Media Release

School of Communication, Simon Fraser University

8888 University Drive
Burnaby, British Columbia, V5A 1S6
Contact: Tyler Morgenstern
Cell: (778) 385-8448
Office: (778) 782-7353
mddcoordinator@gmail.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Democracy Day Vancouver 2010 Details Announced

For the ninth year running, Media Democracy Day (MDD) will spark vibrant, critical,
interactive dialogue around the Canadian media system.

VANCOUVER, B.C.- June 17, 2010- The School of Communication at Simon Fraser
University and coordinating partners OpenMedia.ca are excited to announce the official date of
Media Democracy Day (MDD) Vancouver 2010. This years event will take place November 6
at the central branch of the Vancouver Public Library (VPL).

Since 2001, Media Democracy Day has united and engaged Vancouver-based citizens, cultural
producers, the media, academics, activists, students and community leaders in a dynamic
discussion of the state of our Canadian media system.

To assume that we are passive receivers of media messages vastly underestimates audiences
and citizens said this years coordinator Tyler Morgenstern. Media Democracy Day seeks to
involve us all in the discussion of how media is shaping and influencing the way we see the
world, he added.

MDD Vancouver 2010 will feature keynote speakers, interactive panels, and hands-on
workshops focused on critical analysis of media policy, citizen and alternative media production,
and the transformation of the media system to make it more diverse and representative of
audiences and communities.

For Morgenstern, these discussions are becoming more urgent: In the past year, weve seen how
media from the margins can change the way we see major world events- think about the Iranian
election or the BP oil disaster. MDD celebrates how alternative and dissenting voices are
creating a richer, deeper view of such events for all of us.

This year, MDD Vancouver follows on the heels of National Media Education Week, a Canada-
wide initiative to promote media literacy as a key component in the education of young people
by encouraging the practice of media education in Canadian homes, schools and communities.

Media education is particularly important for young people, said Dr. Stuart Poyntz, MDD
organizing committee member and assistant professor of Communication at Simon Fraser
University. Media messages show up in every part of our daily lives. MDD looks at the issues
of power and politics behind all these images, so its a great way to show people the back rooms
of a world we take for granted.

Morgenstern is also excited to revive the nine-year partnership between VPL and the media
democracy community. MDD is about bringing citizens together in lively conversation that
celebrates learning and transformation, so to have the VPL on board as a venue sponsor is
perfect for this kind of event. Were very grateful to their programming and management team.

About Media Democracy Day:

Launched simultaneously in Vancouver and Toronto in 2001, MDD responded to a growing
global media democratization movement. This movement seeks to create a more participatory
media system by supporting independent and public service media production, celebrating
innovation, and creating dialogue around the politics and biases linked to our increasingly
corporate and concentrated media. To learn more, visit http://www.mediademocracyday.org.

About the School of Communication:

For more than 35 years, the School of Communication at Simon Fraser University has fostered
the development of critical, interdisciplinary approaches to the study of media and technology
with a commitment to social theory and political economy. Led by an award-winning team of
educators and buoyed by approximately 1200 declared majors, minors, and joint majors, the
School of Communication is at the leading edge of media policy research, technological
innovation, and cultural transformation on a global scale. For more information, visit
http://cmns.sfu.ca

Contact: Tyler Morgenstern

Coordinator, Media Democracy Day
Cell: (778) 385-8448
Office: (778) 782-7353
mddcoordinator@gmail.com

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