media Reform conference in Memphis TN, organized by FreePress, Jan 12-14 2007<br><br>Reported by Megan Boler (University of Toronto) live from Memphis Jan 12-13 2007 Dr. Martin Luther King's birthday weekend
<br><br>Who: 3000 in attendance; Fashions: from policy wonk to funk and punk, new generation activists, media makers to journalists like NY Times veteran Helen Thomas to old liberals to FCC commissioners speakers wildly celebrated; 2000 allegedly watching bits online
<br><br>Where: downtrodden urban core in Memphis just blocks from the Lorraine Motel where MLK was shot down, now the site of amazing Civil Rights Museum.<br><br>Telling Quote from organizer Robert McChesney (at Saturday Night event featuring amazing Bush Impersonator which is a MUST SEE laugh! Check out
<a href="http://freepress.net/conference">freepress.net/conference</a>). Anyway, McChesney poses the question to this huge vast auditorium of 3000 with allegedly 2000 watching online: "How can we be progressive and non-partisan?" And notes that this is the key, the fact that they are being able to do this through the media reform movement.
<br><br>Shortcoming of conference: almost no discussion of open source, creative commons, pirate media<br><br>Keynote sessions include (Friday) Bill Moyers, Jesse Jackson, and on Saturday a line-up of 9 speakers, hilarious [MUST SEE] Bush Impersonator [Podus?] and MUST SEE Deepa Fernandez of WBAI pacifica (another must see from an unscheduled fab panel is Sam Husseini's amazing tactics, see
Thewashingtonstakeout.com.) These keynotes are some of the sessions being streamed by FreePress.net, so check it out.<br><br>Feel: revival meeting<br><br>Worries: that it is quintessentially liberal, reformist, not radical in approach
<br><br>Pleasant surprise: While big liberal non-profit dollars give a place and space for policy guys, journalists, media justice workers and media watchdogs and critics to meet and network and share amazing wealth of resources and information directed towards action.
<br><br><br>Notes on Day One <br><br>FRIDAY Jan 12 morning<br>3000 reported in attendance at this 3rd Media Reform conference (2200 attended in St. Louis 2005). Big energy! People are psyched that this represents a major social movement. Last night kicked off with a Save the Internet party on downtown Memphis.
<br><br>Major energy for media reform; most panels are journalists or activists. Very few academics speaking or present.<br><br>Amy Goodman from Democracy now! a big presence. She is making many appearances; and Pacifica is broadcasting many of the talks and speakers.
<br><br>Keynotes kickoff conference--both Bill Moyers and Jesse Jackson "preached," energizing the packed auditorium of progressives and liberals from across the U.S. (audience: mostly white, a small representation of African Americans and other folks of color. Women underrepresented on panels and plenaries.) Audience cheering and applauding the sermons about the need to fight, the battle we face against corporations, etc. "We have to tell the story ourselves" is the recurring theme.
<br><br>Plenary with Reverend Jesse Jackson, in honor of MLKing, spoke of King's struggles, need for economic justice in U.S., and MS media as limiting our world and views. Jackson drew attention to whiteness the media reform movement, of 3000 in room. Both Jackson and Moyers invoked need for hope and sense of not feeling alone at the end of their talks.
<br><br>bill moyers' theme: media has a "plantation mentality" (tho he never really talks about slavery or race)—press functions as mouthpiece for officials, lockstep. Moyers is working on a new video, "buying the war" about press leadup to invasion of Iraq. Towards beginning, he quotes Michael Schudson to the point that "print media" is the only press that really counts in the end (with which I strongly disagree). He concludes saying that digital revolution is our hope (without many details). "Digital media makes every citizen a Tom Paine," Moyers concludes. "Not a top down story anymore. Moyers said he almost didn't give a speech and instead was tempted to read aloud the recent book Digital Destiny by Jeff Chester which immediately sold out at book fair.
<br>NADIA: moyers gives some good quotes for your book concept on what is central is what has been forcibly forgotten, hidden, and omitted by press<br><br>Again, I note contradiction between the reform/policy approach to challenging big rich media, and the reality of grassroots, local, pirate, tactical web-based interventions. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH ATTENTION TO what I call DIGITAL DISSENT in these analyses of media reform. And what about revolution anyway? And histories of pirate media?
