[1402] in peace2
MEDIA FORUM AT MIT ON MONDAY!
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Anand Sarwate)
Sun Jan 27 10:37:16 2002
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Date: Sun, 27 Jan 2002 10:37:10 -0500
To: peace-list@mit.edu
From: Anand Sarwate <asarwate@MIT.EDU>
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We apologize if you receive duplicate copies of this message.
However, we would appreciate it if you would pass this along
to those who you feel may be interested in this event.
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The MIT Western Hemisphere Project presents:
a Forum for Independent Media on:
THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE
History/Culture/Economics/Politics
* media fair * lectures * panel discussions *
* film screenings *
28 January 2002
10.30 AM -- 5.00 PM
3rd Floor, MIT Student Center
For directions and schedule:
http://web.mit.edu/hemisphere/events/freespeech.shtml
hemisphere-admin@mit.edu
For more information:
With "globalization" and increasing concentration of ownership
in the mass media, people in the US who want to know about
causes and effects in the Americas often find themselves limited
to a narrow menu of "mainstream" information sources.
Meanwhile there is an active sub-culture of independent media -
from small presses whose books are rarely seen at Barnes &
Noble or Borders - to scholars, web-sites, journalists, and
so-called "pirate" radio stations. Come meet these independent
publishers, writers, poets, & activists and find out about their
work. They will be there to give presentations and address your
questions.
10:45
Human Rights & Civil Liberties in the Americas: After September 11
Josh Rubenstein (Amnesty International)
Joshua Rubenstein, North-East Regional Director of Amnesty USA,
will survey the state of human rights and civil liberties across
the Americas, including in the USA. Both "terrorists" and
"legitimate" governments often argue that "the ends justify the
means" -- we will examine the consequences that innocent people
must endure when those who have or want power justify their
actions in this way.
12:00
Cuba and Iraq: Under the Gun of US Sanctions
George Capaccio (Voices in the Wilderness)
George Capaccio will make the case that US economic sanctions
target the most vulnerable members of Cuban and Iraqi society,
create unnecessary hardship and misery, and ultimately fail in
their political objectives. Drawing from personal experience,
Capaccio will present evidence of the deadly impact of US
sanctions on the ordinary people of Iraq. He will also compare the
Cuban and Iraqi experience of sanctions in relation to the US
government's interest in dominating the natural resource supplies
of both the Western Hemisphere and the Middle East.
1:00pm
Davos/NY and Porto Alegre: Can the Media Get It Right?
Kevin Murray (Grassroots International)
When the New York Times' resident expert on foreign affairs was
asked about one of the largest social movements in the developing
world, he claimed never to have heard of it. The evidence in his
columns suggests that he may have been telling the truth. Bankers,
industrialists, and politicians from the rich nations meet in
Davos, Switzerland, every year to discuss how the global economy
ought to be run -- and the mass media tell us all about it.
Whereas when people who take an alternative approach to economic
development convene every year in Porto Alegre, Brazil, we hear
nothing. Kevin Murray, Executive Director of Grassroots
International, will help us investigate this curious phenomenon.
2:00pm
All Politics is Glocal: Organizing to Communicate for Global Justice
Charlotte Ryan, Media Research and Action Project, Boston College
Suppose you and your friends would like to change some aspect of
the political environment. You probably have much enthusiasm for
your cause but very little money to spare. How do you organize
your group to use mainstream and independent media to convince an
apathetic and skeptical world that you should be taken seriously?
We'll talk to Charlotte Ryan, scholar and author, who runs the
Media Research and Action Project at Boston College. If she does
not know how to address this question, no one does.
3:00pm
Independent Media: Independent of What?
John Grebe, Independent Media Center of Boston
independent, adj. 1. Free from the influence, guidance, or control
of another or others; self-reliant: an independent mind. 2. Not
determined or influenced by someone or something else; not
contingent: a decision independent of the outcome of the study.
3. often Independent: Affiliated with or loyal to no one political
party or organization. 4. Not dependent on or affiliated with a
larger or controlling entity: an independent food store; an
independent film. 5. Not relying on others for support, care, or
funds; self-supporting.
3:45pm
Who Cares What We Say?
What Independent Media Provide That No One Else Does
[Panel Discussion]
If you get your news from "mainstream" mass media sources only,
what are you missing? Our panel, composed of independent
journalists, will address this question by contrasting their own
coverage of events with coverage provided by news outlets that
must cater to the needs of advertisers and other market pressures.
Speakers include: David Goodman and Linda Pinkow (WMBR/MIT); John
Grebe (Sounds of Dissent/WZBC); Stephen Provizer (Allston-Brighton
Free Radio); Randy Shadowalker (Cascadia Media Collective,
Eugene/Oregon); and Martin Voelker (No U-Turn Radio/WMFO).
Media Fair:
AK Press / Beacon Press / Cascadia Media Collective /
Citizens' Media Corps / Clamor Magazine / Cultural Survival /
Equal Exchange / Grassroots International / Harvest Co-op /
Independent Media Center (Boston) / International Action Center /
Lucy Parsons Center / Mama Gaia's Café / MIT Press Bookstore /
No Censorship Radio / No U-Turn Radio / Radio with a View /
Seven Stories Press / Sojourner: The Women's Forum / Sounds of
Dissent / South End Press / Ten Thousand Villages / United
American Indians of New England / Whats Up Magazine / Z Magazine
The organizers gratefully acknowledge the generous support and help
of the MIT Humanities Library, the MIT Press Bookstore, the Campus
Activities Complex, and MIT Audio-Visual Services.
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