Democracy Watch News

Democracy Watch News Democracy Watch News gathers and links you to stories and commentaries informing our global dialogue in over 190 countries around the Earth.

Each day our scheduled features emphasize one of seven global regions. https://www.twitter.com/dwatchnews

The news coverage addresses issues essential for self reliance and governance:
Democracy, Human Rights, Press Freedom, Environmental Sustainability, Sustainable Public Policies, Transparency, Open Governance, Media Ethics & Responsibility, Journalism, Nonviolent Conflict. Rights, liberties,

freedoms, each come with responsibilities, without which opportunity and justice become empty thoughts in search of meaning. Democracy Watch News works with journalists, grassroots activists, and advocates in nongovernmental organizations to provide broad input from divergent sources. We work with the International Collaborative Media Alliance and journalism associations to encourage community, citizen, and other independent journalists to responsibly broaden news coverage for the new millennium. Where to find the News Feed
Our news service provides regular news feeds via on twitter, which automatically streams into this page. The twitter feed is available at:
https://wwwtwitter.com/dwatchnews

We encourage everyone interested in developing and sustaining democratic institutions, rights, and privileges to pull up a chair daily and follow the flow of information. As interest motivates you, follow links to read stories, notices, and comments. Finally, as a news service, we make information accessible when it is newsworthy. So marking a story, comment, or link by following, liking, favoriting, retweeting or sharing does not imply endorsement. To read or contribute to discussions about how we do our work, please join the discussions in the FB page, International Collaborative Media Alliance. Democracy Watch News will develop and announce other online services and partnerships to inform and encourage discussions about the needs and interests necessary for democracy, human rights, and life in the twenty-first century. The newsfeed follows a regular weekly schedule from the first to twenty-eighth of each month, with special features on days 29, 30, and 31 as they occur on the calendar. Small island nations and other smaller countries as well as international associations or special topics may be featured on these days at the end of each month. Below is the regular schedule for each region with the days of the month they receive special focus. Please note,, however, interspersed in the regional reports will be RTs, comments, and reports from our daily watch list and the general flow of news from the global democratic awakening. Day 1, 8, 15, 22: North, Central, South America, and the Caribbean. Day 2, 9, 16, 23: West, Central, East, and Southern Africa, and the western Indian Ocean. Day 3, 10, 17, 24: North Africa and the Horn of Africa. Day 4, Western, Southern, and Northern Europe, including Iceland, Malta, and Cyprus. Day 5, 12, 19, 26: Eastern Europe, the northern Caucuses, and Kazakhstan.. Day 6, 13, 20, 27: West Asia, South Caucuses, and Central Asia, except for East Turkestan, Mongolia, and Tibet. Day 7, 14, 21, 28: South, East, and Southeast Asia Tibet, Mongolia, East Turkestan, Maldives, and the Pacific nations.

Jeff calls me the "Renaissance Man" due to my many varied interests and accomplishments besides serving as Executive Dir...
06/04/2026

Jeff calls me the "Renaissance Man" due to my many varied interests and accomplishments besides serving as Executive Director for Democracy Watch News! Thanks Jeff - you rock! I'm a guest on the every Friday at 2:30 PM talking threats to , , & natural wonders in the . I talk about the summit ski and climbing/hiking area in the Mountains. Support unfiltered information from independent on a nation-wide network including and online. (Update - The US is now ranked 64th in on .)
https://youtu.be/4VWIn-fqGLk?si=I5q53BqrY45cLbcF

Journalist/musician Mark Taylor-Canfield (Huffington Post/Democracy...

Here's a photo of me &   from   at the iconic   in   where his recording label   was celebrating the new   release by  ....
06/02/2026

Here's a photo of me & from at the iconic in where his recording label was celebrating the new release by .
Stone played 🎸 in Paul's band.

My friend's band also performed.

For ad-free videos featuring my original music & subscribe to my channel.
https://youtube com/c/marktaylorcanfield

06/02/2026

Three U.S. senators have called for an overhaul of federal agents’ use of tear gas and pepper spray, citing a ProPublica investigation that found at least 79 children were hurt by these chemicals during Trump’s immigration crackdown.

Read more: https://propub.li/4o3mJuS

Yes, besides my work as Executive Director for  , I also perform as a musician. I believe it's imperative for artists an...
05/30/2026

Yes, besides my work as Executive Director for , I also perform as a musician. I believe it's imperative for artists and performers to speak out against and threats to and freedom of expression. and 's plan to stage a protest concert in Washington DC is exactly what the nation needs right now. We are facing neo-fascism on a scale never seen before in US and . I'm working on a new song entitled, "We The People" which I will share when that track is officially released.

In this guest segment on the I also talk about meeting from during a record release party at Seattle's iconic . His label Loosegrooves just released a recording by local legend . If you want to skip to my segment go to 9:37 in the video, but Jeff has some good things to say before that.

Jeff also includes clips from Springsteen's music video "Streets Of Minneapolis" and the too!

