She talks about some of the stories over the past 20 years. Brian amy goodman, 20 years of democracy now. You say going to where the silence is your motto. Amy unfortunately the Corporate Media leaves such a gap to cover the majority of people in this country and around the world. When you turn to a network, they have the small circle of pundits who knows so little about so much, explaining the world to us and getting it so wrong. The idea of democracy now starting 20 years ago, it really hasnt changed. Bringing out the voices of people at the grassroots in the United States and around the world. They very much represent the majority of people. I think people who are concerned deeply about war and peace, about growing in equality in this country, about climate change, the state of the planet or not a fringe minority. Not even a silent majority. But the silenced majority, silenced by the corporate immediate, which is why we have to take it back. Brian 20 years ago end of february, we had you as a guest on our morning show. Heres a clip four days after you started democracy now. Got to ask about this piece. Why liberals find talk radio so threatening. Youre a talk show host and not a conservative. Amy thats right. We just started a show this week called democracy now, which is the only grassroot daily election show. Bringing the voice of the grassroot into the National Political discourse. I havent read the article. I find talk radio i dont get to hear a lot of talk radio because im doing a lot myself. Lot of what were hearing, about what im reading is a lot of hatemongerring clip]ideo brian whats the difference between democracy now, than what it was like back 20 years ago . Amy first of all, we were on Nine CommunityRadio Stations in 1996. When you invited me on, we started washington d. C. At the pacific Radio Station. I thought you gotten the wrong number. That was the first time i was ever invited on television. It was four days after our first broadcast february 19, 1996. It was really remarkable but in a sense, the mission has been hasnt changed. That was 20 years ago nine stations. Now were broadcasting in over 1400 not only Community Radio stations but public Radio Stations, npr stations on Public Access tv stations around the country on pbs tv stations around the country and also all over the world. We broadcast on television and radio in sweden and japan and south africa throughout latin america. Our headlines are translated into spanish for the Spanish Speaking u. S. Audience as well as people around the planet. I think the growth from nine station to 1400, its a testament to the hunger for independent voices. People on the ground who are deeply involved in their community, not having the pundits on describing experiences they often dont know about but people themselves. Thats just plain old hard work. I want to just pay tribute to all the remarkable producers and journalists and videographers who worked at democracy now. Its that digging everyday to bring people to global audience. Who are seeking in their own words, there is nothing more powerful. At the time we started on pacifica. Its instructive to look at the history. Founded in 1949, berkeley, california, lou hill came out and said, theres got to be a media outlet. Thats not run by corporations that profit from war but run by journalist and artist. Thats how pacifica was born. Not run by corporations but nothing to tell and everything to sale that are raising our children today. So the first station was cpa in berkeley, second station kpsk in 1959, wbai1960 went on the air. 1977wpfw in washington. 1970, kpsp in houston. That station only station in the country, that was blown off the air by the klu klux klan. It was only months into weeks and into its operation, when klan strapped dynamite to the transmitter and blew it up. I think he blew it up in the middle. They got back on their feet and rebuilt the translator. The klan strapped 15 times of to the basedynamite of the transmitter. The klan strapped 15 times of the dynamite and blew up again. National event. It finally went back on the air in january 1971. Pbs was returning i cant remember if it was the grand dragon. He said it was his proudest act. I think thats because he understood how dangerous independent media can be. Dangerous because it allows people to speak for themselves. When you hear someone speaking from their own experience whether it is palestinian child or israeli grandmother, whether its iraqi uncle when asked in afghanistan, whether its a child in the south bronx or in ferguson, missouri. That breaks down stereotypes and caricatures that fuel the hate group. I think the media can be the greatest force for peace on earth instead all too often, its a weapon of war. Thats why we have to take it back. Brian here you are in 2008 at the Republican National convention in minnesota. [video clip] do not arrest me stay right there. Back up. Youre under arrest. Back up back up. Youllcross this line, be under arrest. So dont do it. Clip]ideo brian why the confrontation . Well, this was the first day of the Republican Convention of 2008. We had just flown in from denver. That was the democratic convenience. There was major protest there against war. We came into st. Paul. Before the night of the convention, it was a beautiful blue sky day, 10,000 people marched for peace. They were led by men and women in uniform. They were taking great risks. They were soldiers who returned home who felt that war was no the answer. Thousands of people. We covered that protest. Then, i went to the Convention Floor. We were covering the Convention Floor. I was interviewing. I remember people from alaska. This is the sarah palin, john mccain convention. I get a call on the cell phone, he said come quickly. 