Closing Plenary: Taking It Home
The 2011 National Conference for Media Reform concludes by connecting media and technology issues to the broader cultural shifts and the push for democratic change happening in the United States and around the world. The centerpiece of the closing plenary is a wide-ranging conversation on “Social Media and Social Change”.
Mike Elk discusses his feelings on the current anti-labor bills and the officials who are pushing them through, and he shares some labor stories that haven’t been covered in the media.
Bob Kelly discusses NewTV, what has changed in the past 20 years for public access programs, and bringing youth back to cable TV.
Andrew Stelzer discusses National Radio Project, some of the programs which have recently aired, and the community in Oakland, CA.
Dan Gillmor discusses Knight Center for Digital Media Entrepreneurship, how media is working in our current world, and how in these days we have to create media; not just consume it.
Reporters who covered the front lines of the battle for workers’ rights in Wisconsin will discuss the media’s role in reporting these inspiring events. This panel diagnoses the reasons for the absence of labor reporting and highlights new strategies and initiatives being developed to fill the gap and boost the visibility of the labor movement in the media.
Celebrate with Amy Goodman and some of the brightest lights in the fight for better media. Speeches about the prospects for real change, movement leaders share their vision for what’s next, amazing grassroots activists tell their stories, and the night is peppered with musical performances.
Sarah van Gelder discusses the class differences in America, environmental limits of conspicuous consumption, and success stories that are happening throughout America.
Kari Lydersen discusses what it’s like to be a woman covering the “labor beat”, the shifting demographics of the labor movement, and the importance of media to labor struggles.
Panel discusses the approach – moving beyond the “silo” model – but also the fundamental role of the Federal Communications Commission in the Internet era, and whether and how its historic role as an enforcer of common carriage and a promoter of competition can or should be changed.
