A left-leaning popular “alternative” media originally released in 1996, which while carrying some progressive news, nevertheless avoids certain subjects, and has nothing much to say about deep politics. It airs simultaneously on satellite and cable television, radio (carried by over 1300 stations worldwide) and the internet. Funding has come from George Soros’ Open Societies Foundation, the Ford Foundation, Carnegie Foundation, etc. as well as from listeners and viewers,.1 It is hosted by journalists Amy Goodman (who also acts as the show’s executive producer), Juan González,[1][2] and Nermeen Shaikh.
From Wikipedia:
The show covered the Seattle protests (1999) targeting the World Trade Organization.[2]
Democracy Now! partnered with Free Speech TV (FSTV) to cover the 2000 Democratic National Convention.[15] Due to FSTV’s satellite broadcast of the convention, the event marked a turning point for Democracy Now!, as in addition to its presence on radio, it became a television show.[16] From then onward, Democracy Now! has had their content promoted and broadcast on FSTV.[17]
Democracy Now! began broadcasting on television every weekday shortly after September 11, 2001, and is the only public media in the U.S. that airs simultaneously on satellite and cable television, radio, and the internet.[18]
Democracy Now! has been critical of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal.[19] After data disclosures by the whistleblower organization WikiLeaks regarding the TPP in 2010, Democracy Now! has given a significant media platform and extensively covered them since, and like some other news networks cooperated with its leader Julian Assange.[20] Coverage of WikiLeaks by Democracy Now! was sympathetic.[21]
In 2011, reporter Sharif Abdel Kouddous covered the Egyptian revolution for Democracy Now!.[22]
On February 19, 2016, Democracy Now! marked 20 years on the air with an hour-long retrospective look back at “two decades of independent, unembedded news”, with highlights chosen from over 5,000 episodes.[23] Amy Goodman also published a book entitled Democracy Now!: 20 Years Covering the Movements Changing America,[24] and launched a 100-city tour across the United States to mark the 20th anniversary of Democracy Now!, with scheduled broadcasts of the show recorded during her travels.[25]
It is revealing that DN had next to nothing to say about 9/11 in 2014, and (as of August 2015) had found nothing to report on the topic since September 2013. It is revealing that it also chooses to air Noam Chomsky’s views on the matter, in spite of his claiming not to know much about it. Amy Goodman was present for the WTC 7 demolition.
