Journalist Amy Goodman speaks at Smith Opera House

GENEVA -- On Monday, September 1, more than 280 people were arrested in St. Paul, Minnesota, the opening day of the Republican National Convention. Among them were several journalists covering the protests in the streets, including Amy Goodman of "Democracy Now!" Goodman will talk about her arrest, the financial crisis on Wall Street, the war in Iraq, and the run for the White House when she speaks at 7:30 p.m. on November 21 at The Smith Opera House, 82 Seneca St.

At the Republican National Convention, "Democracy Now!" producers, Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Nicole Salazar had been reporting on the protest of the convention that was the unfolding several blocks away.
Most of the estimated 10,000 people in the march were peaceful. But, according to police, a group of about 200 had fractured off and were breaking windows, slashing tires and harassing delegates. News gathering is a constitutionally protected activity in the United States. And though Kouddous, Salazar and Goodman were wearing credentials that identified them as members of the press, they were arrested. Salazar suffered a bloody nose after being dragged, face- down on the ground, according to a statement released by "Democracy Now!." Goodman was arrested after she left the convention floor and went to the demonstration looking for her show’s producers. All the charges were later dropped.

"Democracy Now!" is a national, daily, independent, award-winning news program hosted by journalists Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez.
Pioneering the largest public media collaboration in the U.S., "Democracy Now!" is broadcast on Pacifica, NPR, community, and college radio stations; on public access, PBS, and satellite television.

Tickets are available online at www.TheSmith.org or by calling 315-781-LIVE (5483) or toll-free 1-866-355 LIVE (5483). General admission tickets are $15.00. VIP meet and greet tickets are $50.00.

Goodman's appearance at The Smith is sponsored by WEOS. Visit www.weos.org for more information.

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Amy Goodman Bio:

"Democracy Now!" host Amy Goodman began her career in community radio in 1985 at Pacifica Radio’s New York Station, WBAI. She produced WBAI’s Evening News for 10 years. In 1990 and 1991, Amy traveled to East Timor to report on the US-backed Indonesian occupation of East Timor. There, she and colleague Allan Nairn witnessed Indonesian soldiers gun down 270 East Timorese. Indonesian soldiers beat Amy and Allan, fracturing Allan’s skull. Their documentary, “Massacre: The Story of East Timor” won numerous awards. The Indonesian military banned Amy and Allan from returning to the country, and in 1994 the two were arrested as they attempted to enter. In 1999, they deported Amy as she attempted to cover the referendum, in which East Timorese voted overwhelmingly for independence. In May of 2002, "Democracy Now!" returned to East Timor to cover the founding of the new nation.
The 5-day series, From Annihilation to a New Nation, was the most comprehensive coverage of East Timor’s transition to independence broadcast in the United States.

Pacifica Radio’s "Democracy Now!" began on February 19, 1996 as the only daily election show in public broadcasting. Due to popular demand, "Democracy Now!" continued beyond the presidential elections, soon becoming Pacifica’s flagship news and public affairs program.

In 1998, Amy Goodman and producer Jeremy Scahill went to Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, to investigate the activities of U.S.
oil companies in the Niger Delta. The radio documentary, “Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria’s Oil Dictatorship” exposed Chevron’s role in the killing of two Nigerian villagers who were protesting yet another oil spill in their community. The documentary won the 1998 George Polk Award.

The "Democracy Now!" team headed to Seattle in November of 1999, for an eight-day special on the Battle of Seattle, documenting the action in the streets and in the suites, and the explosion of anti-corporate globalization activism onto the world stage. "Democracy Now!"
continues to bring the voices of the streets to the airwaves, with on- the-ground coverage from Washington to Prague, Quebec City to Porto Alegre, Brazil.

In 1999, Amy Goodman traveled to Peru to interview American political prisoner, Lori Berenson. It was the first time a journalist had ever gotten into the prison to speak to her.

In 2000, "Democracy Now!" pioneered an unprecedented multi-media collaboration involving non-profit community radio, satellite and cable television, and the internet. "Democracy Now!" broadcast, live two-hour daily specials at the Republican and Democratic national conventions, direct from the Independent Media Centers in Philadelphia and Los Angeles.

On Election Day in 2000, Amy and WBAI’s Gonzalo Aburto conducted a memorable half-hour interview with then-President Bill Clinton. The two asked hard-hitting questions the President wasn’t used to hearing. By the end, Clinton called Amy “hostile” and “combative” and at times “disrespectful." Amy said she was just doing her job.

Shortly after September 11, 2001, "Democracy Now!" began broadcasting on television every weekday. It is the only public media program in the country that airs simultaneously on radio, satellite and cable television, and the internet.

"Democracy Now!" became an independent non-profit organization in June, 2002. The program is currently broadcast on over 700 radio and television stations and is growing daily.