AMEN!!!!! I'm an African American reporter and I did not hear about the media reform conference until last week. I'm pretty much in the loop of such events and wonder why I didn't hear about this. Talked to some reporters and editors from the Black newspapers in St. Louis and they really were not invited, nor were representatives from Black Newspapers around the country. With most Black Broadcasters doing little or nothing in the way of news or public affairs, the Black Press is playing a key role in providing news and information to the Black community. However there is little interaction with "progressives" such as the folks at the Media Reform conference, and few Blacks are involved with the alternative media in any shape or form, especially as editors or news directors. I don't think I heard anything about the non-English press and their role in media reform. Media Reform should be condemned for putting a very narrow focus on the conference and taking perspectives such as "we're not going to talk about Indy media" or the issue of police brutality because it's not a media reform issue. Maybe that's why they didn't invite the Black press. The usual suspects. Why not invite Angela Davis, Michael Eric Dyson or Black Enterprise Publisher Earl Graves, who's been an harsh critic of owners of Black media outlets selling out.

Red ants' comment is ageist, racist and sexist. How can one expect cooperation, respect and power-sharing from targets of disdain? The comment would have been just as relevant if it had targetted the organizers of the conference, without having to mark them with their age, race or sex.

Where are the good folks from Black Commentator? Arguably one of the most widely read independent Black political journals online. Or from The Chicago Defender? How about Color Lines? Or any of the hundreds of independent Spanish or Arabic language newspapers across the US? The list of those media makers from communities of color who have been sidelined at this looks to be long and illustrious. How about media pundit and scholar Cornell West?

Sadly, Bob McChesney knows better.

perhaps some trouble lies in the fact that the conference organizers relied on the st. louis left (confluence()/imc/camp()/etc.) to generate a local buzz, and the st. louis left is quite out of touch with people of color. this isn't an attack on them, because they have done more than a lot of white st. louisans to bridge the gap, but they have failed to make lasting and active alliances with activists of color. just like the conference organizers, and the left in general: they mean well, but they just don't stop to listen enough.

Once again, people are putting blame where they don't know anything. Conference organizers were given names of African - American staff on both the St. Louis American and the Post - Dispatch. As well as the name of a popular African - American talk show host. Just because they choose to not use that information, that is beyond our doing.

Also a note - it is Freepress's job, not confluence()/imc/camp()'s to promote inclusion for their conference.... which we should assist in any way possible, we are not ultimately responsible for that, they are.

Some ideas for next time:

What about inviting folks from the _St. Louis Argus_ (an actual people's paper as opposed to the conservative _American_)? African-American bloggers?

Also, there are dozens of opinionated African-American radio broadcasters in St. Louis who would have attended had they known. Lizz Brown is far to the right of many of these people -- let's get them involved.

Of course, freepress is to blame for the failur eto include. But so is the "southside" activist scene, which is resolutely white.