beyond the echo chamber
GRITtv: Creating a New Media with Tracy Van Slyke and Jessica Clark
The progressive media during the Bush era grew to new heights, developing in ways that suited the particular tendencies of the left. Tracy Van Slyke and Jessica Clark started to study the way the media was developing while they worked together at In These Times magazine, and continued their work as Tracy founded the Media Consortium (of which GRITtv is a proud member) and Jessica moved to the Center for Social Media at American University. Their new book, Beyond the Echo Chamber: How a Networked Progressive Media Can Reshape American Politics, explains how the progressive media has used new technology to make progressive change, and they join us in studio to talk about their book and their continuing work.
Email this pageGRITtv: Wed. Feb. 24 2010
The Bush administration thrived on secrecy; Obama promised more transparency, but has yet to really deliver. What's more, when information does come out, it seems that accountability is nearly impossible to get: the torture memos were released, but there will be no trials. We ask Daniel Ellsberg, one of the world's most famous whistleblowers, if there's anything the people can do to take the power back. Former GRITtv guest Ted Rall is an editorial cartoonist as well as an acclaimed radio journalist and he's looking for a kickstart to return to Afghanistan to do more reporting. For your enjoyment, we've got a couple of his animated cartoons: one on the Democratic party, and one on Obama's health care plan. The progressive media during the Bush era grew to new heights, developing in ways that suited the particular tendencies of the left. Tracy Van Slyke and Jessica Clark started to study the way the media was developing while they worked together at In These Times magazine, and continued their work as Tracy founded the Media Consortium (of which GRITtv is a proud member) and Jessica moved to the Center for Social Media at American University. Their new book, Beyond the Echo Chamber: How a Networked Progressive Media Can Reshape American Politics, explains how the progressive media has used new technology to make progressive change, and they join us in studio to talk about their book and their continuing work. Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio has been under investigation and the subject of constant protest over his racial profiling and abuse of power in Arizona. Now, Wells Fargo has served Arpaio with an eviction notice from his offices. Dennis Gilman sent us this video in celebration. Our friends at the Applied Research Center and the Rights Working Group are organizing a "night of 1000 conversations" around racial profiling, and they sent us this video to ask for your support and involvement. Finally, lobbyists for polluting companies and members of Congress are busy people, and sometimes they just don't have the time to make the love connections they need to keep the money flowing. PolluterHarmony is here to the rescue! (This spoof brought to you by our friends at GreenPeace.)
GRITtv: Whose News Is It, Anyway?
Discussions on the future of journalism are happening so often now that they're almost trite. But Robert McChesney, John Nichols, Tracy Van Slyke and Kate Giammarise are not only interested in saving journalism; they're interested in having all of us have a say. Nichols and McChesney have a new book out, The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again that documents the decline of the commercial press and makes the case for publicly-funded media, and Van Slyke has a book out as well, co-authored with Jessica Clark, Beyond the Echo Chamber: How a Networked Progressive Media Can Reshape American Politics, documenting the rise of a new media culture. Giammarise is featured in Nichols and McChesney's book and since being laid off from the Toledo Blade has founded Rustwire.com.
GRITtv: Feb. 3, 2010
Discussions on the future of journalism are happening so often now that they're almost trite. But Robert McChesney, John Nichols, Tracy Van Slyke and Kate Giammarise are not only interested in saving journalism; they're interested in having all of us have a say. Nichols and McChesney have a new book out, The Death and Life of American Journalism: The Media Revolution that Will Begin the World Again that documents the decline of the commercial press and makes the case for publicly-funded media, and Van Slyke has a book out as well, co-authored with Jessica Clark, Beyond the Echo Chamber: How a Networked Progressive Media Can Reshape American Politics, documenting the rise of a new media culture. Giammarise is featured in Nichols and McChesney's book and since being laid off from the Toledo Blade has founded Rustwire.com. Brave New Films takes a look at the ongoing complaints about budget deficits, and the way the war in Afghanistan has overextended spending in one area and forced Obama to cut spending on desperately needed domestic programs. Julian Zelizer, Princeton professor, joins us to talk about his new book, Arsenal of Democracy: The Politics of National Security - From World War II to the War on Terrorism. He lays out a history of national security policy in the U.S. and makes the point that bipartisanship has largely always been a myth here. Obama, he suggests, should take a lesson or two from the past. Meanwhile, in Canada, the controversy over troops in Afghanistan, prisoner abuse, and torture has come to a head: Prime Minister Stephen Harper has shut down the Parliament in a move known as prorogation, and his opponents accuse him of doing so to avoid the torture inquiries. This video from the Real News Network takes a look at Harper's moves, and the growing popular movement against his power grab. Carvens Lissaint is a Haitian-American poet and performer from New York City. Here he performs his poem, "Haiti," written a year ago, with a startling prophetic tone in the wake of recent tragic events in Haiti. Thanks to Every Drop Counts for the video. Finally, the health care bill might be in limbo in Congress, but YO! Youth Outlook took to the streets in San Francisco to remind all of us how many people still need coverage.
