Community Forum on the MediaSpecial Pick!

Community Forum on the Media

We invite you to join us for what we hope to be the first in a series of exciting free community forums On-The-Media in the North Bay. The news, technology and information landscape is changing all around us - what does it take to be an informed citizen? Who can you trust? And how is it all important to any of us? Plan on spending the evening with us to have a discussion about these important topics and more. Bring your questions for panelist Q&A!

Empire Report is thrilled to partner with the Santa Rosa Junior College and Sociology Instructor Susan Rahman to present this evening of discussion for you and your neighbors. Won't you join us?

We've invited a blockbuster list of panelists who are certain to challenge your perceptions, ideas, and understanding of the changing local media landscape, and how it affects the social fabric of our communities.

The evening's Special Guests you'll certainly not want to miss are:

• Cynthia Boaz - Sonoma State University Political Science Instructor, writer for TruthOut.org and HuffingtonPost.com, as well as prolific Tweeter and new media consumer.
• Nancy Dobbs - President and CEO of local multi-media nonprofit KRCB TV channel 22 and FM 91.1.
• Peter Phillips - Editor of The DailyCensored.com, longtime former Director of Project Censored, and also Associate Professor of Sociology at Sonoma State University.
• Greg Retsinas - Interactive Editor at The Press Democrat since 2008. Previously, a reporter and editor at numerous newspapers across the country.
• Norman Solomon - Founder of The Institute for Public Accuracy, author of over a dozen books, media critic and commentator, and longtime ardent anti-war activist
• Jake Bayless - Founder of EmpireReport.org, Web Administrator for the City of Santa Rosa and citizen journalist

The evening's premise statement:

If knowledge is power then those who control what we define as knowledge surely wield great power. There is no doubt that News is big business. Those who can afford to create it, can also spin it and feed it to anyone who is listening. The days of small independent newspapers, radio stations, and TV stations are quickly disappearing. What we consume from mainstream media is controlled by a very small group of people who decide what is newsworthy and what is not.

How might this be seen as a social problem?
What are the alternatives to the mainstream?
What are the public risks with the loss of a vibrant media climate?
How can a community, a citizenry, make a difference?
Lacking vibrant media, is the risk of our governments slipping into casual, endemic corruption real?

Everyone is welcome. Bring a friend and a question.

We'll attempt to split 2 hours evenly between informal moderated forum discussion and audience questions.

No charge for admission - however: *Be Aware: Parking is $4 at SRJC (enforceable 24 hours) Be sure to get a parking pass or ride a bike! Parking Tickets are $40