While the United States typically prides itself on being a country where free speech reigns and journalists are able to chase down stories without government interference, Amy Goodman doesn’t see it that way.

“In the old Soviet Union, people knew that they had to read between the lines of state-sponsored news to get to the truth,” Goodman said at an event in Philadelphia. “But in this country there is the illusion that there is great diversity in the media because of all the channels that are available. But who owns the media?”

The answer may surprise the average American. In the early ’80s, about 50 media conglomerates dominated TV, newspaper, radio, magazine, music, film, and publishing outlets. By 2000, that had dwindled to six. And while those conglomerates may seem like they answer to the viewers, listeners, and readers, in truth they are legally obligated to answer to their shareholders -- and that’s not what journalism should be about, Goodman argues.

As the host and executive producer of Democracy Now!, she has created a different kind of show. The daily news program, co-hosted with journalist Juan Gonzalez, tackles political and newsworthy topics, not unlike many other shows. What is different, however, is that Democracy Now! does not accept advertisers, corporate underwriting, or government funding, instead relying solely on contributions from listeners and foundations. The independent program now reaches more than 900 TV and radio stations in North America, focusing on topics under-reported in the mainstream media, including environmental issues.

On the Front Lines 

Goodman didn’t fall into her role as co-host of an award-winning grassroots political journalism outfit by accident. The longtime investigative reporter has witnessed a mass killing of demonstrators in East Timor, been arrested at the 2008 Republican National Convention, and documented the role of Chevron in a standoff between the Nigerian army and citizens who had taken oil corporation equipment.

For this enterprising work and her radio show, she’s received a slew of awards, perhaps most notably The Right Livelihood Award, known as the “Alternative Nobel Prize.” As the first journalist to receive this honor, she was cited “…for developing an innovative model of truly independent political journalism that brings to millions of people the alternative voices that are often excluded by mainstream media.”

True Democracy 

In the past decade, Goodman has also penned four best-sellers (three of them with her brother, journalist David Goodman): Breaking the Sound Barrier, Standing Up to the Madness: Ordinary Heroes in Extraordinary Times, Static: Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back, and The Exception to the Rulers: Exposing Oily Politicians, War Profiteers, and the Media That Love Them.

Documenting war and peace, domestic and foreign policy, and issues of race, gender, and the environment is not easy, nor glamorous -- she was beaten in East Timor, as just one example -- but the service Goodman provides is one that true democracy needs.

“She’s not an editorialist. She sticks to the facts. She’s not a Rush Limbaugh-type who is simply letting her ideology drive what she does,” said Michael X. Delli Carpini, dean of the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, to The Philadelphia Inquirer. “She provides points of view that make you think, and she comes at it by saying, ‘Who are we not hearing from in the traditional media?’”