micah sifry
GRITtv: Micah Sifry: WikiLeaks and the Age of Transparency
"Wikileaks is a symptom of a much larger change, an age when information can be moved into the public arena by all kinds of people," says Micah Sifry of the Personal Democracy Forum. Bradley Manning, the accused leaker of the "Collateral Murder" video aired on WikiLeaks, faces 22 new charges from the government, including "Aiding the Enemy." But which enemy is he aiding, Micah asks? Is it us? Micah is the author of a new book from OR Books (the publisher of At The Tea Party), WikiLeaks and the Age of Transparency, and he joins Laura in studio for a conversation about the way transparency and freedom of information are changing our world, from military policy at home to revolution abroad. Distributed by Tubemogul.
Email this pageGRITtv: David Corn: Enhancing the Debate
On January 29, Barack Obama took questions from House Republicans at their "issues retreat," televised on CSPAN. Experienced Washington reporters and political amateurs alike were riveted, passing along information on Twitter and other social networks David Corn of Mother Jones is one of those experienced Washington reporters, and after he watched the event (and dubbed it #questiontime on Twitter) he joined with a loose coalition across party lines to create a petition to demand more question time. He joins Laura via Skype to explain why he thinks more events like this can make the political debate in Washington and around the country better.
GRITtv: What Happened to the Grassroots Obama Movement?
The people who voted for him weren't organized in any kind of new or powerful way, and the special interests -- banks, energy companies, health interests, car-makers, the military-industrial complex -- sat first at the table and wrote the menu. Myth met reality, and came up wanting. So says Micah Sifry of Personal Democracy Forum; Karoli of the blog Odd Time Signatures disagrees and says that with help from volunteers like her, Organizing for America is continuing to push for change. They join us in studio to debate the present and future of progressive organizing, both within the Democratic party apparatus and outside of it. We'll also be speaking to Geoff Berman, New York Deputy Field Director for OFA, about what's actually going on with his organization and what he thinks of the critiques.
GRITtv: Jan. 6, 2010
We take a look at what happened to the movement that put Barack Obama in office; independent journalist Rick Rowley of Big Noise Films and Chip Berlet talk about the rise of the extreme right, racism, anti-immigrant sentiment and the proper progressive response; Jonathan "J.D." Meadows, who is featured in Rowley's film, talks about his involvement with the Council of Conservative Citizens and his fears for the economy; a video from New America Media and Youth Outlook looks at the murder of Oscar Grant and what has happened since his senseless death, what has changed, and what hasn't.
