Events

Current Activites of FCM and in the past

Targeting Journalists

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Article in New York Times by By Kavitha Chekuru, 11/10/24

Headline: “Israel Keeps Attacking Journalists. When Will the U.S. Intervene?”

“At least 129 Palestinian journalists and media workers have been killed since the war in Gaza started last year, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists; the Gaza media office puts that number much higher, at 188. This has been the deadliest year for journalists since the C.P.J. began recording the numbers in 1992. The group has said that in the first 10 weeks of the war, more journalists were killed than had been killed in any country over an entire year.

“The C.P.J. has also determined that five journalists who were killed, including one in Lebanon, were ‘directly targeted” by Israeli forces, and the organization is investigating more than 20 others.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/11/10/opinion/israel-war-journalists-killed-gaza.html

Media – Too Fair on Gun Threat Coverage?

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Article in Huffington Post By Marco Margaritoff, 11/2/24

Headline:  “James Carville Slams Media For ‘Fair’ Takes Of Trump’s Gun-Filled Fantasy About Liz Cheney”

Subhead:  “The Democratic strategist said “these people are so f**king stupid” for comparing Donald Trump’s violent rhetoric to Vice President Kamala Harris’ minor gaffes.”

“Longtime Democratic strategist James Carville is slamming mainstream media outlets for being unnecessarily “fair” to Donald Trump, whose recent comments about how former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) would handle being shot at caused outrage from high-ranking Democrats.

“The people that I find most loathsome, and the wormiest, slimiest people in this, is what I call the truth-teller caucus,” Carville said Friday in a video for Politicon. “They’re the people … burdened with the obligation to ‘the truth’ — and you see these asswipes everywhere.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/james-carville-slams-media-for-fair-coverage-of-trumps-gun-filled-fantasy-about-liz-cheney_n_672652a3e4b01e8b2425207e

No Media Endorsement? – The Fallout

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Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastranglo, 10/30/24

Headline: “Trump: Newspapers pulling endorsements means ‘I’m doing a great job’ “

“Former President Trump took a victory lap Wednesday after several leading newspapers chose not to endorse Vice President Harris in next week’s presidential election.

“Do you notice the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times aren’t endorsing anybody? You know what they’re really saying? Because they only endorse Democrats,” Trump said during a rally in North Carolina. “They’re saying, ‘This Democrat’s no good. They’re no good,’ and they think I’m doing a great job. They just don’t want to say it.”

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4962360-trump-newspapers-pulling-endorsements/

Google Blocks Russian Media Propaganda – Fined

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Article in The Register by Iain Thomson, 10/29/24

Headline: “Russian court fines Google $20,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000”

Subhead: “Don’t hold your breath Putin”

“The bizarre amount has been calculated after a four-year court case that started after YouTube banned the ultra-nationalist Russian channel Tsargrad in 2020 in response to the US sanctions imposed against its owner. Following Putin’s illegal invasion of Ukraine in 2022 more channels were added to the banned list and 17 stations are now suing the Chocolate Factory, including Zvezda (a TV channel owned by Putin’s Ministry of Defence), according to local media.”

“. . .The court imposed a fine of 100 thousand rubles ($1,025) per day, with the total fine doubling every week. Owing to compound interest (Einstein’s eighth wonder of the world), Google is now on the hook for an insane amount of money, or what the judge on Monday called “a case in which there are many, many zeros.”

https://www.theregister.com/2024/10/29/russian_court_fines_google/

Bezos Says No Trust in Media Justifies No Endorsement

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Updates

Einstein was quoted as saying,  “There will come a time when the rich own the media and it will be impossible for the public to make an informed opinion.”

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Opinion article by Jeff Bezos (owner) in The Washington Post, 10/28/24

Headline: “The hard truth: Americans don’t trust the news media”

“In the annual public surveys about trust and reputation, journalists and the media have regularly fallen near the very bottom, often just above Congress. But in this year’s Gallup poll, we have managed to fall below Congress. Our profession is now the least trusted of all. Something we are doing is clearly not working.”

“…Most people believe the media is biased. Anyone who doesn’t see this is paying scant attention to reality, and those who fight reality lose.”

“. . . I would also like to be clear that no quid pro quo of any kind is at work here. Neither campaign nor candidate was consulted or informed at any level or in any way about this decision. . . ”

“. . . You can see my wealth and business interests as a bulwark against intimidation, or you can see them as a web of conflicting interests. Only my own principles can tip the balance from one to the other. I assure you that my views here are, in fact, principled, and I believe my track record as owner of The Post since 2013 backs this up.”

