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NEWS & LETTERS, February - March 2007'No Media Justice'Memphis, Tenn.--Over 3,000 people came to the National Media Reform Conference here in January. Many are part of local struggles, frustrated by local and national media endlessly repeating the propaganda of corporations and government and shutting out movement voices and ordinary citizens. Many were outraged by the corporate media's subservience to the Bush administration's lies and its war on Iraq. At the same time, participants criticized independent media, media reform organizations and the conference itself for being dominated by white males and for missing certain crucial issues. Over 100 women and a few men attended the workshop "There Is No Media Justice Without Women." Amid the stories of self-organization of women, especially women of color, the audience expressed anger at the fact that this was the only workshop devoted to women, that panel after panel at the conference was dominated by white men, that women of color were almost completely absent from the lists of plenary speakers, and that gay and lesbian speakers were missing. Activists from the Memphis Center for Independent Living took over the lunch break with a surprise speakout on the need to shine a light on policies that force people with disabilities into institutions. Both the corporate and independent media have failed to adequately report the atrocities happening in nursing homes, and the movement of people with disabilities demanding home care. Much criticism was aimed at the mainstream media, including a concrete, searing denunciation by Helen Thomas of the national reporters covering the White House, who spinelessly acted as "stenographers" for the warmongering administration. The other side of the war promotion is the war on independent reporters covering anti-war activities. Sarah Olson spoke of how she and other reporters who had interviewed Lt. Ehren Watada (see "Tule Lake: Dignity and Survival," August-September 2006 N&L) have been subpoenaed to testify against him at court-martial. Watada is being tried for refusing to deploy to Iraq. Olson and the other reporters may face six months in prison if they don't testify. Conferees strongly supported her stance of refusing "to act as the eyes and ears of the government." Olson also drew attention to Josh Wolf, who may soon become the longest imprisoned journalist in U.S. history. Wolf refused to give federal prosecutors his raw footage of a 2005 protest in San Francisco against the G8 summit. Wolf suspects prosecutors are trying to identify political activists. Information on supporting these journalists can be found at http://joshwolf.net/freejosh/ and http://www.freepresswg.org --Franklin Dmitryev |
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