In defiance of international law, Israel continues construction of the wall that is, in my view, only delaying the inevitable: the creation of a single, democratic, multiethnic state in Palestine/Israel for Jews and Arabs alike. The Guardian (UK) has been featuring a series of articles examining the Wall's impact. Certainly worth reading!
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Written by jdjohn06 on Jul 13, 2008
Hopefully, the educated readership of the New Yorker will understand all of the satirical nuances of the new Barry Blitt cartoon. It depicts the Barack and Michelle Obama taking part in every right-wing stereotype possible. The cartoon is very controversial and it is really getting people talking about the upcoming election.
I am reminded of the Danish cartoonist, who goes by Gregorius Nekschot, whom came under severe scrutiny for his cartoon depicting the prophet Muhammad. It has raised questions throughout Europe about free speech, freedom of the press, religion and art. Read more about Nekschot here.
...
Written by jdjohn06 on Jul 12, 2008
There have been countless social movements throughout time. These movements have achieved enormous feats and changed the global view on many issues. One of the most unique movements and one that I personally find the most interesting has been Media Activism. What is very interesting about this in particular is that this social movement is current. You can take part, you can be involved, or simply follow along.
After blogging last year about a specific underreported story (The Fate of Our Oceans) on the Weave, it has become clear to me how the majority of mainstream media is not doing its job and their efforts for unbiased, truthful news are sub par. Throughout research on my topic, I have stumbled across some amazing alternative media sources including The Huffington Post , Mother...
Written by johncollins on Jul 9, 2008 
Last evening I attended a public lecture by Dr. Teodoro León Gross, a professor of communication at the University of Málaga (Spain) and a regular columnist for the Málaga newspaper Diario Sur. Sponsored by the Ateneo de Marbella, a local citizens' organization promoting cultural awareness, the lecture focused on the current state of the mass media in Spain while also addressing broader media trends.
While a summary of León Gross's excellent lecture would require more space than I have here, I do want to call attention to one important observation he made about the relationship of individuals to the media texts we read, watch, and listen to. Although it was hardly an original observation, it is still worth repeating and pondering, particularly in terms of its implications for understanding the news media.
Why, he asked, do we tend to take such little care when deciding which news sources we will consult? Why do we allow ourselves to be so uninformed about the very media outlets that are supposed to inform...
Written by prmart07 on Jul 9, 2008
In my recent travels to the border region of El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico, I came across several non-profit organizations designed to aid and protect documented and undocumented migrants coming from Mexico to the United States. One of these projects is known as Sin Fronteras, a group which is very active in the current migrant agricultural worker movement.
The role of Sin Fronteras is to educate the public about the problems and struggles that migrant agricultural workers face, particularly Mexican migrant workers. It also is an initiative to document the histories of these people through written and spoken recordings. The program is a dedication to the men, women and children who have worked hard throughout history and presently to produce...
Written by johncollins on Jun 23, 2008
Via the Huffington Post, referencing a recent NY Times article: major US news networks have significantly scaled back their coverage of the occupation of Iraq during 2008. The CBS Evening News, for example, has provided less than one hour in total of Iraq coverage so far this year!
The NYT reports that CBS, incredibly, "no longer stations a single full-time correspondent in Iraq."
And if you read all the way to the bottom of the article, you'll find this:
Journalists at all three American television networks with evening newscasts...
Written by johncollins on Jun 16, 2008
Today, June 16, is the 32nd anniversary of the Soweto Uprising, one of the most important events in the long struggle against apartheid in South Africa. It's a good opportunity to reflect on the powerful role that students continue to play in movements for social justice throughout the world.
The Soweto Uprising resulted from decades of oppression of South Africa's black majority by the country's apartheid government. A range of social, economic, and ideological factors led the young people of Soweto to launch a massive protest against the mandatory use of the Afrikaans language as a medium of instruction in their schools. The movement was met with deadly force by South Africa police. Perhaps the most famous image from those days is the photo of...
Written by johncollins on Jun 14, 2008
I recently had the pleasure of attending and presenting a paper at the international conference on New Worlds, New Sovereignties. Held at the University of Melbourne (Australia), the conference brought together a wide range of academics and practitioners for a dynamic set of discussions focused on the complex relationships between dominant (Western) and indigenous ideas and practices of sovereignty.
Several of the speakers addressed the issue of indigenous resistance to ongoing projects of settler colonization. Perhaps the most striking of these presentations was from Gary Foley, a legendary indigenous Australian activist/scholar and designer of the Koori History Website. Foley, who has had (not surprisingly) a stormy relationship with the official structures of Australian academia, spoke passionately about the struggle for indigenous sovereignty and the continuing suppression of the history of that struggle. As one of the leaders in establishing the Aboriginal Tent Embassy in 1972, he has seen the ups and downs of a long and...
Written by johncollins on Jun 7, 2008
Bill Moyers, an outstanding journalist and one of the most important campaigners for media reform in the United States, recently spoke to the fourth annual National Conference for Media Reform. Watch his speech:
[video:http://youtube.com/watch?v=Y0r71L7cojE 500x500]
Written by johncollins on Jun 7, 2008
In recognition of recent protests throughout the world on the increasing price of petroleum, our themefor June is Social Movements: Past & Present. Throughout June our writers will be posting about protest movementsthat have gone on throughout history and discussing how and why these platformsfor change continue to impact society. Additionally, we will be posting oncurrent social movements going on throughout the world covering a range ofissues from war, free trade and global climate change. To our ...
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