Cincinnati Police Attempt to Silence Freelance Journalist

A Cincinnati police officer is suing four defendants for libel. One is NWU member Julie Niesen.  They are being sued for calling out Officer Ryan Olthaus on social media for flashing the OK sign at a black woman attending a City Council hearing during the BLM protests. That hand-sign has been adopted by the white supremacist […]

Staten Island Goddamn!

Staten Island, a plantation Paddyrollers at every station  They ordered the Freedman show a pass Or he’d join his ancestors under the grass  Freedman raised his hands to show no threat Hisses and rattles, he’s trapped in the net  Staten Island Goddamn! A blue boa’s grasp A grunt, a gasp A beast choke A strangled […]

Celebrating Frederick Douglass Day

This year on Friday July 3, 2020 we presented Frederick Douglass Day — An Alternative Fourth of July Celebration via Zoom, gathering Frederick Douglass speech readers, Lissa Tyler Renaud, Kim McMillon, and Robert Cuffy— from NYC to Oakland. We also featured “live” music over Zoom from saxophonist Richard Howell in the SF Bay Area, and bassist Hilliard Greene in NYC.  We first presented our […]

Journalists Are Not Police Informants!

On July 24, a Seattle judge ruled that journalists from The Seattle Times and four cable news outlets must turn over previously unreleased photos and videos to the Seattle Police Department (SPD). The police are demanding 90 minutes’ worth of material gathered from a protest on May 30, following the racist police murders of George […]

IFJ North America Region Meets

IFJ’s North American Region met on May 13, to discuss and coordinate our response to the Covid/financial crisis facing our members and our industry.  The meeting included the participation of Unifor (Canada), NWU (US), TNG-CWA (US), NUJ (UK and Ireland), and the Deputy General Secretary of IFJ. To underline the gravity of the situation, the […]

NWU Attends International Conference on Social Media in Qatar

The Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign have reportedly compiled an average of 3,000 data points on every voter in America. They have spent years experimenting with ways to tweak their messages based not just on gender and geography, but on whether you own a gun or play golf.

Not Just About Race: American Dirt has Class Issue

The novel American Dirt chronicles a middle-class Mexican woman and her son on a harrowing journey to the US as they flee cartel violence. Jeanine Cummins’ book is at the center of a train wreck in publishing for its obvious race problems and less visible class issues. The publisher, Macmillian, insisted on positioning the work […]

NWU Open Mic Ends 2019 with KA-BOOM!

The NWU Open Mic at the Manhattan-based Muhlenberg New York Public Library ended 2019 with a resounding KA-BOOM! Over 30 writers, poets, rappers, singers, and instrumentalists enjoyed hot coffee, creamy pastries, and warm camaraderie. The NWU has continuously run this monthly open mic at the NYPL since 2013. As NY Steering Committee member and national trustee, I currently […]

SoCal Chapter Chair Plays Benefit Concert

Writer, musician, activist and NWU chapter head, Ismael Parra held a concert fundraiser with the theme “The Struggle for Peace and Planet” on November 23 at an art studio in Los Angeles The concert was a fundraiser for the play Many May Not Return written by NWU member David Trujillo. The play will run January […]

Freelance Solidarity Project Organizes with NWU

In the spring of 2018, a group of volunteers began discussing how freelancers could benefit from the gains of collective bargaining. As thousands of workers have unionized with the Writers Guild of America, East and the NewsGuild-CWA, the question of how we could stand in solidarity with staff workers while advocating for our own rights […]