Building a Left Wing CNN

[OneBlueSky]

Building a Left Wing CNN:
Canadian Paul Jay's drive to create Independent World Television
By Donald Gutstein
TheTyee.ca
June 13, 2005

http://www.thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2005/06/13/LeftWingCNN/

Independent World Television will go public on June 15. The goal, as bold as it is big, is to create an alternative news and current affairs network that is, as its name implies, global in reach and free from corporate or government pressures.

The network’s success depends on changing the economics of media, with an audacious plan to raise $25 million a year made up of $50 donations from half a million people around the world. Money from business, advertisers and government will be prohibited.

Independent World Television is the brain child of Paul Jay, a Toronto-based award-winning documentary film-maker who made the film Return to Kandahar. Jay is also former executive producer of CBC Newsworld’s debate program Counterspin and the founder of Hot Docs.

If successful, IWTnews will have its own digital TV channels in Canada, the U.S. and other countries, and programming will be offered on its web site. Jay and his associates are negotiating with public and non-profit channels in North America, Europe and elsewhere to carry IWT programs. Link TV will carry IWT programming, ensuring that 25 million U.S. home will have access to IWT shows.

- more . . .

http://www.thetyee.ca/Mediacheck/2005/06/13/LeftWingCNN/

[Douglas Carpenter]

1. you can sign up for their E-Mail and/or Make a Donation Now

This is their website:

http://www.iwtnews.com/

[xchrom]

2. if any more people ask me for 50 bucks

i'm gonna go broke.

i'll do it -- but whew....

[katinmn]

11. that's what's happened to me!

I spent my allotment for the month on June 1st.

Then I started thinking about my hourly rate and the amount of time I devote to the "cause" instead of making money.

My time is worth a lot more than the little amount of money I can donate. I think we need to think of that, too.

[pnorman]

3. Just LOOK AT THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE LIST!!

I won't bother listing them all here, but I'm very impressed. I'll try to figure out what I can afford.

I haven't watched TV for about 7 years, and am not planning on changing that for a while to come. But if they carry that programming on their website, I'll plan on becoming a faithful viewer.

pnorman

[Cooley Hurd]

4. I don't WANT a left-wing CNN, as much as I don't want a RW CNN!

I want a truly unbiased and ethical cable news outlet. No spin, just freaking NEWS.:thumbsup:

[shadowknows69]

7. thank you

There's a significant number of people I don't trust on the left either. we need our press equally caustic to whichever side the criminals emerge from.

[emanymton]

8. I'd Settle For A News Channel. Until Then, BBC Will Do For Me.

[Tace]

9. I Agree -- That's What We're Going For At World News Trust

[mirrera]

13. Left wing usually means "both sides"...

If you notice, we often get scolded on DU BECAUSE we criticize our representatives if we don't agree with them, even if they are on "our side". The Left Wing is supposed to be "liberal"and "open minded". There is too much evidence of corporate bribery on both sides of the aisle for a GOOD news source to ignore. Let them call it what ever they want, there is no such thing as un-biased, and the drive to create the impression there is comes mostly as an attempt to keep citizen's forgetting who owns the networks. Thus we have the AP wire, and "he said, she said" safe and useless reporting. Better a "right wing", "left wing", "socialist", "communist", and every other point of view. People can then pick and choose the voices they trust. Many voices getting the chance to be heard, that is a democracy.

Looking at their list of advisor's, I will be donating and tuning in...

www.nobullshirt.com

[annabanana]

5. kickety kick

[Vladimir]

6. Looks good n/t

[AnnInLa]

10. I was lucky enough to hear their presentation at

the Conference for Media Reform last month in St. Louis....Paul Jay, the pres of Link TV and Amy Goodman presented. It was the most exciting presentation at the conference (to me.)

They emphasized that they will be INDEPENDENT, but their financing plan includes collecting $50 from internet users all over the globe PLUS large amounts from very wealthy, liberal donors. Hopefully, as more and more ordinary people donate $50 EACH YEAR, they can reduce their dependence on the wealthy donors...who might have their own agendas, of course. I don't know much about financing something of this magnitude, but depending on individual donations of $50 each year from all over the globe seems a mite tentative.

They are in talks with Time Warner and Comcast to broadcast part of their programming, and getting much interest from Time Warner, believe it or not. They will have to prove that they can draw viewers to TW.

[katinmn]

12. I was at that presentatiion, too, AnnInLa

There were maybe 25-30 people there. :) It does seem like they have a great plan.

[AnnInLa]

14. hi Kat

I was surprised at the low turn out for the presentation....to me, it is a very exciting project, and I really hope they get it off the ground.

[katinmn]

15. Me too

It's sort of the culmination of media reform efforts - present an alternative while trying to salvage what is salvageable from corporate media.

I remember that the presentation took place at the same time they had the break-outs for different interest groups. Everybody wanted to network.

I wish I could have hooked up with some DUers there. Now I have a button I'll wear if I go to similar events.
http://www.cafepress.com/du_store.22513582

[AnnInLa]

16. It's funny.....

Everyone I met and conversed with, I asked, in a round-about-way, if they ever went to DU...most hadn't. I didn't make a big deal about it, was just trying to find other DUers. A few knew about our website, but weren't posters. Oh well, next time we will have to figure out something so DUers can meet and get acquainted.

[Rainscents]

17. Can I get this channel on Satellite? If so, I will switch from cable to

satellite. Does anyone know?

[patricia92243]

18. Tomorrow is the 15th. What channels is it on. I have satellite TV

[Spazito]

19. Wow, what an impressive list founding committee members!

Once I saw former Ambassador Stephen Lewis's name on there I was TOTALLY sold and both donated and joined up. I am so glad this is being done!

[Spazito]

20. Kick

:kick: