Coughlin says. "Most alarmingly, I also want to report to
you and the entire Pacifica community that the former
administration apparently committed hundreds of thousands of
listener dollars on an undercover intelligence operation targeting
Pacifica staffers and listeners. Secret dossiers were apparently
created on programmers, like Amy Goodman, on board members like
Leslie Cagan, and on listener activists. Undercover agents were
reportedly dispatched to spy on Local Advisory Board meetings and
on community events. Internet newsgroups and web sites were closely
monitored and liaisons were established with local police forces."
----- Original Message ----- From: spin at prwatch.org To: weekly_spin at yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, March 26, 2002 10:04 PM Subject: The Weekly Spin: Wednesday, March 27, 2002
[snip]
2. HELP NEEDED TO SAVE PACIFICA http://www.savepacifica.net/20020313_edreport.html
Now that community radio advocates have regained control of the
Pacifica Radio Network, they are discovering that the outgoing
Pacifica managers "treated the network like a trough," in the words
of current acting executive director Dan Coughlin. In addition to
racking up huge personal expense bills and handing themselves
"golden parachute" severance packages, the former managers ran up
millions of dollars on attorneys and PR firms. "One firm, for
instance, has billed Pacifica more than $500,000 for a few months
work," Coughlin says. "Most alarmingly, I also want to report to
you and the entire Pacifica community that the former
administration apparently committed hundreds of thousands of
listener dollars on an undercover intelligence operation targeting
Pacifica staffers and listeners. Secret dossiers were apparently
created on programmers, like Amy Goodman, on board members like
Leslie Cagan, and on listener activists. Undercover agents were
reportedly dispatched to spy on Local Advisory Board meetings and
on community events. Internet newsgroups and web sites were closely
monitored and liaisons were established with local police forces."
As a result, Coughlin says, "The Pacifica Radio network is in far
worse financial shape than any of us have imagined ... on the brink
of financial collapse." facing a "$1.5 million budget gap for this
calendar year and a $5 million working capital deficit." The Save
Pacifica Campaign is seeking donations.
More web links related to this story are available at: http://www.prwatch.org/cgi/spin.cgi?date=March%202002#1017122401
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