Women's Institute for
Freedom of the Press
Communication News
Last Updated: June, 2009 Contents:
2. Highlights of Media Democracy Organizations
3. Links for Alternative Media and Media Democracy Concerns -- Organizations & Resources 4. Book Notes
Target Women Abby Paulson, WIFP The cardinal rule of advertising may be "know your audience," but when it comes to marketing to women, advertisers often employ outdated stereotypes, constricting gender roles, and fear appeals in order to sell their products. It's a disappointing state of affairs, but comedian Sarah Haskins is calling out advertisers on their mistakes--and making it funny. Haskins is a correspondent on Current TV's InfoMania, but her segment, "Target Women," has independently become an internet hit. Haskin's lampoon of yogurt commercials has over 106,000 views on YouTube. "Oh! Oh! Please mention more things I generically relate to, and then go to a wedding!" Haskins pleads to the yogurt advertisers. They oblige. The segments take on everything from shallow wedding shows to sexualized burger commercials with clever humor and a critical eye. "Target Women" does for feminism what The Daily Show does for politics: it illustrates the regular absurdity of the mainstream media with healthy humor and a dash of bitterness. It's comedy aimed at awareness, and Haskins pulls it off with ease. "Target Women" can be found online at http://current.com/target-women/
Frontline Distorts Global Healthcare Options Action Alert from FAIR http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3756 4/7/09 The March 31 documentary by PBS's Frontline, Sick Around America, treated mandatory for-profit insurance coverage as the only alternative to the current U.S. healthcare system--even though the documentary was a sequel to a 2008 Frontline special, Sick Around the World (4/15/08), that examined several publicly funded healthcare models, including Taiwan's single-payer system. In a segment of Sick Around America subtitled "How to Get a Fairer System," Frontline narrator Will Lyman asked Karen Ignati, a spokesperson from the insurers' trade group America's Health Insurance Plans, why the U.S. couldn't guarantee coverage for all like other developed countries do. After Ignati responded that her industry could only guarantee universal coverage if the government required all citizens to have insurance, Lyman stated: That's what other developed countries do. They make insurers cover everyone and they make all citizens buy insurance. And the poor are subsidized. This generalization about other developed countries being places where "people are mandated to buy" insurance is also repeated on Frontline's web page about Sick Around America, in a paragraph that contains a link to the Sick Around the World investigation. The only alternative to the current U.S. healthcare system that was examined in any depth in Sick Around America was Massachusetts' system of mandating that people buy insurance from for-profit health insurance companies. But this exclusive focus on mandatory for-profit health insurance as a solution to the healthcare problems facing the nation negated Frontline's earlier findings about the healthcare systems in developed countries. None of the healthcare systems featured in Sick Around the World is based on mandatory purchase of for-profit insurance; indeed, as a report by the Canadian government noted (5/97; revised 2/01), "The United States is the only OECD country that relies primarily on private insurance for healthcare financing." Frontline's 2008 documentary actually highlighted Taiwan's single-payer model of healthcare system. As Frontline correspondent T.R. Reid explained, when Taiwanese healthcare adopted single-payer it went from being "worse than America's is today," with high rates of uninsured, to a system that guarantees coverage for all and "has the lowest administrative costs in the world, less than 2 percent." The U.K.'s system of public national health insurance was also featured. And as Reid emphasized in the conclusion of the 2008 report, in countries where there is some private-sector role in health financing, one of the central lessons is that they "all impose limits," including that insurance companies "can't make a profit on basic care." (This point is made by one source in passing in Sick Around America, but it's easy to miss.) Reid was supposed to be the correspondent for the new documentary, but he revealed in an interview with Corporate Crime Reporter (4/2/09) that he quit over concerns that the new documentary contradicted his earlier research: "I said to them, mandating for-profit insurance is not the lesson from other countries in the world," Reid said. "I said, I'm not