2007 Events

Media Democracy Day Toronto - October 18th


Film and panel discussion on Burma & the Media


Join us in the screening of short docs on Burma including Season of Fear followed by a panel discussion on Burma and media coverage!

When: Thurs., October the 18th, 2007 5-7pm

Where: Brunswick Theatre (296 Brunswick Ave., Toronto)

Participating in the panel discussion are:

  • Minthura Wynn, a key Burma human rights organizer
  • Ler Wah Lopo, spokesperson for Karen Canadian Community
  • Michelle Langlois of Rabble.ca
  • Ish Theilheimer of Straightgoods.com

    Season of Fear (15 minutes), a documentary film, touches on the involvement of Canadian mining company Ivanhoe in the displacement of indigenous people in Burma. There are two million internally displaced persons in Burma; many live in the jungle and are forced to move around constantly due to military actions.

    Toronto Media Democracy Fair

    When: October 18th 10am to 4:30p.m.

    Where: Ryerson University, 350 Victoria Street, The Credit Union lounge on the 1st floor of the POD building (main entrances at Jorgensen Hall and Library Building).

    Media Democracy Day Montreal - October 19-21

    ReDefining Media

    Media Democracy and Community Radio Conference, October 19-21, 2007

    SEE THE POSTER

    MONTREAL, QC - CKUT 90.3 FM is proud to present a free public conference, October 19-21 at McGill University in Montreal. Entitled "ReDefining Media: Media Democracy and Community Radio,ì the conference will include a keynote presentation and two days of workshops and panels.

    Events kick off on Friday, October 19 at 7pm with a keynote presentation by Amy Goodman, host and producer of the award-winning, New-York based independent news program, Democracy Now! Goodman will speak on the topic of her most recent book, Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back. Her presentation and book-signing will take place at the Leacock Auditorium, 855 Sherbrooke Street West, and is co-sponsored by
    Media@McGill.

    Saturday, October 20th from 10am-6pm and Sunday, October 21 from 10am-5pm, the conference will offer workshops and panels on the themes of media policy, the politics of representation and radio production skills at the University Centre (Shatner) Ballroom, 3480 McTavish Street. Sessions will be presented by academic experts from McGill and Concordia University alongside independent media journalists and activists from organizations including the Prometheus Radio Project (www.prometheusradio.rog), Free103point9 (www.free103point9.org) and campus and community radio stations in Quebec and Ontario.

    All events are being organized in celebration of Media Democracy Day and CKUT 90.3 FMís 20th anniversary, as the station marks "20 years between your ears." Thanks to sponsors including Media@McGill, Culture Shock, SSMU and the Dean of Arts at McGill University, CKUT 90.3 FM is able to offer all events free of charge (donations will be accepted in support of the conference's organizers and guests). Free advance tickets for the keynote presentation will be available at CKUT 90.3FMís offices, located at 3647 rue University, October 15-19 between 12 and 6pm.

    For more information about ReDefining Media, please visit: http://www.ckut.ca/redefiningmedia.php

    MEDIA CONTACT:
    ReDefining Media
    Kristiana Clemens
    CKUT 90.3 FM
    514-448-4041 x0842
    music@ckut.ca

    Media Democracy Day Vancouver - October 26th:


    Media Democracy Fair:

    Come to the FREE Media Democracy Fair and meet representatives from your favorite local independent media outlets. 4:30pm – 7pm Friday October 26th at the Concourse in SFU Vancouver (Harbour Centre) 515 West Hastings Street.

    The Media Democracy Fair is FREE. Admission is open for everyone. Bring your friends and family to the Media Democracy Fair and stay for the discussions.

    To stay in the loop join the local media democracy Announcement Mailing List

    If you represent a local media group and would like table space at the MDD please email (stephenaATsfu.ca)

    For press information please email (faizakATsfu.ca)

    Exhibitors

    Who can you find at the Media Democracy Fair?

