‘Democracy Now!’ Cohost to Speak at IC

By Marisa Thomas ’22, September 26, 2019
Park Center for Independent Media hosts Nermeen Shaikh for discussion of fallacies and distortions of mainstream media.

Nermeen Shaikh of “Democracy Now!” will speak about the fallacies and distortions of the mainstream media at Ithaca College on Thursday, October 3. Presented by the Park Center for Independent Media, the lecture is free and open to the public, and will be held at 7 p.m. in room 112 of the Center for Natural Sciences.

Nermeen Shaikh is a cohost and news producer at “Democracy Now!” She is the author of “The Present as History,” published by Columbia University Press. She regularly speaks on issues ranging from contemporary news media and film to politics and literature. She has presented in various venues, including the United Nations, TEDx Danubia, the Toronto International Film Festival, the American Psychological Association and the New European Literature Festival, among others.

“Nermeen Shaikh has made her mark with fearless interviews and courageous reporting that continued coverage of topics and issues that are often ignored by the mainstream media,” said Raza Rumi, director of the Park Center for Independent Media. “This public event at IC will engage students, faculty and the community with the contemporary media landscape, especially the importance of independent journalism that ‘DemocracyNow!’ stands for.”

The Park Center for Independent Media was launched in 2008 with a gift from the Park Foundation to study journalism-oriented media outlets that create and distribute content outside traditional corporate systems and news organizations. The Center engages media producers and students in dialogue and action about independent media, especially U.S.-based outlets producing content on issues such as equity, social justice and sustainability. Additionally, the Center provides grants to students who work as summer interns at specific independent media organizations or nonprofits.