PACIFICA REFUSES TO DISTRIBUTE DEMOCRACY NOW!
Harassment of Host Amy Goodman Continues

A special report distributed by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting [FAIR]

August 14, 2001

This morning, the Pacifica Radio Network refused to distribute the regularly
scheduled broadcast of Amy Goodman's award-winning news show, Democracy Now!
Instead, most listeners heard an old show with no explanation for the
irregularity.

For over a year, Goodman has faced continuing harassment-- including racist
and sexist slurs and physical intimidation-- at WBAI, the New York station
Democracy Now! usually broadcasts from. Goodman and the Democracy Now! team
showed remarkable dedication in continuing to produce their high-quality
show in such a hostile environment, but over the last few weeks the
harassment intensified to the point where it became impossible for them to
continue working in WBAI's studios.

Accordingly, Goodman arranged to do the show from the studios of Downtown
Community Television in lower Manhattan until Pacifica management could
provide her a safe working environment. Democracy Now! was available for
broadcast as usual, but Pacifica chose not to distribute it, though a few
individual stations-- including Pacifica's KPFA in Berkeley and Pacifica
affiliate WMNF in Tampa-- did pick up the show on their own initiative.

The crisis at Pacifica is ongoing, but this most recent interference with
Democracy Now! began on August 2 when Pacifica's director of national
programming, Steve Yasko, ordered Goodman to stop ending the show with the
sign-off she has used since last year's "Christmas Coup" firings at WBAI:
"From the embattled studios of WBAI, from the studios of the banned and the
fired, from the studios of our listeners, I'm Amy Goodman. Thanks for
listening to another edition of Democracy Now!"

When Goodman asserted her journalistic integrity and continued to use the
sign-off, Yasko accused her in writing of "deliberate insubordination."
Shortly thereafter, WBAI Interim General Manager Utrice Leid ordered the
Democracy Now! staff out of the station's main studio, forcing them to
produce the technically complex, live program from a poorly equipped
sub-studio.

On August 10, according to the listeners' group Pacifica Campaign, Leid's
harassment of Goodman escalated and became physical. The group reports that
"according to eyewitnesses, Amy came upon two WBAI staffers rifling through
the personal possessions of fired WBAI Program Director Bernard White."
Goodman asked them to stop, and when they refused, Goodman got her camera
and began taking photos to document the incident.

Leid arrived at that point, reports Pacifica Campaign, and "ripped the
camera out of Amy's hands and stalked into an adjacent office." When Goodman
demanded her camera back, Leid reportedly "laughed in Amy's face" and told
her she would have the film developed herself. Leid then "physically shoved
Amy out of the way and marched down the hallway to her own office" and shut
the door. Goodman remained outside Leid's office until Leid returned the
camera.

Pacifica Campaign also reports that due to an expensive new security and
surveillance system installed by Leid, "the work environment at WBAI today
more resembles the Pentagon and the CIA than a radical, community radio
station." Every employee now needs a card key to enter the building; at
Leid's discretion, each key can be programmed to provide only for approved
time periods, such as one hour before a show begins and one hour after it
concludes.

Pacifica Radio is precious because for most of its 50-year history, it has
been one of the progressive community's most vital and vibrant resources, a
listener-sponsored free speech radio network. Recently, however, a
self-selected board majority has put that tradition at risk by disempowering
listeners and local station workers and watering down the network's
tradition of critical, independent programming.

FAIR is appalled by Pacifica and WBAI's harassment of Goodman and the
Democracy Now! team, and we support the efforts being made by listener
groups, as well as staff at some stations, to make Pacifica into a
democratic, accountable and diverse network. As we have stated before, FAIR
calls for Pacifica's National Board to resign in order to make way for
positive change.


ACTION: There are many ways to help.

1) Rallies in support of Democracy Now! are scheduled in several cities:
Los Angeles: Wednesday, August 15, 7-10 AM at KPFK, 3729 Cahuenga Blvd.,
North Hollywood.
New York City: Wednesday, August 15, 7 - 10 AM, at WBAI, 120 Wall Street.
Washington D.C.: Wednesday, August 15, 9:00 AM, at WPFW, 2390 Champlain St.
NW. (See http://www.wpfw.net  for more information about WPFW organizing.)

2) Listeners across the country are supporting Democracy Now! by calling and
writing to Pacifica. If you listen to one of the five main Pacifica
stations, you can contact your local station directly and urge them to air
current broadcasts of Democracy Now! (Berkeley's KPFA: 510-848-6767;
Houston's KPFT: 713-526-4000; Los Angeles' KPFK: 818-985-2711; New York
City's WBAI: 212-209-2800; Washington, D.C.'s WPFW: 202-588-0999).

3) You can also contact Utrice Leid, along with members of Pacifica's
National Board (see below).

As always, please remember that your comments are taken more seriously if
you maintain a polite tone. Please cc fair@fair.org  with your
correspondence.

CONTACT:
Utrice Leid, WBAI Interim General Manager
Tel: 212-209-2800/2820; Fax: 212-747-1698
mailto:uleid@escape.com

Bessie Wash, Pacifica Executive Director
Tel: 202-588-0999 x 348 or 888-770-4944 x348; Fax: 202-588-0561
mailto:bmwpacifica@aol.com

Ken Ford, Pacifica Board Vice Chair
Tel: 202-822-0228; Fax: 202-822-0369
mailto:kenfordpacifica@aol.com

Valrie Chambers, Pacifica Board member
Tel: 361-825-6012; Fax: 281-655-0266
mailto:Valrie.Chambers@mail.tamucc.edu

Wendell L. Johns, Pacifica Board member
Tel: 202-752-5355; Fax: 202-752-4281
mailto:wendell_L_johns@fanniemae.com

For convenience, you can cut and paste these email addresses into your
message:
uleid@escape.com; bmwpacifica@aol.com; kenfordpacifica@aol.com; Valrie.Chambers@mail.tamucc.edu; wendell_L_johns@fanniemae.com; fair@fair.org

For more information on the Pacifica crisis, please visit:
FAIR's Pacifica resources: http://www.fair.org/activism/pacifica-history.html

The Pacifica Campaign, http://www.pacificacampaign.org

To listen to Democracy Now! online, tune in to:
WBAI Radio in Exile, http://www.wbix.org

----------

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