Celebrating Media Democracy Day
It's the tenth annual Media Democracy Day, and organizers are talking up activities across Canada.
In Vancouver, one of several public forums is being held, featuring conversations, interactive workshops and panel presentations designed to provide a path to a reinvigorated independent media sector in Canada.
Media should inform, liberate and empower all members of society, participants will hear. Organizers want the public to see Media Democracy Day and related activities as a chance for them to share and discuss ways in which society can work toward this goal of democratizing media together.
Since 1996, there have been several efforts by concerned citizens and media activists to build coalitions to make the media more democratically accountable in the US as well as Canada, organizers describe.
Initially MD Day was organized by local Toronto and Vancouver groups of the CPBF — modeled after its British namesake, a coalition of groups which came together in 1996 to challenge Conrad Black's takeover of much of Canada's press, and the threat to diversity posed by media concentration. Early supporters included the Council of Canadians, the CEP union, the Canadian Media Guild, the Graphic Communications International Union, the CLC, and the Periodical Writers Assn.
Now, the tradition of MD Day is carried on by local citizens and student groups in Canada and around the world.
Events were organized in 2001 in Toronto, Vancouver and Kitchener-Waterloo Canada.
On Saturday, November 7th at the Vancouver Public Library (350 West Georgia Street), attendees can celebrate Media Democracy Day with other democratic media enthusiasts, and participate in exciting workshops, panels and a media democracy fair.
Some of Vancouver’s most dynamic and influential journalists, media innovators, and social activists will appear, including:
Rafe Mair (Political Journalist and former BC Cabinet Minister),
Gwen Barlee (Western Canada Wilderness Committee),
Robert Hackett (SFU Professor and author of Remaking Media),
Sylvia Richardson (Latin Waves SFU)
Kim Elliott (rabble.ca)
Steve Anderson (SaveOurNet and OpenMedia.ca),
Kate Milberry (Media and Technology blogger),
Donald Gutstein (SFU Professor and author of Not a Conspiracy Theory),
Linda Soloman (The Vancouver Observer),
Irwin Oostindie (W2 media),
…and Sid Tan (W2 media and Community TV 101), Sean Condon (Megaphone),
Paul Ryan (PIVOT’s Hope in the Shadows project), Damien Gillis (Documentarian and environmentalist), Monte Paulsen (The Tyee), Harsha Walla (No One Is Illegal), Rob Prey & Seonok Lee (Migrant Workers TV media activists), Frank Lopez (Activist documentarian), Dr. Paul Orlowski, Ryan McCormick (Vancouver's Safe Amplification Society), Lee Lakeman (Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter), Nicole Deagan (Outreach Coordinator Coop Radio),
… and many more…
For more information, http://mediademocracyday.org/vancouver
Also on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=157416629093 - /event.php?eid=189475406829&ref=ts
