November 03rd 2014 - Posted by Media Democracy Project
Come learn how to produce a podcast, liberate your smartphone, jump-start your indie journalist adventures & more!
Media Democracy Days 2014 is coming up fast, and before you book anything else in your calendar, make sure to reserve your spot to the exciting hands-on workshops you can access for free this weekend. MDD 2014 is opening on Friday, November 7th at SFU Harbour Centre with an exciting array of film premieres, which should get you fired up to start making change happen, with your own hands!
On Saturday, November 8th at the Vancouver Public Library, you can choose from our four workshops, which cover a wide range of issues and technologies. This year, we’ve organized our workshops in two distinct areas: Early workshops allow for longer and more in-depth conversations so that attendees can get the most out of these sessions. We also have workshops that follow the discussion of our The Big Media Cartel: Journalism’s Decline in a Managed Democracy and Sharing Practices and Digital Tools for Social Change panels, with a hands-on component to the topic. Here’s the breakdown:
MDD2014 Early Workshops (10-11:30 AM): Audio Production for Social Change
Learn what it takes to develop, produce, and record an audio-based podcast or news story for use on the web, including skills on audio recording, sound design, and sound-based storytelling that you can use to strengthen your work for social change. This workshop is being presented by The Cinematheque Education Department. Register here!
Liberate your Devices: Taking back control of the cloud
Sean Comeau (of CanSecWest) and Paul Finch (of the BCGEU) will guide you through easy steps to install intuitive apps that allow you to communicate securely with your friends and family. Everyone’s entitled to their privacy, so make sure to attend this workshop and get any uninvited guests out of your conversations! Register here!
Panel discussion follow-up workshops (2:45-4 PM): So you wanna be an indie journalist?
Are you an aspiring journalist? Want to get your work published in alternative media? Then this workshop is for you! Access some of Vancouver’s leading alternative journalists and publications, who will offer advice from their own experiences about how to become part of the thriving alternative media landscape in Vancouver. Learn how to get a scoop, what it takes to do investigative research, how to craft your story and where to go when you’re ready to make a pitch. This workshop if being presented by The Tyee, Ricochet Media and Rabble.ca. Register here!
Social Media for Social Change
Learn how to use social media resources and access practical, ready-to-implement techniques and tips to help expand your work for social change through social media and the web. This workshop is being presented by Lindsey Bertrand of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Register here!
These workshops are but one component of an incredible 2-day event. Check out the rest of #MDD2014’s program by clicking here.
Glenn Greenwald at MDD 2014!
October 29th 2014 - Posted by Media Democracy Project
Media Democracy Days and Ricochet Media are very excited to announce the screening of a new and exclusive interview with investigative journalist and filmmaker, Glenn Greenwald. The interview will air at MDD’s opening night on November 7, 2014. During his recent visit to Eastern Canada, Greenwald sat down with Ricochet to challenge the current political discourse of surveillance and ‘terrorism,’ and to discuss Canada’s role in shaping international privacy and surveillance regulations.
Glenn Greenwald and his colleagues at The Guardian were recently awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service for their work on Edward Snowden and the NSA documents scandal. Greenwald is also a New York Times bestselling author, an award-winning filmmaker, and a regular commentator for CBC, MSNBC and Democracy Now.
We are tremendously excited to announce the addition of one of America’s most significant journalists to the Media Democracy Days Program. We look forward to sharing the full interview with you on November 7 at SFU Harbour Centre. Please make sure to reserve your spot for our opening night here, as seating is limited.
You can view a teaser of the interivew at Ricochet’s website here.
And don’t forget to check out the rest of #MDD2014’s program by clicking here.
We need to reclaim our Democracy!
October 23rd 2014 - Posted by Media Democracy Project
The media strives to hold corporations, government, and institutions accountable to the Canadian public and shed light on shocking behaviour of these actors. Today, however, what is most shocking is what Canadians are NOT being told, what journalists CANNOT report on, and how opportunities for citizens to speak out are being SHUT DOWN.
Join us at Media Democracy Days 2014 on November 8th to tap into the minds of those working to repair Canada’s shattered democracy.
The plight of science and research in Canada has become a familiar story. These days, if “scientist” is in a headline, it’s likely that “muzzled” is too. A recently released report from the non-profit group Evidence for Democracy found that out of 16 federal departments, the Department of National Defense is the only government department that does not require pre-approval from its media relations office for scientists to speak to the media. Meanwhile, the National Research Council is the only department that allows its scientists to express their personal views, provided it is clear that the opinions are his or her own [1]
Protest in Canada is also troubled, as the government and police apply hazy policies in the Canadian Criminal code to stifle dissent. During the 2012 Quebec student-strike, crowds were violently dispersed by police using tear gas, baton-charges, and mass-arrests. Protests were declared “unlawful assemblies” which the Canadian Criminal Code calls any gathering that causes people “to fear on reasonable grounds” that it “will disturb the peace tumultuously” or provoke others to do so. Someone who is caught participating in an “unlawful” assembly with their face covered could be indicted of a criminal offence and face up to five years in jail.
