Truthout.org
Encyclopedia
Truthout is a 501(3) nonprofit, progressive
news organization in the United States that operates a web site and distributes a daily newsletter. Registered in September 2001, Truthout publishes original political news articles, opinion pieces, video reports and artwork. According to its web site, "As an organization, Truthout works to broaden and diversify the political discussion by introducing independent voices and focusing on undercovered issues and unconventional thinking."
Truthout has featured content from writers Paul Krugman
, Dahr Jamail
, Henry Giroux
, Jason Leopold
, Bill Moyers
, Andy Worthington
, Kathy Kelly
, Norman Solomon
, William Rivers Pitt
, Kelpie Wilson, Ken Morris, Dean Baker
and Richard Silverstein. The organization has reported extensively on the torture policies
of the Bush administration, the health care debate
, veterans' issues
, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the labor movement, prison reform
and election politics.
cited a report published at Truthout as a source for their episode on May 16, 2010 about the BP oil spill and the whistleblower
who was warning about a possible blowout at another BP deepwater drilling
site.
Digital Journal wrote up the story.
CNN
's Randi Kaye
in an article cited a report by Truthout as the first article on Mark Kovak's inside knowledge about the safety concerns at the Prudhoe Bay, Alaska BP oil field.
On July 8, 2010 Kim Murphy
, a reporter for The Los Angeles Times cited Truthout's investigation into neglect and cost-cutting practices at Alyeska Pipeline in her report on the resignation of Alyeska's CEO.
On July 14, 2010 the United States House of Representatives
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing in the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. The hearing titled "The Safety of Hazardous Liquid Pipelines (Part 2): Integrity Management," cited an investigative report by Truthout as a document for the committee's investigation.
. An ongoing Truthout investigation has claimed widespread neglect within the Veterans Health Administration
of veterans with PTSD.
linked to and talked about a Truthout op-ed by Truthout board member Henry Giroux
on Bill Moyers Journal during the September 4, 2009 episode.
posted on Truthout that Karl Rove
had been indicted
by the grand jury
investigating the Plame affair
, Rove spokesman Mark Corallo
denied the story, calling it "a complete fabrication". Truthout defended the story, saying on 15 May they had two sources "who were explicit about the information" published, and confirmed on 25 May that they had "three independent sources confirming that attorneys for Karl Rove were handed an indictment" on the night of 12 May. The grand jury concluded with no indictment of Rove.
In his memoir, Courage and Consequence, Karl Rove addressed the Leopold article. Rove writes that Leopold is a "nut with Internet access" and that "thirty-five reporters called [Robert] Luskin or Corallo to ask about the Truthout report." According to Rove, "Fitzgerald got a kick out of the fictitious account and e-mailed Luskin to see how he felt after such a long day."
Professor and educational theorist Henry A. Giroux
.
Truthout's Board of Advisors has included Dean Baker
, Robert Reich
and the late Howard Zinn
.
Progressivism in the United States
Progressivism in the United States is a broadly based reform movement that reached its height early in the 20th century and is generally considered to be middle class and reformist in nature. It arose as a response to the vast changes brought by modernization, such as the growth of large...
news organization in the United States that operates a web site and distributes a daily newsletter. Registered in September 2001, Truthout publishes original political news articles, opinion pieces, video reports and artwork. According to its web site, "As an organization, Truthout works to broaden and diversify the political discussion by introducing independent voices and focusing on undercovered issues and unconventional thinking."
Truthout has featured content from writers Paul Krugman
Paul Krugman
Paul Robin Krugman is an American economist, professor of Economics and International Affairs at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, Centenary Professor at the London School of Economics, and an op-ed columnist for The New York Times...
, Dahr Jamail
Dahr Jamail
Dahr Jamail is an American journalist who is best known as one of the few unembedded journalists to report extensively from Iraq during the 2003 Iraq invasion. He spent eight months in Iraq, between 2003 to 2005, and presented his stories on his website, entitled Dahr Jamail's MidEast Dispatches....
