FSTV's special live May Day broadcasts are scheduled from 1-3pm ET, 6-7pm ET, and 8-9pm ET on BT122, DISH Network (9415) and DIRECTV (348). Made possible through the support of the Friends of Free Speech TV in Burlington.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
‘Media for the 99 Percent’ Challenges Corporate Media with Joint Coverage of May Day Protests Nationwide San Francisco, CA—This year, International and Immigrant Workers’ Day, May Day,
will usher in a spring of protests fueled by the rise in anti-immigrant
legislation and enforcement, a lopsided economic recovery that favors
the few, and a reemergent Occupy movement poised to challenge corporate
power.
If past coverage is any indication, corporate media will not tell the May Day story accurately or with depth or analysis. That’s why more than 25 independent media outlets belonging to
The Media Consortium are collaborating to provide coordinated, national coverage of May Day events from around the country.
Calling themselves “Media for the 99 Percent” (
www.mediaforthe99percent.com),
these diverse outlets will offer a live TV and streaming broadcast, an
interactive map, breaking news reporting, and coordinated social media
coverage across their sites, reaching a combined audience of more than
50 million Americans.
“With this May Day
collaboration, independent media will show that live national coverage
can reflect the breadth, diversity, and complexity of the American
people,” says Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, executive director of
The Media Consortium.
Independent media outlets have stayed with the Occupy story through the winter with unparalleled reporting: books by
YES! Magazine and
AlterNet; a weekly “Occupy the Media” TV program by
Free Speech TV; cover features by
In These Times,
The American Prospect,
The Nation, and
Mother Jones; in-depth and breaking news reporting by
Truthout,
Making Contact, the
Public News Service,
Free Speech Radio News, and many others.
On May Day, the
Media for the 99 Percent outlets will leverage their existing platforms and reporters to provide coordinated national multimedia coverage, featuring:
An interactive Map:
Find out where actions are happening across the country and follow the
independent media’s by-the-minute coverage with links to video, audio,
photos, and blog reports.
Television and Live Stream Broadcast: Free Speech TV will broadcast live (and live streamed) news coverage throughout the day, featuring reports from around the U.S., as well as in-studio commentary. FSTV live broadcasts are scheduled from 1-3pm ET, 6-7pm ET, and 8-9pm ET.
Curated Social Media Coverage:
Using the Storify platform, Media for the 99 Percent will offer a
curated narrative of breaking news via blog updates, along with photos
and social media posts from reporters on the ground.
All three content tools are available for embedding by other news outlets and the public. These tools can be found at: www.mediaforthe99percent.com
Adds Don Rojas, executive director of Free Speech TV, “This independent media collaboration will provide a perspective of May Day activities that will not be found in the corporate media."
Available Spokespeople:
* Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, Executive Director, The Media Consortium
* Don Rojas, Executive Director, Free Speech TV
To set up an interview with Jo Ellen or Don, please contact:
Lisa Rudman, (510) 459-8558, lrudman@radioproject.org
or Katie Sheehan, (415) 743-6477, ksheehan@bkpub.com
Spokespeople Bios
• Jo Ellen Green Kaiser, Executive Director, The Media Consortium
Currently
the executive director of The Media Consortium, Jo Ellen has worked for
a succession of independent magazines, including stints as Managing
Editor and Associate Publisher of Tikkun, Publisher of LiP: Informed
Revolt, and Executive Director and Editor-in-Chief of Zeek. She is
driven by a belief that democratic societies thrive only when their
members have access to accurate information and informed opinion. A
leading figure in Jewish media, Jo Ellen is an expert on the Jewish
social justice movement. She is the co-editor of Righteous Indignation.
• Don Rojas, Executive Director, Free Speech TV
Don
Rojas joined Free Speech TV in 2009, and is responsible for leading the
organization's evolution and growth. An internationally-renowned
journalist and communicator, his distinguished career spans over 30
years as a newspaper editor, general manager of a major New York City
radio station (WBAI-Pacifica), the first communications director of the
NAACP, media manager at Oxfam America, Internet publishing pioneer (The
Black World Today) and former press secretary to the late Prime Minister
Maurice Bishop of Grenada. Don has lived, traveled and worked in the
United States, Europe, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
About The Media Consortium:
The
Media Consortium is a national network of independent media. Our
mission is to support and grow the impact of the independent media
sector.
