[media-credit name=’YANA PASKOVA/Herald photo’ align=’alignright’ width=’336′][/media-credit]Amy Goodman, host and producer of the national news program “Democracy Now!” spoke Saturday in Ingraham Hall about the need for independent media.

“Democracy Now!” is a program advocating the restoration of a diverse voice to the public through independent media rather than media conglomerates.

“The sending of the message has to be challenged,” Goodman said, encouraging the audience to pressure local newspapers to report objectively.

Goodman, author of “Exception to the Rulers,” seeks to expose corruption within the political elite and their use of media conglomerates to reinforce political power.

Goodman discussed tsunami coverage to reinforce her point. She agreed corporate media did the right thing by “shining a light” on the devastation of the tsunami in Indonesia, the hardest-hit area. However, Goodman said corporate media failed by not reporting the continued persecution of Aceh people in Indonesia, while tsunami relief was getting under way.

She elaborated how the Indonesian military made Aceh people show identification to get food. She said the military used aid from around the world as a way to “get” at the Aceh people, and according to Goodman, the corporate media reported nothing.

“With the world media doing the right thing — why didn’t we hear about this?” Goodman asked.

She pointed out the relationship between elites and corporate media dates back to the U.S. bombing of Hiroshima. She talked about how William Laurence, a New York Times reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner, wrote stories positively depicting the bombing to cover up allegations from an Australian journalist Wilfred Burchett that the bombing caused extreme devastation. She said it was discovered later that Laurence was on the payroll for both the New York Times and the Pentagon when writing these stories.

She said this relationship displays how corporate media supports the needs of the political elite.

“They simply amplify the word of the powerful,” Goodman said.

According to Goodman, this is important when considering how the rest of the world perceives the U.S.

Mark Fleming, audience member and research specialist at the UW Veterinary School, said he almost forgot the media was initially developed to be a watchdog in society.

“I have come to see media as an information source rather than a truth checker,” Fleming said. “But by having different branches in government, we are supposed to have a separate entity to check our government, which is something we’ve forgotten.”

Emilie Schwarz, an audience member and graduate student in biomedical science, said some of the issues she found out about in Goodman’s speech makes checks and balances in media a good thing.

“I thought it was very interesting how she talked about the New York Times, this credible newspaper, and how the media lies to a lot of the public.” Schwarz said. “It’s really frustrating.”

Goodman’s presentation was one of many scheduled speakers for the National Lawyers Guild Midwest Conference held this weekend at the University of Wisconsin. Other speakers included 2004 Green Party presidential candidate David Cobb and State Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison.