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Naomi
Klein vs. Todd Gitlin: A Debate on Resistance and the RNC
Indymedia, the RNC and the Battle for New York
The Fourth World War: An Unembedded View of Global Resistance
Boulder-Based Community Radio Station KGNU to Buy Denver
Signal
Naomi Klein vs. Todd Gitlin: A Debate on Resistance
and the RNC
Will the mass protests at the Republican convention help
or hurt President Bush and the Republicans? We host a debate
between author and scholar Todd Gitlin and independent journalist
Naomi Klein. [includes rush
transcript]
Thousands of activists have begun pouring into New York ahead
of next week's Republican National Convention. And the battle
over permits for marches and rallies continues. Earlier this
week, the ANSWER coalition was denied a permit to hold a rally
in Central Park on Saturday. Meanwhile, a judge in New York
ruled yesterday that the city was justified in its refusal
to grant United for Peace and Justice a permit for the major
rally planned for Central Park this Sunday. Outside the courthouse,
UFPJ's National Coordinator Leslie Cagan gave her reaction
to the judge's ruling.
- Leslie Cagan, National Coordinator for United for Peace
and Justice speaking at a press conference on August 25,
2004.
That was Leslie Cagan of United for Peace and Justice, speaking
yesterday outside of the New York State Supreme Court. Despite
the legal set-backs, plans for scores of rallies, direct actions
and civil disobedience continue to move forward. Later in
the program, we will have a round-up of some of the events
that are coming up over the next 10 days here in New York.
But first, we turn to an issue that is being hotly debated
right now and that is whether the protests in New York will
help or hurt George W Bush and the Republicans. A few weeks
back, we interviewed famed American writer and journalist
Norman Mailer. Among his many books, he wrote one of the definitive
accounts of the historic 1968 conventions. The book was called
"Miami and the Siege of Chicago." Here is what Mailer
had to say about the protests planned for the RNC in New York.
- Norman Mailer, Pultizer prize winner speaking in July,
2004.
Norman Mailer, speaking just a few days before the Democratic
National Convention in Boston last month. The New York Times
on Sunday reported that Republicans are seeking to turn any
disruptions at the convention to their advantage, by "portraying
protests by even independent activists as Democratic-sanctioned
displays of disrespect for a sitting president." On Monday,
Democratic National Committee Chair Terry McAuliffe held a
conference call with reporters in which he distanced John
Kerry and the Democrats from next week's demonstrations. Here
is some of what DNC Chair Terry McAuliffe had to say.
- Terry McAuliffe, conference call to journalists, August
23, 2004.
That was Terry McAuliffe, Chair of the Democratic National
Committee, speaking on Monday. Well, to discuss this issue
of to protest or not to protest in New York, we are joined
now by two veterans of protests.
- Todd Gitlin, Professor of Journalism and Sociology at
Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism. He
is the author of several books including "Media Unlimited:
How the Torrent of Images and Sounds Overwhelms Our Lives,"
"The Sixties: Years of Hope Days of Rage" and
"The Whole World Is Watching: Mass Media in the Making
and Unmaking of the New Left, With a New Preface"
- Naomi Klein, award-winning journalist and author of Fences
and Windows: Dispatches From the Front Lines of the Globalization
Debate and No
Logo: Taking Aim at the Brand Bullies. Her forthcoming
article in The Nation magazine is titled "Bring Najaf
to New York."
Indymedia, the RNC and the Battle for New York
The corporate media's coverage of the protests in the run-up
to the Republican convention has focused on logistics - permits,
routes and so forth - as opposed to content and examining
who and why tens of thousands are taking to the streets. We
speak with the Arun Gupta of the New York Independent Media
Center.
Much of the corporate media's coverage of the protests in
the run-up to the convention has focused on whether or not
organizers will have a city permit for their planned demonstrations
against the Republican Party.
What is not being talked about in the corporate press is
who the tens of thousands of protesters are and why they are
taking to the streets during the convention. Some 200 marches,
rallies and direct actions are planned for this week and next
organized by groups from across the spectrum representing
peace, environmental, religious, immigrant, youth and community
organizations.
- Arun Gupta, former editor of The Guardian, one of the
most respected independent newspapers in recent U.S. history.
He is currently an editor with the New York City Independent
Media Center's newspaper, The
Indypendent.
The Fourth World War: An Unembedded View of Global
Resistance
Veteran independent filmmaker Rick Rowley who has traveled
around the world telling the stories of resistance movements
discusses coverage of protests and the importance of independent
media. His new film "The Fourth World War" produced
with his partner Jacquie Soohen, premieres tonight in New
York.
In an open letter to journalists released yesterday, protest
organizers urged the mainstream media to ensure fair, balanced
and accurate coverage of the demonstrations at the Republican
Convention.
The letter reads "We are concerned by the slant of some
of the media coverage that has focused on potential violence
or made unsubstantiated and sensationalist claims about the
activists who will be demonstrating..."
Along with the hundreds of thousands of protesters expected
in New York, well over a thousand unembedded journalists will
be working out of the New York Independent Media Center.
The IMC last week published 200,000 copies of a special edition
of its newspaper the Indypendent. It features guides on everything
from the schedule of protests to where people can stay as
well as news and analysis of the election and presidency.
- Rick Rowley, independent filmmaker and journalist who
has traveled around the world telling the stories of resistance
movements. Most recently, he spent several months in Iraq.
He is one of the founders of Big
Noise Tactical Media. His new film, produced with his
partner Jacquie Soohen, premieres tonight in New York. It's
called "The
Fourth World War."
Boulder-Based Community Radio Station KGNU to Buy
Denver Signal
Bucking a national wave of media consolidation by large
corporations, Boulder community radio station KGNU (88.5 FM)
announced that it has reached terms to buy Denver AM radio
signal KJME (1390 AM), offering metro Denver listeners independent
news and diverse music currently unavailable in Denver.
KGNU will begin broadcasting in Denver on 1390 AM this Sunday,
August 29 at 9 AM, with six
hours of special programming live from the streets of New
York City, where hundreds of thousands are expected to
protest against the Republican National Convention.
Clear Channel Communications, the for-profit media giant
that owns over 1,200 radio stations across the country and
organized pro-war rallies ahead of the invasion of Iraq, owns
8 stations in Denver. Religious broadcasters own ten.
KGNU is listener-supported radio, broadcasting free from
the influence of advertisers or underwriters.
- Kris Abrams, Denver Campaign Coordinator for KGNU
and former producer Democracy Now!
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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