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<nettime> Smoking Gun on Government-Directed Political Censorship at Pacifica |
----- Forwarded Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 13:44:56 -0500 To: cpsr-activists@cpsr.org From: Hans Klein <hans.klein@pubpolicy.gatech.edu> Subject: fwd: Smoking Gun on Government-Directed Political Censorship at Pacifica This is a pretty remarkable bit of news about content control in another medium. Hans >From: "Lyn Gerry" <redlyn@loop.com> >Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2001 13:18:29 -0500 >Subject: Smoking Gun on Government-Directed Political Censorship at Pacifica > >"I was also told by the executive director to tone down the news >coverage. CPB wanted me to tone down the news coverage, to be >more "balanced" as they put it. Especially this was at the time of >the war against Yugoslavia, and they didn't want to hear, as the >present management of Pacifica used to tell me, "about 'our boys' >dropping bombs and killing babies in Iraq. We don't want to hear >about that on our airwaves. We don't want to hear about the police >brutality." > > - Former Pacifica News Director Dan Coughlin speaking in >Berkeley, CA 3/24/01 streaming video of this talk at >http://www.brightpathvideo.com > >=============== > >Dear All, > >Below is a transcript of a presentation given last weekend by >former Pacifica Network News director Dan Coughlin in Berkeley, >CA. This is one of the most important pieces of testimomy I have >come across in the six years, that proves conclusively that >Pacifica, as well as community and public radio in general, are the >targets of a government operation to silence critical journalism. > >I urge you to read this and to distribute this as widely as possible, >to every activist, and especially every donor to Pacifica radio. > >Lyn > >-------------------------------- > >I want to thank the organizers of this afternoon, friends of Free >Speech radio, of course Dennis Bernstein, Barbara Lubin, Lauren >Coodley and Robbie Osman, who picked us up from the airport a >short while ago. > >I'm really pleased to be here today, especially after last night in >Los Angeles. Amy, Juan, Bernard and I got into LA yesterday >afternoon and we right to the First Baptist Church in downtown Los >Angeles. And it was a cavernous hall, a huge place, with balconies >up on the right and the left. And Amy and I and one of the >organizers, we just started putting red tape on the chairs in the >back, to seal off the chairs so that all the people who would come >would fill up the front, and at least it would look a little filled. We >were very worried that nobody...that maybe three, four hundred >people might show up but that the hall would look empty. And we >were stunned when, about 7 o'clock somebody rushed into the >reception and said, "Please, please, we need volunteers at the >door. There's hundreds of people coming in!" > >And last night was the biggest meeting in the recent Pacifica crisis >of the last two years. 1200 people showed up and packed the >meeting and stayed until 11:30 last night. [cheers and applause] > >Dennis mentioned a very important word: silence. And that's what >Verna Avery-Brown mentioned last year at a speech in Los >Angeles, when we were in California together. And, she asked >listeners, and reminded listeners, that it wasn't so much what you >hear on the radio, but what you don't hear. > >That's also what Amy teaches us as well, which is part of her >practice as a journalist, which is to go where the silence is. And >what Mark Schubb, and Marc Cooper, and Pacifica Radio >executives, Pacifica Radio lawyers, PNN News staff tried to do over >the last several weeks was to silence that event in Los Angeles. >They worked overtime pressuring men and women of good will who >were coming for a discussion on a national and international >debate, to pressure them to withdraw from the event. Sadly, some >people did withdraw. > >Pacifica had their hired gun anti-union attorney on the phone for five >hours on Thursday night pressuring AFTRA to tell Amy not to >announce the event on Democracy Now! on the air. This is what >listener money is going to, to gag us. They sent down, last night, >to LA, two people from PNN to address, to come in, to hand out >leaflets denouncing our campaign and our struggles for a free radio >network. They flew down from San Francisco, the Pacifica News >Director and a Pacifica reporter. > >After spending two weeks trying to gag the meeting, they had the >audacity to show up and demand a place to speak. Same with >Mark Schubb. We said, " yes, we're not afraid of what you have to >say. Bring