Laura Flanders and Friends: Positive Independent Journalism for a Just World Behind the Barricades at Columbia University: “The Encampments” for Gaza [episode]
snyopsis- Challenging the narrative on Palestine in this edition of our monthly Meet the BIPOC Press series : "The Encampments" documentary, and its creators aim to push back against the dominant narrative on Palestine, highlighting the difference between the corporate media coverage and those who have no allegiance to money or corporations, and sparking a wider conversation about the world's first live streamed genocide.
“The Encampments” co-produced by Macklemore, brings viewers into the anti-Gaza war protests at Columbia University and gets up close and personal with leaders including Mahmoud Khalil, the student negotiator currently detained by ICE in violation of a court’s order. In this special episode in our series Meet the BIPOC Press, Laura sits down with Sueda Polat and Grant Miner, two of Khalil’s colleagues in the encampments, who were suspended and expelled, respectively, as well as the film’s co-director, journalist Kei Pritsker of BreakThrough News to discuss how the film came to be, and where the situation stands today as well as what’s missing and who is misrepresented in commercial news. All that, plus a commentary from Laura on Columbia University’s move to suspend four college journalists “being too close to the action.”
“I don't really participate as a Jewish person, I participate as an activist and a person of conscience that is Jewish . . . There's a very insidious narrative that was basically, ‘If you're not Jewish and you're not Palestinian, then talking about this is strange. Having an opinion on this conflict is strange and you should just stop talking about it because you're probably only motivated by antisemitism.’ I want to push back and say that anybody can have an opinion on this. It's the world's first livestreamed genocide.” - Grant Miner
Guests:
• Grant Miner: Columbia University Student Activist, The Encampments; President, SWC-UAW 2710
• Sueda Polat: Columbia University Student Activist, The Encampments; Graduate Student Human Rights
• Kei Pritsker: Co-Director, The Encampments, Journalist, BreakThrough News
Music Credit: “What Have We Done?” by Us3 from their upcoming album “Soundtrack”. "Steppin" by Podington Bear. And original sound production and design by Jeannie Hopper.
Watch the special report released on YouTube May 23rd 5pm ET; PBS World Channel May 25th, and on over 300 public stations across the country (check your listings, or search here via zipcode). Listen: Episode airing on community radio (check here to see if your station airs the show) & available as a podcast May 28th.
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RESOURCES:
Related Laura Flanders Show Episodes:
• Organizing for Ceasefire Through Policy & Protest: Meet the People of JVP & NY Assemblymember Mamdani: Watch / Audio Podcast: Episode and Full Conversation
• BIPOC Press for the People: Bursting the Corporate Media Bubble: Watch / Audio Podcast: Episode
• Israel, Hamas & Universal Human Rights: Former UN Official Craig Mokhiber Describes Path Forward: Watch / Audio Podcast: Episode and Full Conversation
Related Articles and Resources:
• ‘The Encampments’ Documentary, Watch the Trailer
• Columbia Just Suspended Four Student Journalists: The university continues to violate its students’ freedom of speech. By Edith Olmsted, May 9, 2025, The New Republic
• Columbia University suspends more than 65 students over library occupation, by Kanishka Singh, May 9, 2025, Reuters
• Deaths from Israel’s attacks on Gaza close to 62,000 as missing added, February 3, 2025, Aljazeera
*Recommended book:
Bookshop: “A Land with a People: Palestinians and Jews Confront Zionism” edited by Rosalind Pollack Petchesky, Esther Farmer and Sarah Sills, Get the Book*
(*Bookshop is an online bookstore with a mission to financially support local, independent bookstores. The LF Show is an affiliate of bookshop.org and will receive a small commission if you click through and make a purchase.)
Full Episode Notes are located HERE.
Laura Flanders and Friends Crew: Laura Flanders, along with Sabrina Artel, Jeremiah Cothren, Veronica Delgado, Janet Hernandez, Jeannie Hopper, Gina Kim, Sarah Miller, Nat Needham, David Neuman, and Rory O’Conner.
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ACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel