Independent World Television
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Independent World Television is a project to create an international English-language television network which is funded by its viewers, instead of by advertising. The network will focus on news, debate, and current affairs, with an emphasis on citizen journalism.
The project was initiated by Paul Jay, former Executive Director of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation debate program counterSpin. Jay describes the project as an attempt to "change the economics of journalism" [1]. IWT's founding committee includes such notables as Lewis Lapham, Gore Vidal, Amy Goodman, Naomi Klein, and Howard Zinn [2].
According to their Prospectus, IWT are raising an initial $7 million start-up budget by means of a combination of individual and foundation donors [3]. They subsequently intend to carry out an international fundraising campaign to raise $25 million involving high-profile media events and Internet organizing along the lines of MoveOn.org and the Howard Dean presidential campaign. They plan to begin broadcasting their first program, IWTnews Nightly in 2007.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Indepent World Television website
Independent World Television, first major news show is The Real News. Also known as IWT - The Real News. It can be found at http://iwtnews.com and http://therealnews.com
Launching in 2007, The Real News is a non-profit news and documentary network that will provide independent and uncompromising professional and citizen journalism. Collaborating with outstanding print journalists around the globe, it will start with a daily world news hour for television and a 24/7 video news service on the Internet.
The Real News will be financed through the economic power of thousands of viewers around the world. It says that if 250,000 people pay $10 a month it can be realized.
It's slogans are:
We have the right to see the complexity of things. We have the right to know. Journalism that seeks truth & doesn’t bow to pressure No Corporate Dollars. No Government Funding. No Government Funding. No Commercials. No Strings.
It says that democracy depends on an informed public and courageous press. Yet, on television (where most people get their news), propaganda, opinion and spin are too often reported as fact. In-depth investigative journalism and real debate are seldom heard.
It's main areas of interest are:
• The reality of war, occupation & terrorist attacks • Global warming & the search for solutions • The undermining of human rights & international law • The threat of nuclear, chemical & biological weapons • The AIDS catastrophe & its solutions • Poverty & new models for development • Living conditions & movements to defend working people’s interests • Corruption & accountability • Models for creating a better future
It defines is mission as follows:
What’s News?
The Real News will investigate, report and debate stories that help us understand the critical issues of our time. We won’t blindly follow wire services or offi cial press releases that attempt to set the news agenda. We will cover the big stories of the day, but we will broaden the defi nition of what’s important. The movements for the rights of working people, women, children, immigrants, indigenous peoples, for freedom of religion and conscience, for moral and spiritual values and for peace and against racism - are news. The health of our planet will be a story day after day. The Real News will give important stories the attention and sense of urgency they deserve.
Who’s a Newsmaker? We will cover people in high offi ce, but we won’t limit our news to offi cial positions or the partisan horse race for power. We think that people who fi ght for human rights and work for solutions are newsmakers. Targeting a Mass Audience We will make stories that matter dramatic and engaging. We will combine sizzle with substance, understanding that craft and entertainment values are critical to winning a large audience.
Daring Debate Many sides of an issue will be explored taking debate beyond narrow partisanship. Guests will have deep knowledge and investigated opinion. Debate will be lively and witty and will resist personal attacks, talking points and empty rhetoric.
Bias, Accountability & Transparency
We all have interests. We recognize that bias will affect the elements in a story we choose to highlight, the facts we consider important and the sources we decide to trust. To be human is to have bias. The answer is transparency; The Real News will create forums for questioning, debating and criticizing our work.
Back to Basics The Real News will insist on verifi able journalism, seeking truth without bowing to pressure and fearlessly reaching the conclusions to which the evidence leads.
