A locally produced program where activist groups in the Kansas City area present interviews, commentary, editorials, and other thought provoking content on a weekly basis.
Reading the feed…
Yonty Friesem discusses media literacy education and the Media Education Lab, of which they are Executive Director. Friesem is an award-winning educator, scholar and filmmaker and an Associate Professor of Communication at Columbia College Chicago. The Media Education Lab is an online community working to advance digital and media literacy education through leadership development, scholarship, and community engagement. It was founded in 2003 by Renee Hobbs, then at Temple University. It has team members, faculty and graduate students in many different countries. A moderated discussion of the i
Susan Schnall and Bryson Ripley discuss Veterans for Peace including their 2026 annual convention, August 6-9, in the UMKC student union. Schnall and Ripley are Presidents of the national Veterans for Peace organization and their Kansas City chapter, respectively. They are interviewed by Spencer Graves. You do not have to be a veteran to join Veterans for Peace. They accept allies. The website of the national Veterans for Peace organization is veteransforpeace.org. That of the Kansas City chapter is vfpkc.org. The local has a hybrid meeting the first Saturday of each month at noon, currently a
Wyandotte County division 5 Judge Tony Martinez tells Craig Lubow why he thinks Wyandotte County Democratic voters should vote for him in the August 5 Democratic primary. All registered candidates for that office were invited. Reginald Keith (Reggie) Davis was not interviewed because of a scheduling mixup. Kayla Roehler was not available. Copyright: 2026 Public domain
Robert Corn-Revere, Chief Counsel at the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), discusses their mission and activities and his recommendations for changes in media law to improve democracy. Corn-Revere has appeared on multiple lists of best lawyers since 2017. Some of his expertise is summarized in his (2021) The Mind of the Censor and the Eye of the Beholder : the First Amendment and the Censor's Dilemma, building on his extensive research and experience including three earlier books. He is interviewed by Spencer Graves. More on Corn-Revere and FIRE is available in the compan
Ethan Corson is a Democrat running for governor of Kansas in the August 4 primary. Three Democrats have filed to compete in this primary: Ethan Corson: https://ethanforkansas.com/ Cindy Holscher: https://cindyforkansas.com/ Curt Skoog: https://curtskoog.com/ The interviews with Senator Holscher and Mayor Skoog air June 30 and July 14, respectively. Copyright: The comments of the candidates are all in the public domain. The composition is copyright 2026 Spencer Graves and Craig Lubow Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 international license.
Cindy Holscher is a Democrat running for governor of Kansas in the August 4 primary. Three Democrats have filed to compete in this primary: Ethan Corson: https://ethanforkansas.com/ Cindy Holscher: https://cindyforkansas.com/ Curt Skoog: https://curtskoog.com/ The interviews with Senator Corson and Mayor Skoog air July 7 and 14, respectively. Copyright: The comments of the candidates are all in the public domain. The composition is copyright 2026 Spencer Graves and Craig Lubow Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 international license.
Katerina Canyon describes the Peace Economy Project (PEP), their vision and activities. Canyon is PEP's Executive Director. She holds a BA from Saint Louis University and a Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD) from the Fletcher School. Her publications include two recent books of poetry, a novel, and numerous shorter pieces of political commentary disseminated in a variety of outlets. PEP works to "Cut Military Spending [and] Fund Human Needs." They are "guided by the belief that true security is built through care, dignity, and a shared well-being—not punishment, militarization, or fear
Dimitar ("Dimi") Zagorski discusses the European Commission's targeted public consultation on copyright law and other issues that concern the Wikimedia Foundation. Zagorski is Policy Director for Wikimedia Europe in Brussels. He is interviewed by Spencer Graves. A moderated discussion of the issues raised in this interview is available in the companion “Wikimedia concerns with European copyright rules including AI and scientific research” on Wikiversity. Copyright 2026 Dimitri Zagorski and Spencer Graves, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) 4.0 international license.
