No Picture

Standoff in Chiapas (3/98)

Esperanza Aguilar Jimenez is a skinny seven-year-old, all legs and arms in a well-worn, carefully patched, poofy-skirt dress. She sits next to me on a dusty rock at the side of the road leading into Morelia, her village in the southernmost Mexican state of Chiapas. It’s mid-morning, and Esperanza ought to be in school. But all her teachers are gone. Fearing the imminent advance of the Mexican military, they packed themselves tightly into a little pickup and drove as quickly as they could down the deeply rutted road out of town. I know this because I watched them go. read more

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Making Waves: Network News (09/03)

Retreat Tackles Mission Control

In July, the Toward Freedom Board of Directors held a one-day retreat to redefine the organization’s mission and priorities for the coming years. Among the key topics were the relationship between TF’s primary publication and its various projects, as well as increasing the involvement of members and supporters. Led by consultant Rosi Gowdey, the board also covered fundraising, long-term strategic planning, and how to reach new constituencies. New vision and mission statements, currently being reviewed, are slated for adoption at the annual meeting later this year. read more

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Editorial: Alternative Media Education (12/98)

Years ago I remember a particularly influential professor who required that each student in his class volunteer or perform some community service as part of the course requirement. His explanation was simple: Students are idea-rich but experience-poor.

Now that I am a professor, I’m beginning to question his premise. I find that most of my college students are both idea- and experience-deprived. In fact, if I use a standard text, more often than not an outbreak of MEGO – My-Eyes-Glaze-Over – quickly overtakes the classroom. But one remedy I’ve found to that is the MEOW approach – My-Eyes-Open-Wide. And my most constant companion is alternative media. read more

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September/October 2000, Deconstructing Media

 Click here to order this back issue of Toward Freedom’s print magazine. 

 Volume 49, Number5

Toward Freedom  |  Sept/Oct  2000  |  Vol. 49, No. 5

Asia’s Distorted ImageExploiting Stereotypes to Subvert Societies- John Samuel Building Independent Media A Conference in VTBurlington – October 13-14 Ounce of Prevention Mainstream Journalists look at Conflict Resolution– Rita Colorito Editorial: Brave New Media World– Greg Guma
  • TOXIC LEGACIES
    – Kids Victimized, Diamond Grab
  • MONEY TALKS
    – Broken Promises on Debt Relief
  • ACTIVISM
    – Changing the Focus on Human Rights
  • DEATH ROW
    – An Inmate Looks Beyond Vengeance
No Picture

Regime Change in Haiti (03/04)

The first time the US intervened in Haiti, not many people noticed. Few journalists were on hand in 1915, and most newspapers were willing to accept the official version. According to President Woodrow Wilson, establishing a protectorate was part of a grand effort to halt a "radically evil and corrupting" revolution, support the "slow process of reform," and extend his policy of the "open door to the world."

But that was just the cover story. Actually, Wilson saw the island nation as a geo-strategic pawn in the build up to World War I; specifically, he was worried that Germany might take advantage of the local political turmoil to establish a military base in the hemisphere. He also had other, even stronger economic reasons to seize control of the country. read more

No Picture

Assault of Openness (03/02)

Since Sept. 11, deep concerns have arisen about the threats to civil liberties and basic rights posed by the US government’s anti-terrorist campaign. Among other things, Uncle Sam has profiled the Muslim-American community, eavesdropped on conversations between people held in detention and their lawyers, and required colleges to provide certain records on foreign students.

Less publicized has been the federal government’s bold move to drastically restrict the right to know what officials are doing. But this is also part of a trend involving several other Western countries, not coincidentally some of US’s closet allies in the “war on terrorism.” read more