Unlike commercial businesses, nonprofit organizations tend to operate at the edge of the public eye. There are no commercials or product announcements, and few publicists. Many nonprofits work on shoestring budgets to provide some sort of community.service and do not expect to make money. In exchange, California nonprofits do not have to pay federal or state income taxes. But sometimes creative means of makings ends meet can go awry. Whether a nonprofit’s mission and guidelines have fallen by the wayside or a financially successful organization proves too strong a temptation for some high-ranking employee, there are times when reporters will want to look behind the do-gooder façade of a nonprofit and examine its operations and finances. Continue reading REPORTER’S FILE: Using Tax Returns to Investigate Nonprofit Organizations, by Mónica L. López
All posts by Midnightschildren
CUAUHTÉMOC CÁRDENAS MEETS THE PRESS, by John Ross
Inside Mexico, the media have mounted a sustained attack on the capital’s left-leaning mayor that could help squash chances for democratic reform. Continue reading CUAUHTÉMOC CÁRDENAS MEETS THE PRESS, by John Ross
THE MEXICO CONNECTION, by Sharon Donovan and the Media Alliance Latin America Committee
A survey of mainstream media reporting on U.S. military aid, the “drug war,” and human rights in Mexico.
Since 1994, more than 2,000 people have been killed or disappeared in Mexico.1 The victims have included journalists, human rights advocates, religious workers, and indigenous peasants. In 1997 the Mexican government’s own human rights commission received well over 8,000 allegations of human rights violations.2 Continue reading THE MEXICO CONNECTION, by Sharon Donovan and the Media Alliance Latin America Committee
TOP 10: BEST MOVIES ABOUT MEDIA, by MiHi Ahn
Picking the top ten anything is a pretty daunting task, and selecting ten top media movies proved to be more of a challenge than I was expecting. I’m no Pauline Kael, only a humble media worker and Media Alliance board member, and off the top of my head, I could only come up with about four movies. I ended up polling journalists, friends, movie buffs, and the aggressively opinionated for suggestions. This got me a list of about 50 recommendations, ranging from illuminating to bizarre. I happily shuffled off to my local video store and indiscriminately selected movies from my master list. At first it was an unfamiliar thrill to go into a video store and not agonize for an eternity before selecting a flick. But after a few weeks my eyes began to bug out, my roommate’s VCR started to smoke, and late fees began to seriously eat into my burrito budget. Continue reading TOP 10: BEST MOVIES ABOUT MEDIA, by MiHi Ahn
STUDENTS STRUGGLE AGAINST CENSORSHIP, by Lian Cheun
High school students continue to find that their First Amendment rights are invisible to school administrators, despite years of struggle against censorship. In the ’60s, students at some schools published underground papers because their school-run papers were so heavily censored. In the ’70s and ’80s, a consensus grew that First Amendment protections extended to the official student press, and school newspapers were allowed to tackle controversial topics. But high school journalists found this freedom short-lived. In a 1988 case involving Hazelwood East High School near St. Louis, where student journalists wanted to publish stories on teenage pregnancy and divorce in the school newspaper, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled five to three that principals have the right to censor school papers. The majority opinion said that school-sponsored newspapers and similar activities are not intended as a public forum for student views, but are part of the curriculum and therefore subject to official control to ensure that they meet program purposes. After announcing the decision, Justice Byron R. White added that a school need not tolerate student speech that is incongruous with the educational goals of the institution–although the government could not censor similar speech outside school grounds. Continue reading STUDENTS STRUGGLE AGAINST CENSORSHIP, by Lian Cheun
HAVANA JOURNAL, by Elaine Elinson
A delegation of nine journalists organized by Media Alliance and Global Exchange visited Cuba for eight days in April and May. The U. S. government places severe restrictions on Americans who want to travel to Cuba–journalists are among the few who can freely travel there–but the Cubans (and their government) welcome visitors from their powerful northern neighbor. The delegation, hosted in Cuba by Radio Havana, met with Cuban and international journalists, representatives of women’s and community organizations, economists, health practitioners, and others–including some really good salsa dancers. In this article, one of the gals on the bus, ACLU News editor Elaine Elinson( front right), shares a few of her impressions. Continue reading HAVANA JOURNAL, by Elaine Elinson
WHY PROGRESSIVES KEEP LOSING CALIFORNIA’S INITIATIVE WARS, by Hunter Cutting and Kim Deterline, photos by Scott Braley
In the past few years a pattern has emerged from a string of explosive political campaigns in California that have sparked public debate across the nation. Launched in the form of ballot initiatives, these campaigns have attacked affirmative action, immigrants, bilingual education, and labor unions. They have divided traditional progressive coalitions, scapegoated marginalized communities, and revived formerly bankrupt social policies. The results of these battles contain profound lessons about the difference between winning and losing campaign strategies and media messages. Continue reading WHY PROGRESSIVES KEEP LOSING CALIFORNIA’S INITIATIVE WARS, by Hunter Cutting and Kim Deterline, photos by Scott Braley
HE SAYS, SHE SAYS: HOW CALIFORNIA’S MAJOR PAPERS HAVE COVERED PROP. 227, by Manisha Aryal
Proposition 227 opponents say software millionaire Ron Unz’s initiative is not about bilingual education.
He insists it is.
They say kids need to learn math and science in their native language until they learn English.
He says if you immerse kids in English, they’ll be fluent in 180 days.
They say this is a sink-or-swim approach; kids will drown. Continue reading HE SAYS, SHE SAYS: HOW CALIFORNIA’S MAJOR PAPERS HAVE COVERED PROP. 227, by Manisha Aryal