Joanna Lewis and Suzanne Hogan with the 816 Bicycle Collective discuss their work helping humans obtain, maintain and use bicycles. They accept donations of bicycles and distribute them to those who want them in exchange for donated time, resources or revenue, depending on the individual's circumstance. They also help humans maintain bicycles. Their shop at 518 East 31st Street, KCMO, has only limited hours -- Monday and Thursday 3-6 PM and Saturday noon-3 -- but they have a permanent bike repair stand with tools and an air pump on the Cherry Street sidewalk. They will have an annual "fund-rag
Prolific author and media critic Nolan Higdon discusses his research on problems with the media and what he thinks humans should do to better advance their interests in society. He is a lecturer at California State University, East Bay, and the University of California, Santa Cruz. He is a prolific researcher, podcaster, contributor to general news outlets, and author, co-author or co-editor of at least eight recent books. He is interviewed by Spencer Graves. A moderated discussion of the issues raised in this interview is available in the companion "Let's agree to disagree and seek common gro
Tricia Maxfield and Ryan Bernsten with American Public Square (APS) discuss their program in general and their June 18 event on the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence including "Self-Evident Truths". APS was founded by Allan Katz, who came to Kansas City after serving as US Ambassador to Portugal (2010-2013). They work to build stronger, more connected communities through civil discourse, engagement and education. They organize in-person and virtual events featuring expert panelists discussing complex social, political, and economic challenges shaping our nation serving a div
Communications professor Allison Butler discusses her new book, The Judgment of Gender: How Women Are Centered and Silenced in Pop Culture with Spencer Graves. She compares how women like Britney Spears, Anita Hill, and Monica Lewinsky have been portrayed with the treatment of comparable males. She notes, for example, that, "in the years since the Dobbs (2022) decision, fully sentient female bodies have fewer legal rights than either fetuses or embryos. She asks, "Why aren't women allowed to be complicated?", documenting how men are allowed to abuse their power for personal gain, but women are
Kimmy Igla discusses the draft Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) published by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) of the Department of Energy (DOE) for the production of new plutonium pits for nuclear weapons at six different sites in the US, one of which is the Kansas City National Security Campus, which has a controversial history. You are invited to review the PEIS available at pitpeis.com and submit written comments up to July 16, as described in pwkc.org/Plutonium. Ms. Igla is a leader with PeaceWorks Kansas City and Physicians for Social Responsibility KC
Yaël Eisenstat discusses the impact of online platforms on public health, safety and democracy. She is currently[1] the Director of Policy and Impact at Cybersecurity for Democracy (C4D),[2] working on policy solutions for how to hold social media and other online platforms accountable for their effects on public safety and democracy. Previously, she was Vice President at the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) Center for Technology & Society (CTS). She was a Facebook election integrity head in 2018 and later became a whistleblower, speaking publicly about the dangers to democracy stemming from the c
This episode includes discussions of the history of US immigration law and May 7 hearings on the environmental impact of the production of new nuclear weapons at Kansas City's nuclear bomb plant. History of immigration law William Jewell history Professor Daniel Kotzin gives a brief summary of a class he teaches on the history of US immigration law. This is excerpted from the April 6 Solidarity School of Resistance organized by Indivisible Kansas City, Boots on the Ground Midwest, and the Cross-Border Network for Justice & Solidarity. Public hearings May 7 on environmental impact of nuclear we
Micah Kubic, Executive Director of the Kansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) explains what he thinks you should do to protect and advance your interests and concerns in today's political environment. He is interviewed by Spencer Graves and Craig Lubow. Kubic holds a doctorate in Black Politics from Howard University and is author of (2016) Freedom, Inc. and Black Political Empowerment.1 He has over 20 years experience in civil rights and racial justice work, including serving as executive director of two different state chapters of the ACLU: Kansas 2015 to 2018 then Flori