going to be in a film that contradicts my previous film and my book. They said I had to be in the film because I was under contract. I insisted that I couldn't be. And we parted ways. "Doctors, hospitals, nurses, labs can all be for-profit," Reid said. "But the payment system has to be non-profit. All the other countries have agreed on that. We are the only one that allows health insurance companies to make a profit. You can't allow a profit to be made on the basic package of health insurance." Frontline's new documentary perpetuates the media's longstanding pattern of ignoring proposals for single-payer health insurance (FAIR Media Advisory, 3/6/09), despite the fact that this proposal polls well with the American public and has been codified in a bill co-sponsored by 74 congressmembers. While Sick Around America included several spokespeople from the health insurance industry, no single-payer advocate was featured in the documentary. ACTION: Ask Frontline why Sick Around America misrepresented the findings of Sick Around the World, treating mandatory for-profit insurance coverage as the only alternative to the current U.S. healthcare system. CONTACT:
Four Women Journalists Kidnapped by Supporters of Female Genital Mutilation "Such disgraceful behaviour worthy of a bygone age is very damaging to Sierra Leone's image," Reporters Without Borders said. "We urge the president to personally intervene in this case to ensure that the perpetrators receive an exemplary punishment. We also urge the minister of social welfare, gender and children's affairs, Haja Musu Kandeh, to take note of this incident, which is very traumatic for all women in Sierra Leone." The four reporters – Manjama Balama-Samba of the United Nations radio and the Sierra Leone Broadcasting Service (SLBS), Henrietta Kpaka of the SLBS, Isha Jalloh of Eastern Radio and Jenneh Brima, also of Eastern Radio – were kidnapped on 6 February by members of Bondo, a secret society that practices FGM. The next day, their abductors forcibly undressed Balama-Samba and made her walk naked through the streets. The journalists had been conducting a series of interviews jointly with the Inter-African Committee on Traditional Practices in order to mark International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation, which was celebrated on 6 February for the 5th year running. The Bondo group regarded their questions and comments as a sign of disrespect for their traditions. According to UN estimates, 94 per cent of women in Sierra Leone have been subjected to FGM. Sources in Sierra Leone put it at more like 65 per cent, partly as a result of the country's Christians taking a stand against the practice. The government publicly undertook last year to adopt a law banning FGM but has not yet done so.
Interviews Available: Peter Hart on the Troubling Tropes of Campaign '08 New York, October 20--FAIR media analyst Peter Hart is available to discuss the media-created storylines that derail election coverage. Hart is the activism director at FAIR, a co-host and producer of FAIR's syndicated radio show CounterSpin, a regular contributor to FAIR's magazine Extra! and the author of The Oh Really? Factor: Unspinning Fox News Channel's Bill O'Reilly (Seven Stories Press, 2003). Hart has been interviewed by a number of media outlets, including NBC Nightly News, Fox News Channel's O'Reilly Factor, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday and the Associated Press. He has also appeared on Showtime and in the movie Outfoxed. In a forthcoming article for FAIR's magazine Extra!, "Troubling Tropes of Campaign '08," he looks at how journalists have based their evaluation of the race on shallow image-based narratives that the media construct themselves: 1. John McCain, Straight-Talking Maverick 2. Barack Obama, Elitist Snob 3. The 'Smearing' of Sarah Palin 4. John McCain, 'National Security Pro' 5. Shifting to the Right Is 'Smart Politics' 6. Obama Wins, Sharpton/Jackson Lose 7. No War (in Campaign Coverage)! 8. False Balance 9. Misreading the Polls 10. Fundraising Double Standards 11. Obama's Dubious Associates Full article is available at: http://www.fair.org/index.php?page=3629
This attractive button is available upon request to contributors to WIFP. Contributions are tax deductible. For more information, contact WIFP, mediademocracy [at] wifp.org. The buttons are 2 1/4" in size, purple with white lettering.
Organic 100% Cotton T-shirts Available from the Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press T-shirts are available to WIFP contributors who make a tax-deductible donation of $30 or more. The light blue shirts are made of 100% organic cotton. Sizes come in Small, Medium, and Large.