    Adbusters
    Amnesty International
    Antigone Magazine
    Beyond Robson
    ICTV
    Canadians for Democratic Media
    CCPA
    ChangeEverything
    CITIZENShift
    Community Media Education Society (C.M.E.S.)
    COA News
    Columbia Journal
    Common Ground
    Co-Op Radio
    CJSF 90.1fm
    CiTR
    DOXA Documentary Film Festival
    Epoch Times
    FreeGeek Vancouver
    FreeNet
    NowPublic
    Only Magazine
    Our Paper
    People's Voice Newspaper
    Rabble.ca
    Straight Goods
    Submedia
    SFPIRG
    The Tyee
    The Vancouver Community Television Association (VCTA)
    Vancouver's Anti-Poverty Committee
    Vancouver Observer
    VIVO Media Arts Centre
    Work Less Party
    Xtra West

    Film Screening:

    This year MDD presents a Special Screening "A Little Bit of So Much Truth" in room 1600 at 4:30pm (515 West Hastings Street)“When the people of Oaxaca decided they'd had enough of bad government, they didn't take their story to the media...They TOOK the media.” More about this exciting film here: http://www.corrugate.org/un_poquito_de_tanta_verdad/un_poquito_de_tanta_verdad

    Sponsors and Supporters:

    This year’s sponsors and supporters are the SFU School of Communication, SFU Faculty of Applied Sciences, The Federation of Post-Secondary Educators (FPSE), Simon Fraser Public Interest Research Group (SFPIRG), BC Government Employees Union,BC & Yukon Territory – Building Construction Trades, Council, BC Teachers’ Federation, Communications, Energy & Paperworkers Union Local 2000, Communications, Energy & Paperworkers Union Western, Region BC Federation of Labour, BC Association for Media Education (BCAME), The Tyee, CITIZENShift, Straight Goods, and Xtra West.

    Special Guest:

    MDD 2007 will open up a talk by Saskia Sassen, renowned author of The Global City: New Frontiers/Strategic Sites at 7:00 pm. At least 285 people are expected to attend this talk. Limited free tickets are available for the public on a first come first serve basis. (Room 1400 at SFU Habour Centre, 515 West Hastings Street)

    A conversation with Robert McChesney

    As part of Vancouver's Media Democracy Day celebrations:

    "Building a Media Reform Movement in Canada: Learning from the American Experience" - a conversation with Robert McChesney

    McChesney is the President and co-founder of Free Press (www.freepress.net 1), an American non-partisan organization dedicated to media reform and democratization. Free Press is notable for its wide coalition-building and effective lobbying campaigns on information and media policy issues. McChesney is also a well-respected scholar who teaches at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has written or edited sixteen books including "Rich Media, Poor Democracy: Communication Politics in Dubious Times" and "The Future of Media: Resistance and Reform in the 21st Century". His work has been translated into fourteen languages. He is also a former editor of "Monthly Review" and serves now as a board member for that organization. Previously, he served on the boards of "The Progressive" and "In These Times".

    Saturday, October 27th, 5:30 - 6:30 PM Rm. 2510, Harbour Centre, SFU Downtown Campus

    Sponsored by Information Policy Committee - BCLA, Canadians for a Democratic Media http://www.democraticmedia.ca 2) and The Tyee (http://www.thetyee.ca 3)

    Free. Space is limited. Reserve a seat - email mcchesneyinvancouver@hotmail.com

    Media Democracy Day Ottawa - November 20th

    Local media activist group hosts event to promote citizen journalism. At 7pm on Tuesday, November 20, three speakers will speak on 'Becoming a Citizen-Journalist: How to Prepare a Story.' The event is part of Media Democracy Day efforts intended to help make our media more participative and reflective of citizens' interests.

    The three speakers are: Matthew Crozier, station manager at campus/community radio station CKCU 93.1 FM; Kanina Holmes, assistant professor at Carleton's School of Journalism; and Ewart Walters, editor of the community newspaper The Spectrum.

    The event will take place at the Main branch auditorium of the Ottawa Public Library (120 Metcalfe at Laurier), and is being organized by Media Matters, an action group of OPIRG-Ottawa (Ontario Public Interest Research Group). Media Matters' purpose is to support independent media and media reform.

    One of the event's organizers, Greg Macdougall, states, "Media Democracy Day highlights an important point, and that is our media is not democratic, they're controlled by their owners and their advertising clients. The more democratic and participatory media we can organize, the better off our overall democratic process will be."

    Sarah Nelson, another organizer, adds, "Our goal for this event is to empower people to go home and start writing or recording for themselves."

    Media Democracy Day is based on three ideas: Protesting a media system based on commercialization and exclusivity; Educating ourselves to understand how the media shapes our world and impacts democracy; and Changing towards citizen participation, public interest, diversification of control, equitable representation, and community access.