<br><br>An exception to above: I am currently sitting this afternoon in a packed session on Saving the Internet (Tim Wu, Adam Green, Matt Stoller, Frannie Wellings, Azlan White, Scott Goodstein) which is illustrating that this major overturn of ATT/BellSouth merger legislation was due to online viral organizing and activism. "we're not going to let the internet become like cable! They can be private, but culture of control cannot attack internet." What about creative commons? As my colleague John Willinsky asks, "what about non-proprietary, non-market networked info economy?" (Willinsky commends Benkler's Wealth of Networks) So far, in the Q&A, no one asking about this.
<br><br>(btw, Moyers strongly suggested calling it not Net Neutrality but Equal Access Provision. Tim Wu, in Saving Internet panel, is justifying that things "just get picked up…even if term "net neutrality" is not immediately clear as soundbyte..now it works." In his original essay in which he coined the term, he also used the term "broadband discrimination," but that wasn't picked up. I think I agree with Moyers and others that it might be smart to re-brand it with a term that is crystal clear to newcomers.
<br><br>The other packed session today was called "Inside Corporate Media—Can it Tell the Truth" with some good talks by working journalists including Jeff Cohen, Juan Gonzales, and Laura Washington, moderated by Phil Donahue.
<br><br><br>"We are the ones we've been waiting for." Gotta say, there's a nearly spiritual gospel element to the tone of this media reform "movement." And indeed the Huge Friday evening event to 3000 includes everything from Amy Goodman to a gospel choir followed by FCC commissioners…
<br><br>Saturday January 13<br><br>b/c I am lurking around to catch amy goodman for an interview for my MIT book (Tactics in Hard Times, forthcoming MIT 2008) I am missing citizen journalism panel, bummer ☹<br><br>Part of my purpose here is to interview Amy Goodman of DemocracyNow! And Robert McChesney of Free Press. I began an interview with Amy this morning in the midst of her juggling a constant stream of broadcast interviews and her presentations on three panels. We are speaking at 9:30 am, and someone calls her to remind her she's on an 11 am panel which she hadn't realized. Constantly text messaging and getting calls. Basically impossible to conduct an interview with her in this venue of 3000 media people who all interrupt us in the hallways. How in the world can she do all of this? I don't ask, but she actually says it at one point…"Why do I think I can do all this…" Yet she remains unflustered and open to anyone who wishes to speak to her, tons of community media activists approach her, artists, young journalists and old… In the course of our few moments she tells me, "You're doing great, just what I would do—keep hounding but without imposing." However, we got through half a question before Helen Thomas (47 year veteran of NY Times, now I think 70+, famous for not getting banished to back tear in white press room by Bush and others) arrives and Amy had to leave to conduct an interview to air. She tells me "we will do this, keep pestering me" but I am going to have to do this interview in NY or by phone.
<br><br>Last nite had a discussion with people who have been attending this media reform conference for all three conferences. They said there are many who are frustrated with issues I discussed yesterday—i.e., focus on official policy and avenues of democracy policy reform as opposed to tactics and piracy etc. Folks were saying that many share the frustrations, but this is the main conference and forum in
U.S. to come together.<br><br><br>11 am Panel on "Fighting for Air: The battle to Control America's AirWaves"–about 400 in room.<br>Pete Tridish: Prometheus radio: pirate radio station. "sick of the answers not given on Lehrer newshour…bought a kit and sautered it together… How can we compete with ClearChannel? Issued FCC a 7 pt platform for community radio…for every pirate station FCC harassed we put on 10 more… Succeeded, got FCC to change rules and allow pirate
radio.Removed my eye patch ☺ and continued to teach people how to start their own stations. Sideswiped by a legislative rider, took out ¾ of low-powered radio station in urban markets. Spent last 5 years in rural areas building radio stations, despite frequencies we can use, trying to get congress to change this rider. I am more of an anarchist than ever. We do Weekend Radio barn raisings….72 hours to make a radio station work, at end of weekend they flip it on and are in biz…[massive applause] gives info on how to get licenses for hi powered fm station, contact Prometheus and they will help. Alternatively, work with them to get low powered fm."
