Authentic journalism

Al Giordano takes you through the recent events in Bolivia - how the truth gets out when real journalism is at work.

Study how this story was reported, and how the way it was reported, so differently from the formulas of the Commercial Media affected the outcome of the story.

From the point of view of strategy, tactics and journalistic technique, these recent days represent an advance for the Narco News “swarm coverage” form of Authentic Journalism. Just as in previous major news torments – the Mexican presidential elections of 2000, the Zapatista caravan of 2001, the rise of the Bolivian coca growers of that same year, the Venezuela coup attempts of 2002, the staggering electoral changes from Bolivia to Brazil to Ecuador to Argentina during these same years, Venezuela’s presidential recall referendum of 2004, the defeat of the Mexican “desafuero” plot in 2005, and now this week’s events in Bolivia… Speed and accuracy, when combined in reporting, are global weapons now.

These are weapons in your hands. Here, although we meet professional codes and standards, we don’t just leave it up to the so-called professionals. For us, "professional" has nothing to do with whether someone gets paid or not. We involve you, the readers and the sources, and our humongous and growing international network of Authentic Journalists together as we cover immediate history like it has never been reported before.

There will be more battles to come, more truths to be told, more lies to be smacked down, and an authentic democracy to be won. If you were part of this week’s events with us – as a reporter, as a copublisher, as one of the readers who donated to let this all happen this week – I know you feel pretty damn good right now.

You know what you did, what we did, together. It’s exciting. It’s a new day. It’s a new way of fighting, and a new way of winning.

If you were not part of it but you find yourself reflecting that this is the kind of participation in your world and your hemisphere that gets results and therefore is worth your time, please join in this Authentic Journalism crusade. We need all hands on deck for the stories and battles to come.

We – the journalists, the copublishers, the donors – all give what we can, in labor and in resources – in order to make reports like this available free of charge to everybody in the world.

Primarily, though, it is the real people of Bolivia who risked their lives to save their country from an evil return to the past of dictatorship and repression: Authentic Journalism plays an auxiliary role, but one that is absolutely necessary to the people’s voice being heard – and not being distorted or simulated - across borders.

So, if you were involved, thank you.

And if you are not yet involved, or have been busy with other things, I’ll tell you this: We, the journalists, do this work on vapors. This week of course required more resources than normal weeks. And you can still be part of it by making a donation to our fiscal sponsor, The Fund for Authentic Journalism.

Read all about it here.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.