them up onto the platform!" [cheers] > >And they came up and they had their piece. And they had their >piece. And we heard from them, and we heard from Juan, we heard >from Amy and we heard from Bernard. We heard from brothers and >sisters on strike in LA, and we had a great meeting and we were >energized and mobilized to fight for our radio network that belongs >to the listeners, belongs to the people of this country and this world >who are engaged in a struggle to build a better society so that we >can live without war, racism and poverty, > >[cheers and applause] > >I'm particularly pleased to be here with Dennis for this event for >Flashpoints, because Flashpoints is the kind of journalism that >we've practiced for many years at Pacifica, the kind of journalism >that is under severe attack. Wake Up Call, the morning show in >New York, hosted by Bernard White and Amy Goodman, which >you will hear a little bit about, has been purged. > >Dozens, I would say about fifteen people participated in that >program over the course of the week. They've all been fired and >banned, including Robert Knight, including Amy Goodman and >including Bernard White. They've been subjected to a scurrilous >and vicious campaign of defamation on the air, where for instance >Amy is openly called: a "racist", a "liar", "unprofessional", >"responsible for the firing of Bernard and Sharan", a "bitch." And >that her contribution to Pacifica is "defecation." This is the subject >of discourse in the newspapers in New York, that she "vomits" on >the air. And this is the kind of statements that Pacifica >management, that supposedly wants to "professionalize the >network, is busy making. > >Because what is in fact happening, as we know, as we've >experienced here in KPFA, as we've experienced in PNN, as we've >experienced at Democracy Now!, as we've experienced at WBAI, is >nothing but a political purge targeting the most successful, the >most relevant, and the most politicized programmers, producers >and activists in the network. And that is what is happening. > >So we have to understand that this "debate" about audience >building, and about diversity has nothing to do with reality in the >network, as we know here at KPFA. The two, obviously the two >most successful radio stations in the network, KPFA and WBAI, >are the ones that are being attacked and destroyed. Because this >Pacifica management, this Pacifica management can only do one >thing. And that is to go to war against us. That's all they know how >to do. There's not been one programming initiative over the past few >years. There's not been one administrative initiative of any kind. >The organization is in complete disarray. > >We were just down in KPFK. They don't have a news director. They >don't have a program director, they don't have a development >director because they keep power to themselves and they can't >share it because people don't agree with them. And this is what's >happening to the network; it's being destroyed and a political purge >is happening. > >And this is happening for a number of different reasons, and one of >the reasons that I want to touch on this afternoon, briefly, is to tell >you a little story about my tenure as news director. And I was >news director during the height of the KPFA crisis and I thank the >hundreds of people who called me during that time to inform me >about what was going on. [audience laughter] And send me e- >mails, as Lynn Chadwick and the Pacifica Board used to talk >about, used to refer to it as the "great Northern California e-mail >machine." [audience laughter] Which is absolutely true. I still have >the e-mails. > >A couple of things that happened which are pretty interesting. I >think one was in June, end of June in '99, after a Pacifica Board >meeting. And Lynn Chadwick came to me, and she said, "Oh, >Dan, it's really great, we're meeting, Mary and I are meeting with >Kevin Close." > >And I thought, wow, that's interesting, you're having lunch with >Kevin Close. Kevin Close is the boss of National Public Radio. And >he comes from Voice of America, from Radio Free Europe in fact. >He was responsible for...he was a journalist with the Washington >Post, went over to Radio Free Europe, was responsible for the shift >of Radio Free Europe from Munich to Prague, part of the eastward >expansion of NATO and the eastward expansion really, of US >imperialism. And he, from Radio Free Europe, became head of >NPR. And they were meeting with him to discuss the KPFA crisis. > >A little while later, Lynn then said to me, "Well, we met with "Uncle >Bob," as she used to call Bob Coonrod, the head of CPB. And Bob >Coonrod