<br>[Refreshing to hear Pete's humility of these endeavors, very grassroots, radical, fantastic.]<br><br>Betty Yu Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) "media justice work in NY"…"Public access threatened by same bill that is protecting net neutrality! Effecting local access—phone co's trying to limit local access…b/c co's don't want to pay franchise fees for local access which they actually use..impact channel capacity and funding if they get out of paying taxes. They can serve just affluent areas and deny service to low income and rural communities. End of 2006 this legislation was stalled…however, the phone co's want to attack local media thru statewide franchises in 12 states that would end local franchising."
<br><br>Josh Silver of FreePress: "Blogs one of biggest drivers, esp in save internet. But no either/or—all fronts are important. Helpful to distinguish indy media; policy; media critique—when media lies/omits; and media justice, increasingly getting a voice in terms of representation. Conservatives understand value of local access, and equal access to Internet. Amy Goodman and Bill Moyers not liberal left but critical journalism. Boost to this movement was in 2003, 3 million from across political spectrum against FCC…then the issues around war coverage. I am policy guy: structural reform has limits. Not possible to envision quick change on media consolation. Radio opp's like Prometheus are crucial. Public broadcasting eroded, b/c under gavel of congress defunding and partisan approach. Real hope for radical change in media future is the Internet. TV, radio, phone etc are all delivered by broadband. Policy debates are NOW. If we win, every single website can become a TV network or radio station. We have to win, b/c this will break the commercial bottleneck."
<br><br>Amy Goodman: "Important to me to be in Memphis this weekend where Dr MLK was assassinated. Important that Media Reform is being held in the South. MLK Fighting for sanitation workers, room 306 at Lorraine Motel here in Memphis. She discusses when she and others were in Seattle at beginning of
<a href="http://indymedia.org">indymedia.org</a> "what matters is getting truth on the ground" … WTO: watching TV at beginning showing us corporate delegations and ministers of trade, while ignoring images of arrests…democ now was working with deep dish and paper tiger, in 2001 we started on TV, collaboration with indy media world. M&M tells us, wants to broadcast through video..ok, as long as this signal doesn 't interrupt radio the heart of what we do…"
<br><br>Goodman continues: "9/11…our grief is not a cry for war…we had to get out message that NY was not calling fro war. Broadcasting DemocNow thru Pacifica and then MNN FedExing tapes through deep dish and paper tiger..free speech TV thru boulder co, let's go on to pubic access stations. We were doing podcasting before that's what it was called. 2002 east timor. We sent compressed DVDs of interviews…DemNow is a huge team effort, Juan Gonzales, many producers…and all diff indy media outlets to broaden platform…in East Timor, we would race to airport and find nun, soldier, priest and ask them to mail DVDs…invasion of iraq..jeremy scahill and Jackie, sending broadcast quality video of events in Iraq in 2003. The pride it gives people when there is a different perspective on air….thanks to all the producers (she names them all who are here in Memphis). There is groundswell of demand that we put "public" back in media…[amy Goodman then gets a standing ovation]
<br><br>1 pm…Andy Bichlbaum of Yes Men scheduled to appear at 1 cancelled. I take the super quaint but central transport of trolley down Main St to the Civil Rights Museum. Downtown Memphis is dead and gutted like so many urban downtown cores. The museum is incredible and packed…the actual Lorraine Motel where MLK was killed, incredible curated installations on entire history of civil rights, historical photos and info, original documents, footage, videos from the CR movement. Packed with people. Amazing space in the middle of totally closed, mostly abandoned old downtown of Memphis TN.
<br><br>2:30 pm<br>Session on "Bubbling Up: My Space, Youtube, Social Networking & Political Change". packed room, one of few sessions on sociable networking here.<br><br>James Rucker from ColorofChange (he founded this after leaving
MoveOn.org) (late from museum, missed his talk ☹<br><br>Big intro pitch from Dina Kaplan of BlipTV on benefits of videoblogging, especially featuring AliveinBaghdad young man's site streamed from Baghdad. Good question about difference between YouTube and Blip.
<br><br>Next speaker Joan "McJoan" McCarter, Daily Kos, avid blogger, talking about how blogging shaped different state elections. How does blog effect policy change? Energize America, etc egs of online organizing that are able to turn into policy—legislators or fed org's etc that are either using that info from blogs, or online networks that consolidate into policy. Lost effort: attempts to stop nomination of Alberto Gonzales."