Whether it be muzzled scientists, draconian policing of protest, digital surveillance, or disrespect for the democratic process in parliament, the threat to democratic debate and political participation is clear. On November 8th, Media Democracy Days 2014 will tackle this problem head on in the panel, The Politics of Public Voice, featuring panelists Jamie Biggar, co-founder of LeadNow; Gwen Barlee, Policy Director of Wilderness Committee; Margot Young, professor of Law at UBC; and Stuart Poyntz, Associate Professor in the School of Communication at Simon Fraser and the Co-Chair of the Media and Democracy Project.
We hope to see you at Media Democracy Days 2014! Check out the other panels on our website, and don’t forget to tune into the media reform conversation on Facebook and twitter.
[1] Chung, Emily. “Federal Scientists Being Muzzled by Media Policies.” CBC News. 8 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Oct. 2014
Petrocultures and Media Activism
October 14th 2014 - Posted by Media Democracy Project
This year at Media Democracy Days, we explore how opposition to Canada’s commitment to the energy industry has fuelled democratic participation in the panel Petrocultures and Media Activism:
Captivated by the prospect of jobs, economic growth and tax revenues, federal and provincial governments have joined with the fossil fuel industry in aggressively promoting the extraction and export of bitumen, natural gas and coal as the ‘engine’ of the Canadian economy. Ads and PR campaigns selling the virtues of the tar sands, LNG and pipeline expansion are everywhere, and mainstream media have been largely complicit in framing such development as beneficial, necessary and unstoppable.
In response, activists from First Nations, environmental groups and local communities have adopted a variety of strategies to inform, engage and mobilize citizen resistance to projects like Northern Gateway, as well as advocate for alternative forms of development which are more sustainable, inclusive, and equitable. The result has been a renewed conversation, an energized public discourse, and unprecedented political participation: The ‘stuff’ of a lively democracy! Yet, the question remains: Will the raised voices of Canadians be heard in the corporate boardrooms and government offices where decisions about our country’s energy future are made?
The panel will include Ben West, an anti-pipeline and alternative energy campaign director with ForestEthics; Caleb Behn, Dene First Nation activist, law student, emerging leader and subject of an exciting new documentary project Fractured Lands; Linda Solomon Wood, founder of the Vancouver Observer and the soon-to-be-launched National Observer – which will focus in on energy politics; and Mario Canseco, accomplished public opinion researcher and vice president of Insights West – a Vancouver-based market research and public opinion polling group that tracked public support for the Northern Gateway pipeline.
Come out on November 8th to the Vancouver Public Library to tap into the minds of those working to repair a fractured Canada!
MDD 2014 is here!
October 06th 2014 - Posted by Media Democracy Project
We’re very proud to announce the full programming lineup for the 14th annual Media Democracy Days!
Something new and exciting is in the air: public urgency for change, and a sense that we can make that change happen!
Several months ago, we held community meetings and distributed an online survey to find out what you wanted to see in MDD 2014. Well, we listened to your feedback and have developed two days of public dialogue, workshops, and film screenings to motivate you to take a stand and unite with a growing community that is working for change!
This year’s MDD promises two full days of public events that promote a fair and democratic media system, one that gives voice to the silenced, encourages diversity, and challenges power. Head over to our MDD 2014 for a complete listing of what we have in store for November 7-8, 2014.
We will kick off the conference on Friday, November 7th with a film screening of Preempting Dissent, followed by a panel discussion. In the film, Greg Elmer and Andy Opel explore how today’s protests are managed by policing strategies that try to limit their visibility and impact. Learn all about the screening here.
On Saturday, November 8th attendees will get a chance to engage with our program through hands-on media-making workshops, and a range of panel discussions on the impacts of Canada’s broken media system. Issues will range from environmental media activism, to DIY podcasting, to direct action for reclaiming public voice. We’ll also showcase over 30 community groups working in media education, advocacy, and production through our Media Fair, and engage them with the public through an interactive dialogue in our Media Lounge.
In light of this year’s theme of reclaiming public voice, we are honoured to open our program with Michael Geist’s esteemed insight into internet freedom & privacy laws, and how they affect our ability to create Canada’s democracy.
Reilly Yeo & Kai Nagata will close our program, representing an emerging group of leaders who are taking responsibility to create the infrastructure for social, economic, and environmental change!
We hope you’ll check out what we have in store this year, and help spread the word through your networks on Facebook and Twitter, #MDD2014. We look forward to seeing you at Media Democracy Days!
-Mariele & Gil, on behalf of Media Democracy Days
P.S., Media Democracy Days is a small non-profit organization that relies on donations from people like you. We hope you’ll consider helping us by donating whatever you can today.
P.P.S., MDD 2014 is a partnership of SFU’s School of Communication, OpenMedia.ca, and The Vancouver Public Library.