also comes from VOA, and he was in charge of things like >Radio Marti. And she said to me, "Dan, you know it was really >interesting...we had this meeting with Uncle Bob, and you know >what? He promised to give us some money to see us through the >KPFA thing." (To defeat the KPFA struggle) And she said, "You >know, all these years we've been asking CPB for money and they >say they never have any. And here you are, now, they're ready to >give us money!" > >And whether this is true or not, whether CPB in fact ended up >giving money to Pacifica, fact is that Bob Coonrod, according to >Lynn, told her that and she interpreted that obviously as political >support. > >I was also told by the executive director to tone down the news >coverage. CPB wanted me to tone down the news coverage, to be >more "balanced" as they put it. Especially this was at the time of >the war against Yugoslavia, and they didn't want to hear, as the >present management of Pacifica used to tell me, "about 'our boys' >dropping bombs and killing babies in Iraq. We don't want to hear >about that on our airwaves. We don't want to hear about the police >brutality." > >Whenever we used to do a piece on Mumia Abu Jamal, they'd joke, >" Oh Dan why don't you just get a, and Amy, why don't you guys >get a direct ISDN line to Mumia's cell. Wouldn't that be easier for >you?" The belittling, the pressure, the demands, the repression, >about what we're covering and why at Pacifica National >Programming is very serious and this is why we have to take >Dennis' words very seriously. That what is happening here is >political repression in the network. And we, many of us who have >been in the network for several years, feel this quite directly. And >it's not hidden. It's told to us openly. > >We are faced with a drastic situation in Pacifica. It is the eleventh >hour. We have seen the KPFA crisis, we have seen the crisis at >PNN. And by the way, let me say just one thing about the crisis at >PNN since I was the National News director. The stringer's strike >has been one of the most important struggles that has occurred in >the Pacifica battles over the last two years. We've seem more than >40 stringers from around the world stop their work, organize >themselves, and refuse to contribute to PNN until editorial integrity >and journalistic integrity is respected. > >Stringers...[applause] And they've put out a newscast to 42 >community radio stations cross the country every week. It's a >remarkable feat. And they spread the struggle, and they circulated >the struggle all across the country. And so wherever you go now to >talk about Pacifica, people know about it, because they hear it on >that Free Speech Radio newscast. > >But stringers are notoriously difficult to organize. Stringers...we've >all been stringers, many of us...we're independent, we're fierce, >we're our own minds. Some of us speak many different languages. >We go seek the truth in Indonesia, or in Nigeria, or wherever the >struggle is, we go and take a look. Stringers have been so >independent that even the CIA couldn't organize stringers in the in >the 1950's. [Audience laughter] > >You know, you read about it in Graham Greene novels. You >couldn't organize stringers. They hated stringers. Stringers, these >stringers, came under attack by PNN news staff, by the AFTRA >unit of Pacifica. "Oh, you're striking against a real union and you >guys don't know what you're doing. We're the unionized workers." > >But stringers, in fact...the term "stringers" comes from a string. >Where journalists, news reporters used to string together their >news reports for a telegraph wire, and that would determine how >much pay they would get. And that was based on printers. >Because printers, to see how much type you used to lay out, >would take a facsimile of the type they print out and put it up on a >string, and then as many pages as you collected, you would >measure the width and that's what you would be paid, along with >some kind of piece rate. > >And it's very interesting because the printers have always been at >the forefront of free speech, going back to the Gutenberg bible in >the 15th Century and the struggle against ecclesiastical authority, >the struggle against dictatorships, against colonialism. Ben >Franklin was a printer. So, here we have a struggle for free speech >that is rooted in trade unionism, remember printers were the first >trade unionists, and in free speech. And they are routinely derided >by Pacifica management, when they represent the most deeply >rooted sentiments in our society and in the world. And that is the >struggle for free speech and we should support, continue