FWD: Noam Chomsky

[barbara100 at jps.net]

PLEASE DISTRIBUTE WIDELY

"As the President prepares for a war that could have a devastating
impact on the rest of the world, our need to be informed--our
right to be informed--is more urgent than ever."
--Noam Chomsky

Dear Friends,

If you don't trust the corporate-owned media, you're not alone.

Increasingly, Americans from all walks of life are coming to see
that our so-called "objective" news outlets--radio shows,
newspapers, magazines, TV talk shows--seem to be speaking with one
voice. And for many, that voice is the voice of big money, big
power, big government, vested interests and the status quo.

For decades, many people, myself included, have written about the
manipulation inside the structure of American media and its threat
to real democracy. We have spoken out against the absence of
responsible media coverage, the terrible distortions when an
important issue was covered, and the lack of credible political
debate. We believe the consolidation of media ownership--including
the current FCC plan to scrap all remaining ownership regulations- -keeps
all of us in the dark about crucial events at home and
abroad.

Yet there is an alternative. Free Speech Radio News is the only
daily, syndicated, progressive newscast in the United States. Born
of a strike against Pacifica Network News in 2000 by dozens of
freelance reporters from across the Americas, Europe and Asia,
this cast remains truly independent, truly grassroots, truly
collective and truly non-corporate.

The cast is produced and supported by Pacifica Reporters Against
Censorship. Over 200 reporters from forty American states and
fifty-seven countries across six continents now file stories.
Heard coast to coast on all five Pacifica Network sister
stations--KPFA in Berkeley, WBAI in New York, KPFT in Houston,
WFPW in Washington D.C. and KPFK in Los Angeles--Free Speech Radio
News is also carried by over 50 community radio stations from
Seattle to Little Rock, Santa Barbara to Boston, and heard over
the Internet and globally via short wave.

Most importantly, this news program is not owned or controlled by
anyone except the progressive reporters who produce it--some of
the best in community broadcasting. And FSRN regularly features
breaking stories and investigations often absent from, or buried
in, the corporate press, including:

--Crucial coverage of Bush's "war" on terrorism and our eroding civil
liberties
--A look at Long Island, described as the most segregated suburb in the U.S.
--Reports on Navy bombing exercises in Maine near critical whale habitats
--Daily, in-depth, bottom-up stories from Palestinian towns and refugee
camps

Outstanding FSRN documentaries include "The Justice Department's
Detention Secret," "Luring Africa's Youth Toward Lung Cancer," and
a special series on "Oil and Imperialism," with reports from
fifteen countries. On-the-ground Iraq reporting from Polk-award
winner Jeremy Scahill will be a FSRN mainstay. Producing and
distributing Free Speech Radio News costs roughly $35,000 monthly.
The cast raises all its own funds. Your donation is needed right
now to keep Free Speech Radio News alive. With deeper financial
support, FSRN can keep training new reporters, raise reporters'
rates (currently at below-minimum wage), and fund more grassroots
journalists for international stories.

The "free" in Free Speech Radio News is not a cliché. It is fact.
At its core, FSRN manifests what many hope our national media
could be: editorially independent of corporate, government and
Pentagon control. Please honor the work of these reporters and
show your commitment to the survival of truly autonomous, critical
media.

Can you give $50, $100, $500? Your donation of any size will be
appreciated. Checks can be made payable to "Pacifica Reporters
Against Censorship" and mailed to PRAC, c/o KPFA Radio, 1929
Martin Luther King Jr. Way, Box 73, Berkeley, CA 94704. You can
also donate online via credit card at http://www.fsrn.org. All
contributions are tax deductible. If you have questions, if you'd
like to hear the cast or pledge a monthly amount, please write to
prac at fsrn.org or visit the web site listed above.

This newscast is vital, but it will be heard only with your
support. I invite you to become a part of the extraordinary
community that recognizes the necessity and excellence of these
efforts. Please do so today.

In solidarity,

Noam Chomsky

P.S. Again, Free Speech Radio News needs your support. Challenging
corporate-controlled news, this cast is historic. Any amount will
help.



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