Phone Justice, A Key Media Piece

Submitted by hyejung.park on Wed, 04/15/2009 - 2:27pm
Short Description: 

Even in the digital era phones are still most people’s primary communication tool. In some communities, they are the only communication tool. As phones have changed, consumer protections have not always kept up to speed. In this panel, we’ll look at two grassroots efforts to address phone related issues in New York City: new immigrants getting cheated by calling cards and families of prisoners paying outrageous fees to speak to incarcerated loved ones. We’ll also review how social justice activists use phones in their organizing and the challenges they run into.

Presenters
Presenter One Name: 
Hye-Jung Park
Presenter One Info: 

Hye-Jung Park, Program Officer for the Media Justice Fund at The Funding Exchange, is a media and community activist with more than two decades of experience in local, national and international grassroots organizing. An award-winning producer in her own right, she has produced several documentaries on Korea and new immigrants.

Presenter Two Name: 
Dharma Dailey
Presenter Two Info: 

Dharma Dailey is passionate about- some would say obsessed with- communication rights. For 15 years, she has worked for love or money on many campaigns to support community media including expanding low-power radio, saving public access, and growing locally owned community networks. As a consultant for Media Justice Fund she has been looking for ways that media reform groups can support prison phone reforms.

Presenter Three Name: 
Kym Clark
Presenter Three Info: 

Kym Clark is a media and performance artist and activist working for the past two decades on issues directly affecting disenfranchised communities, especially women/men of color. Acting Director of FREE!, Clark and her member organizers originated the "Stop the Contract" campaign that grew into the NY Campaign for Telephone Justice.

Presenter Four Name: 
Kristofer Ríos
Presenter Four Info: 

Kristofer Ríos is a community radio trainer and Program Associate for the Digital Expansion Initiative at People's Production House. Using media literacy and media production as tools for building community, Kristofer educates and reports on communication policies that affect low-income and immigrant communities in New York City.

Presenting organization: 
The Media Justice Fund of the Funding Exchange, FREE! Families Rally for Emancipation and Empowerment and People's Production House