January 15, 2008
George Rishmawi, founder of the International Middle East
Media Center (Bethlehem, Palestine). The lecture is entitled: "Covering Occupation from the Grassroots". This event is sponsored by CKUT; co-sponsored by Media@±«ÓãÖ±²¥.
In addition, from January 15th-18th, Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights, along with campus and community radio stations in Quebec and Ontario, will host George Rishmawi on a tour of eastern Canada. Mr. Rishmawi is the founder of the International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) and co-founder of the International Solidarity Movement. He will discuss the establishment and work of the IMEMC, focusing on untold news stories such as non-violent resistance, which are rarely mentioned in most media about the region.
The IMEMC is a media center developed in collaboration between Palestinian and international journalists to provide independent English language media coverage of Israel-Palestine. Over the last several years, the IMEMC has distributed daily and weekly updates, offering on the ground coverage of the occupation. As a joint Palestinian-International effort, the IMEMC combines Palestinian journalists' deep understanding of the history and the socio-political context with International journalists' independent reporting skills. Mr. Rishmawi's lecture will address covering a more personal side of conflict while developing a media center devoted to bringing independent journalists to Palestine. He will also present a few short video clips produced by the IMEMC.
Since 2005, CKUT Radio in Montreal has worked in conjunction with the IMEMC to send CKUT producers and university students from the Montreal area to intern in Palestine. During this time, interns have filed reports on Palestinians living under apartheid rule in Israel and produced stories on the situation of Palestinians enduring the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. Interns have produced interviews, documentaries, and aided with the IMEMC's daily and weekly updates - all of which have aired on campus and community radio stations across Canada. Seth Porcello, a ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ student and CKUT producer, received the 2007 National Campus Community Radio Association's Award for Documentary Entry. His piece, titled "The Shouting Mountain," is an audio portrait of the border between the occupied Golan Heights and Syria illustrated by field recordings from the area. Seth will join Mr. Rishmawi during this tour to present about the opportunities that exist at the IMEMC for university students and the general public.