Text on front: WIFP Text on back: If you are not careful, the newspapers will have www.wifp.org
“End to Sexism In Media” Campaign Book of Women’s Media Watch Group (MEDIZ) in Turkey Just Published Announcement by Women's Media Watch Group: Campaign activities: Visual and press bulletins, conference of For a Nonsexist Media and research on Forms of Representation of Women in Media are in book of “End to Sexism In Media”. We started our campaign “End to Sexism in Media” by saying "Page three girl" in papers, "Victim" or "Monster" in women's talk shows, "Selfless Mother", "Good girl" or "Femme-fatale" in TV serials, Wrapped in "Flag" or "Veil" on politics pages, and generally "Backstage" and "Invisible" Enough is enough!. Book of “End to Sexism in Media” which includes campaign activities -presentations of conference “For a Nonsexist Media” and research on “Forms of Representation of Women in Media” -has published. End to Sexism in Media! campaign aims to contribute to: -Research on “Forms of Representation of Women in Media” includes two weeks research which watches violations of women's rights, discrimination and sexism forms in media by following television and radio channels, daily newspapers and web sites. -International conference "For Nonsexist Media” which is held in Istanbul Bilgi University - Dolapdere Campus on the 3 - 4th of May; we discussed how media can be non-sexist with media managers and workers, media watch groups and agents from feminist media, academicians, women journalists and women organizations in book of “End to Sexism in Media”. We started to distribute campaign book of “End to Sexism in Media” that is prepared with support of European Commission within the framework of European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights, Friedrich Ebert Stiftung, Mama Cash and Global Fund For Women. Those who are interested can provide the book without any charge. We wish to work all together with you for a media without discrimination against women. Women’s Media Watch - MEDIZ
Annie Brown, WIFP Net neutrality is a network design paradigm that prevents Internet providers from deciding which sites users can access or at what speed certain sites download. It allows small websites, applications and ideas to have the potential to reach the billions of people who access the Internet. Imagine an Internet with no Napster OR Google or Youtube, and most certainly no blogs. Without the concept of Net Neutrality, the Internet would most likely have developed as a sea of phone-company sponsored sites. Often referred to as the first amendment of the Internet, Net Neutrality is a key design principle that has been around since the Internet’s inception. It gives users primary control over the future of the net by protecting sites and applications from corporate interference. When the Internet began in the 1990s the developers insisted that information networks like the Internet are “most efficient and useful to the public when…less focused on a particular audience and instead attentive to multiple users.”* This concept has developed alongside the growth of the Internet, and allowed for “The Information Superhighway” to become the revolutionary (and non-discriminatory) means of communication that it is today. In a future without Network Neutrality, it would be very hard for small websites, especially peer-to-peer networks, to leap from the small time to the big time as companies like Google and Napster have done in the past. Also, this concept allows users to upload and download as they please and users to access information equally. Whether you are looking up news on a local blog or msnbc.com, net neutrality ensures that the sites load at equal speed. For example, if you create a blog that only gets 10 views per day, that site is treated equally by Internet Service Providers to a site that gets a million views per day. However, the freedom Internet users have today is in danger of becoming a thing of the past, a threat once thought impossible due to the sheer size and complexity of the World Wide Web. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are working hard to see network neutrality eliminated from the realms of cyberspace. Non-discriminating policies, ISPs argue, prevent users from getting the most out of their Internet service. As Senior Research Fellow James Gattuso of the Heritage Foundation stated in 2003, “Rather than media monopolies, consumers face a bewildering and unprecedented amount of choice. Instead, the real danger to Americans is that outdated and unnecessary FCC restrictions will limit improvements in media markets and technologies, limiting the benefits they provide.” The Federal Communications Commission has taken this viewpoint, stating that the concept of Net Neutrality IS no longer necessary and limits the broadband capacity accessible to users. Using this argument, major Phone and Cable Companies such as AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, who serve the majority of Internet Consumers, are lobbying Congress to allow the FCC to eliminate the concept of Net Neutrality. Already, some ISPs have been caught completely ignoring network neutrality principles. The FCC held a hearing in February to address claims that Comcast degraded peer-to-peer