Project Censored Guide to Independent Media and Activism (Open Media Series)

The independent media are arguably more important than ever today, as corporate media's line reads increasingly like a government press release rather than a free society's analysis of the day's important events. But there’s a lot to sort through: Independent news magazines and newspapers, local cable TV access, and independent and micro-transmitted radio are everywhere, offering a vast array of news, opinions, and information. New Indymedia activists alone now have direct links to more than sixty-five grassroots news sites around the world. The challenge we are faced with is twofold: We must make these news sources widely accessible, but we must also find ways to compile, sort, and collectively release this real news to millions of people. Media activist newsgroups like the Asheville Global Report and the North Bay Progressive, which publish local newspapers that summarize and consolidate real news for thousands of people, are working examples of how to get the job done.

In this new contacts-packed guide to alternative media and activism, Project Censored director Peter Phillips provides information on how to get in touch with hundreds of key websites, activist organizations, and national and regional media organizations that provide more independent, informative, and interesting analyses than the mainstream is willing to offer. Most of the independent news sources listed in Project Censored Guide to Independent Media and Activism are willing to share stories with local publications for reprinting and broadcast if full credit is given. An invaluable guide for diversifying your access to information.

PROJECT CENSORED, founded in 1976 by Carl Jensen, has as its principal objective the advocacy for and protection of First Amendment rights and the freedom of information in the United States. In 2008, Project Censored received the PEN/Oakland Literary Censorship Award for the publication of Censored 2009. For more information, visit www.projectcensored.org.
PETER PHILLIPS, director emeritus of Project Censored and president of the Media Freedom Foundation, is an associate professor of sociology at Sonoma State University. He is known for his op-ed pieces in the alternative press and independent newspapers nationwide, such as Z Magazine and Social Policy. He is also the winner of the 2009 Dallas Smythe Award, presented by the Union for Democratic Communication.