What is the role of media for the Left? (Houston)
Held April 1, 2019, at the University of Houston. Moderated by Danny Jacobs.
Panelists:
David Barsamian (Alternative Radio)
Secunda Joseph (Host of Imagine A World on All Real Radio + Smart Media Director)
Egberto Willies (Politics Done Right)
Michael Woodson (LivingArt)
Description:
"Fake news" and "alternative facts" became popular terms during the 2016 press. Snopes and PolitiFact notwithstanding, 2016 was not the first time in history that the news media has been criticized for playing a part in distracting, distorting, and misdirecting public political opinion. The Left has historically played a role in both agitating for political change and educating the oppressed classes about the ideology of dominant classes. The danger, however, is that in in opposing the current state of affairs, the Left may serve as an ideological screen for the next stage of capitalism.
Questions:
- What is the role of agitation and propaganda for the Left today? How does it differ from the historical Left's use of agitation and propaganda?
- How should the Left approach free speech? How, if at all, does this differ from past Leftists?
- How has the Left's understanding of social responsibility and individual liberty been clarified or distorted?
- What new social media models, if any, hold promise for educating the Left and its movement at large, and how can these forms be seen as better and/or worse than forms found in the legacy media (newsprint, radio, and TV).
