From the August 2001 Idaho Observer:

Free Radio America

by Jan Blum and Dr. Gary Trexler

This month's column is about mixing it up. Break out of the traditional conservative mold and look around. Radical thinking is breaking out all over. Free speech means tolerating differences -- and talking WITH each other, not just ABOUT each other.

Think conservatives are alone in our concern about the loss of sovereignty with the strengthening of the UN? Consider who has been at the forefront of the protests at the G8 conference. Who was protesting the World Bank and the IMF and who has brought consistent coverage to this issue? These folks support “democracy,” probably without a clear understanding of the term or its alternatives (democratic republic). Nevertheless, they are passionate activists who are giving their lives and their voices to making a difference. Let's take a look at what other activists are doing and consider how we may be able to overcome the great communication divide that has been created between “us and them.”

www.a16.org/radio/

Free the airspace!! So proclaims the leading banner on this website. Other mantras: “Break the Bank,” “Dump the Debt,” and “De-Fund the Fund.”

Actually, “a16” stands for April 16, 2000 - the dynamic weekend of protests against the IMF and the World Bank. Apparently, this is when this website, dedicated to Mobilization Radio, was born.

This site epitomizes our common cause in going up against the UN agendas. It also clearly highlights the complete split in perception and ideology between patriots and “progressives” as to what the underlying causes and cures are. After reading this site over, one of the inspirations that bubbled up for us was to purchase 10,000 or more copies of The Creature of Jekyll Island and pass them out to the demonstrators in October. See if you get some other creative ideas. The energy, passion, and dedication evidenced here can only be ignored at our own peril. Check out the calendar to stay abreast of upcoming action. And tune in to some of their broadcasts from the original protests in April of 2000 - for a foretaste of things to come.

www.wbix.org

WBIX is a global gathering of audio refugees. Sound familiar?

This radio station was born to replace Pacifica which has been a leading “progressive” voice out of New York City. Freedom of speech was attacked in December, 2000 when many of the veteran hosts and producers were fired. Among them was Amy Goodman who has fearlessly talked even to Bill Clinton. The new website has archived shows and includes her critical interview with then President Clinton about his performance in the political arena.

Indymedia, the sponsoring group for WBIX is a collective of independent media organizations and hundreds of journalists offering grassroots, non-corporate coverage. It is a “democratic media outlet” for the creation of radical, accurate and passionate telling of truth. These folks are active in “community radio” and putting on a diversity of people with a message.

www.mediachannel.org

Danny Schechter is executive producer of Globalvision, a television and film production company, and executive editor of MediaChannel, a global media watchdog website. He lives in New York City. He is a former producer of 20/20.

Danny is radical journalist. He is one of the few journalists to emerge from the alternative media of the '60s and '70s with his politics and principals intact.

For four decades, Schechter has been writing on human rights, politics, and the media. He also spent ten years in radio news reporting and twenty years creating television news and public affairs programs and independent documentaries. No stranger to run-ins with the FBI and the CIA, Schechter exposes the practices and prejudices of the news media. More than that, he is taking action with his website and current productions.

His website includes radio broadcasts, TV broadcasts and is full of news reports from around the world - talking about free speech and the ability to speak the truth.

Some examples of shows you can find on his website:

David Cromwell interviews prize-winning journalist John Pilger on globalization as a public issue, “socialism for the rich” and has just released the documentary, “The New Rulers of the World.”