our >support, we should applaud Friends of Free Speech Radio for >supporting the stringers' strike, and that noble fight for free speech. > > >[Applause] > >But as I was saying, we have a drastic situation at Pacifica. KPFA, >PNN, Democracy Now!, and now this horrific, horrific coup at WBAI >involving armed guards, firings and bannings, new surveillance >equipment being put in, the use of the NYPD, arrests, gag orders - >the usual story. And we have to sit down and really think about >what we're doing as a movement, and how we're going to win this >struggle, because we can't keep going around putting out these >fires. > >They go from one place to the next place. And, know they're going >to come back to KPFA. It's only a matter of time. And they're going >to be much more clever about how they do it, just how they were >clever about what happened at WBAI by doing an internal palace >coup, which is what they did at PNN. We have to figure out a >strategy that's going to defeat these people. And we think, at the >Pacifica Campaign, that our strategy is simple and it'll be effective. >And, it's based on one simple goal: that the Pacifica Board, the >corporate clique that is now in charge of the Pacifica Board, has to >resign now. [cheers] They have to resign now! > >And we're going to remind them of that. And we want to remind >them of that in pickets at their homes, talking to their business >partners, putting pressure on them. And of course in a non-violent, >anti-racist, anti-sexist way. We're totally clear about that, even >though Pacifica labels...claims that we're racist, violent and sexist, >as they put in their press releases. But want to turn up the heat >against the individual board members. > >Groups around the country are adopting a Board member. >[applause and laughter from audience] And we would like to see, in >San Francisco Bay Area, [raucous laughter from audience] there's >one person I think in the Bay Area you can perhaps persuade, >persuade, that she should resign now. She has abrogated the trust >placed in her as a steward of this great treasure, the Pacifica Radio >network and she needs to resign now. > >The second aspect, and this I don't need to tell you about, you >know how to do that...I didn't say anybody, but I heard from the >crowd, they were saying "Carolyn Van Putten." And she has >proved to be a very negative force on the Board. She has supported >the Christmas Coup at WBAI, supported, the firings and bannings >of workers around the system, supported the gagging of free >speech and she needs to resign. She needs to take responsibility. >It's a simple thing. It's not complicated. Anybody looking at what's >happening in the network can realize the chaos and >mismanagement that exists! These people have to take >responsibility for their actions, which they singularly refuse to do. >It's unbelievable! They need to resign now! > >It's a simple issue. But we need to maybe help them to come to >that conclusion. But the way that we can do that, apart from >pressuring them and lobbying them, is, we do have to turn up the >heat against them individually, but we have to cut off the water. We >have to cut off the water, we have to stop the funds from going into >Pacifica, because they, every three months, [applause] every three >months they get three more million dollars. And they come back to >us to USE IT TO KILL US! > >To fire us at seven in the morning and to drag us out of bed >and to tell us we've been fired. It's got to stop! And the way >to make it stop is to hold them accountable for the money >that they're spending. And it is something that listeners can >do. All of us can do it. > >It's a giant national referendum. We can all participate in it. If >the Board doesn't like the boycott, then fine, hold a national >vote of the listeners. But let's put it to the vote! [applause] > >But in the meantime, let's cut off the water to this Pacifica >Board so they can't continue these policies. I'm outta here. >Thanks you very much. Please go to the website of the >Pacifica campaign, pacificacampaign.org, and cut off the >heat and cut off the water. > >[sustained clapping, cheering from audience] > >________________________ >http://www.radio4all.org >http://www.radio4all.org/freepacifica > >Public PGP Block: http://www.radio4all.org/pgp/ > ----- Backwarded # distributed via <nettime>: no commercial use without permission # <nettime> is a moderated mailing list for net criticism, # collaborative text filtering and cultural politics of the nets # more info: majordomo@bbs.thing.net and "info nettime-l" in the msg body # archive: http://www.nettime.org contact: nettime@bbs.thing.net