<br><br>Lots of emphasis on creating community through these online networks. Haven't heard anything radically new…inadequate answers and knowledge about access, and not any questions of non-proprietary options of networks.
<br><br>4 pm 500 people at panel on "The Press at War and the War on the Press"<br>Moderator Geneva Overholser opens panel saying that (1) the media reform folks should not be making sweeping generalizations that all MSM is corrupt; and (2) that there should be more representation of women and people of color here.
<br><br>Sonali Kolhatker, Afghan Women's Mission and KPFK addresses coverage of forgotten war in Afghanistan. No other media in Kabul—eg, in Feb 2005 she was able to get NATO on phone from Kabul easily to deliver her report and get story in press. Short and sweet, to the point, 5 minutes!
<br><br>Paul Rieckhoff, author of Chasing Ghosts and founder of Iraq and Afg. Vets of America. "Members of media failed us in early moments of Iraq…why was Janet jackson's exposed breast biggest story? Why is Donald Trump more important than Fallujah…soldiers call it Forgotistan. Only 1% of pop has served in military as compared to 12% in WWII. This creates problem of unseen human cost of war. Never see dead American soldier on TV…[btw, The Nation's recent issue has front page story of Soldiers opposed to the war] Embeds totally compromise journalist integrity. Encouraged by vets coming home who are sharing stories publicly. Bloggers are doing excellent job as well of offering accountability. DOD shuts these guys down but u should seek out bloggers in Iraq and US soldiers on Iraq."
<br><br>Helen Thomas…57 years as correspondent for UPI, author of 4 books, most recent Watchdogs of Democracy? [unequivocal STANDING OVATION!!!] <br><br>"American press corps has lost its way…supposed to search for truth, keep spotlite on public officials. No reason for the media to have played along, and no apologies from powers that be. We were called unpatriotic if we spoke out…we gave up our one weapon, skepticism.. Congress rolled over like we did. No way to measure cost to Iraq and to
U.S. In this disgraceful era we've seen the production of misinformation…reporting and parting…came out of comas for Katrina. Don't know why reporters didn't ask hard questions in 2003-04….soundbytes cannot replace a good solid story…we've witnessed chipping away of civil liberties…impunity for wiretapping… Where is the liberal press we hear so much about? I say, Bring em on!!! [applause] You can't have a free country w/o a free press." [another standing ovation]
<br><br>Eric Boehlert, Media Matters for America, author of Lapdogs. Picks up on Geneva's point, "we shouldn't whack the MSM press…diff between lib and cons critique of press…[he disses Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter]…Bush will be remembered for this mess of war, and press will be remembered for their bad job. This war would not have been possible w/o this press, the 'war on terror' press. Worst press failing of last century…March 2003, 10 days before invasion, Bush comes out w/ cheat sheet of who he's going to call on and makes joke "This is scripted" haha, while journalists did pretense of shooting up hands as if they would be called on, classic kabuki theater. 13 refs to Al Qaeda, no one asked abt it, no follow up questions. Cable shows went wall to wall w/talking heads, all pro war on hard ball…all articulate critics of war had been shown exit door. In theory, 1st uncensored war..photographers were in fact sending back incredible horrible photos, but editors were censoring. IN 2005-06, revisionist theory came about…now claims about journalists having their hands tied, b/c democrats weren't speaking out against war..Not true! IN 2002 Wash Post wrote 200 artciles on war, 1 million words, and gave Ted Kennedy's speech against war 30 words total. 26 op eds in favor of war from Nov 2002-March 2003. yes, where IS liberal media?"
<br><br>Sara Olson, <a href="http://freepresswg.org">freepresswg.org</a>, reporter who is being subpoened conducted interview with Ltn Watada, "I talked an hour w/ Watada abt his reasons to speak out against Iraq war, he is up on counts related to charges for speaking to press." Thus Olson has been subpoenaed, "but I feel it is not my job to testify against my own sources, particularly with regard to political speech. We must not turn journalists into investigative arm of govt, and it chills speech, reporters would then be deterred from wanting to investigate controversial issues." Audience goes crazy applauding her. She is becoming a face of this movement for journalist integrity re: sources, wait and see!
<br><br>Trial is Feb 5-9, and if she refuses faces a felony charge and possible jailtime. She mentions, Josh Wolf is a journalist now in jail 144 days, on Feb 6 would be longest imprisonment of any journalist. Sara concludes, "I'm here at the Media Reform conference b/c I need your support, need you to write letters. I want army to know if it insists on eviscerating 1st amendment they are facing whole movement of people."
