MDDVancouver's Blog

Final line up for Media Democracy Day!

MDDVancouver — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 12:21:55 -0700

Please circulate far and wide, this is an important event for all of us working in, or concerned with, media, communications or social change.

Speaking For Ourselves: Media Democracy Day 2008

October 25th, 2008

Vancouver Public Library, 350 West Georgia Street

12:00pm – 6:00pm

FREE

With media concentrating into fewer and fewer hands, and Internet Service Providers quickly emerging as online gatekeepers, a public forum on media issues like Media Democracy Day takes on a new sense of urgency.

MDD 2008 includes a series of exciting panels, workshops and speakers.

Confirmed speakers include:

*Rex Weyler - World Renowned Author and Co-founder of Green Peace
*Deborah Campbell - Award Winning Independent Journalist
*David Beers - Publisher – The Tyee
*Michael Tippett - Co-founder of Nowpublic.com
*Marika Swan - Redwire Native Youth Media
*Charlie Smith - Editor of the Georgia Straight
*Robert Hackett - professor at SFU and author of "Remaking Media"
*Andrea Hayley - president of the Epoch Times Vancouver
*Robert Scales – CEO of RainCity Studios
*Dawn Paley – The Dominion Newspaper
*Gurpreet Singh - Broadcaster on Radio India, freelance columnist for Surrey Now, freelance reporter for South Asian Post
*Matt Thompson - Campaign Strategist for FreePress, Co-Founder of SaveOurNet.ca
*Kate Milberry - Media and Technology Commentator
and many more!

Panels and Workshops include:
*Big Media Clamp Down: Taking stock and fighting back
*Free Your Computer, Free Yourself - Practical steps to get you on the
road to liberation with free and open source software
*Journalism in a time of Big Media Domination
*The Battle for New Media and Open Communication
*Community Organizing and Media
* Open Source Journalism

Full programme pasted below and more information at:
http://mediademocracyday.org/vancouver

Join the MDD Facebook Event:
http://www.facebook.com/inbox/#/event.php?eid=85334255510&re...

Find info and tools to promote MDD here:
http://mediademocracyday.org/press08

AND!!!

*MDD Multi-Media Extravaganza After Party/Fundraiser: 9pm – 1am @
**VIVO MEDIA ARTS CENTRE ***

*Address:*
1965 Main Street, Vancouver, BC V5T 3C1

VIVO - 1965 Main Street, Vancouver (@ 3rd Ave West).

9:00pm

Media Democracy Day presents the multi-media artist Jackson 2bears and
guests! Inspired by electronic music and dj/vj culture, 2bears uses the remix as a tool for cultural critique, reflecting on issues of: racism, colonialism, discrimination, Indigenous subjectivity and Native stereotypes. These Live Cinema/Scratch Video remixes incorporate digital images as well as video and sound, with samples taken from film, television, the news and advertising and then cut-up, looped, and scratched to the rhythmic patterns of hip-hop breaks and drum n' bass sequences. There will be a bar at the event.

MC: Ifny - FreeGeek

more at: http://mediademocracyday.org/vancouver

Speaking for Our Selves: Media Democracy Day 2008

MDDVancouver — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 22:40:55 -0700

Press Release
For Immediate Release

We all have a relationship with media, whether it be a strong,
traditional commitment or an exciting new dalliance as we delve into
unexplored domains. It provides us with a sense of community and
context. It allows us to form new perspectives and debates. It
provides us with necessary information. But how often do we question
whether this relationship is working?

Media Democracy Day is a way for us to ensure the media that educates
us is also honest and is happening in Vancouver on the 25th October
2008 at the Vancouver Public Library.
Steve Anderson, organizer of Media Democracy Day 2008 Vancouver, says
that "with media concentrating into fewer and fewer hands, and
Internet Service Providers quickly emerging as online gatekeepers, a
public forum on media issues like media democracy day, takes on a new
sense of urgency. I'm trilled to see such a full and diverse roster of
speakers, workshops and panels, it promises to be an exciting day."

This year three panels will pay attention to the important issues
influencing our current media landscape. Panel 1, "Big Media" Clamp
Down - Taking stock and fighting back, will survey some of the main
battles currently being fought against Big Media. In Panel 2,
Journalism in a time of Big Media Domination, panelists will discuss
the current issues being faced by traditional media and describe what
they see as the possibilities of using new media and new models to do
in-depth investigative projects, find untold stories, and engage new
audiences. Could these projects counteract big media, and redefine
journalism? Panel 3,
The Battle for New Media and Open Communication, will examine the
growing role the internet has in "mass media" and if an open Internet
will succumb to the same companies that control traditional media.
Panelists will discuss the fight for an open Internet, prospects for
new social media, and future challenges at a time of intense
opposition from a powerful cartel of phone and cable companies.

