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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us April 26, 2005 ‘Democracy Now!’ host speaks on the role of media By Robert Plain Ashland Daily Tidings Amy Goodman, the host and executive director of the award-winning news hour “Democracy Now!,” spoke in Ashland on Saturday night before a sold-out audience as momentum is growing to bring the popular independent media outlet to the airwaves of Jefferson Public Radio. Goodman was here as part of nationwide “Un-Embed the Media Tour,” which educates her audiences about the relevance of who is behind the message they receive, and she would not discuss the possibility of her news program being broadcast on the local NPR affiliate, JPR. However a local group called the Committee for Democracy Now! reported at the event that they feel they are making great strides in convincing the powers that be at Jefferson Public Radio that “Democracy Now!” is perfectly suited for the Ashland area airwaves. On Tuesday, the group met with JPR director Ron Kramer and opened a dialogue regarding the possibility of bringing “Democracy Now!” to Rogue Valley public radio. “In the (Mail) Tribune on Friday, (JPR Associate Director) Paul Westhelle said the option is open,” Ralph Temple, a lawyer who authored a report detailing how “Democracy Now!” would balance JPR’s coverage. “That was a step in the right direction.” Temple said several JPR officials were in attendance for Goodman’s appearance on Saturday night, as was State Representative Peter Buckley, who — in introducing Goodman — said, “All journalism in America has become advocacy journalism. The difference is who Amy Goodman advocates for: Amy Goodman advocates for the truth.” For Goodman’s part, she spoke about the larger, global issues facing corporate versus independent media rather than discussing the issues affecting only the Rogue Valley. “The media is the most powerful institution on earth,” Goodman said. “It’s more powerful than any bomb. The Pentagon has employed the media and we need to un-embed them.” “Democracy Now!” is a national, weekday independent news program airing on more than 330 radio and TV stations all over the world. It is the largest public media collaboration in the United States, broadcasting on NPR, Pacifica and community radio stations as well as cable and DirecTV stations. “Our goal is to break the sound barrier, to go with the microphones to where the silence is, to give our voice to the silenced majority,” Goodman said. “Our motto is ‘the exception to the rulers’ ‚ that should be the role of media in a democratic society.” Goodman told the audience that independent media is growing by the day. She said two to three new stations pick up her program every week, and many major media stars, such as Phil Donahue, are warming to the notion of a more free press every day. She said Donahue was the host of the MSNBC’s most popular news talk show prior to the invasion of Iraq. However, she said his show was canceled because of a perception that too many peace activists were featured on the prime-time cable program. “It was the most popular show on that network, but that didn’t matter,” Goodman said. “Phil has a new appreciation for independent media. These voices are not the voices of a silent minority but of a silent majority, silenced by the corporate media.” Goodman said the mainstream media has failed the American public continuously, such as in what she called its biased reporting on the Terri Schiavo ordeal, saying the corporate media portrayed the debate about her right to life as being “deeply divided” and continued to focus its coverage on a small band of protesters led by advocates from the religious right. She said polls released after the litany of media coverage showed that 80 to 90 percent of the American people were opposed to congressional intervention. She said when she was asked about what she thought of this coverage, she responded, “Let it be a model for all protest coverage.” To applause from the audience, she said, “I see the media as a huge kitchen table that we all sit around and debate the most important issues of the day, and any disservice to this is a disservice to a democratic society.” Goodman also spoke out against the way the mainstream media has covered the war in Iraq, saying “the biggest difference between al Jazeera and American TV is American TV shows where the missiles take off from and al Jazeera shows where they land.” After her lecture on the state of the media, members of the Committee for Democracy Now! said Goodman’s appearance would act as the perfect springboard for their efforts to bring “Democracy Now!” to JPR. “I think it is wonderful to have a public official acknowledge how the public really needs better information than we are getting,” said Ashlander Julie Norman, a member of the Committee for Democracy Now! “This is a great opportunity for us because so many people tonight learned who Amy Goodman is and what ‘Democracy Now!’ is all about.” JPR officials have said for years that they are not interested in broadcasting “Democracy Now!” calling it “advocacy journalism.” However, Westhelle told the Mail Tribune on Thursday that “the option remains open.” Staff writer Robert Plain can be reached at 482-3456 x 3040 or [email protected]. 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