traffic. Comcast executive David L. Cohen defended Comcast at the hearing, stating that, "What we are doing is a limited form of network management, objectively based upon an excessive bandwidth consumptive protocol during limit periods of network congestion." Marvin Ammori, a net neutrality advocate from the general counsel for Free Press, addressed the panel by saying, "This hearing is not about some technical details of managing networks, it's about the future of online television and about the future of the Internet. The facts aren't even disputed. Comcast is deliberately targeting and interfering with legal peer-to-peer technology.” Similar to Comcast’s acts of “network management”, Time Warner Cable initiated tests of “Internet Metering” or tiered pricing for Internet Access in a small Texas Town in early June of 2008. For years users who mainly used the Internet to check e-mail and “heavy” Internet users (defined as users who watch big video and music, upload files etc.) paid the same monthly price for Internet access. “Internet Metering” means that the heaviest Internet users will be charged more severely. Time Warner asked the customers involved in this test to choose a monthly plan and then pay surcharges when they exceeded their bandwidth, much like a cell phone plan. Not only would this type of system put a higher price-tag on uploading information onto the web, but would also mean that those who want to access more information (watch streaming video, download files, use the internet for research etc.) will also have to pay more. In response to Time Warner’s test run in Texas, Vint Cerf, Chief Internet Evangelist and Vice President of Google, (also referred to as “the father of the Internet”) wrote, “As soon as you put serious uncertainty as to cost on the table, people’s feeling of freedom to predict cost dries up and so does innovation and trying new applications.” Thirteen days prior to the Comcast hearings, Congressmen Edward Markey (D-MA) and Chip Pickering (R-MI) introduced the Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008 in the U.S. House of Representatives. The full title of the Bill reads: “Internet Freedom Preservation Act of 2008: To establish broadband policy and direct the Federal Communications Commission to conduct a proceeding and public broadband summits to assess competition, consumer protection, and consumer choice issues relating to broadband Internet access services, and for other purposes.” The Bill “would establish Internet governance regulations, and then require an examination of the market and its practices.” A similar bill, S.215, was introduced in the Senate in January. The Senate version of the Internet Preservation Act calls for direct action and proposes to amend the 1934 Communications Act to ensure net neutrality. Both of these Bills are still in committee. On June 20th, The House Committee of Energy and Commerce debated whether a “hands-off approach” similar to that of the FCC would be best to preserve Internet Freedoms. Bill Sponsor, Representative Markey pushed for his bill stating that legislative action and checks on the FCC is the only way to ensure the Internet remains “the most level playing field for commercial opportunity ever invented.” Grassroots organizations such as SavetheInternet.com support both the Senate and the House Bills, although there are some concerns that ambiguous terms like “unreasonable interference” might allow big corporations to find loopholes within regulations. SavetheInternet.com is a project of the Free Press Action Fund, “a national, nonpartisan organization working to reform the media.” Activists of media democracy are passionate about the preservation of net neutrality because of the Internet’s important role in the democratization of communications and political involvement. SavetheInternet.com is working to counteract the lobbying efforts of Internet Providers. “These companies have a new vision for the Internet,” SavetheInternet.com explains, “Instead of an even playing field, they want to reserve express lanes for their own content and services -- or those from big corporations that can afford the steep tolls -- and leave the rest of us on a winding dirt road.” On the Save the Internet’s main page you can click links to read the Internet Freedom Preservation Act, e-mail your congressional representatives asking them to support the Bill, access the SavetheInternet.com blog and watch informative videos on the issue. SavetheInternet.com is a perfect example of the direct impact network management would have on grassroots movements. The media democracy movement itself has exploded thanks to the freedom of communications the Internet provides. Currently, mass e-mail lists, interactive websites, constantly updated information, news footage and educational videos, can be uploaded and downloaded without much expense to the organization or the individual accessing the information. Net neutrality should be at the forefront of not only the media democracy movement, but also all movements. The Internet has revolutionized communications in the grassroots campaigns. Activists from all communities, especially under-represented and minority communities, have the opportunity to get their message out to a