On Monday I appeared on The Stream, a social media-based program of Al Jazeera English. I shared a panel with representatives of the occupations of New York, Chicago, Oakland, and Washington, DC. The “main guests” were Tim Pool, who recently visited Austin & taught a class for Occupy Southby, and Nathan Schneider of Waging Nonviolence. The program ended up going in unexpected directions — we’d been told to expect to basically be the audience, asking questions of Pool & Schneider, and perhaps get asked a question or two ourselves.
Instead, the show’s charismatic host Derrick Ashong turned it into a true round table discussion. Ashong asked unexpected questions and we fielded them with aplomb. We responded to tweets and asked questions of our own, even of the hosts. I’ve gained a fair amount experience talking to the media during my time as an Occupier, but this was both my most challenging & satisfying appearance. It was a fantastic honor to appear on a show which the Stream’s Michael Hopper told us he considered a historic moment in television.
It’s hard to pick just one favorite moment so here are a few:
- Being told one of the show’s producers thought my facial hair was the best ever on their show
- Getting to plug Duffy’s Austin City Council campaign on international TV
- Turning the tables and asking Derrick Ashong his thoughts on media — what gets covered & why?