Mickey Huff, Executive Director of Project Censored and Distinguished Director of the Park Center for Independent Media and Professor of Journalism at Ithaca College, New York, discusses news suppressed for those who control most of the money for the media and why you should care. He is interviewed by Spencer Graves. AND BENEFIT CONCERT APRIL 19 AT Knuckleheads, 4 PM, to raise funds for Advocates for Immigrant Rights and Reconciliation and Indivisible KC. Tickets available by calling bill at 816-517-4083. More on Huff and Project Censored is available in the Wikiversity article on, "News suppr
Lois Swimmer, Paul & Louise Freid, and Mike Miles will talk with Radio Active Magazine regular Spencer Graves about their plans for a Catholic Worker Retreat and Resistance event being planned for April 24-27, Friday through Monday. Swimmer is from the Minnecouji Band within the Blackfoot Tribe, which is part of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. She is a member of the Elders Circle at Cherith Brook Catholic Worker House in Kansas City, Missouri. Paul & Louise Freid are with the Lake City Catholic Worker Farm near Lake City, Minnesota. Mike Miles is with Anathoth Catholic Worker Farm a few miles
Fordham University Professor Emerita of Communications Robin Andersen discusses her research on media and war with Spencer Graves. Andersen earned a PhD from UC-Irvine in 1986 with a dissertation on, "The United States Press Coverage of Conflict in the Third World: The Case of El Salvador". She has expanded that work since with numerous publications including the 2006 book on A Century of Media, A Century of War, which shared the Alpha Sigma Nu Book Award the following year with four others. She also has THE COMPLICIT LENS: US Media Coverage of Israel’s Genocide in Gaza, scheduled to be offici
Public health expert Dr. Stephen Bezruchka discusses the role of the major US media, including social media, in threatening the health of all. Bezruchka is professor emeritus from the University of Washington School of Public Health with multiple publications including books translated into several languages. He holds an MD degree from Stanford and a Masters in Public Health from Johns Hopkins. His recent books include the following focused especially on public health including the impact of the media in creating public health problems for the US: (2022) Inequality Kills Us All: COVID-19's Hea
Bill Clause, Nancy Mays, and Beverly Harvey discuss the No Kings rallies being organized for March 28 focusing especially on the KC metro area, Johnson County and the Plaza. This discussion will include the issues that seem to be of greatest concern to the public. NoKings.org invites anyone to "Host an event" and list it with them. As this is being written 2026-03-16, eighteen rallies were found at nokings.org in KKFI's listening area between Warrensburg and Saint Joseph, Missouri, and Topeka, Kansas. The biggest may be at Mill Creek Park on the Plaza from noon to 3 PM. More information for th
Communications professor Bill Yousman discusses media literacy and dispelling myths about crime and justice. He is interviewed by Spencer Graves. Yousman is a professor of communications in the School of Communication, Media & the Arts in Sacred Heart University in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Two of his research reports have appeared in Project Censored's annuals for 2017 and 2025: "Eleven theses on disinformation (with apologies to Karl Marx)" (2025) "Who's afraid of critical media literacy?" (2017). In a section of a book scheduled to appear later this year, he quotes a 2021 tweet from conserva
Representatives of Veterans for Peace discuss their up-coming national conference August 6-9, which they are organizing at UMKC. Guests include Bryson Ripley, a former US Marine and president of their Kansas City chapter. They are interviewed by Spencer Graves. Some might claim that (a) everyone would be safer and more prosperous with honest defense of the bottom 99%, and (b) instead we have a publicly funded escort service pressuring foreign governments to prioritize international business interests over those of their citizens.
Communications professor Stephan Russ-Mohl shares concerns about media, especially in Germany. He is interviewed by Spencer Graves. Russ-Mohl is a prolific journalist, researcher and professor emeritus at the University of Lugano in the Italian-speaking portion of Switzerland. He specializing in quality assurance and quality management in mass media focusing primarily but not exclusively on Germany. Between 1985 and 2001 he was primarily based at the Free University of Berlin. Between 2002 and 2018 he served primarily on the faculty at the University of Lugano. He has also had sabbaticals at t
Bryan Stalder discusses Northeast Kansas City and Northeast News with Radio Active Magazine regular Spencer Graves, and Bill Clause invites y'all to attend a "No Kings 3" rally near you March 28 No Kings 3 March 28: For more information email Diane Bulan <dianebulan@gmail.com> Northeast Kansas City and Northeast News Stadler is an illustrator and designer active with the Northeast Kansas City Chamber of Commerce and the Northeast News and former president of the Indian Mound Neighborhood Association. He describes Northeast Kansas City and his vision for that part of the KC metro area.