larger audience than ever before and spur mass support for their causes. We cannot take the recent advances in communication due to the Internet for granted. The public often assumes that the Internet is too big, too accessible for it to become monopolized by a few large companies and suffer a fate similar to that of television and radio. However, now with the encroaching threat of big business Internet Providers, what seemed impossible - control over the Internet - is becoming a reality. To quote Timothy Wu, Columbia Law Professor and esteemed authority on net neutrality, “In an ideal world, either competition or enlightened self-interest might drive carriers to design neutral networks. However, when that isn’t the case—when carriers are interested in discriminating for one of various reasons -- matters get more difficult, and a law may be necessary.” Congress must act to prevent Americans from being completely disconnected from the future of the Internet. If we, as a global Internet community, step back and see the Internet as an amazing innovation in human history, one that has the potential to spread awareness, bring communities together, and solve the immense global problems that face us today, we will not hesitate to protect it from FCC ignorance and corporate control. For More Information on the Bill, Please Visit: http://www.opencongress.org/bill/110-h5353/show References: *Lin, Ray. “What is Net Neutrality.” May 2007. Network Neutrality. Open Computing Facility at U.C. Berkley. 20 June 2008. <http://www.ocf.berkeley.edu/~raylin/whatisnetneutrality.htm> “The Legal and Political Debate Over Net Neutrality.” 26 January 2008. The Toll Roads? University of San Fransisco Law Bulletin. 15 June 2008. < http://www.netneutrality2008.org/About.html> Wu, Tim. "Network Neutrality FAQ." Columbia Law School. 30 June 2008. <http://timwu.org/network_neutrality.html>. “Save the Internet.” Civic Action. MoveOn.org. 16 June 2008. <http://www.civic.moveon.org/save_the_internet/> Stelter, Brian. “To Curb traffic on the Internet, Access Providers Consider Charging by the Gigabyte.” The New York Times. 15 June 2008. 4 July 2008.<http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/15/technology/15cable.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&ref=technology&adxnnlx=1215200530-AbTIHJMrRLPBDDhmvYdeZg>
UNIFEM/USA and Peace X Peace Present The Women's Global Roundtable Peace X Peace and UNIFEM/USA is hosting a 6-month series of live weekly conference calls with women from around the world. Listen to their stories, learn about their challenges and triumphs, create new friendships and connect across cultures. Join in to celebrate the unsung "ordinary" women of the world and their extraordinary actions, whose lives have been touch by UNIFEM (the United Nations Womens Fund). Women know that if there is to be peace in the world we need to connect directly with women from other cultures. The Women's Global Roundtable is designed to guide your curiosity, open your heart, and expand your life within a global community.
Nepal gets its first all women private radio Kathmandu (PTI): A private FM radio fully operated by women has been established in the industrial town of Biratnagar in eastern Nepal. Purvanchal FM station is the first community-run radio in Nepal that has started broadcasting an eight-hour daily transmission with all women employees, officials said. UNESCO Women Make the News 2008 is a global action which promotes gender equality in the media. It is now in it's eight year. We wish to encourage all media organizations producing daily news to give editorial responsibility to women editors and journalists to direct the news on 8th March, the International Day of Women, as a step to promote gender equality in the media. Women Make the News 2008 is a unique and exciting opportunity for all those who are committed to the promotion of gender equality in newsrooms to challenge the media to fulfill their democratic responsibility to represent women and men in a fair and balanced way. For many women journalism profession continues to represent harsh realities in terms of job safety and job security, access to facilities, choice of assignments and discriminatory treatment. Progress of women journalists' careers is still hampered by lingering stereotypes and subtle discrimination. Women journalists continue to face substantial obstacles to full participation in the newsroom - particularly in terms of management opportunities. Women Make the News 2008 has two goals: to highlight the need to promote women journalists to decision-making positions throughout the world, and to promote gender equality in newsrooms. We wish to invite print and broadcast media to share with us features, articles, interviews and TV and radio programmes dedicated to this year's theme Women's Untold Stories to highlight women's multiple talents, achievements and contributions to their communities. We are therefore inviting you to submit to our website your stories for others to learn from them. The stories collected will provide practical examples that we believe will inspire others and raise the visibility of the role women play in the news as correspondents, as newsmakers and as valuable and authoritative sources of information.
