Press Releases

Stomping Out the Media

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Article in The Guardian by Victoria Bekiempis, 12/21/24

Headline:  “Trump and allies are waging campaign against media to stifle dissent – experts”

Subhead:  “Lawsuits against Iowa paper and settlement with ABC signal beginning of aggressive legal action to silence critics”

“Donald Trump and his allies have started to wage a campaign against media organisations in the US that are critical of the president-elect by launching lawsuits that media experts warn are designed to stifle dissent and potentially put them out of business.

“The tactic appears to be to aggressively pursue legal action against news organisations – which Trump has long dubbed “enemies of the people” – by asking for often hefty sums in damages. The cases are launched even if the odds of success sometimes appear long, because even an unsuccessful court action can be expensive for a cash-strapped media company and act as a deterrent.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/dec/21/trump-media-assault-silence-criticism

Throwing the Media Away

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Article in Meditite by Joe DePaolo. 12/4/24

Headline:  “Pete Hegseth Trashes the Media With His SecDef Candidacy On the Ropes: ‘They Smear’ With ‘BS Stories’”

“President-elect Donald Trump’s embattled pick to be the next Secretary of Defense — is going after the media, following a series of unflattering reports which have put his candidacy in jeopardy.”

“In a Wednesday morning post to X, Hegseth — a former Fox News host — attacked what he called the “BS stories” which have come out about him in recent days.

“ ‘I’m doing this for the warfighters, not the warmongers,’ Hegseth wrote. ‘The Left is afraid of disrupters and change agents. They are afraid of @realDonaldTrump — and me. So they smear w/fake, anonymous sources & BS stories. They don’t want truth. Our warriors never back down, & neither will I.’ ”

https://www.mediaite.com/news/pete-hegseth-trashes-the-media-with-his-secdef-candidacy-on-the-ropes-they-smear-with-bs-stories/

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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Program Next Week on Information Access

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Spencer Graves, President of Friends of Community Media, will address the All-Souls Forum in Kansas City on Oct. 29th from 9:30 – 10:30 AM CST. The media-related topic will be “Information is a public good: Experiments in better government”.

This will be occur both in person at All Souls UU Church, 4501 Walnut Street, KCMO 64111, and via YouTube Live at:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIoASyxWDu-DqHJZh-2gcjQ

The audio from the presentation will also be broadcast 11 days later on Nov. 9th on:

http://kkfi.org

Below is a related link to Mr. Graves’ Wikiversity article called, “Information is a public good: Designing experiments to improve government”. This article covers the topic in more detail than will be discussed Oct. 29:

https://kkfi.org/program-episodes/information-is-a-public-good-experiments-in-better-government/

Conversion Therapy in the Media Presentation Kicks-off Series Examining the Media.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                      Contact:  Richard Thompson                                                                                                        (913) 209-4114      

MEDIA FOCUS  SERIES LOOKS AT CONVERSION THERAPY IN THE MEDIA

Broadcaster, author, journalist, and human rights activist Wayne Besen will explore how the media enable or thwart so-called “conversion therapy”

On Sunday September 29th, Friends of Community Media will host Wayne Besen, a former investigative journalist for WABI-TV, former spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign, and the founder of Truth Wins Out will speak at All Souls Unitarian Church 4501 Walnut in Kansas City at 10:00 AM.  Wayne also has an Internet radio show “The Wayne Besen” on Progressive Voices.

When Besen came out to his parents, they bought him an ex-gay DVD that could supposedly hypnotize people and turn them straight. It was that and the invitation by President George W. Bush of ex-gay leader Alan Chambers to the White House that led him to start the Truth Wins Out organization and examine how the media cover the issue of “Conversion Therapy” – the activity that attempts to convert people who are gay to become “straight” – usually through religious coercion.

A very questionable, unlicensed practice banned in over 18 states, many people and relatives are fooled into believing that homosexuality can be “cured” through intense deprogramming through “conversion therapy” – usually by fundamentalist Christian groups having no psychological training. 

Methods used have included “treatments such as ice-pick lobotomies, hormonal chemical castration, application of electric shock to hands and genitals, and nausea-inducing drug and are accompanied by prayer and group-pressure.

Besen has interviewed hundreds of former and current “ex-gays”, and is an outspoken critic of so-called “conversion therapy” and organizations such as Homosexuals Anonymous and NARTH (The National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality).

Starting a series of events critically examining the role of the media in American Culture, Friends of Community Media will cover topics such at religion in the media, David Barsamian host of “Alternative Radio”, why conservatives and progressives hate the media, honesty in reporting, what is fake news and propaganda, a panel of people who have left of been forced out of the media, and alternatives for viable non-profit news.

Friends of Community Media (FCM) is a 501(C)3 not-for-profit organization set up to preserve and foster citizen participation in the media.   FCM also assists diverse groups and citizens to create their own media, influence existing media, & promote diverse media ownership. 

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