Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we'll discuss media coverage of the ongoing protests in Russia over allegations of election fraud. We will also talk about Wall Street whistleblowers. Where is the coverage? We'll be joined by Columbia Journalism Review's Ryan Chittum and Christian Science Monitor's Fred Weir joins us from Moscow. Where did you see the best reporting this week? Join us live at 10 or send and email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor Correspondent based in Moscow

Ryan Chittum, staff writer at Columbia Journalism Review and a former staff reporter at The Wall Street Journal

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

What will it take to limit the role of money in politics?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Harvard Professor Lawrence Lessig about his new book, Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress--and a Plan to Stop It. Between 1974 and 2008 the average amount it took to run for reelection in the House and Senate went from $56,000 dollars to more than $1.3 million. How did we get here? What will it take to remove money from politics? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Lawrence Lessing is a professor at Harvard Law School and author of Republic, Lost: How Money Corrupts Congress.

Click to Listen: What will it take to limit the role of money in politics?

How are whistleblowers faring under Obama?

How are government whistleblowers faring in the Obama Adminsitration? On the next Your Call, we'll talk about what it's like to be a whistleblower today. As a presidential candidate, Barack Obama said, "Government whistleblowers are part of a healthy democracy and must be protected from reprisal," but his administration is establishing a record as an aggressive prosecutor of government leakers. So who's blowing the whistle now? And what kind of protections should they have? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call with Shirin Sadeghi, and you.

Guests:

Daniel Ellsberg, former US military analyst who leaked The Pentagon Papers; subject of The Most Dangerous Man in America

Jesselyn Radack, national security and human rights director at the Government Accountability Project

Thomas Drake, whistleblower; formerly employed by the National Security Agency; currently facing criminal prosecution

Click to Listen: How are whistleblowers faring under Obama?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we'll discuss media coverage of ALEC's annual meeting in New Orleans. That's the American Legislative Exchange Council. We'll also talk about the brutal government crackdown in Syria. We'll be joined by Propublica's Lois Beckett, investigative journalist Will Potter, and Borzou Daragahi of the LA Times joins us from Beirut. Tune in live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Where did you see the best reporting this week? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Borzou Daragahi, LA Times staff writer based in Beirut, Lebanon

Lois Beckett, a reporter with Propublica an independent, non-profit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest.

Will Potter, an investigative journalist and author

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

What does it take to organize in the workplace?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about how workers try to form or join a union. Recently employees at a Target store in New York voted against joining the country's largest retail union. What does it take to win rights for workers? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. How are corporations preventing workers from forming unions? Have you tried to organize in your workplace? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Debbie Fontaine, an employee at the Rite Aid Distribution Center in Lancaster

Lila Shairo, a labor reporter with Huffington Post. She has been writing extensively on the Target employees' efforts to form a union.

David Bacon is a writer and photojournalist based in the Bay Area.

Margaret Van Ness, an overnight stocker at a Wal-Mart store in Lancaster

Click to Listen: What does it take to organize in the workplace?

How should US law hold corporations accountable for worker rights?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the Supreme Court's recent decision to throw out the class action suit brought against Wal-Mart by several of its female employes. The plaintiffs jointly claimed widespread sex discrimination on the job, but the Court ruled they had insufficient commonalities to be considered a "class." So, where does that leave workers who want to file class actions? Join us at 10 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. How could the law change to better protect workers? It's Your Call with Hana Baba and you.

Guests:
Arcelia Hurtado, executive director of Equal Rights Advocates

Liza Featherstone, journalist and the author of Selling Women Short: The Landmark Battle for Worker's Rights at Wal-Mart

Click to Listen: How should US law hold corporations accountable for worker rights?

How do corporations affect your life?

How do we understand the power of corporations in our lives? On the next Your Call, we'll talk with members of the 6th International Anti-Corporate Film Festival. The festival covers themes from corporate control over the Internet, to the power of divestment from South Africa's apartheid regime, to the effects corporate greed is having on the environment--just to name a few. How do corporations affect your life? Can you envision a better model for business? Join us at 10 or send an email to feedback@yourcallradio.org. What are people doing to demand more corporate accountability? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
John Wilner, founding director of the 6th annual international Anti-Corporate Film Festival

Connie Field, director of The Bottom Line, a film about divestment during South Africa's apartheid regime

Georgia Sugimura Archer, co-director of Barbershop Punk, a film about corporate control over information and the Internet

Click to Listen: How do corporations affect your life?

