NEW YORK—Eight years after WTO protest riots in Seattle spawned an independent media project, New Yorkers gathered to show their support. The New York print edition of the news website Indymedia celebrated its birthday on Saturday with a spirited political forum.
The forum, “The 2008 Election: What’s Really At Stake?” took place in The Great Hall of The Cooper Union before a packed house. The rowdy audience of about 400 were active participants in the political discussion led by Laura Flanders. Flanders is host of GRITtv a daily news-discussion and the nationally syndicated weekly radio program of the Nation Magazine, Radio Nation.
Flanders shared the stage with authors and journalists Naomi Klein, Jeremy Scahill, and Roberto Lovato. They were joined by activist Malia Lazu. The event was co-sponsored by The Indypendent and the national media watch group FAIR.
The panelists in their opening remarks lauded the work of The Indypendent, which celebrates its seventh birthday this year. Klein noted that the birth of Indymedia and The Indypendent were born out of public demand following the Seattle riots.
“The people in the streets didn’t wait for the media to cover the protests [in Seattle],” said Klein. “And that was the birth of Indymedia.”
The animated panel discussion touched on a wide range of issues, from Latino rights to child incarceration. Panelists also shared personal anecdotes about the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, which led into larger discussion of the 2008 presidential election.
“The elections are really not about the candidates,” offered Lovato as the discussion turned toward politics. “They’re really a measure of how much our citizenship is dominating the global stage.”
Though much of the forum focused on what voters can expect from an Obama or McCain administration, the conversation turned from candidates to issues.
“It’s not about Barack Obama—it’s not the central issue that should motivate people,” insisted a passionate Scahill. Scahill is author of the book “Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army”, about the military contractor in Iraq that has been closely scrutinized for its practices there.
“Barack Obama, on several major issues, does not differ from McCain,” said Scahill. “Barack Obama is not in favor of banning Blackwater in Iraq. He has criticized McCain for not going far enough.”
The Indypendent is a New York-based free newspaper published 17 times a year and has operated with the help of 600 citizen journalists, artists and media activists. It has won dozens of New York Independent Press Association award and is funded by subscriptions, donations, grants, merchandise sales, benefits and advertising from organizations with similar missions.
Friends Read Free