Amy Goodman of
democracy now was in Rome this Saturday, April 29th, 2006 to give a discussion of the importance of the media. She came to Rome from New York for one day -- and it was worth it. Courageous, brave and well-spoken.
She described the history of Pacifica Radio, a public radio, in the United States, as it began in the Bay Area in 1949, followed by the opening of KPFK in Los Angeles in 1959. Pacifica radio has been considered dangerous because it allows people to speak for themselves. Free Speech Radio.
Paul Robeson was mentioned, a singer/activist who was broadcast on Pacifica Radio and is very worth checking out. An activist, Amy stated, is someone who dedicates their life for social change. Commendable, brave, righteous.
Much of the media is run by big corporations, so the news stories are often mundane, repetitive and contain a fraction of the relevant information. She noted Michael K. Powell, son of former Secretary of State Colin Powell, who was the controversial former chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
. The FCC controls what goes on the air in the USA -- and what gets communicated to the masses.
The theme of Latin America arose and her take was very positive. She told us about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's program with CITGO, the national oil company, who is providing low-cost oil to poor families in the United States.
Amy fearlessly reports on what is happening in the world. In fact, she recounted in detail being beaten by Indonesian police in East Timor, before it became independent. They were using US-made m16s. East Timor became a free, independent country on May 20, 2002.
We are the ones who must speak up. She quoted Margaret Meade "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world. Indeed it is the only thing that ever has."