For corporations, how much power is too much?

At what point do you know that a corporation has too much power? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Barry Lynn author of Cornered: The New Monopoly Capitalism and the Economics of Destruction. He says if America is to survive economically and politically, the modern day monopolists should be broken up. Are there ways to counter economic concentration? Join us at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. What tools do we have as citizens to fight back? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:

Barry Lynn is director of the Markets, Enterprise, and Resiliency Initiative, and a senior fellow at the New America Foundation

Click to Listen: For corporations, how much power is too much?

How has the 'Citizens United' decision affected our politics?

On the next Your Call we'll talk about the Citizens United case. January 21 is the one year anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that allowed unfettered election campaign contributions by corporations and unions. Did it make an impact on last year's political campaigns? And how will it continue to alter the future of American politics? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Does the new law give corporations too much power in politics? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Peter Stone, journalist for the Center for Public Integrity

John Bonifaz, co-founder and director of Free Speech for People

Wendy Kaminer, a lawyer, writer, social critic

Click to Listen: How has the 'Citizens United' decision affected our politics?

Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call, it's our Friday Media Roundtable. This week, we'll discuss coverage of the 9th anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Bay prison. We will also talk about Gov. Brown's proposed budget. Where's the reporting on the state and local corporate welfare? We'll be joined by California Watch's Chase Davis, Tax Notes' David Cay Johnson and independent journalist Andy Worthington. Where did you see the best reporting this week? Join us live at 10 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Chase Davis, an investigative reporter with California Watch where he covers money and politics

David Cay Johnson, a Tax Analysts columnist and a Pulitzer Prize-winning independent investigative journalist and author

Andy Worthington, an independent reporter and author

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Will the Internet be taken over by corporate monopoly?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with with Tim Wu, author of The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires. Wu, who coined the term "net neutrality," says "The Master Switch" is the moment "a corporate power centralizes and takes control of society's latest technological medium." Is this already happening with the Internet? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Why is it important to fight for a free and open Internet? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Tim Wu, Columbia Law School professor and author of The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires

Click to Listen: Will the Internet be taken over by corporate monopoly?

How is corporate power shaping American science?

How is corporate power shaping American science? On the next Your Call, we'll replay a conversation with Naomi Oreskes, author of Merchants of Doubt. With corporate dollars driving research agendas, are scientists losing their trust among the broader public? How do you assess the independence of scientists? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Should the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico make us reconsider partnerships like that between BP and UC Berkeley? And how can truly independent science be funded? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar.

Guest:
Naomi Oreskes, professor of History and Science Studies at the University of California-San Diego and an author.

Click to Listen: How is corporate power shaping American science?

How is corporate power shaping American science?

How is corporate power shaping American science? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Naomi Oreskes, author of Merchants of Doubt. With corporate dollars driving research agendas, are scientists losing their trust among the broader public? How do you assess the independence of scientists? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Should the disaster in the Gulf of Mexico make us reconsider partnerships like that between BP and UC Berkeley? And how can truly independent science be funded? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Naomi Oreskes, professor of History and Science Studies at the University of California San Diego and an author.

Click to Listen: How is corporate power shaping American science?

Will Corporate Control of Politics Increase?

Is this the moment to transform the role of corporations in politics? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision that has laid down the gauntlet for anyone who's ever wanted to take politics back from the corporations. What should we be demanding? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Is there a coalition that can get it done? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:

Trent Lange, president, California Clean Money Action Fund

Dave Levinthal, communications director and spokesperson with Center for Responsive Politics

David Donnelly, Public Campaign Action Fund's (PCAF) National Campaigns Director.

Click to Listen: Can Moving Your Money Make a Difference?

Why aren't Pro Sports Treated like Every Other Business?

On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the subsidies and sweetheart deals government gives to sports teams. Why has our society decided pro sports teams get special treatment? Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Why do cities and states cut generous deals for teams that they wouldn't with other businesses? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Join us live at 11 or send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org. Why do cities and states cut generous deals for teams that they wouldn't with other businesses? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Andrew Zimbalist is the Robert A. Woods professor of economics at Smith College.