by Bonnie Carlson, WIFP The name says it all: Reclaim the Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to gaining media accessibility and control for all citizens. Founded in 2002, the group is rooted in the premise that a democratized media is critically important, and to get there, this organization is guided by three major goals: changing media policy teaching media literacy, and supporting community media. The group's website is equipped with a section entitled "Bookshelf", which lists books regarding media access, as well as a section entitled "Recent Stories", which provides a frequently updated page of news stories relevant to media control. One of Reclaim the Media's most exciting new projects is its community radio show entitled Listen Up! Northwest. Broadcast weekly, this thirty-minute segment features stories about community activism taking place in the Northwest. The first installation of this program, which aired on June 19, 2008 and is available on the website, detailed a variety of stories, including an environmental initiative and a move for empowerment in women's prison each taking place in Northwestern towns. For the more technologically savvy among us, Reclaim the Media also hosts a channel on YouTube. This subscription-only site gives users access to dozens of online videos pertinent to issues of media neutrality. Popular videos include testimony at the Federal Communications Commission hearings held in Seattle in 2007 as well as statements made by politicians regarding media consolidation. For more information and to support their efforts, visit www.reclaimthemedia.org.
Links for
Alternative Media and Media Democracy Concerns -- (be sure to return to the WIFP website!) http://www.wikinews.org/: Media Democracy in Action! MediaWatch, challenging racism, sexism and violence in the media through education and activism, P.O. Box 618, Santa Cruz, CA 95061-0618. (831) 423-6355. Email: mwatch@cruzio.com The outstanding newsletter is available by subscription for $20 ($10 low income). Center for Media Justice The Center for Media Justice is a member-driven media strategy and action center dedicated to creating a collaborative movement for racial justice and youth rights. Together with our participants, members, partners, and allies—the Center for Media Justice builds the power of grassroots movements and disenfranchised communities to transform public debate and win media accountability in the service of justice. Progressive Communicators Network The Progressive Communicators Network exists to strengthen and amplify the power, voices, and vision of grassroots movements that are working for racial, social, economic, and environmental justice. Network members use communication strategy, framing and messaging, and media tools to: 1) enhance the influence of social change movements on public policy and opinion; and 2) realize a world without poverty, racism, and other forms of oppression. The Network is a project of Spirit in Action, a movement-building support organization located in western Massachusetts. Save the Internet is a coalition working together to keep the internet open and free. Feisty Aphrodite was conceived of by two frustrated women fed-up with the corporate media’s lack of responsibility to educate its people. "We are now a resource focused on bringing the many feminine perspectives to the world through information, activism and independent media. Please peruse our site, where we offer our guests the opportunity to voice their perspectives via blogging, podcasts and the gallery." Center for International Media Action CIMA seeks to advance media access and representation and to support diverse voices and actors in media reform, media production and media accountability. Reclaim the Media is a coalition of independent journalists, media activists and
community organizers in the Pacific Northwest, promoting press
freedom and community media access as prerequisites for a functioning
democracy. Media Access Project is a non-profit, public interest law firm which promotes the public's
First Amendment right to hear and be heard on the electronic media
of today and tomorrow.