“. . . While I do not and will not push my personal interest, I will also not allow this paper to stay on autopilot and fade into irrelevance — overtaken by unresearched podcasts and social media barbs — not without a fight.. .”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2024/10/28/jeff-bezos-washington-post-trust/

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Article in The Guardian by Lorenzo Tondo, 10/28/24

Headline:  “Real thread of autocracy’:  Washington Post editorial staffers resign in forceful letters”

Subhead:  “Fallout continues over newspaper’s decision not to support Harris for president as over 200,000 cancel subscriptions”

“More Washington Post staffers have stepped down and more than 200,000 people had canceled their digital subscriptions by Monday after the newspaper’s decision not to support Kamala Harris f”or president.

“Editorial board members David Hoffman and Molly Roberts both resigned on Monday with forceful letters indicating their reasons.

“I believe we face a very real threat of autocracy in the candidacy of Donald Trump,” Hoffman, who took home the Pulitzer Prize just last week, wrote in his resignation letter. “I find it untenable and unconscionable that we have lost our voice at this perilous moment.”

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/oct/28/washington-post-columnist-michele-norris-quits-kamala-harris

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Article in The Hill by Dominick Mastrangelo, 10/28/24

Headline: “Washington Post loses more than 200,000 subscribers over endorsement outrage: Report “

“The Washington Post has lost more than 200,000 digital subscriptions since its decision not to endorse a candidate in this year’s presidential election, according to a report by NPR citing two people at the paper with knowledge of internal matters.

Such a number would amount to around 8 percent of the outlet’s 2.5 million digital and print subscribers.

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4957738-washington-post-subscriptions-drop/

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Article in The Guardian by Lorenzo Tondo, 10/28/24

Headline: “Second Washington Post writer quits over failure to back Kamala Harris”

Subhead: “Columnist Michele Norris says paper’s decision to withhold endorsement in US election was ‘terrible mistake’ “

“Michele Norris, an opinion contributor at the Post and the first Black female host for National Public Radio (NPR), called the non-endorsement a ‘terrible mistake’.

“ ‘As of yesterday, I have decided to resign from my role as a columnist for The Washington Post – a newspaper that I love,” wrote Norris , who has been an opinion columnist at the paper since 2019.
People walk past the Washington Post building‘Fundamentally saddened’: Washington Post readers on failure to endorse Harris

“In a moment like this, everyone needs to make their own decisions. The Washington Post’s decision to withhold an endorsement that had been written & approved in an election where core democratic principles are at stake was a terrible mistake & an insult to the paper’s own longstanding standard of regularly endorsing candidates since 1976.’ ”

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2024/oct/28/washington-post-columnist-michele-norris-quits-kamala-harris

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On 10/26 as of 10:00 PM media outlets are going bonkers about the Washington Post’s decision not to endorse a candidate for president following on the heels of the same decision by the Los Angeles Times.  Both newspapers were bought by billionaires who have seemingly put their thumbs on the scales of editorial policies in which a presidential candidate was always endorsed.  Here are a few links to the many articles with their headlines:

The Nation:  “The Washington Post’s Craven Capitulation to the Billionaire Class”  https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/washington-post-endorsement-david-shipley/

MEDIAite:  “Legendary Washington Post Watergate Reporters Blast Paper’s Decision Not to Endorse a Candidate”  https://www.mediaite.com/media/legendary-washington-post-watergate-reporters-blast-papers-decision-not-to-endorse-a-candidate/

Daily Beast:  “Is This The Reason Bezos-Owned WaPo Didn’t Endorse Harris?”  https://www.thedailybeast.com/is-this-the-reason-jeff-bezos-owned-washington-post-didnt-endorse-kamala-harris-blue-origin-donald-trump/

Huffington Post:  “Washington Post Declines To Make Presidential Endorsement For First Time In Decades”  https://www.huffpost.com/entry/washington-post-endorsement-trump-harris_n_671bc08ce4b0fdf4fef43d44

The Hill:  “Washington Post reels from Bezos decision to not endorse”    https://thehill.com/homenews/media/4954196-bezos-decision-post-endorsement/

Toxic Media Wants to Avoid Paying Price

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Article in AP by Jim Vertuno, 10/25/25

Headline:  “Alex Jones fighting attempt to sell his social media account rights in Infowars auction”

“Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is seeking to protect his personal social media accounts from being sold in the upcoming auction of his Infowars media platform to pay more than $1 billion he owes relatives of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, claiming selling those accounts would violate his privacy and deny him a chance to make a fresh start after bankruptcy.”

https://apnews.com/article/alex-jones-infowars-bankrupcty-sandy-hook-shooting-e62620a74409e4e4a57e331f1adf61f2

Fake News Internet Site Pays the Price

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Article in The Guardian by Sam Levine, 10/10/24

Headline:  “Far-right site Gateway Pundit settles defamation suit with election workers”

Subheadline:  “Website removed articles falsely accusing Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss of wrongdoing in 2020 election”

“The Gateway Pundit, the far-right news website that played a critical role in spreading false information about the 2020 election, has settled a defamation lawsuit with Ruby Freeman and Shaye Moss, two Georgia election workers it falsely accused of wrongdoing.”

