The Young Turks

About a month ago, I attended the National Conference for Media Reform 2008—first time I’ve attended one of these things.  I really didn’t know what to expect.  I wanted to get more informed about what’s gone wrong with our mainstream media and get a better handle on what I can do as a concerned citizen.  I thought, maybe they’ll be working through some media reform issues as a group and then come to some kind of conclusion on how to proceed regarding this topic.  But, it really wasn’t like that.  The way it works is, you’ve got the speakers and panelists that fly in to do their gig (i.e. give a speech and/or participate on a panel) and then they’re done.  Some may do a book signing afterward.  They don’t necessarily hang around for 2 or 3 days to attend other discussion panels, at least not that I could tell.  So, the sense I got is the talent is there mainly to share what they know with the conference attendees and answer some questions.
 
Kickoff
Josh Silver, co-founder of FreePress.net, opened the conference with a chilling tale of how he and a friend got shot in a Peruvian rainforest 13 years ago.  Josh’s friend died and Josh came back a changed person.
 
Media at a Critical Juncture:  Politics, Technology and Culture
Adrienne Maree Brown, Lawrence Lessig, Rep. Keith Ellison
Adrienne Maree Brown of the Ruckus Society, spoke to the non-violent direct actions that group has taken to raise public awareness on issues like a free Tibet. The next speaker Lawrence Lessig, a law professor at Stanford Law School, started the website Change Congress with Joe Trippi to provide technological tools for voters to hold their representatives accountable and reduce the influence of money on politics.  Lessig kept his 30 minute presentation engaging by using a rapid display of phrases and images as he spoke.  From the Congressional perspective, Representative Keith Ellison (D-MN), spoke candidly about the significant problems within the mainstream media.
 
How Independent Media Creates Change
Robert Greenwald, Jane Hamsher, Daisy Hernandez, Jefferson Morley and Tracy Van Slyke (moderator)
Fox News had their camera and sound guys there which made for some interesting commentary by Robert Greenwald, who created the documentary Outfoxed.  Jane described what she and other bloggers do at FireDogLake.com as being somewhere between activism and journalism.  She discussed the ways that her 32,000 readers have participated in affecting change through email campaigns and petitions.  Daisy discussed the impact of her online news magazine ColorLines on race and politics.  Jefferson Morley, a journalist formerly with the Washington Post and now with The Washington Independent, said that the biggest journalism gap is in local news coverage including at state legislatures.  He mentioned that The Center for Independent Media offers journalism workshops for anyone interested in becoming a citizen journalist.
 
I did have a chance to meet briefly with Cenk, Cliff Schecter, and Arianna Huffington.  Cenk is a reasonably tall guy, which probably explains why he does well in races: speed and stride length.  Generally, I find it’s kind of a weird experience meeting someone you’re familiar with, that you’ve listened to or read on the web, and yet you’re a complete stranger to them—probably the way Cenk describes it when he runs into celebrities in L.A.
 
Netroots:  What’s Next?
Duncan Black, Gina Cooper, Robin Marty, Baratunde Thurston, and Cenk Uygur (moderator)
Cenk did a good job moderating the Netroots panel, keeping it lively and interjecting his questions to the panelists as he does with guests on TYT.  Baratunde Thurston was charming and funny, as were many of the panelists and speakers on the whole at the conference.  Baratunde made the point that to become citizen journalists, we all need to step out of our comfort zones.  Another point made by the panel is every issue you write about needs a face and a story.  Cenk had an interesting exchange with a fellow in the audience who advocated nonviolent communication http://www.cnvc.org/.  Cenk made it clear that just wasn’t his style.  This reminded me of why I became a Young Turks member:  because Cenk takes the utterly arrogant and shameless behavior of Republicans and right-wingers and turns it into his playground, laughing at it with the scorn and derision it so rightfully deserves.  Until right-wingers come clean, admit wrongdoing and feel some healthy shame, the nonviolent communication thing just isn’t going to work.
 
Power in Your Pocket:  Cell Phones and Social Change
Jed Alpert, Becky Bond, Stephen Bradberry, Monifa Akinwole Bandele, Candace Clement (moderator)
At this panel I heard about a disturbing story which I missed last fall on how Verizon stopped abortion-rights advocates from text messaging supporters.  Stephen Bradberry discussed how the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) used cell phone technology to register and remind members in the low-income and minority communities to vote in the 2004 elections.  Stephen pointed out how there are many U.S. citizens who don’t use computers and email, but do have a cell phone and can receive text messages in Get Out The Vote (GOTV) campaigns.  He noted that cell phone technology can be used to augment existing GOTV efforts, not replace them. ACORN has been instrumental in getting more than 1.6 million people registered to vote since 2003.  Monifa Akinwole Bandele, executive director of Change the Game, shared how cell phones were used by the People’s Justice Coalition to mobilize citizens in reaction to an acquittal verdict for NYPD police officers who shot and killed Sean Bell. Becky Bond from Credo Mobile talked about Credo’s mission to promote social change and provide a progressive alternative to the big telecom vendors.
 
Some videos shown at the National Conference for Media Reform:
The Spies Who Love You
"Low-light reel"
Bill Moyers addresses NCMR 2008
Dan Rather addresses NCMR 2008
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps
Free Press Demands Investigation into Pentagon Pundits