Yearly Kos Events with the Center for Media and Democracy

UPDATE: Read the post-event report at: https://www.prwatch.org/node/6321

The Center for Media and Democracy is hosting a "Coffee with the Troops" at Yearly Kos this Sunday in Chicago, August 5, 9:30 a.m. at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place. This is one of four Yearly Kos events with CMD staff. It features national leaders of Iraq Veterans Against the War and examines where online activists now stand on Iraq as the war drags on and campaigning for 2008 intensifies. Will the Netroots follow the lead of Democratic Party officials, candidates and strategists? Or, will online activists and bloggers help unite and mobilize a stronger, independent movement against the war?

Coffee with the Troops is Sunday, but other Yearly Kos events with CMD staff begin Thursday and include:

Thursday, August 2, 12:30 pm

Promotion, Publicity, Powncing and Partnerships

Speakers include CMD's Conor Kenny, Bob Neer, David Kravitz and Ruby Sinreich. "Get the low down from successful bloggers on building readership, creating innovative partnerships, making the most of links/trackbacks/hat tips, and cool new tech tools. Bring your problems for on-the-spot troubleshooting."

Friday, August 3, 10:30 am

DIY Watchdogging: Accountability Through Citizen Oversight

Andrew Golis, Anupama Narayanswamy, John Wonderlich, Naomi Seligman and CMD's Conor Kenny will speak on how "the Web has opened up new opportunities for citizen oversight. Legions of citizen journalists are now able to collaboratively analyze government documents, birddog members of Congress for their positions on bills, and watchdog the activities of Congress. The Web has also provided a megaphone for individual citizens to launch their own digging and analyses into the public debate. Join these experts in discussing the tools, techniques and projects of citizen oversight."

Saturday, August 4, 9:15 am

Smoking Politics

Yours truly joins with Dave Johnson and James Boyce to "discuss how the strategies and techniques used by the tobacco industry to promote and sell cigarettes in the face of overwhelming scientific evidence have been employed by the right politically ... and by oil companies to create doubt where there is none about global warming." I'll be introducing our newest SourceWatch program, our TobaccoWiki.

Sunday, August 5, 9:30 am, Hyatt Regency, Room C/D, 2nd level

Coffee with the Troops

Join Sheldon Rampton and me for coffee, pastries and a moderated discussion of how online activists can better support our troops in their own resistance to the war in Iraq. We'll be discussing with Garett Reppenhagen, Aaron Hughes and other soldiers who are the leadership of Iraq Veterans Against the War. What can bloggers do to hasten the end of the war?


John Stauber is the founder and executive director of the Center for Media and Democracy. He is the co-author with Sheldon Rampton of six books including 2003's Weapons of Mass Deception: The Uses of Propaganda in Bush's War on Iraq, a New York Times bestseller.