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      In Praise of I.F. "Izzy" Stone

      In Praise of I.F. "Izzy" Stone

      In these critical times, remembering what one of last century's most courageous journalists taught us

      Peter Dreier
      Jun 18, 2019

      In this era of Donald Trump--with its widespread corruption and abuse of power--the world of journalism could use the voice of I.F. Stone, one of America's greatest muckraking reporters, who died 30 years ago today at 81 on June 18, 1989. From the 1930s through the early 1970s, Stone was an indefatigable researcher and an uncompromising critic of political oligarchy, crony capitalism, racism, and American militarism. He challenged mainstream journalism's conservative "he said/she said" approach to reporting and, in doing so, inspired several generations of investigative journalists to follow his example.

      He was born Isidor Feinstein in 1907. His father, who ran a dry goods store, had immigrated to Philadelphia to escape anti-Semitic persecution in Russia. But the family found that racism and bigotry was deeply ingrained in the United States, too. One of his most formative experiences was witnessing a group of African Americans picketing the local movie theater at the 1915 opening of D. W. Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation, which glorified the Ku Klux Klan.

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      Opinion
      The Biggest Threat to Free Speech No One Is Talking About

      The Biggest Threat to Free Speech No One Is Talking About

      It's not being mean to reporters, "The biggest freedom-of-the-press issue is that Trump is working with Comcast and AT&T and Verizon to end net neutrality."

      Robert Scheer
      Nov 17, 2018

      If you clicked this story, or have any desire to listen to the interview embedded within, odds are you're a consumer of independent media. Yet even as you're reading these words, your ability to do so in a timely manner is in grave jeopardy.

      Since the repeal in June of Obama-era rules guaranteeing net neutrality, websites like Truthdig, Democracy Now!, Common Dreams and more risk being pushed into an internet slow lane that could severely hamper their readership, if not drive them out of business entirely. For Jeff Cohen, editor and co-founder of the media watchdog Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), it may be the most urgent threat to the First Amendment no one is talking about.

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      Opinion
      Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump

      Climb Down From the Summit of Hostile Propaganda

      Contempt for diplomacy with Russia is now extreme

      Norman Solomon
      Jul 16, 2018

      Throughout the day before the summit in Helsinki, the lead story on the New York Times home page stayed the same: "Just by Meeting With Trump, Putin Comes Out Ahead." The Sunday headline was in harmony with the tone of U.S. news coverage overall. As for media commentary, the Washington Post was in the dominant groove as it editorialized that Russia's President Vladimir Putin is "an implacably hostile foreign adversary."

      Contempt for diplomacy with Russia is now extreme. Mainline U.S. journalists and top Democrats often bait President Trump in zero-sum terms. No doubt Hillary Clinton thought she was sending out an applause line in her tweetSunday night: "Question for President Trump as he meets Putin: Do you know which team you play for?"

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      Opinion
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