Those who read my weekly column know that I recently moved to Sedona from Northern California.  After settling in, I was disappointed to find that one of my favorite news programs "Democracy Now!" is not broadcast in this area by KNAU, the local NPR (National Public Radio) station.

Democracy Now! is a national, daily, independent listener-sponsored news program produced by the the Pacifica Radio Foundation that airs on over 450 radio and TV stations in North America, including many NPR stations.  The program is hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez from a community media center in New York City's Chinatown.

The program's "War and Peace" report provides perspectives from grassroots leaders, peace activists, artists, academics and ordinary citizens not typically heard on more mainstream, corporate sponsored radio stations.  Because Democracy Now! does not accept advertisers, or donations from corporations or governments, it is able to express its own, independent viewpoint.
 
Of course, being independent does not necessarily mean unbiased.  Some feel that Democracy Now! promotes advocacy rather than journalism and some question whether Democracy Now! is a trusted news source.

As a result, radio stations like KNAU may not feel it is appropriate to run the Democracy Now! broadcast even if it covers stories often missing from main stream media.  Democracy Now! is known to have a strong anti-war, anti-government bias.

In 2005 a Northern Arizona University (NAU) student organization was formed
under the name of "Democracy Now! in Flagstaff."  This organization is committed to seeing Democracy Now! broadcast by KNAU.  Some of its strategies to make this happen include a letter writing campaign and a petition drive, culminating in a protest held outside of KNAU’s station on the campus of NAU.
 
Although Democracy Now! in Flagstaff was contacted for their comments to this article, no response from the organization had been obtained prior to deadline.
 
Does Democracy Now! represent advocacy or does it represent cutting edge reporting of uncomfortable truths? It is up to you to decide your position on the state of Democracy Now!.
 
Democracy Now! can be accessed in Arizona at the following locations, as
well as on line at www.deomocracynow.org:
 
• Bisbee KBRP-LP 96.1 mHz 10 am, 6 pm, M-F w/ Spanish headlines at noon
• Prescott Access 13, Cable Ch. 13 3 p.m., T, Th
• Tucson AccessTucson, Ch.99, Cox Comm 6 a.m., 5 p.m., 11 p.m. M-F
• Tucson KXCI 91.3 FM 3-4 p.m., M-F
• Yuma YCTV Ch. 71 5 a.m., 4 p.m., 9 p.m., M-F
 
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A.M. Melfa recently moved to Sedona, AZ from Northern California.

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