Reclaim the Media: P.O. Box 22754, Seattle, WA 98122-0754
206.709.0558 info (at) reclaimthemedia.org

• What We Do

Based in Seattle, Reclaim the Media is a small nonprofit organization dedicated to pursuing a more just society by transforming our media system and expanding the communications rights of ordinary people through grassroots organizing, education, networking and advocacy. We envision an authentic, just democracy characterized by media systems that inform and empower citizens, reflect our diverse cultures, and secure communications rights for everyone. We advocate for a free and diverse press, community access to communications tools and technology, and media policy that serves the public interest. Three broad themes guide our projects:

• We work to change media policy at the local and federal level, so that the structure of our media favors the public interest, rather than a powerful elite.
• We teach media literacy education because we all need to understand how news can be shaped by journalistic habits and by powerful commercial and political interests.
• We support community media because we cannot entrust our history, our cultures and our democracy to the consolidated media empires alone.

• Who We Are

Jonathan Lawson (Executive Director) has helped Reclaim the Media play a catalytic role in the growth of a national movement focused on media justice and democratizing media policy. Jonathan also directs online communications for SEIU Healthcare 775NW, sits on the advisory board for the Consumers Union's Hear Us Now project, and is a board member of the Washington News Council. He is a four-year veteran of the Independent Media Center movement, and has worked in community radio since 1986; he currently co-hosts the weekly creative music program Flotation Device on KBCS in Seattle. His articles on media issues have appeared in numerous publications including Adbusters, YES!, Clamor, and Z Magazine. In 2007 he and Reclaim the Media were recognized by the Seattle Times among the "best of Puget Sound." Jonathan holds a Masters degree in Theological Studies from Harvard University.

Susan Gleason (Co-director) also serves as Media and Outreach Manager for YES! Magazine. Susan co-founded the nonprofit Earth on the Air Radio Works, producers of the award-winning, nationally-syndicated Earth on the Air radio magazine, where she served as radio trainer for grassroots journalists. She was board chair at WMPG (Portland, ME), and produced features for the award-winning public affairs program Big Talk. In 2000 she also co-founded the community web/radio station Voice of Vashon.

Daniel Hannah (Co-director) supervises RTM's media literacy education programs. Daniel serves on the board of SCAN Community Television. He is also a co-founder of the Seattle Independent Media Center.

Sabrina Roach (Co-director)

Julie Chang Schulman (Co-director) is Northwest Regional Coordinator for Hip Hop Congress, Assistant Chapter Head of 206Zulu, sits on the Education Commitee for H2Ed, and on the board for Seattle Urban Debate League. She also recently co-founded the Seattle local organizing commitee for the Hip Hop Political Convention, and the Northwest Urban Arts Culture and Community Development Newsletter. Julie got her BA in Liberal Arts with a concentration on Emancipatory Education and Social Change from Antioch University, and teaches English at Brain Child Learning Center.

Jan Strout (Co-Director) is National field director for the National Organization for Women. Jan is a former Executive Director of SCAN Community Television; and has years of experience connecting social justice and media issues working with the Media Works Initiative and the Paul Robeson Fund.

Karen Toering (Co-Director) is principal partner in The Gryphon Group, a media development and project management consortium. Karen co-founded The Albuquerque Project; promoting accountability in progressive media reform leadership, particularly in regard to the needs of people of color. She has served as Executive Director for two public access channels and the community media production facility 911 Media Arts. She is also a long-time regional leader in the Alliance for Community Media, and project manager for the Northwest Community Radio Network organizing project.

• Get Involved

Reclaim the Media hosts occasional community meetings in Seattle; these are a good place to find out about current and upcoming campaigns and opportunities to get involved in media activism in the Northwest. For details on current projects and meeting announcements, contact us at info (at) reclaimthemedia.org.

• Recognition

In March 2005, Reclaim the Media received a Golden Soapbox award from Clamor Magazine in the category "best media activist group." In July 2005, RTM was awarded the George Stoney Award for Humanistic Communications by the Alliance for Community Media. In Deccember 2007, the Seattle Times named executive director Jonathan Lawson and RTM among the "best of Puget Sound."

• Our Community

Reclaim the Media works closely with other local, regional and national media democracy organizations. We are a cofounder and steering committee member of the national Media and Democracy Coalition.

RTM is also cofounder and a leadership team member of the Media Action Grassroots Network (MAGNet), along with the Center for Media Justice (Oakland), the Esperanza Peace and Justice Center (San Antonio), the Manhattan Neighborhood Network and the Texas Media Empowerment Project.

We also enjoy regular collaborations with the Prometheus Radio Project (Philadelphia), the Future of Music Coalition (Washington, D.C.), Women in Media and News, the Center for International Media Action and KBCS Community Radio.

RTM is a member organization of AMARC, Washington State Jobs With Justice, and the International Labor Communications Association.

Reclaim the Media is fiscally sponsored by the Center for Social Justice.

Website edited by Jonathan Lawson. Built and hosted by DigitalAid. Other great folks who have helped us out techwise: Eggplant Active Media and Riseup.

RTM logo designed by Sue Ann Harkey.