” . . . Nearly 20 articles that Freeman and Moss said had falsely accused them of wrongdoing were no longer available on The Gateway Pundit’s website as of Thursday afternoon, according to a Guardian review.”

” . . .The case was one of several libel lawsuits filed against Trump allies and conservative networks that aired false claims about the 2020 election. Nearly all of those cases have settled, which observers have said may underscore the limited role defamation law can have in curbing misinformation.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/oct/10/gateway-pundit-defamation-lawsuit-election-workers

Media Hatist Visits Kansas City

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Article in Wichita Eagle by By David Mastio, 9/6/24

Headline: “Tucker Carlson, defending Hitler, Kremlin propaganda: ‘conservative’ media in crisis”

“This week, Tucker Carlson, a man who had a prime-time speaking slot at the Republican Convention where he sat next to Trump, invited Nazi sympathizer Darryl Cooper onto his streaming show and into the lives of millions of his fans to rehabilitate Adolf Hitler as a spurned peacemaker who was pushed into Jewish genocide by a war-mongering Winston Churchill. This is insane.

“Next week, Carlson is bringing his fascist apologia show to T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. Some people are paying more than $100 to get close. The next day, Carlson will be speaking before thousands more in Wichita at InTrust Bank Arena. I don’t think this is what T-Mobile and InTrust had in mind when they paid for naming rights to these venues.”

https://www.kansas.com/opinion/article292021650.html

 

FCM Event on Saturday, 5/4 Was Successful

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Friends of Community Media sponsored a well-attended event with Palestinian non-violent peace activist Awad Mubarek at All Souls Unitarian Church in Kansas City last Saturday. FCM president Spencer Graves, interviewed by KCTV, MC’ed the event.

Important Palestinian Peace Event

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                  

Contact:  Spencer Graves (408) 655-4567                                   

PALESTINIAN PEACE ACTIVIST TO SPEAK THIS WEEKEND MAY 4 AND 5

Kansas City, Missouri – 4/29/24

Doctor Mubarak Awad, Palestinian-American from Jerusalem, will speak on “Standing up for Palestine”, with baklava donated by the Jerusalem Café available at 1:30 PM for the event at 2-4 PM, on Saturday, May 4th at All-Souls  Unitarian Universalist Church, 4501 Walnut in Kansas City, followed by a Q&A session.

Awad Mubarak is a Christian Palestinian, born in Jerusalem in 1943. He has a PhD in psychology and has US citizenship. In 1983 he founded the Palestinian Centre for the Study of Nonviolence in Jerusalem. He was expelled by Israel in 1988 for organizing nonviolent civil disobedience in the First Intifada.  He then founded Nonviolence International, advocating for active nonviolence and nonviolent campaigns worldwide.

In the session about events in Gaza and calling for a ceasefire, ideas to be discussed include actions that people can take.  These include contacting senators and representatives, participating in peaceful demonstrations and events, putting up yard signs protesting the treatment of Gazans, advising religious communities to host a educational forums, and how to contribute to humanitarian aid for the region.

Dr. Awad will also speak at the 9:30 All-Souls forum on Sunday, May 5 to be broadcast on community radio station KKFI 90.1 FM May 14th 7-8 PM, and the event will also be available later on the YouTube “AllSoulsKC” the second “Forum”.

Donations requested.  Net proceeds will go to the Palestinian American Medical Association (PAMA) for humanitarian aid. Contributions may be made  through the “donate” button on the ourfcm.org website, or by mailing a check to “Friends of Community Media”, 3707 Pennsylvania Ave, KC, MO 64111.  

Friends of Community Media is a 501(c)3 Kansas City non-profit organization founded in 2007, with the goal of promoting community-based media.  It also assists local groups to create independent media, influence existing media, and promote diverse media ownership.

In its history it has conducted the “Media 4 Us week” literacy event, sponsored progressive media awards, brought in guest speakers on media topics, worked with the United Minority Media Association, and conducted media literacy classes. 

Information on this event and on Friends of Community Media may  found on the group’s website:  ourfcm.org.

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