Ida B. Wells Media (MDN) Defense NetworkIda B. Wells Media Defense Network

Ida B. Wells Media Defense Network

Media Defense Network

Empowering Voices, Defending Truth

Join us in our mission to protect the freedom of expression and amplify the voices that challenge injustice. Explore our media resources dedicated to truth-telling and justice.

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Audio/Podcasts

Voices of Justice: Video Collection

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Mimi Rosenberg’s Intro to <em>Occupation of the American Mind</em> and our June 12, 2026 Forum

Mimi Rosenberg’s Intro to Occupation of the American Mind and our June 12, 2026 Forum

Featuring: Mimi Rosenberg
Mimi Rosenberg's Introduction to the film the Occupation of the American Mind as part of our Ida B. Wells Media Defense Network Zoom forum on Friday, June 12, 2026...
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Black Power 96 v Pinellas County Video

Featuring: Black Power 96 Radio, Jacksonville, Florida
The Ida B. Wells Media Defense Network (MDN) is proud to share this video, which documents a bold stand for press freedom and community voice in the face of powerful interests. Black Power 96, a small Black community radio station in St. Petersburg, has challenged funding decisions in Pinellas County that they say violated First Amendment rights and undermined independent journalism that serves marginalized communities.
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Dr. Ibrahim Rabaia Video on Palestinian Media

Featuring: Dr. Ibrahim Rabaia
In this sobering interview, Dr. Ibrahim Rabaia, Director of the Palestinian Media Coordination Group, details the unprecedented crisis facing Palestinian media. Following October 8, 2023, the sector has seen the loss of over 226 media workers and the destruction of 82% of Gaza's media outlets. Rabaia discusses the dual pressures of military censorship and AI-driven targeting, the rise of administrative detention, and the urgent need for international protection for journalists.
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Mimi Rosenberg Video

Featuring: Mimi Rosenberg
Inspired by the fearless legacy of Ida B. Wells, this call to action addresses the escalating suppression of political speech and press freedom. From historic state repression to modern threats like Project 2025, we examine the systematic silencing of journalists and activists from Gaza to the US. Join us in building a community-powered media coalition that educates, agitates, and organizes to transform communication into a tool for liberation.
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Podcast Insights

Defending the Narrative

Delve into our latest audio feature, highlighting the critical role of media in safeguarding democracy and advocating for the marginalized. This episode explores the power of storytelling as a tool for justice.

Mumia on Press Freedom @ 22nd Century Initiative (People-Powered Democracy) Conference, Atlanta, June 2025

Mumia on Press Freedom @ 22nd Century Initiative (People-Powered Democracy) Conference, Atlanta, June 2025

The Myth of Media Freedom

When Journalism Becomes a Weapon of State
By Mumia Abu-Jamal, Journalist, U.S. political prisoner
When Journalism Becomes a Weapon of State
By Mumia Abu-Jamal, Journalist, U.S. political prisoner
When Journalism Becomes a Weapon of State
By Mumia Abu-Jamal, Journalist, U.S. political prisoner

In this address, Mumia Abu-Jamal unmasks the dark history of American media, exposing how the FBI and CIA historically weaponized “news friendlies” to dismantle freedom movements. He contrasts the legacy of state-controlled COINTELPRO operations with today’s smartphone era, framing citizen recording not merely as a modern hobby, but as an essential democratic right to document state violence and resist corporate narrative control.

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More Radio Shows/Podcasts

Mumia on Press Freedom @ Grassroots Radio Conference, Spokane, WA, Sept. 2025

Mumia on Press Freedom @ Grassroots Radio Conference, Spokane, WA, Sept. 2025

Corporate Journalism Will Not Save Us

Lessons from Ida B. Wells for Today
By Mumia Abu-Jamal, Journalist, U.S. political prisoner
Lessons from Ida B. Wells for Today
By Mumia Abu-Jamal, Journalist, U.S. political prisoner
Lessons from Ida B. Wells for Today
By Mumia Abu-Jamal, Journalist, U.S. political prisoner

Channeling the radical legacy of anti-lynching pioneer Ida B. Wells, Mumia Abu-Jamal calls for a modern rebirth of the “journalist activist.” He challenges independent creators to reject the passive, profit-driven structures of corporate press and instead adopt an ancestral blueprint of courageous truth-telling—reminding listeners that movement-driven journalism must come directly from the people to serve the people.

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Mumia Abu Jamal on the Arrests of Georgia Fort & Don Lemon

Mumia Abu Jamal on the Arrests of Georgia Fort & Don Lemon

When the state begins arresting the storytellers, we have to ask: who is next?” Today on Black Power Media, we bring you a historic and urgent broadcast. As federal agents target independent journalists Georgia Fort (founder of BLCK Press) and Don Lemon for their coverage of an anti-ICE protest in Minnesota, we look at the long history of state repression against the Black press…

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Mumia provided the first two podcasts above by request for Ida B. Wells Media Defense events.

Meet Our Inspiring Speakers

Photo of Mumia Abu-Jamal in prison as a U.S. political prisoner

Mumia Abu-Jamal

Journalist, U.S. political prisoner

June 18, 2025

Dr. Ibrahim Rabaia photo smiling

Dr. Ibrahim Rabaia

Director Palestinian Media Sector Coordination Group (PMSCG), Assistant Professor of Political Science, Birzeit University, Palestine

Excerpt from Interview with Bob Lederer

June 18, 2025

Photo of Alex Frandsen in a park smiling

Alex Frandsen

Journalism Program Manager at Free Press

The 22nd Century Conference: Forging a People-Powered Democracy

Atlanta GA June 19-22, 2025

Amplify Our Voices

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