Dave Zirin, Sports correspondent for The Nation

Click to Listen: Why aren't Pro Sports Treated like Every Other Business?

Your Call 072809 Can satire put the powerful on the spot?

Can satire put the powerful on the spot? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation with Andy Bichlbaum, member of the Yes Men and the co-director of the documentary, The Yes Men Fix the World. Disguised as captains of industry, The Yes Men use their authority to humiliate corporate and government leaders. What has their experience of going undercover in the halls of power taught them about the way authority works? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 a.m. Can 21st century corporations be shamed into change? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Andy Bichlbaum, member of the Yes Men and the co-director of the documentary, The Yes Men Fix the World

Click to Listen: Can satire put the powerful on the spot?

Your Call 060909 Can we think beyond corporations?

Can the dominance of corporate ideology in our lives and in our thinking be reversed? On the next Your Call we'll speak with Douglas Rushkoff, author of Life Inc: How The World Became A Corporation And How To Take It Back. Rushkoff, a novelist and professor of Media Studies at NYU, traces how the logic of markets came to dominate our sense of ourselves and lays out a plan to rehabilitate community power. Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. How are you nurturing community? It's Your Call with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guest:
Douglas Rushkoff in San Francisco
Best-selling author of Life Incorporated: How the World Became A Corporation and How To Take It Back and nine others about new media and popular culture including, Cyberia, Media Virus, Playing the Future, Nothing Sacred: The Truth about Judaism, and Coercion, winner of the Marshall McLuhan Award for best media book. He is the host of The Media Squat, on WFMU in New York and a correspondent for Frontline's ongoing examination of the future of media, DigitalNation.

Rushkoff will be at:
Tuesday, June 9
7:30pm
BOOKSMITH
1644 Haight St. in San Francisco

Wednesday, June 10
6:30pm to 8:00pm
MECHANICS INSTITUTE LIBRARY
57 Post Street at Montgomery (right above the Montgomery BART station)

Click to Listen: Can we think beyond corporations?

Your Call 060109 Is it time to go beyond antitrust?

Is it time to go beyond antitrust? On the next Your Call, we'll have a conversation about the risks of power concentrated in corporations. American antitrust law is meant to fight monopolies. Are there other tools in American law that legislators could use to keep corporations from monopolizing the market? Send us an email at feedback@yourcallradio.org or join us live at 11 am. What can we learn from the crisis in the financial market? It's Your Call, with Rose Aguilar and you.

Guests:
Gary Reback, one of the nation's most prominent antitrust attorneys, best known for spearheading the efforts that led to the federal lawsuit against Microsoft. He is currently of counsel with Carr & Ferrell LLP.

Jonathan Baker, professor of law at American University's Washington College of Law.

Click to Listen: Is it time to go beyond antitrust?

Your Call 081508 Media Roundtable

On the next Your Call it's our Friday Media Roundtable when we sniff out the bias and applaud good work. This week Russia and Georgia went to war. What explains the dramatic difference in coverage of the fighting between American and Russian media? Were the facts in question, or did bias hide facts from both audiences? We'll speak with Pulitzer prize winner David Cay Johnston, Gail Chaddock of the Christian Science Monitor and independent reporter Tim Shorrock. Is unbiased reporting the same as reporting whose bias you agree with? It's Your Call.

Guests:
Gail Chaddock in Washington DC
Congressional Correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor;

David Cay Johnston in Chatauqua, New York
Pulitzer Prize winner, former New York Times tax reporter and author of Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill)

Tim Shorrock in San Francisco
Independent investigative journalist and author of Spies for Hire: The Secret World of Intelligence Outsourcing

Click to Listen: Media Roundtable

Your Call 052908 When Big Oil Goes Wrong

When big oil goes wrong, who should be held responsible? On the next Your Call, we'll look at the environmental and human toll of oil exploration in Ecuador and ask where responsibility lies: Is it with San Ramon-based multinational Chevron? The Ecuadorian government? Or those of us who pull up to the pump? It's Your Call, with Sandip Roy, and you.

Guests:
Lou Dematteis, author/photographer of Crude Reflections just published by City Lights

Mitch Anderson, Corporate Accountability Campaigner with Amazon Watch.

Click to Listen: When Big Oil Goes Wrong