Media Image Coalition Panel on: "When does FREE SPEECH in the Media turn into HATE SPEECH" at Screen Actors Guild, Jan. 28 2010

 

Patricia Senette-Holt

Public Information Officer

County of Los Angeles

Community and Senior Services/Human Relations Commission

Executive Office

213.738.2065 office
213.280.4144 Cell
213.380.8275 Fax
mailto:psenette@css.lacounty.gov

 

For Immediate Release

 

*   *   MEDIA ALERT   *   *

 

“When does FREE SPEECH in the Media turn into HATE SPEECH

.... triggering HATE CRIMES?”

 

Contact:  Ray Bradford, Immediate Past President of the Media Image Coalition

323.634.8298.

For Immediate Release

January 20, 2010

 

 

What:              When the line between free speech and hate speech blurs, many see a clear link between the coverage a particular community receives in the media and potential spikes in hate crimes.  The LGBT, Latino, Muslim/Arab, and Black communities are just a few that know the effects of unfettered bias and personal attacks in the media.  Yet, time and again, the Federal Communications Commission points to the unregulated right of free speech by broadcasters:  “If there is to be free speech, it must be free for speech that we abhor and hate as well as for speech that we find tolerable or congenial.”  This panel will explore the link, if any, between free speech and hate speech, and how this may trigger hate crimes.

 

When:             Thursday, January 28, 2010; Reception, Snacks and Beverages @ 6 p.m.

            Program begins @ 7 p.m. --  ending by 9 p.m.

 

Where:            The James Cagney Boardroom; Screen Actors Guild; 5757 Wilshire Blvd.; Los Angeles, CA   90036.  Parking in lot behind Museum Square building (entrance on Curson Street).

 

Moderator:     Jon Beaupré, Award-winning guest host on KPCC Radio’s “AirTalk” and “Talk of the City”.

                        Associate Professor of Broadcast Journalism at California State University, LA

 

Panelists:       Willis Edwards, Board of Directors, NAACP, and civil rights pioneer

Professor Chon Noriega, Director of the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center and co-                                author of “Hate Speech on Commercial Talk Radio, Preliminary Report on a Pilot Study”

Ameena Qazi, Deputy Executive Director & Staff Attorney, CAIR-Los Angeles (Council on American-Islamic Relations)

Hamid Khan, Executive Director, South Asian Network

Taj Paxton, Director of Entertainment Media, GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation)

Jungmiwha "Jummy" Bullock, President, AMEA (Association of Multi-Ethnic Americans)

Robin Toma, Executive Director, LA County Commission on Human Relations

 

RSVP:             This event is free, but space is limited.  Please RSVP:  panelrsvp@aftra.com

 

Who:               The Media Image Coalition, established by the Los Angeles County Commission on Human Relations in 1989, was the first multiracial, multicultural, inter-religious, media advocacy and education organization in the United States.

                        The YWCA Greater Los Angeles is built on the mission of eliminating racism and empowering women; addressing racial justice and public policy which are intertwined through all aspects of programs and service areas.

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The opinions expressed by participants and attendees do not necessarily reflect those of the represented organizations,

the LA County Commission on Human Relations or the Media Image Coalition and its members.