Speakers for Media Democracy Day include: Rex Weyler (Author and
Co-founder of Greenpeace); Matt Thompson (Award winning online video
producer, Campaign Strategist for FreePress, Co-Founder of
SaveOurNet.ca); Deborah Campbell (Award Winning Independent
Journalist); Andrea Hayley (President of the Epoch Times Vancouver);
Michael Tippett (Co-founder of Nowpublic.com); Robert Hackett
(Professor at SFU and author of "Remaking Media"); Robert Scales (CEO
of RainCity Studios); Brian Campell (Seriously
Free Speech Committee) and Kate Milberry (Media and Technology
Commentator and Blogger).

The anticipated workshop in Media Democracy Day in 2008 is Community
Organizing and Media: Networking for Change which seeks to share
strategies that are effective at both shaping the corporate media, and
at building connections between respective community media networks
working on social justice issues, such as indigenous rights, migrant
rights, the environment, poverty and women's rights. Two other
workshops will discuss Open Source Journalism - how to ensure that
journalism adheres to and benefits from open source principles and The
Media Revolution - A workshop on OpenSource Software.

Media Democracy Day Vancouver will be held at the Vancouver Public
Library, 350 West Georgia Street, on Saturday October 25th 2008 from
12 noon to 6 pm. Admission is free and open to everyone. The event
also includes the Media Democracy Fair which will showcase a variety
of organisations and information.

This year's sponsors are: The Ruth and Henry Goodman Fund for Social
and Ecological Justice, Endswell Fund of Tides Canada; Federation of
Post-Secondary Educators of BC; CUPE BC; British Colombia Teachers'
Federation; BC Government and Services Employees' Union; British
Colombia and Yukon Territory Building and Construction Trades Council;
NowPublic; The Tyee; Campaign for Democratic Media; SFU Faculty of
Applied Sciences; SFU School of Communication; SFU Institute for
Humanities; UBC School of Journalism; Free Geek; The Centre for Policy
Research on Science and Technology (CPROST); SFPRIG; Agentic; CMNSU;
The Republic and the Communications Energy and Paperworks Union
Western Region.

For additional media information or to discuss sponsorship
opportunities please contact:
Caroline Warwick
caroline.warwick@gmail.com
778-232-6005

Faiza Zia Khan
faizak@interchange.ubc.ca

or Steve Anderson
steveinfos@gmail.com
604-837-5730

The full programme and further information on Media Democracy Day is
available at
http://www.mediademocracyday.org

For information on setting up a FREE table as part of the Media
Democracy Fair, please

contact:
Rodger Levesque
rodgerlevesque@gmail.com
For more information on democratic media visit http://democraticmedia.ca

More information about this event is attached.
(Press Release. Speaker Bio's. Media Democracy Day background information.)

http://mediademocracyday.org

-----------
Faiza Zia Khan

Media Democracy Day 2008 Launch meet - Harbour Centre Vancouver

MDDVancouver — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:10:12 -0700

Posted by: Faiza Zia Khan

This year, we have the Vancouver Public Library booked for October 25th,
2008 for our 2008 Media Democracy Day (MD Day) festivities.

One of the goals for this year’s MD Day is to engage more people in the
planning process so the day is generated and situated in issues and ideas
the public is concerned about. We’d love to hear your ideas and get you
involved!

Do you have a vision or something you would like to see at the upcoming MD
Day? Do you want to contribute your thoughts/ideas and/or time to become a
part of Campaign for Democratic Media? Here’s your chance! We want to hear
what you envision for MD Day.

Join us on July 25th at 5:30 in room 1425 for a brainstorming session at SFU
Harbour Center Campus, 515 West Hastings Street.

This session will be approximately 1.5 hours and will give you a chance to
share some of your ideas.
Areas we aim to explore and possible self directed volunteer positions

- Prominent themes or topics for the day
- Ideas for the day: workshops, film screenings, participants, speakers,
panels etc.
- Alternative ways of fundraising/ Publicity, create a canvassing team
- Website ideas

The meeting will be relatively open, but our goal is to discuss potential panel topics/panelists, and to allow the diverse groups/communities to propose workshops, and provide input into overall MDD orientation. Other aspects of MDD planning, like publicity, will also be discussed.

Please respond to jtromp@sfu.ca if you will be in attendance as seating in the room is limited. Pls contact stephena@sfu.ca for any questions or concerns.

Good news for MDD-ers with kids: We have free child care arrangements with plenty of arts and crafts to keep our future MDD-ers busy while the rest of us brainstorm.

Everyone is welcome!!!