Kevin Gosztola

Name: Kevin Gosztola Location: Mishawaka, IN Journalist, writer, activist, filmmaker and currently a Nation Magazine intern -- everything I do is for truth and social justice

A little about me

I am currently serving as an intern for The Nation Magazine. I also am a multimedia editor for OpEdNews.com and a writer for WikiLeaks Central. And, I host a weekly podcast called "This Week in WikiLeaks."

For The Nation, I work with Greg Mitchell, who has been blogging all things WikiLeaks and the various transparency, free information and free Internet issues, which are part of the story. I have helped put together parts of both of Greg Mitchell's books "The Age of WikiLeaks: Cablegate and Beyond" and "Bradley Manning: Truth and Consequences."

I am a 2009 Young People For Fellow and a documentary filmmaker who graduated with a Film/Video B.A. degree from Columbia College Chicago in the Spring 2010. In April 2010, I co-organized a major arts & media summit called "Art, Access & Action," which explored the intersection of politics, art and media and was supported by Free Press. And, I have organized with media democracy activists in Chicago.

I would describe myself as a

blogger

Why I deserve a Netroots Nation Scholarship

I have a history of media activism that utilizes my skills: my ability to write, speak, research, produce video, etc. I like to cover issues and stories that are on the "fringes." Mainly that means I cover all the stories that the corporate media refuses to pay attention (and since they only cover a few stories or issues and limit the conversation I am a pretty busy person).

I'm not afraid to take bold leaps of faith to break new ground. In fact, I think that Americans need to defy conventional wisdom to truly confront the most pressing issues of the day and that sentiment informs much of my writing on activism and politics.

I manage these blogs

OpEdNews.com
The Nation

The blogs I use most are

WL Central
Firedoglake

What first inspired me to get involved

Dennis Kucinich was in a presidential debate and complained to George Stephanopoulos about how he wasn't getting to talk much. I was moved to write an op-ed on Kucinich's accusation that Stephanopoulos was trying to "polarize" him out of the debate. My op-ed got noticed and was headlined on OpEdNews.com. I continued to support Kucinich for President. As I petitioned to get him on the ballot in Illinois, I wrote daily and gained notoriety because I was young. My enthusiasm and writing ability eventually led the editor-in-chief to offer me "trusted author" privileges. From that point on, I was a citizen journalist learning journalism not through academia but through practice.

How I've gotten others involved

As a true member of the netroots should do, my Facebook is a newswire. I have people who thank me for keeping them up to date on news stories and the latest actions being taken by Americans to advance freedom and justice.

Also, in college, I consistently encouraged fellow students to get online and write. I invited them to become members of OpEdNews.com. I wrote letters to the editor—calls to action—that ran in my college's newspaper.

The media conference that I put together my senior year of college showed what could be done if someone was ambitious and pushed boundaries. What I did had never been done on my campus and was very exciting for students that participated.

The blog post I am most proud of

http://open.salon.com/blog/kevin_gosztola/2009/05/14/obama_employs_bush_administration_tactic_blocks_photos

Why I think participation in the blogosphere is important

With the uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa and the recent action in defense of workers in the Midwest especially Wisconsin, it is clear that resistance is spreading. Technology is helping to mobilize people and get others connected to groups that are fighting issues and on behalf of causes. The blogosphere keeps citizens informed on the latest actions in their community so they can go out and join others in fighting injustice and suffering. It also connects people and, if people fight the "Big Sort" that can happen on the net, allows for robust discussion of political and social issues. It allows for the sharing of information—the truth, which currently corporations have no way of stopping.

My Twitter manifesto on online activism

True online activists are combating dominant narratives, which stand in the way of change, and are working to create new narratives for advancing truth and justice.