September 26, 2011
Democracy Now! Host Amy Goodman Named "Truthdigger of the Week" for Coverage of Troy Davis Execution
Amy Goodman has been named "Truthdigger of the Week" for taking the Democracy Now! camera and crew to Georgia for what turned out to be a marathon examination of the emotional events leading up to the execution of Troy Davis.
From the Truthdig website:
Late Wednesday night, the state of Georgia executed Troy Davis, a man who had been on death row for 20 years for the murder of an off-duty police officer. Many people doubted Davis’ guilt after seven of nine witnesses in the case changed or recanted their testimony, and a number of people—from the pope and Archbishop Desmond Tutu to former President Jimmy Carter and an ex-FBI director—spoke out against executing a man who could very well be innocent. But as the Davis case held the world’s attention, the only news outlet to broadcast live continuously from the prison grounds on the night of his execution was “Democracy Now!” and its host and executive producer, Amy Goodman, our Truthdigger of the Week.
Goodman stood with protesters outside the execution chambers with camera and crew for what was intended to be a two-hour special but which ended up going for more than six hours. Goodman was there to capture the emotional moment when the crowd learned from NAACP President and CEO Ben Jealous that the Supreme Court had issued a (very) temporary stay, and she stayed to interview person after person about any and all details of the night. Her broadcast made more information available to the world in real time than any other news source that night, and her poise and clear-headedness throughout the ordeal brought needed comfort to a distraught audience.
For most people, as Truthdig reader Melissa said, “Amy Goodman’s coverage of the Troy Davis lynching brought the world the only live coverage [and] the only honest coverage. Her fierce dedication is deserving of any journalist award, if they indeed carry merit.”
Read the full statement from Truthdig.
By Amy Goodman with Denis Moynihan
Gen. John Allen, commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, spoke Wednesday at the Pentagon, four stars on each shoulder, his chest bedecked with medals. Unlike Allen, many decorated U.S. military veterans left the streets of Chicago after the NATO summit without their medals.
In an extended interview, David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, discusses the history of the company, why they put sustainability and social justice ahead of profits, the organic and GMO labeling movements, the U.S. war on hemp, and why they refuse to sell out. [includes rush transcript]
Human Rights Watch’s Kenneth Roth examines why the U.S. has not pressured Bahrain to release pro-democracy activists. He also discusses Syria and the conditions in Israeli jails and courts that prompted 1,550 Palestinian prisoners to go on a hunger strike. [includes rush transcript]


