Green Sunday (promptly at 5:00 pm*): United States of Distraction: Media Manipulation in Post-Truth America (and what you can do about it)
*** With Nolan Higdon and Mickey Huff ***
The role of news media in a free society is to investigate, inform, and provide a crucial check on political power. But does it?
It’s no secret that the goal of corporate-owned media is to increase the profits of the few, not to empower the many. As a result, people are increasingly immersed in an information system structured to reinforce their social biases and market to their buying preferences. Journalism’s essential role has been drastically compromised, and Donald Trump’s repeated claims of “fake news” and framing of the media as an “enemy of the people” have made a bad scenario worse. That said, these concerns about media misinformation did not just disappear upon the election of Joe Biden and we must be ever vigilant against propaganda campaigns from the corporate press and both major political parties.
Written in the spirit of resistance and hope, United States of Distraction offers a clear, concise appraisal of our current situation, and presents readers with action items for how to improve it. http://www.citylights.com/book/?GCOI=87286100388060
Dr. Nolan Higdon is an author and university lecturer of history and media studies. Higdon’s areas of concentration include youth culture, news media history, and critical media literacy. His most recent publications include The Anatomy of Fake News from University of California Press (2020) and United States of Distraction with Mickey Huff from City Lights Books. He sits on the boards of the Action Coalition for Media Education and Northwest Alliance For Alternative Media And Education.
Mickey Huff is director of Project Censored and president of the nonprofit Media Freedom Foundation. He is currently professor of social science, history, and journalism at Diablo Valley College where he is co-chair of the history area and is chair of the journalism department. He is executive producer and host of the weekly syndicated public affairs program The Project Censored Show on Pacifica Radio. His most recent publications include United States of Distraction (City Lights Books) co-authored with Nolan Higdon, and Project Censored’s State of the Free Press 2021 (Seven Stories Press) co-edited with Andy Lee Roth. www.projectcensored.org
“Mickey Huff and Nolan Higdon emphasize what we can do today to restore the power of facts, truth, and fair, inclusive journalism as tools for people to keep political and corporate power subordinate to the engaged citizenry and the common good.”—Ralph Nader
“The U.S. wouldn’t be able to hide its empire in plain sight were it not for the subservient ‘free’ press. United States of Distraction shows, in chilling detail, America’s major media dysfunction––how the gutting of the fourth estate paved the road for fascism and what tools are critical to salvage our democracy.”––Abby Martin, The Empire Files
June 13th, 5:00 pm (sharp)* to 6:30 pm Via Zoom: please see access info below
Green Sundays are a series of free public programs & discussions on topics “du jour” sponsored by the Green Party of Alameda County and held on the 2nd Sunday of each month. *We will start promptly at 5:00 pm each month — however, this month will be the final notice about that! The monthly business meeting of the County Council of the Green Party follows, at 6:30 pm. Council meetings are open to anyone who is interested.
Topic: Green Party of Alameda County
Description: Green Sunday presentation at 5 PM
(Followed by County Council business meeting at 6:30. All are welcome to attend)
Time: June 13, 2021, 5:00 PM (Sharp)* Pacific Time (US and Canada)
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Meeting ID: 826 2027 1999
Passcode: 2020
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PLANET PEOPLE PEACE
before profit!
The Green Party of Alameda County 
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