, Henry Giroux
Henry Giroux
Henry Giroux, born September 18, 1943, in Providence, Rhode Island, is an American cultural critic. One of the founding theorists of critical pedagogy in the United States, he is best known for his pioneering work in public pedagogy, cultural studies, youth studies, higher education, media studies,...
, Jason Leopold
Jason Leopold
Jason Leopold is an American investigative reporter. Leopold is known for his work at Truthout as a senior editor and reporter, a position he left after three years on February 19, 2008 to co-found the web-based political magazine, The Public Record, according to an email sent to his readers....
, Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
, Andy Worthington
Andy Worthington
Andy Worthington is a British historian, journalist, and film director.He has published three books, and been published in numerous publications.In 2009 Worthington was the co-director of a documentary about the Guantanamo detainees....
, Kathy Kelly
Kathy Kelly
Kathy Kelly is an American peace activist, pacifist and author, a three-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee, one of the founding members of Voices in the Wilderness, and currently a co-coordinator of Voices for Creative Nonviolence. She has been described as "probably the most respected leader in the...
, Norman Solomon
Norman Solomon
Norman Solomon is an American journalist, media critic, antiwar activist, and current candidate for the United States House of Representatives. Solomon is a longtime associate of the media watch group Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting...
, William Rivers Pitt
William Rivers Pitt
William Rivers Pitt is an author, editor, and political activist.-Background:Pitt was born in Washington, D.C., and lived several years in Alabama before eventually moving to Boston...
, Kelpie Wilson, Ken Morris, Dean Baker
Dean Baker
Dean Baker is an American macroeconomist and co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, with Mark Weisbrot. He previously was a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute and an assistant professor of economics at Bucknell University. He has a Ph.D...
and Richard Silverstein. The organization has reported extensively on the torture policies
Torture and the United States
Torture in the United States includes documented and alleged cases of torture both inside the United States and outside its borders by U.S. government personnel...
of the Bush administration, the health care debate
Health care reform in the United States
Health care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...
, veterans' issues
Veteran
A veteran is a person who has had long service or experience in a particular occupation or field; " A veteran of ..."...
, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the labor movement, prison reform
Prison reform
Prison reform is the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, aiming at a more effective penal system.-History:Prisons have only been used as the primary punishment for criminal acts in the last couple of centuries...
and election politics.
Safety issues at BP
60 Minutes60 Minutes
60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....
cited a report published at Truthout as a source for their episode on May 16, 2010 about the BP oil spill and the whistleblower
Whistleblower
A whistleblower is a person who tells the public or someone in authority about alleged dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government department, a public or private organization, or a company...
who was warning about a possible blowout at another BP deepwater drilling
Deepwater drilling
Deepwater drilling is the process of oil and gas exploration and production in depths of more than 500 feet. By this definition, there are approximately 600 deepwater wells in the Gulf of Mexico....
site.
Digital Journal wrote up the story.
CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
's Randi Kaye
Randi Kaye
Randi Kaye is an American television news journalist for CNN. She is currently a national correspondent for the channel.-Early life and career:Kaye graduated cum laude from Boston University with a degree in broadcast journalism....
in an article cited a report by Truthout as the first article on Mark Kovak's inside knowledge about the safety concerns at the Prudhoe Bay, Alaska BP oil field.
On July 8, 2010 Kim Murphy
Kim Murphy
Kim Murphy is an American actress known for her roles in such movies as Houseguest and Burning Annie and her roles in the television series Level 9 and 24.-Biography:...
, a reporter for The Los Angeles Times cited Truthout's investigation into neglect and cost-cutting practices at Alyeska Pipeline in her report on the resignation of Alyeska's CEO.
On July 14, 2010 the United States House of Representatives
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure held a hearing in the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials. The hearing titled "The Safety of Hazardous Liquid Pipelines (Part 2): Integrity Management," cited an investigative report by Truthout as a document for the committee's investigation.