7th and jackson. Nicole has been arrested. Nicole salazar were two reporters who when we finished covering the protest, they went to the Public Access tv station where we were broadcasting from to digitized tape. I said they were in the tv station. They seen there was a protest outside. They had gone down stairs to cover it. He said theyve been bloodied by the police and arrested. We got to 7th and jackson. I saw this line of riot police that you were just showing. I went up to them i had all my credentials on. I had the top security clearance credentials. I was on the floor of the convention. I said, i want to speak to your commanding officer. You got a part of that. Two of our reporters has been arrested. Theyre inside in this parking lot area they need to have them released. Thats why i was standing there. It was minutes before they pulled me through the police line, pushed me against the car, pulled my arms behind my back, slapped the handcuffs on and pushed me to the ground. They charged me with interfering with a peace officer. Only there was a peace officer in the vicinity. Im still looking for my advantage point on the ground for shareef and nicole. I saw shareef. We were saying, were journalist. The secret service came over and ripped the incredible credentialed around our neck. I said nicole what happened. How did you get arrested . She said we were in the tv studio. We saw right outside riot police protesters. We ran down with our video camera and microphone to start recording. They would not have been doing their job if they stayed in the tv studio. Theyre in this parking lot. She was against parked cars. Riot police came at her. This is a contained area. They were shouting on your face. They were saying, she had to move. She said where. Shes against parked cars. She didnt know what hit her from behind her and in front of her. They took her down. First thing they did was take the battery out of her camera and if you want to know what they wanted to stop happening. The recording. They had their boot in her back and face in the ground and they started to ground her. Which means her face was being dragged. Shareef was telling them to calm down. They punch him twice in the chest and they take him down. His arm is bleeding. They face im taken to the Police Garage where they directed agents to put the protesters in. Shareef and nicole were taken to jail. There were hundreds of people calling and faxing and emailing the authorities to have us released. A number of hours later, we were ultimately released, first me and shareef and nicole. I was brought back to the convention center. It was over for the night. I was brought into the nbc sky box and i was being interviewed. When that was finished. Nbc reporter said i dont get it, why wasnt i arrested . He said, why were you covering the protest. I didnt graduate arrested in the sky box. Its our job to get in the sky box to get into the corporate suite whos sponsoring these celebrations of democracy. The republicans and the democrats. Also to be on the Convention Floor and interview the delegates and get out into the street where the uninvited guests are. They were thousands of them. They had something important to say. Its our job to get it all. Democracy is a messy thing. We shouldnt have to get a record when we put things on the record thats what happened to us at the convention. We would later sue the st. Paul and the Minneapolis Police wells the secret service. Interestingly, the only reason we knew it was secret service who pulled our credentials, when i turned to police officer, said this is outrageous. He said it wasnt us, it was the secret service. We sued, the secret Service Wanted to be separated from the law enforcement. They didnt want to be known that they were there and they did this. Theres all levels of authority at these what are called special National Security events. We felt it was very critical to send a message. Journalist must be protect. All illegal arrests should not happen. Ultimate it will took a number of years. We wanted a fix figure settlement. When we got out, it was right before the next convention. We felt, where do we hold the News Conference announcing that the settlement has been made . We just come from st. Paul the settlement, negotiation. When we went to a large gathering of police and protesters, we went to the park. This was in the middle of occupy wall street. We thought a lot of police and theyll hear. You cannot simply arrest journalist because they dont want because you dont want them to see. You dont want the public to see whats going on. I mean, we live in a democracy and journalism is extremely important. Theres a reason why our profession, journalism is only the only one explicitly protected by the u. S. Constitution. We are supposed to be the check and balance. Brian im going to run a clip of man named alex jones, who could probably not think anymore different than you. Based in texas, hes saying somewhat of the same thing youre say being the Corporate Media lets run it and get your reaction. [video clip] alex jones i got 30 employees and im not exaggerating. Go to the major stat analytic site. Its dwarfing, msnbc, glenn beck. They have all the flash. Its a giant hoax. They know people are looking behind the curtain now that the emperor has no clothes. They are openly announcing internet tracking, internet taxes, they have called for a banning. Thats anybody that questions the official story. The system is losing credibility, its circling the wagons with government and the mega corporations we are kicking their rearend. Clip]ideo brian are you worried that somebody is going to kick your hind in and take you out of business . Amy i think that Corporate Media has have to change its ways. Theyve learned. I dont think those with newspapers and with television, i dont think its just theyre losing audience because of the internet. They for a long time has been gatekeepers. Preventing most people from being heard. This year with this president ial election, has shown so much. The shock of those on the network tv stations, when they see thousands of people coming for example for Bernie Sanders, Bernie Sanders is very much expressing the views of people who came to occupy wall street. Who are deeply concern about the growing inequality between rich and poor and also who is profiting. The richest people in the world, have more wealth than 3. 