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NEWS & REPORTS
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March, 2005 - "For a Better World" column
Alternative Media
by Cliff DuRand
“Where can I find some alternative sources of news?
I have the feeling that the commercial media isn’t telling me
the whole story. And it isn’t just FOX News.”
This was one of the most common reactions to the series
of documentary films the Center for Global Justice showed at the Biblioteca
Publica. Snowbirds and expats alike are deeply concerned about issues
of globalization, the war and the sharp rightward turn in American politics
and social policies. And the mass media, under increasingly concentrated
ownership by large corporations, isn’t helping the public critically
understand what’s going on.
Fortunately, there is an alternative media available,
on radio, on television, in print, and especially on the internet. And
more and more people are looking to it for information and different
points of view.
Our favorite is Amy Goodman’s “Democracy Now!”,
an hour long daily news program. It is broadcast over Pacifica Radio
http://www.pacifica.org
and an increasing number of NPR radio stations. You can get it on KPFA
in Berkeley, WBAI in New York, WPFW in Washington, KPFT in Houston,
and KPFK in Los Angeles. But since your FM receiver is not likely to
pick up any of these, just go to any of those station’s websites
and listen to it online. Or better yet, go to http://www.DemocracyNow.org
where you can listen to or even watch the program any time of day or
night. In the States you can even get it on satellite TV over the Dish
Network on Free Speech TV, channel 9415. But we’re told Mexican
authorities don’t allow it to be carried on the Dish Network here.
So the internet is your best bet.
Actually, there is a wealth of information available via
the internet. Visit Z Magazine’s website at http://www.zmag.org
where you will find dozens of articles posted every day analyzing a
large range of issues. A similar treasure of op-ed pieces is found at
http://www.CommonDreams.org,
http://www.alternet.org,
and http://www.Truthout.org.
Common Dreams also carries extensive links to much of the alternative
media on their website. There is excellent coverage of social movements
to be found on http://indymedia.org,
a network with foci in many cities worldwide.
For those who can read Spanish, you can’t beat the
daily newspaper La Jornada. It is also available online at http://www.altpress.orgwww.jornada.unam.mx
It will give you information and perspectives not only on world news
but also on what’s going on here in Mexico.
There are many, many print journals with alternative points
of view and most of them have websites too. We all have our favorites,
like The Nation, In These Times, Monthly Review, Mother Jones. You can
find them online by typing their name followed by .org or .com or by
doing a Google search. Their websites will usually carry most of the
articles they print, although the current issue may not be available
online. For the serious news junkie, all the alternative journals are
indexed by subject in the Alternative Press Index. You can visit them
at http://www.altpress.org
And don’t overlook the think tanks. There you will
find substantive, well researched, thoughtful articles. Some of our
favorites are the Institute for Policy Studies’ http://www.altpress.org,
http://www.jornada.unam.mx,
http://www.ips-dc.org
and Foreign Policy in Focus at www.fpif.org And don’t forget to
check out our website at www.GlobalJusticeCenter.org where you will
find many thoughtful articles.
For those who want a lighter take on the news, there is
Comedy Central’s TV program called “The Daily Show.”
Host Jon Stewart lampoons many of the day’s news makers, exposing
contradictions and absurdities. Comedy can be a very effective way of
revealing the truth. Perhaps that is why this program is the most popular
source of news for the younger generation. As Stewart is fond of saying,
his program is “the most trusted name in fake news.”
Although there is much about globalization to be critical
of, we can be thankful that its technology makes it easier for us all
to be better informed citizens of the world. In a future column we’ll
tell you how to find some of the organizations through which you can
act to help make this a better world.
If you have a favorite website, send it to us at info@GlobalJusticeCenter.org
or call us at 150-0025.
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