The Electronic Intifada 8 June 2005
“I have learned a great deal from Stefan Christoff’s breakthrough reporting on and from Beirut. In the midst of the Bush Administration’s propaganda campaign about spreading “democracy” through the Middle East, it is absolutely crucial that probing and engaged independent journalists like Christoff have the resources they need to bring us unfiltered and unembedded voices from the front lines of Lebanon’s genuine grassroots struggles for self-determination. I urge you to support this project.”
— Naomi Klein, syndicated columnist and author, “No Logo.”
Stefan Christoff
This independent media initiative coincides with a period of significant political change in Lebanon, following the assassination of former Lebanese Prime-Minister Rafik Hariri in downtown Beirut in February 2005. Hariri’s death sparked a political shift in Lebanon, which saw the longstanding presence of approximately 15 000 Syrian troops in Lebanon come to an end. Also in recent months a series of sectarian bombings have taken place throughout the country, igniting a growing fear that Lebanon will relapse into the religious and political sectarianism which defined the 15 year civil-war from 1975 to 1990.
In this political context, the media initiative aims to explore grassroots political organizing and campaigns in Lebanon that oppose sectarian violence as well as Western military intervention in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East. Additionally, reporting for this project will focus on political movements that are struggling for broad principles of social and economic justice, in relation to other movements throughout the global south that are fighting for self-determination and against capitalist globalization.
Importantly, this project aims to focus on the politically diverse voices within Lebanese society that are not often broadcast or projected by major media outlets on a local and international level. In so doing, it will confront the international corporate media distortions of the current political situation in Lebanon. This project aims to give voice to the struggles of oppressed communities in Lebanon, from the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian
refugees, to the working poor, to the foreign workers, and to progressive political movements in a social context in which upwards of 40% the population lives in poverty.
——> For more details or information you can contact Stefan Christoff @: christoff(at)resist.ca / 00 514 398 6788.
Details on Accessing Christoff’s Reporting on Struggles for Social Justice in Lebanon
Between June & September, Christoff will be filing regular bi-weekly reports for THE ELECTRONIC INTIFADA, while also producing radio reports for CKUT RADIO & various community radio stations throughout the world.
You will find Christoff reports as THE ELECTRONIC INTIFADA’s Special Correspondent in LEBANON online at:
http://electronicintifada.net.
You will hear Christoff’s audio reports on CKUT Radio (http://www.ckut.ca) in MONTREAL at 90.3 FM. The radio reports will also be available for re-broadcast & download on-line at: http://www.radio4all.net
Also, Christoff will be collaborating with Palestinian independent journalist Mohammed Shublaq of the Independent Media Center in Beirut for Free Speech Radio News (FSRN). These reports will broadcast on over 93 community radio stations throughout the world and will also be accessible online. All details concerning FSRN and the program’s broadcast schedule can be found at: http://www.fsrn.org
AND Christoff will be recording and producing audio material for a larger radio documentary series entitled LIVING WAR, which will be edited and ready for broadcast in October 2005 and will be aired on CKUT Radio in Montreal and throughout community radio stations in Canada, North America and the world.
The distribution of this documentary will take place by Internet. CD mail-outs will be made available upon request to community radio stations…. If you are interested in broadcasting or distributing the LIVING WAR radio documentary project please do not hesitate to get in touch!
Stefan Christoff is a social justice organizer and media activist based in Montreal. Christoff has been active with the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and heavily involved with the Coalition Against the Deportation of Palestinian Refugees. Christoff has also been active with various anti-capitalist networks including the Peoples Global Action Network and locally with CLAC, the Anti-Capitalist Convergence in Montreal. As a media activist Christoff is a regular contributor to the Electronic Intifada and has published written material and produced radio work for alternative media outlets throughout the world.