 Citizens Communication Center and Minority Media and Telecommunications
Council Among those working on Broadcast Ownership Rules: David Honig, Executive Director, at Minority
Media and Telecommunications Council (202-332-0500 or 332-7005). Virtual Alternative Media Project An impressive resource that will lead you to new places. Be sure to bookmark the site because you'll want to go back for more. Women's Radio Fund "Our mission is to build a support network for women radio producers and broadcasters worldwide." Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom The Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom represents a common front of readers and viewers, those working in the media industries, and labour and community groups concerned about the increasing concentration of media ownership in Canada. Active in promoting greater diversity of media ownership, enhancing the rights of media workers to report freely, and monitoring key developments in the news and information industries. National Federation of Community Broadcasters The National Federation of Community Broadcasters (NFCB) is a national membership organization of community-oriented, non-commercial radio stations. Large and small, rural and urban, eclectic or targeted toward specific communities, the member stations are distinguished by their commitment to localism and community participation and support. Free Press "If we want a media system that serves democratic and cultural values, we must address the root causes of the problem - media ownership, management, regulation, and subsidy. We must open up and democratize media policy debates, and craft a media system that reduces the power held by the enormous corporations and advertisers that today dominate the media culture. "Free Press is a new national media reform organization working to open up and ignite policy debates, reinforce outreach efforts in Washington and across the nation, strengthen the media reform network, and - using seasoned organizers and cutting-edge communications strategies - make media a bona fide issue in America." The Girls, Women
+ Media Project The
Girls, Women + Media Project is a national non-profit advocacy
initiative and network, working to promote fairer, healthier,
more positive images of girls and women in the media through awareness
and concerted action. Action Coalition
for Media Education (ACME) October 18-20,
2002 marked the founding summit of the Action Coalition for Media
Education (ACME), at the beautiful campus of the Albuquerque Academy
in New Mexico. ACME, free of corporate media funding, is a strategic
network linking media educators, health advocates, media reformers,
independent media makers, community organizers and others. ACME
will: Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) "FAIR, the national media watch group, has been offering well-documented criticism of media bias and censorship since 1986. We work to invigorate the First Amendment by advocating for greater diversity in the press and by scrutinizing media practices that marginalize public interest, minority and dissenting viewpoints. As an anti-censorship organization, we expose neglected news stories and defend working journalists when they are muzzled. As a progressive group, FAIR believes that structural reform is ultimately needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting and promote strong non-profit sources of information. Uniquely, FAIR works with both activists and journalists." Media Matters for America "Media Matters for America is a Web-based, not-for-profit, 501(c)(3) progressive research and information center dedicated to comprehensively monitoring, analyzing, and correcting conservative misinformation in the U.S. media. Launched in May 2004, Media Matters for America put in place, for the first time, the means to systematically monitor a cross section of print, broadcast, cable, radio, and Internet media outlets for conservative misinformation — news or commentary that is not accurate, reliable, or credible and that forwards the conservative agenda — every day, in real time." http://www.apcwomen.org/"We are a global network of women who support women networking for social change and women's empowerment, through the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). We promote gender equality in the design, development, implementation, access to and use of ICTs and in the policy decisions and frameworks that regulate them." Alliance for Community MediaThe Alliance for Community Media is committed to assuring everyone’s access to electronic media. The Alliance advances this goal through public education, a progressive legislative and regulatory agenda, coalition building and grassroots organizing. A nonprofit, national membership organization founded in 1976, the Alliance represents over 3,000 Public, Educational and Governmental (PEG) access organizations and community media centers throughout the country. It also represents the interests of millions of people who, through their local religious, community and charitable groups, use PEG access to communicate with their memberships and the community as a whole.
More Media Links |
- front and back - 
Annie Brown, WIFP Associate 
|
Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press 1940 Calvert Street, NW Washington, DC 20009-1502 phone: 202-265-6707 email: media democracy [at] wifp.org www.wifp.org |