5 billion people than half the planet. This is astounding. When occupy wall street happened, the media hardly paid attention at first. But then, mocked it and then when the police eviscerated the encampment. They represented every issue under the sun. Leaders, were their anyway . Sense, it was not so much a leaderless but a leaderful movement. Yes they represented many different issues. People were so frustrated with the direction that this country going. I think that were seeing these movements on the ground percolating and coming together and coalesce. President obama was elected in 2008. Many different movements came together to elect him. First and foremost, i think the peace movement. Because i think thats the reason he was a democratic candidate. The difference him and Hillary Clinton was she was for the war in iraq and he was against the war. Then there was environmental movement, Racial Justice, Economic Justice movement, gay and lesbian movement. All of these different movements together. Now, they accomplished something. The first africanamerican president in this country has ever known, which is absolutely astounding with a country with a legacy of slavery. When it came to the issues of these different movements, ending war, dealing with climate change, dealing with the inequality. People i think at that point, they felt theyd accomplished momentous, they theyeither exhausteed or didnt want to contribute to the racist backlash. Like the birther movement, like donald trump was one of the leaders of. The suggestion that president obama, look at what he looks like, he couldnt come from here. It was so ridiculous. Not just ridiculous, it was racist and people didnt want to contribute to that backlash. I think there was a fear of criticism. One of his first promises was to close guantanamo, which became such a symbol and he admits recruiting tool for groups like the selfproclaimed Islamic State and others. Seven years into his presidency, still guantanamo. Congress has not helped. There are a number of executive actions he could have taken to ensure that the extra outside of the reach of us law but run by the United States prison would be closed. Astounding more recently that president obama was in cuba the first president in 88 years to go. Hes talking to the cuban t. Esiden and just down the road, u. S. Is presenting a model, Little Corner of cuba, the u. S. Was lease land. What does it do with it . Guantanamo. 91 men still it is a very painful lesson what the u. S. Has come to represent to the rest of the world. Brian what do you think somebody have to do in order to label themselves journalist . As you know, you got very strong views and theres never any doubt what you think. Couldnt anybody in our society journalist, and i i wantedentials and access to everything. I think the whole Journalism Movement and noncitizen Journalist Movement has been extremely important. For so long the Mainstream Media didnt go. Places on the ground. They had that elite group of pundits. They were missing so much of the story. I think about ferguson. The networks did go to ferguson to their credit. It was after Michael Brown was killed by Darren Wilson the police officer. They showed people being teargassed. They showed the militarization of the police. There was not a lot of showing of the political leaders but the people in the crowd. I remember watching cnn one day, one of the journalist, was walking along with a protesters, now were turning on this street and that street. In the middle of the protesters, were a backdrop. They were the scenery to a traffic report. What about handing the mic to them . It is that going behind the scenes and truly talking to people on the ground. So often, youll have the network calling us and saying, who is this person and who is that person . Amazing movement that has reshaped america like the black lives Matter Movement. Three africanamerican women who coined this term, black lives matter. Who deeply committed to Racial Justice in this country. Making sure that the microphone open up in the way that black lives Matter Movement has grabbed attention. Theyre not waiting for the networks to come to them. They went to Martin Omalleys rally. Theyre going to Bernie Sanders rallies. They went to Hillary Clintons rally and they interrupted. It wasnt just the republicans, it was the democrats saying how you addressing our issues. They changed the shape of president ial politics 2016. Brian what would you say to some republicans say that all the coverage that Corporate Media are giving donald trump is really because they want to elect Hillary Clinton. By giving him a lot of coverage, theres no way he can be elected . [inaudible] what he is saying. Amy there is no question that msnbc, cnn, and fox have become trump tv. Theres no question. Thats a very good question for what reason theyve done this. Certainly the statistics show that. Its not just the networks. Its the newspapers. The Washington Post from march 6 to 7th, had 16 antisanders articles. The