Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Why I quit the mainstream media

Topic
(YFP Salute Natasha Lennard. Reporters call themselves objectiive my answer to the is "To be objective you must be a vegetable."

Occupy Wall Street

Tuesday, Nov 15, 2011 7:45 AM EST

Journalism must break the chains of objectivity and report truth -- and the Occupy movement led me to do just that
Protesters sit with arms linked on New York's Brooklyn Bridge before police began making arrests on Oct. 1 and author Natasha Lennard.

Protesters sit with arms linked on New York's Brooklyn Bridge before police began making arrests on Oct. 1 and author Natasha Lennard.

I was in complete agreement when, last month, the triumvirate of right-wing firebrands Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Andrew Breitbart all condemned me for being more than just a journalist. They are correct, and I agree with every pundit who argues that I have no place in the mainstream media.

On Oct. 14, I appeared on a panel at the radical, feminist Blue Stockings bookstore in New York’s Lower East Side. Hosted by Jacobin Magazine, the discussion addressed left-wing politics and strategy. During the event, I criticized old-left styles of organizing and praised — with some ardor — the experimental nature of Occupy Wall Street. I also dropped “F-bombs” in abundance.

Stumbling out of the bookstore onto Allen Street after the debate, I hugged an old friend, who has been heavily committed to Occupy activities in New York. “I think I just watched you lose your job,” he said.

“I know,” I replied, with a smile.

The job he was referring to was a sporadic freelance gig with the New York Times. I had contributed in previous weeks to its Occupy Wall Street coverage and, notably, I had been arrested while reporting on the Brooklyn Bridge.

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