Veterans' issues
Truthout has closely followed issues affecting Iraq and Afghanistan veterans. Coverage has especially focused on veteran health care and post-traumatic stress disorderPost-traumatic stress disorder
Posttraumaticstress disorder is a severe anxiety disorder that can develop after exposure to any event that results in psychological trauma. This event may involve the threat of death to oneself or to someone else, or to one's own or someone else's physical, sexual, or psychological integrity,...
. An ongoing Truthout investigation has claimed widespread neglect within the Veterans Health Administration
Veterans Health Administration
The Veterans Health Administration is the component of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs led by the Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health that implements the medical assistance program of the VA through the administration and operation of numerous VA outpatient clinics,...
of veterans with PTSD.
In the press
Bill MoyersBill Moyers
Bill Moyers is an American journalist and public commentator. He served as White House Press Secretary in the United States President Lyndon B. Johnson Administration from 1965 to 1967. He worked as a news commentator on television for ten years. Moyers has had an extensive involvement with public...
linked to and talked about a Truthout op-ed by Truthout board member Henry Giroux
Henry Giroux
Henry Giroux, born September 18, 1943, in Providence, Rhode Island, is an American cultural critic. One of the founding theorists of critical pedagogy in the United States, he is best known for his pioneering work in public pedagogy, cultural studies, youth studies, higher education, media studies,...
on Bill Moyers Journal during the September 4, 2009 episode.
Controversies
On May 13, 2006, after Jason LeopoldJason Leopold
Jason Leopold is an American investigative reporter. Leopold is known for his work at Truthout as a senior editor and reporter, a position he left after three years on February 19, 2008 to co-found the web-based political magazine, The Public Record, according to an email sent to his readers....
posted on Truthout that Karl Rove
Karl Rove
Karl Christian Rove was Senior Advisor and Deputy Chief of Staff to former President George W. Bush until Rove's resignation on August 31, 2007. He has headed the Office of Political Affairs, the Office of Public Liaison, and the White House Office of Strategic Initiatives...
had been indicted
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
by the grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
investigating the Plame affair
Plame affair
The Plame Affair involved the identification of Valerie Plame Wilson as a covert Central Intelligence Agency officer. Mrs. Wilson's relationship with the CIA was formerly classified information...
, Rove spokesman Mark Corallo
Mark Corallo
Mark Corallo is a political communications and public relations professional, who is currently the co-founder and co-principal of Corallo Comstock...
denied the story, calling it "a complete fabrication". Truthout defended the story, saying on 15 May they had two sources "who were explicit about the information" published, and confirmed on 25 May that they had "three independent sources confirming that attorneys for Karl Rove were handed an indictment" on the night of 12 May. The grand jury concluded with no indictment of Rove.
In his memoir, Courage and Consequence, Karl Rove addressed the Leopold article. Rove writes that Leopold is a "nut with Internet access" and that "thirty-five reporters called [Robert] Luskin or Corallo to ask about the Truthout report." According to Rove, "Fitzgerald got a kick out of the fictitious account and e-mailed Luskin to see how he felt after such a long day."
Personnel
Truthout's Board of Directors includes McMaster UniversityMcMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
Professor and educational theorist Henry A. Giroux
Henry Giroux
Henry Giroux, born September 18, 1943, in Providence, Rhode Island, is an American cultural critic. One of the founding theorists of critical pedagogy in the United States, he is best known for his pioneering work in public pedagogy, cultural studies, youth studies, higher education, media studies,...
.
Truthout's Board of Advisors has included Dean Baker
Dean Baker
Dean Baker is an American macroeconomist and co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, with Mark Weisbrot. He previously was a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute and an assistant professor of economics at Bucknell University. He has a Ph.D...
, Robert Reich
Robert Reich
Robert Bernard Reich is an American political economist, professor, author, and political commentator. He served in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter and was Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997....
and the late Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn
Howard Zinn was an American historian, academic, author, playwright, and social activist. Before and during his tenure as a political science professor at Boston University from 1964-88 he wrote more than 20 books, which included his best-selling and influential A People's History of the United...
.