What's New
On Saturday, March 29th, 150 Californians came together on a beautiful sunny day in Pasadena to discuss how the media impacts their community.
Organized by a team of California Common Cause volunteers, the event was called “Local Media, Democracy and Justice - A Southern California Regional Summit [1]” and featured a couple dozen expert speakers and panelists, including FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein and Congresswoman Hilda Solis. Participants discussed media consolidation’s impact on journalists, how communities of color lose their voice in our corporate media system, and how the loss of net neutrality would hurt our democracy.
There was also considerable discussion about taking ownership of the media by such means as Low Power FM radio, supporting alternative press, taking advantage of social networking systems, and coming together to create a media justice movement.
The discussion with the final panel that included Bob Edgar of Common Cause, Yolanda Hippensteele from Free Press, Malkia Cyril from the Center for Media Justice, and Nathaniel James of the Media and Democracy Coalition focused on acting on local opportunities for change. With support from Common Cause, local organizers will work to build on the new momentum and create a forum in which local activists can work together.
Coalition member organizations who supported the event include the Alliance for Community Media (West), Center for Creative Voices in Media, Communication Workers of America , (Local 9000), Free Press, The Future of Music Coalition, Media Alliance, and the National Hispanic Media Coalition.
Thanks to Jon Bartholomew of Common Cause for poviding portions of this story.
Member Spotlight
Center for Media Justice [2]
Recently renamed, CMJ was launched in April 2001, as the Youth Media Council, a Bay Area-based
youth organizing, leadership development, media capacity-building and
watchdog project dedicated to developing youth-led strategies for media
justice. We believe that youth and other marginalized communities need
the tools, resources, strategies and skills to become strong and
effective media spokespeople and advocates for social justice.
Upcoming Events
May 9-10: Alliance for Community Media Northeast Conference - The New Media Where Do We Go from Here? [3] Providence, RI
May 22: Bridging the Scholar Activist Divide in the Field of Communications, ICA Pre-Conference, [4] Montreal, QC
May 28-30: International Summit for Community Wireless Networks [5], Washington, DC