I remember when Malkia (Executive Director of Center for Media Justice) took the stage of the National Conference for Media Reform ten years ago to insist that a national media policy network needs to work for justice – that our work must address material needs, engage marginalized populations as leaders, and help redistribute power. This was an important, early intervention to ensure that this generation's media policy work is centered on people not merely technology issues.
Since then, the 1% have exploited times of both growth and recession resulting in the biggest income disparity in US history. The statistic that continues to be a jaw dropper that that white households now have 20 times the wealth as black and 18 times the wealth as Hispanic households – and this is after the recession. And the United Citizens court case basically ensures the giant mega-conglomerate-media-beast will feast on every election cycle, building more power to limit our right to communicate with each other. All this is to say that we need each other now more than ever before.
At Prometheus Radio Project, we see community radio as 90% community and 10% radio. We are technologist-organizers, helping people build radio stations with their own hands while building community to organize for change. We see the need for more connections amongst local community groups make media for justice and the need for stronger ties between these grassroots and policy makers. That's why we're part of MAGNet, which is providing infrastructure to share knowledge and build power in a local-to-local network.
Prometheus with be working closely with the MAGNet community and our allies to build the future of community radio, with 1000+ new stations launching the next few years. These new stations will need your knowledge and support to grow into tech savvy community media centers with strong organizing skills. So roll up your sleeves, let's get ready for some fun.
Photo of me and my baby: Ezra Shine Chynoweth
Learn more about MAG-Net and how you can join this growing media justice network!
