BLOG
-
Amy Goodman’s New Column, “Chevron in the White House”
President-elect Barack Obama introduced his principal national-security Cabinet selections to the world Monday and left no doubt that he intends to start his administration on a war footing. Perhaps the least well known among them is retired Marine Gen. James Jones, Obama’s pick for national security adviser. The position is crucial—think of the power that Henry Kissinger wielded in Richard Nixon’s White House. A look into who James Jones is sheds a little light on the Obama campaign’s promise of “Change We Can Believe In.”
Filed under Weekly Column
-
Amy Goodman’s New Column, “Tutu, Obama and the Middle East”
As President-elect Barack Obama focuses on the meltdown of the U.S. economy, another fire is burning: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. You may not have heard much lately about the disaster in the Gaza Strip. That silence is intentional: The Israeli government has barred international journalists from entering the occupied territory.
Filed under Weekly Column
-
“A View From the South”
Evo Morales knows about “change you can believe in.” He also knows what happens when a powerful elite is forced to make changes it doesn’t want.
Filed under Weekly Column
-
“President Obama Can Redeem the White House”
Alice Walker is the first African-American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. But Monday, I called her to talk about a true story. The Obamas had just visited the White House. The first African-American elected president of the United States had visited his soon-to-be residence, a house built by slaves.
Filed under Weekly Column
-
Amy Goodman on CNN Newsroom, November 10, 2008
Filed under D.N. in the News
-
Anjali Kamat’s New Column: “Change We Can Believe In?”
Democracy Now! producer Anjali Kamat writes, “To all those for whom America has represented generations of racial injustice, the election of America’s first Black president marks the beginning of a new era…But unless the inspired millions who brought him to power continue to believe their demands matter and insist on holding him accountable each step of the way, it will be Obama’s corporate and hawkish friends who determine the domestic and foreign policies of the coming administration and our collective future.”
Filed under D.N. in the News
-
“Organizer in Chief”
You could almost hear the world’s collective sigh of relief. This year’s U.S. presidential election was a global event in every sense. Barack Hussein Obama, the son of a black Kenyan father and a white Kansan mother, who grew up in Indonesia and Hawaii, represents to so many a living bridge—between continents and cultures.
Filed under Weekly Column
-
Studs Terkel, 1912-2008
The legendary radio broadcaster, writer and oral historian Studs Terkel has died at the age of 96 in Chicago. Over the years Terkel has been a regular guest on Democracy Now!In 2005, Studs Terkel appeared on Democracy Now! shortly after undergoing open heart surgery. He told Amy Goodman, “My curiosity is what saw me through. What would the world be like, or will there be a world? And so, that’s my epitaph. I have it all set. Curiosity did not kill this cat. And it’s curiosity, I think, that has saved me thus far.”
Filed under DN Archives
-
More Blog Posts »
Podcasting & Torrents
Democracy Now! Across Disciplines
Democracy Now! can be used in a vast array of disciplines. This informative news program has been broadcasting each day for the past 10 years. In that time we have covered a wide range of topics, applying to subjects such as: Sociology, Political Science, History, Journalism, Media Studies, Environmental Studies, Literature, Law, Ethics, Gender Studies, and many more. Show segments can be found in our extensive archive, which is indexed and can be searched by key word, name or date.
When using any segment of Democracy Now! as a teaching tool, here are some general guidelines to help you get started:
• Put the Information into Context. Before beginning a conversation, put the information into time context – examining concurrent political, historical, foreign affairs or events. This is critical before using any media. If content is older, what has changed since then? Seek out information in more recent episodes of Democracy Now! or supplementary information.
• Preview. Watch or listen to video or radio segments ahead of time to determine which part would be best to use with your students. You might spend an hour discussing one segment or topic, or you might plan to watch only a portion of a segment or a variety of episodes or segments. All Democracy Now! programs can be viewed on-line by clicking on the detail page for the segment of your choice.
• Select Reading Material to Accompany the Video. Possible reading materials such as books, articles, reports, or blogs are often referred to in Democracy Now! segments.
• Set-up an Open Atmosphere for Discussion. Encourage multiple perspectives and points of view in your discussions around media content.
• Provide a Focus for Media Interaction. Provide students with a specific framework from which to watch the segment and/or offer them specific questions to consider before viewing the segment. Ask students: What do you know about this subject already? What do you want to know? Afterward, ask: What did you learn?
• Review. Replay segments if participants have questions or need clarification.
• Discuss Qualities of the Medium. De-construct the medium itself, and how it affects the story and points of view – radio, TV, print, etc.
• Before and After. Before listening to the show or segment, review the title, topic and the segment’s content summary You can review this summary at www.democracynow.org, locating the program by date in our “past shows” section or searching by key word in our search engine. Full transcripts are available for many of our segments by clicking on the segment detail page.
• Give Follow-up Research and Writing Assignments. Based on the video, written materials and class discussion, take it further with homework assignments.
• Take Action. Encourage students to use their discussions to take action—create community-based projects and initiatives, write letters, and get involved.
• Use Democracy Now! to Create Dialogue in Communities. Consider developing ongoing community/campus-wide projects or discussions using Democracy Now! materials in open forums. Some students started a weekly Democracy Now! Cafe on their campus where they showed a DVD and had a talk-back session hosted by a professor, local activist, or fellow student. Students/Teachers who want to set up a DN! Cafe at their school can rent the show of their choice, FREE OF CHARGE, by writing to us at orders@democracynow.org
