24 September 09

Reader Supported News is a new service by the creator of Truthout, Marc Ash. I started Truthout in downtown Los Angeles in the summer of 2000, as the Democratic convention unfolded a few blocks away. I did so without realizing that I would fail, and as a result, I succeeded. Truthout built its following among readers who wanted to better understand the most important stories of the day, but had grown tired of the hype and sales-pitching of the big corporate outlets.

Reader Supported News (RSN) will carry forward the core concept that the reader is best served by financial control of the news service they depend on. No outside investment capital was used in the startup of RSN. No advertising money will be accepted by RSN. No grants will be sought by RSN. We like having the reader as our boss.

The service is free to all - even if you cannot contribute, we are honored to have you join us as a reader. RSN will not be a non-profit.

Non-profits are great and do wonderful work, but a board of directors ultimately rules the roost and that can lead to anything. Contributions made to RSN are not tax-deductible. This is a new experiment: can an organization serve the community and still pay its taxes? The answer should be yes.

15 March 10

After 15 years of political organizing, I helped Marc Ash start Truthout in early 2001. George W. Bush, with the assistance of the Supreme Court, had just stolen the presidency. I met Marc while helping organize a march against the inauguration of George Bush in Los Angeles. For months Truthout was a labor of love, nobody made a dime as we built a new, progressive news voice, and I remained there for close to nine years.

I am proud of the work I did at Truthout, and am happy to continue that work at Reader Supported News. Like John Cory, I am angry, and believe that one way to take our government back is to inform the public of the truth. That was the mission we began at Truthout, and it is the mission we are continuing to follow at Reader Supported News.

Over the years I have worked with many Heroes in the fight for Peace and Justice. Phillip Berrigan and Mitch Snyder taught me that it wasn't about what I could do alone, but what we could do together. Phil was more patient than Mitch, he knew that victory was a long way off, and that each changed mind put us one step closer to a peaceful, just world. That is one of the reasons I am at Reader Supported News, because I can reach more people than I could by organizing a protest. I am committed to fighting for a world without war, poverty and injustice. But it is not about what I can do, it is about what you can do with the information we provide you. Join us in taking back the truth. The corporate media has redefined the truth for so many of our friends and family, it is up to us to lead them back to the real truth.

What you can do to help is to spread the news we provide. The right-wing echo chamber is effective at spreading lies. Help us spread the truth.

15 July 11

I'm a writer, theatre/visual artist, mother, and a human, animal and earth-rights activist.

I surfed online into Marc Ash and Scott Galindez in 2001 soon after they started Truthout, while I was writing and doing research for the Climate Crisis Coalition. Marc and I cultivated a dialogue on world events for almost two years, so jumping in as an editor at Truthout was a natural transition.

After a three-year hiatus focusing on art, family and community, here I am at Reader Supported News, again with my compatriots Marc and Scott, and an amazing technical crew.

My aspiration is to bring readers the real story behind and in the news, shining light on what motivates and moves the world, a nation, society, corporations, politics, movements and people. I hope the informed content we provide will facilitate educated, ethical choices and action.

I believe that cooperation makes things happen, compassion is essential, and love is the answer. Thank you for being here with us.

7 November 11

RSN's great team invited me to come on-board as an editor at the beginning of August 2011. The rest as they say...is...well, here's the history:

I arrived in Washington, D.C. in the Fall of 1999 with a graduate degree in, not too ironically, history. History of fascism, in fact. I began as a defense policy researcher at the Center for Defense Information. Wrote, produced and directed a half-hour episode for CDI's PBS program, America's Defense Monitor. That led to the newsdesk at The NewsHour w/Jim Lehrer and a decade in the DC news media scrum. I got to C-SPAN in time to cover the 2000 election, recount and Bush v. Gore. From there...TV credits include: PBS, FOX, LinkTV, HBO and two DC regional Emmys, first as producer and then executive producer of a newsmagazine show for WJLA/ABC-7.

Film credits (ranging from producing to photography) include: The Oil Factor, Belonging, Heist and sundry promos, pilots and freelancing. I did finally write, produce and direct a doco film - The Warning - featuring interviews with Naomi Wolf, Chris Hedges, Naomi Klein, Joe Conason and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. It airs occasionally. Finally, I've been an active blogger and written for academic publication (Japan in the Fascist Era). Mostly, I ride the news-cycle, and it is my goal and privilege to serve on the crackerjack team at RSN and, of course, serve its readers and supporters.

Writing for Godot is the sister site of Reader Supported News. Writing for Godot is a forum where our readers can post their own essays. The concept for Writing for Godot is drawn from Irish playwright Samuel Beckett's 1952 masterpiece "Waiting for Godot."

Beckett's story centers around two men, Estragon and Vladimir. They wait beneath a tree each day for Godot. At the end of each day, a child with innocent eyes arrives and tells them that Godot will not come today, but that Godot will come tomorrow. "Are you sure he will come tomorrow?" ask Estragon and Vladimir. "Yes," replies the boy, but Godot never comes. Others however, do come, and the play unfolds.

Critics have noted that Estragon and Vladimir represent humanity and that Godot represents God. Some say, and Beckett did, that man waits for God but God never comes. Interestingly, as Estragon and Vladimir wait without result for Godot to arrive, they contemplate suicide. Not surprising in that the horrors of World War II, a suicide attempt by all mankind, had only receded seven years earlier.

God represents many things to many people. However, in a universal sense, divinity might be equated with social justice and order, tolerance and compassion. Such are the things God represents to man. I have spent the past nine years of my life writing for social justice and order, tolerance and compassion - "Writing for Godot." I've come to understand that Godot will not come today. Perhaps he will come tomorrow...