Free-Speech Comrades:
I spoke to Amy Goodman tonight. She was in fact given a letter by Pacifica threatening her with termination if she does not abide by a strict set of work rules. Amy is concerned that all of us not get bogged down in the details of this letter. It's not a privacy issue, she says, but about focus. These work rules will effectively crush her ability to produce Democracy Now! as we know it. According to Amy, this is a direct, political attack on the content of her show, and her parting thought was, the situation is dire.
I encourage all of you to do everything you can to get the word out to listeners and affiliate stations across the country. The ever-glorious Andrea Buffa of Media Alliance in San Franciso has reached out to us here in New York about possibly building a national action in support of saving Pacifica and Democracy Now! from the throws of this coup.
Here at WBAI, Pacifica has already seized fiscal control of the station. Everyone is encouraged to find a listener group in your area. If you don't have one, create one. Time is of the essence. The next New York meeting will be in about 10 days. The exact day and time will be posted. Anyone receiving this is welcome to contact me for more information.
onward, Eileen Sutton WBAI News Pacifica Reporters Against Censorship savewbai at hotmail.com