About 200 people packed the historic Mancos Opera House to see Amy Goodman of Democracy Now on Monday night.She was introduced by Denis Moynihan, the co-author of her new book, The Silenced Majority. He talked of the work that theyve done together and read from part of the book, which, he said, was hot off the press.
Since the event was a benefit for and a celebration of KSJD, the local community public radio station, Goodman talked mostly about the importance of independent media. Her program is aired on over 1,000 radio stations around the country and is seen on many television stations.
Goodman is on a 100 city tour, and is on about the 40th city. This journey has been remarkable, she said.
I cant wait to go back to Cortez to see KSJD, she said to the crowd.
Tami Graham, who coordinated the event that brought Goodman to Mancos, was part of KDUR and put Democracy Now on that station 16 years ago.
Goodman began with a mention of the 11th anniversary of the war in Afghanistan, and how independent media gets the message to the men and women who serve there, and who arent able to get it any other way.
She talked about her involvement in the presidential debates, her work with Pacifica, an independent media group, her arrest and the arrest of her friends during the Republican National Convention in 2008, Occupy Wall Street, and the execution of Troy Anthony Davis, a man many believed was innocent.
Throughout all of the things that Goodman talked about was the importance of reporters, journalists and independent media to bring the truth to people.
Its dangerous for the rest of America to view us through a corporate lens, she said. How do we learn about the world? We learn about it through the media, and it cant be viewed through a corporate lens.
Our job is to go where the silence is...and its not actually all that silent....
Independent journalism allows people to speak for themselves..., she also said.
After Goodmans talk, which lasted well over an hour, she and Moynihan signed books that were for sale.
The music group, Big Money and the Corporate Citizens, played afterwards for a continuing celebration.