danny schechter
Laura Flanders Interview with Danny Schechter
Laura Flanders Interview with Danny Schechter, Occupy Wall Street, Oct 5, 2011
Email this pageGRITtv: March 25, 2011
What does Invasion of the Body Snatchers have to do with the Cold War? Why do so many people know about Ayn Rand? These are just a few of the questions that Village Voice film critic J. Hoberman takes on in his new book, An Army of Phantoms: American Movies and the Making of the Cold War. Hoberman sat down with Laura for a look at some of those 1950s movies--and some more recent ones--and to discuss the hidden ideology behind monster movies and the not-so-hidden ideology of Ayn Rand movies. They came to work, they didn't come to die. But 100 years ago this week, that's exactly what happened to 146 workers, mostly young immigrant women trapped in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory. Filmmaker and GRITtv contributor Harry Hanbury checked in on the status of workers safety today and found "Triangle's Echoes: An Unfinished Struggle for Worker Protection, Safety & Health." And Danny Schechter, News Dissector, has some thoughts on the continuing economic crisis, and why we won't see a real solution from centrist politicians. Distributed by Tubemogul.
GRITtv: Danny Schechter: Disconnected from Reality In Iran
"I don't think democracy has anything to do with it," says Danny Schechter of continued U.S. obsession with Iran. Instead, he notes, we have a long history of interfering in democratic processes in that country. Meanwhile, Iran is a country preparing for military strikes and dealing in its own way with the revelations of the latest WikiLeaks information dump. Danny just returned from a trip to Iran, and joins us in studio to discuss his experiences, what he learned from everyday people on the ground, and what U.S. politicians like Lindsay Graham are missing.
GRITtv: Dec. 1, 2010
"I don't think democracy has anything to do with it," says Danny Schechter of continued U.S. obsession with Iran. Instead, he notes, we have a long history of interfering in democratic processes in that country. Meanwhile, Iran is a country preparing for military strikes and dealing in its own way with the revelations of the latest WikiLeaks information dump.Danny just returned from a trip to Iran, and joins us in studio to discuss his experiences, what he learned from everyday people on the ground, and what U.S. politicians like Lindsay Graham are missing.Following Sunday's elections in ; Haiti, Colin Granderson of the Organization of American States declares election irregularities to not have necessarily compromised elections--meanwhile, Haitian citizens wonder whether the large part of election irregularities didn't take place before the ballots were printed.Sarah Palin is busily trying to sell "conservative feminism" to the masses, but her idea of feminism certainly doesn't include reproductive choice or sexual freedom. Meanwhile, even the Pope has decided that it's better for sex workers to use condoms than to risk getting HIV or other sexually transmitted infections. So why does the new Congress include more new members opposed to women's right to control their bodies?Katha Pollitt, Nation columnist and longtime prochoice activist, joins Laura in studio for a conversation about the latest on reproductive and sexual justice, Palinism, and more.Finally, Laura has some thoughts about WikiLeaks' next target: Wall Street.
GRITtv: Oct. 7 2010
The controversy over home foreclosures is spreading--today, the White House blog and twitter announced that President Obama would not sign a bill that could have an impact on foreclosure documents because of the ongoing problems. In a nutshell, huge numbers of Americans have found themselves foreclosed on by banks that had faulty or incomplete documents. Three major firms have actually declared freezes on foreclosures, and Congress is calling for an investigation. But what does all this mean for most of us? Danny Schechter joins Laura in studio to explain the situation, why it's more complicated than a few mortgages, and why it could lead to another major banking crisis. He also weighs in on the privatization of fire departments, and notes that in the U.S., "Property rights trumps human rights." Rachel Corrie was an American activist with the International Solidarity Movement.
Democracy Now!: Mon. Oct. 4 2010
Picking Lula’s replacement: Brazil’s presidential race heads to runoff; Harry Belafonte said that the Iraq and Afghanistan wars are "immoral, unconscionable, and unwinnable"; we feature some voices from the "One Nation Working Together" rally for jobs and justice; news dissector Danny Schechter says that Saturday’s "One Nation" march on Washington was "more movie than movement." Democracy Now! is a daily independent newshour.
GRITtv: July 23 2010
In the 80s, before she directed Hollywood comedies like "Half Baked" and "Billy Madison," Tamra Davis shot hours of footage of her friend Jean-Michel Basquiat. The young artist went on to international stardom before dying of a heroin overdose at age 27, and Davis went on to Hollywood.
Years later, she has revisited that footage and put together a documentary, "Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child" about Basquiat, the world he lived in, and, she says, "how we treat our celebrities." Basquiat, of course, achieved stratospheric fame, and his life and tragic death, Davis notes, contains lessons for artists and celebrities today. She joins us in studio to discuss.
Our Got Docs? this week is "The Heretics" created by Joan Braderman of Women Make Movies. Braderman followed the now geographically dispersed New York feminist art collective from Venice, Italy to New Mexico, asking them what it was like to come together and challenge gender and power structures within the art world and how it shaped them as women and artists.
Lastly, Danny Schechter comments on how small steps on economic recovery are not enough to remedy an economic meltdown.
GRITtv: Danny Schechter: Small Steps on Economy Not Enough
When the extension of unemployment benefits squeaked through the Senate, there was a sigh of relief among those in need, and cheers from Democrats who have not been able to move the unemployment needle or restore confidence in the economy. Putting money in the hands of wannabe consumers will create some bounce, but it doesn’t deal with the deep structural and systemic problems that worry economists and governments worldwide.
GRITtv: Danny Schechter: Economic Organized Crime
The economic crisis needs to be investigated using RICO laws used against organized crime, says Danny Schechter, author and director of "Plunder: The Crime of Our Time." Wall Street made billions off mortgage fraud, and all the busts of mortgage lenders in the world won't get the real culprits. Schechter joins Laura in studio to talk about the unreported story of the economic crisis, which continues to haunt millions of Americans, and which Paul Krugman recently referred to as the third depression.
GRITtv: June 29 2010
The economic crisis needs to be investigated using RICO laws used against organized crime, says Danny Schechter, author and director of Plunder: The Crime of Our Time. Wall Street made billions off mortgage fraud, and all the busts of mortgage lenders in the world won't get the real culprits. Schechter joins Laura in studio to talk about the unreported story of the economic crisis, which continues to haunt millions of Americans, and which Paul Krugman recently referred to as the third depression. "This month, as we recognize the immeasurable contributions of LGBT Americans, we renew our commitment to the struggle for equal rights for LGBT Americans and to ending prejudice and injustice wherever it exists." That's from the President's declaration on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride month this June. But other than pretty proclamations, what has this administration actually done to deliver on its promises of the campaign trail? Miriam Perez of Feministing.com and Cathy Renna, longtime activist and head of Renna Communications, join Laura in studio to talk about the state of things in the LGBT community: Don't Ask Don't Tell, the Employment Non-Discrimination Act, marriage equality, and much more. Acclaimed women's a capella group Sweet Honey in the Rock were outraged at Arizona's anti-immigrant SB 1070, which basically legalized racial profiling in the state.