<br><br>Josh Wolf's mother appears on stage: "Josh has been in jail 144 days…go to <a href="http://joshwolf.net">joshwolf.net</a>,we need to keep his case in public eye, we need money, we need publicity…he is in jail b/c he is standing up for a free press..help in anyway you can."
<br><br>Helen Thomas on war on press: "for two years in press room Ari Fleischer said Saddam Hussein-- 9/11 every day in same breath for 2 years. But there is sea change…"<br><br>Paul again f vets against war: "Military has high mistrust of media…admin has used repetition…but American people have woken up, they might be slow but they're not stupid. Don't let the Bush admin blame the media or blame the Iraqis."
<br><br><br><br>Special Evening session on War Reporting and Impeachment (not on program):<br><br>An event moderated by a fairly rad guy David Swanson from <a href="http://Afterdowningstreet.org">Afterdowningstreet.org</a>
, Dave is all about impeachment:"Failure to impeach—he cites claims impeachment is not on agenda b/c of fear of media. Vastly more popular support to impeach Bush than Clinton. Why are polling comapny's not reporting, not polling, not reporting on populace desire for impeachment for war crimes? Downing st memo was heard abt only b/c of protests. Announces current Movement to produce 1000s of Youtubes for impeachment…"
<br><br>Amazing report from Mark Manning, indy filmmaker who did Caught in the Crossfire, who spent time in Iraq witnessing and filming civilian experience. <a href="http://Conceptionmedia.net">Conceptionmedia.net</a><br>
<br>Amy Goodman gives Mark Manning big plug. Then, turns to "embedding…has brought US media to all time low. We need to see them embedded in Iraqi hospitals and communities, and not just iraq and afg but in every jail, school, hospital here in
U.S. As journalists we have to be very careful abt words we use: "war on terror," "surge," "Operation Iraqi Freedom", the world that is undercovered in the media—poor, those who are iced out, those are the people whose voices need to be represented. media is a huge kitchen table that we all have a seat out. Anything less than that is not a democracy."
<br><br>Next up was Sam Husseini—and you MUST WATCH: <a href="http://Thewashingtonstakeout.com">Thewashingtonstakeout.com</a><br>Hilarious stints of him chasing down US congressmen asking things like "Sir, as head of Intelligence Cte, can you tell me whether Israel has WMD? Sir?" while congressmen ducks for cover and Sam trots after him like an innocent puppy dog.
<br>[from their website"The Washington Stakeout is a project in new journalism and accountability. Week-in, week-out, day-in, day-out, public figures responsible for and able to influence policy make themselves available in Washington,
DC.The Washington Stakeout strives to take advantage of these opportunities and ask direct questions — we think the answers and non-answers, confirmations, denials and non-denials will be telling.The Washington Stakeout is: Sam Husseini, reporter; Chris Belcher, videographer, video editor; Matthew Bradley, web production, researcher."]
<br><br>Normon Solomon from FAIR, "agrees with impeachment's importance but impossibility of impeaching corporate media. Thru grassroots organizing need to widen debate, and Bush admin is guilty of war crimes."<br><br>Jeff Cohen does his entertaining rap on how MSM and cable back away from anything sounding liberal or left. Notes that Progressive democrats of America are going to march on Washington in January 27
www.pdamerica.org-- he suggests the march should target The Washington Post.<br><br>Sat nite plenary 8 pm opening Bob McChesney. Estimates of attendance—conservative estimate 3500 here, 2000 online, and thousands through Pacifica broadcasts "we have 'right' to media, not privilege"
<br><br>"Why has movement exploded? People realize that media is not 'natural' but made in our name and w/o consent… non-partisan but progressive. How possible?"<br><br>I'm fried on typing everyone. But let me say, you MUST watch online at freepress the streamed version of Sat nite these bits: Bush Impersonator [for a laugh] and Deepa Fernandez, a WBAI Pacifica journalist and producer. Deepa's talk summarizes for me THE missing dimension from this otherwise pretty amazing huge event and movement, however you feel about the liberal wraparound there's a lot of rad stuff going on with media production and savvy journalism all over the world.
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