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Urgent action alert! Act now, mobilize in your communities and institutions. Ceasefire NOW! Stop the genocide!

Join us in condemning all instances of war crimes – including sexual violence – and in defending those who are under attack for challenging Israel’s deadly assault on Palestinians and its choice to weaponize the issue of sexual violence for political outcome. We will not be silenced!

The Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal will hold accountable, through testimony of witnesses,  US weapons manufacturers for Crimes Against Humanity and violations U.S. Federal criminal laws. Get involved!

A podcast that asks what do we want & how do we get it.

What is Left
Organizing in Difficult Times
All Episodes

SOLIDARITY SPOTLIGHT

31 authors & 6 orgs invite you to consider 20 Theses for Liberation, a living document to engage with in a collective process.

Forums for Engagement:
ZCommunity Forum
What RU Talking About
Kali Akuno/Coop Jackson on RevZ

Early responses:
Me, You, & 20 Theses
Get Behind #4Liberation
What I Owe the 20 Theses
Education #4Liberation
Community #4Liberation

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Real Utopia: Foundation for a Participatory Society exists to establish an international network of activist-organizers who are inspired and motivated by Participatory theory, vision, and strategy.

RU Introduction
RU Newsletter

The Greek Internationalist Art & Research Centre for Post Capitalist Studies, called mέta, works to break with a dystopian present to imagine the world anew.

ParticipatoryEconomy.org provides information and resources on how a modern economy can be organised around solidarity & sustainability instead of competition and greed.

Urgent action alert! Act now, mobilize in your communities and institutions. Ceasefire NOW! Stop the genocide!

Join us in condemning all instances of war crimes – including sexual violence – and in defending those who are under attack for challenging Israel’s deadly assault on Palestinians and its choice to weaponize the issue of sexual violence for political outcome. We will not be silenced!

The Merchants of Death War Crimes Tribunal will hold accountable, through testimony of witnesses,  US weapons manufacturers for Crimes Against Humanity and violations U.S. Federal criminal laws. Get involved!

A podcast that asks what do we want & how do we get it.

What is Left
Organizing in Difficult Times
All Episodes

SOLIDARITY SPOTLIGHT

31 authors & 6 orgs invite you to consider 20 Theses for Liberation, a living document to engage with in a collective process.

Forums for Engagement:
ZCommunity Forum
What RU Talking About
Kali Akuno/Coop Jackson on RevZ

Early responses:
Me, You, & 20 Theses
Get Behind #4Liberation
What I Owe the 20 Theses
Education #4Liberation
Community #4Liberation

Sign on!

Real Utopia: Foundation for a Participatory Society exists to establish an international network of activist-organizers who are inspired and motivated by Participatory theory, vision, and strategy.

RU Introduction
RU Newsletter

The Greek Internationalist Art & Research Centre for Post Capitalist Studies, called mέta, works to break with a dystopian present to imagine the world anew.

ParticipatoryEconomy.org provides information and resources on how a modern economy can be organised around solidarity & sustainability instead of competition and greed.

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ZNetwork: Left News, Analysis, Vision & Strategy

Profit, Power, & Bullsh*t

What is independent media and why does it matter now more than ever?

The mainstream media is owned by the holders of political power in our society and operates in a way that benefits them. It is also funded by hundreds of billions of dollars of advertising, i.e. corporations paying to spread messages conducive to business and/or state interests.

It is no accident that when describing the Israeli army massacring over a 100, and wounding several hundred more, starving Palestinian civilians waiting for food aid, the mainstream media comes up with tortured language headlines like “Gaza food aid deaths amid Israeli gunfire” (CNN), “More than 100 reported killed in crowd near Gaza aid convoy, Hamas run health ministry says” (BBC), “Biden says Gaza food aid-related deaths complicate peace talks” (Guardian).

There is another type of media. The countervailing media, spreading messages from the perspective of the people. It is also funded by and accountable to its readers.

Z is part of such media. Since we do not rely on businesses to pay us (nor would they) or billionaire donors, we are a shoestring budget operation volunteering our work. We make sure that topics and perspectives that serve the empowerment of the people are presented and disseminated.

But just as billionaires prop up and maintain their media system, the people need to maintain their own media system. If you can support us, please do, and let’s build and grow a media that will be able to effectively counter the mainstream propaganda system.

Z needs your help!

Join Noam Chomsky in supporting Z, as we bring 45 years of independent media to the next generation of activists and movements.

A special message from Noam Chomsky

Dear Z Network reader:

I have written for, related to, and been close friends with the outstanding Z project for much of my political life. I came on board when South End Press was born, stayed when Z Magazine first launched, and became still more connected with ZNet itself via my yet earlier New Left era connections to Michael Albert and Lydia Sargent. I know Z from writing books for South End Press, articles for Z Magazine, and all manner of things for the web system now called znetwork.org. I have also written countless letters, over the years, to aid Z’s efforts to raise funds. This is another of those letters, but it is also a chance to make a more general case that needs making.

The new Z, I guess about a year old now, arose from Michael getting on in years and deciding it was time to make way for younger leadership. There are seven on the new staff. I know some and have now seen the work of others. They rebuilt the site and now seek to broaden and grow its impact. They have done this as volunteers with no income at all. Compare znetwork.org to other operations with budgets not only for salaries, but for solicitation, and more. Despite that they have had none of that you wouldn’t know it by looking. So, it is reasonable to wonder, aside from helping them exist, what might they bring us all if we provide funds for them to work longer hours, and to implement more innovations?

These people are not content with survival, and rightly so. Their goal is to aid activists win real change. They cover everything that needs attention but far more so than many other projects, they focus on strategy and vision. I am a ZFriend—a group they have assembled to consult, publish, and get advice from. They don’t want a nominal board that does nothing. They want a community of involved Friends to relate to and I know they want to address their entire audience in much the same fashion. I believe that with funding support, each of the seven staff will not only free themselves to devote more time, more energy, and more creative focus for the long haul, but they will also have means to pay writers, generate topical explorations, sponsor debates and roundtables, generate video and a videocast to go with podcasts and more, plus generate something they call ZedTalks…imagine that!

For over fifty years I have watched groups try to fundraise. It is an alienating, thankless, pursuit. After all, it is a kind of begging. But what choice do such groups have? Well, I would like to propose to you that you let this long-running, highly accomplished, left project, and all those you really like, have your support without further begging by the likes of me—or themselves.

So please visit ZNetwork.org  and support the new ZNetwork staff in their efforts. They don’t claim they will shut the doors if you don’t. They are far too committed for that and far too honest, as well. They seek your support not for personal survival but for increased organizational achievement. What they do claim, and what I believe is true, is that they will do steadily greater things if you provide support. Help them help us all. Help them, and here I quote them, “grow, diversify, and contribute to a movement of movements that wins steadily escalating gains on the path to a new world.”

I support Z. I hope you will do so too.

Noam Chomsky

Welcome to ZNetwork
… the spirit of resistance lives!

Z in 2024: a new website, new features, ambitious new plans, and even some new blood…

Join us in this new chapter, and in celebrating 45 years of community dedicated to advancing vision & strategy, resisting injustice, fostering liberty, and winning a better world for all!

Renovating this massive site took considerable time, a ton of effort, and even a little luck. But all is well and we are still innovating new components.

We encourage your participation in helping continue to improve – please share your feedback and suggestions via email: [email protected], or in our new community forum.

Without further ado – check it out!

In solidarity,

  • The Z Staff: Alexandria, Arash, Bridget, Cooper, Fintan, Greg, & Matic

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