Josh Fox, producer of Gasland documentary, arrested on Capital Hill

Republicans afraid of press providing much needed transparency. Watch the documentary: Gasland

Josh Fox, meanwhile, has issued the following statement to the press:

I was arrested today for exercising my First Amendment rights to freedom of the press on Capitol Hill. I was not expecting to be arrested for practicing journalism. Today's hearing in the House Energy and Environment subcommittee was called to examine EPAs findings that hydraulic fracturing fluids had contaminated groundwater in the town of Pavillion, Wyoming. I have a long history with the town of Pavillion and its residents who have maintained since 2008 that fracking has contaminated their water supply. I featured the stories of residents John Fenton, Louis Meeks and Jeff Locker in GASLAND and I have continued to document the catastrophic water contamination in Pavillion for the upcoming sequel GASLAND 2. It would seem that the Republican leadership was using this hearing to attack the three year Region 8 EPA investigation involving hundreds of samples and extensive water testing which ruled that Pavillion's groundwater was a health hazard, contaminated by benzene at 50x the safe level and numerous other contaminants associated with gas drilling. Most importantly, EPA stated in this case that fracking was the likely cause. As a filmmaker and journalist I have covered hundreds of public hearings, including Congressional hearings. It is my understanding that public speech is allowed to be filmed. Congress should be no exception. No one on Capitol Hill should regard themselves exempt from the Constitution. The First Amendment to the Constitution states explicitly "Congress shall make no law...that infringes on the Freedom of the Press". Which means that no subcommittee rule or regulation should prohibit a respectful journalist or citizen from recording a public hearing. This was an act of civil disobedience, yes done in an impromptu fashion, but at the moment when they told me to turn off the cameras, I could not. I know my rights and I felt it was imperative to exercise them. When I was led out of the hearing room in handcuffs, John Boehner's pledge of transparency in congress was taken out with me. The people of Pavillion deserve better. The thousands across the US who have documented cases of water contamination in fracking areas deserve their own hearing on Capitol hill. They deserve the chance to testify in before Congress. The truth that fracking contaminates groundwater is out, and no amount of intimidation tactics --either outright challenges to science or the arrest of journalists --will put the genie back in the bottle. Such a brazen attempt to discredit and silence the EPA, the citizens of Pavillion and documentary filmmaking will ultimately fail and it is an affront to the health and integrity of Americans. Lastly, in defense of my profession, I will state that many many Americans get their news from independent documentaries. The hill should immediately move to make hearings and meetings accessible to independent journalists and not further obstruct the truth from being reported in the vivid and in depth manner that is only achievable through long form documentary filmmaking. I will be thinking on this event further and will post further thoughts and developments. I have been charged with "unlawful entry" and my court date is February 15.
Josh Fox Washington D.C. 2/1/12

Looks like good reporting can make a difference

Last week This American Life ran a show about Apple's dirty little secret: Slave Labor. This week Apple changed it's tune, but its not enough. More...

There's news from Apple today, relating to some of the issues discussed in our program last week “Mr. Daisey and the Apple Factory.”
 
For the first time, Apple has released a list of companies that build its products around the world. In another first, the company also announced that it will allow an independent third party to check on working conditions at those factories, and to make its findings public.

We don’t know that our show inspired these moves from Apple, but both of the changes are things that Mike Daisey called for in Act Two of our episode.

Apple announced these changes today when it released its latest Supplier Responsibility Progress Report, which the company has published every year since 2007. In the past, the reports have typically come out in February.

The organization that will oversee independent audits of Apple’s assemblers is a nonprofit called the Fair Labor Association, which already checks on suppliers for other American companies, including Nike, New Balance, and Adidas. Apple is the first technology company to work with the FLA. Apple says it will "open its supply chain" to the FLA, who will do unannounced factory visits. It will do these without coordinating with Apple, and will then post the results on its website.

“It’s a level of transparency and independent oversight that is unmatched in our industry,” Apple wrote in its progress report.

That said, this isn’t actually what Mike was asking for at the end of our show. While Apple is listing the names of its suppliers, it still does not identify which facilities it found to have work standard violations.

It gets even deeper, they workers in China have threatened MASS SUICIDE if working conditions don't change.

Moyers is Back

Common Dreams reports that Bill Moyers will be back on American Public Television.

The Bankers made more in the last three years of the Obama Presidency than they did in all eight years under President G.W. Bush.

Live Streaming Video is the Key to Accountablity

Live Streaming As Activism

Live streaming, the act of broadcasting a video to the internet in close to real time, is quickly becoming a staple tool of twenty-first century protestors. From Occupy Wall Street to the Egypt election last week to the Russian election this week, activists use cell phones as weapons of transparency: not only documenting but broadcasting events as they happen. Brooke talks to Mans Adler, founder of live streaming platform Bambuser.

from On The Media - Bambuser.com - the Sweeds are so far ahead of Hollywood.

The authorities can't confiscate your phone unless they confiscate everyone's phones, even their own, and that will destroy their own ability to communicate, rendering them useless.

News is 'interpreted' information, this is RAW TRUTH from as many perspectives as possible.

MediaShift: 5Across: Monthly from PBS, MetaMedia

Watch 5Across: Social Media Marketing on PBS. See more from MediaShift.

http://video.pbs.org/program/mediashift/

Chris Anderson: Independently Organized TED

Step Up YOUR Game!Crowd = Innovators, Commenters, Trend-Spotters, Skeptics, Mavericks, Cheer-Leaders, Super Spreaders
Light = Show Yourself to the World, Radical Openness, Open Source Everything
Desire = Social Status, Sex, Money, Credit (or something else)

It is a Rue-Goldberg Machine, YOU are the teachers, Inventor, Mentor, Sustainability Champion

Organize your own Independent TED - Many to Many, No CENSORS

Money corrupts, absolute money corrupts absolutely.

There is a saying in politics and journalism: "If you are pissing everyone off, you must be doing something right." Unfortunately, in both of these occupations, success = popularity. Thus, if you want to make money at either, you must not do anything right.

This is why all politics and journalism should be non-commercial, non-profit ventures. You should not go into public service for the money, and you should not become a truth-teller for profit.