I'm Jeff's guest every Friday at 2:30 PM PT. Please subscribe to my channel for more ad-free videos featuring my and ! Thanks.

https://youtu.be/Q9ZyTwC_yZY?si=bmwz3Nl804DpiqBs

Seattle journalist/musician Mark Taylor-Canfield talks with host Jeff Santos in Boston about a major protest concert festival to be held in the nation's capi...

I'll be a guest on Jeff Santos Show at 2:30 PT PM today talking about  's upcoming     with  ,  ,  , etc. Good to see   ...
05/29/2026

I'll be a guest on Jeff Santos Show at 2:30 PT PM today talking about 's upcoming with , , , etc. Good to see musicians participating! As I commented to the :

"This will be a great day for and activism! Musicians here in are in full support of the event. Great to see that Seattle legends and will participate. We hope that our award winning local stars and will also participate."

Of course Springsteen did anti-aparteid concerts and participated in the big Amnesty International benefit concert in 1988 so he's the right guy for the job. calls him a hater but his music is about resistance to tyranny and is anti-hate. Instead of the day the music died, I think this will be the day the music came alive!"

I'll also talk about meeting from Pearl Jam at the fabulous Clock-Out Lounge in Beacon Hill. He and have been supporting 's re-emergence on the Seattle music scene. Stone's recording label has released his new music!

BTW I am Jeff's guest every Friday talking , and music. His talkshow is perhaps the best in the country. Author/educator is also on the show today reporting live from on the economic disaster caused by the US embargo. You can see all my appearances on Jeff's show at my channel. Subscribe for ad-free videos!

Jeff Santos supports a vision focused on justice, equality, and opportunity, with priorities that include expanding healthcare, ensuring economic fairness, and advancing civil rights for all Americans. Progressive Radio with the Jeff Santos Show

The US ranking on the   is steadily declining but domestic     refuses to report on this information. Our non-profit Dem...
05/28/2026

The US ranking on the is steadily declining but domestic refuses to report on this information. Our non-profit Democracy Watch News informed US media and briefed members of but got very little response. After we briefed them on this information, Representatives , and made public statements on May 3rd about the importance of press freedom in any , and Senator introduced a resolution recognizing , but no co-sponsored the bill. Oregon Senators and did co-sponsor the bill. Where were Senators and on that issue? I plan to request meetings with their offices to find out! I contacted a senior editor at The Seattle Times, BrierDudley but we were told that they didn't receive the information in time to report it, even though international media, including BBC World, FRANCE 24 , Channel - قناة الجزير, etc. reported on World Press Freedom Day and on the declining US ranking.

The rest of world acknowledges and celebrates every year on May 3rd but US politicians and news media ignore it, even after 's numerous attacks on - calling the the "enemy of the people"!

I will continue to report on this issue even if I continue to be a lone voice in the wilderness of US media self-censorship. For more information and to watch my reports for Hartmann and my weekly guest appearances on the Jeff Santos Show please subscribe to my channel. You can also follow my reports at , and .

is a non-profit news organization that deserves your support. Without there can be no democracy!

Perhaps the most self-censored story of our time in the United States - US ranking on the World Press Freedom Index has been declining steadily since 2002. U...

My report for   show. Perhaps the most self-censored story of our time in the United States - US ranking on the   has be...
05/16/2026

My report for show. Perhaps the most self-censored story of our time in the United States - US ranking on the has been declining steadily since 2002. USA is now ranked 64th among the world's nations in terms of press freedom - a fundamental principle supposedly protected and guaranteed by the to the . has declared that the is the "enemy of the people", but without a there can be no !

Mark Taylor-Canfield quoted in international press talking about and the decline in US :
https://mmglobalnews.gm/us-media-advocates-petition-congress-on-falling-us-press-freedom-ranking/

World Press Freedom Index:
https://rsf.org/en/index

ournalists report on decline of US press freedom.
https://cpj.org/issue/press-freedom-in-the-us/

Mark's article at Democracy Watch News North America:
https://democracywatchnews.org/2026/04/usa-is-no-longer-a-liberal-democracy-according-to-new-report-from-international-research-group/?

You can read MTC's upcoming article on this topic at
https://democracywatchnews.org

https://youtu.be/A-127quntRo?si=OHuNBCIGXQ419z72

Perhaps the most self-censored story of our time in the United States - US ranking on the World Press Freedom Index has been declining steadily since 2002. U...

  is facing felony charges after documenting anti     at a church in  . Other reporters have also been charged by   in a...
05/14/2026

is facing felony charges after documenting anti at a church in . Other reporters have also been charged by in a politically motivated prosecution.

requires !

Charging journalists for reporting on a protest is a direct threat to press freedom. If left unchallenged, this case could silence critical reporting and weaken accountability. Take one minute to act and stand up for the right to report.>>

Brian Stelter does a good job of explaining why legacy media is losing its relevance, being replaced by more independent...
05/14/2026

Brian Stelter does a good job of explaining why legacy media is losing its relevance, being replaced by more independent news influencers and pundits. This text is from his writing in the Reliable Sources newsletter... *NOTE My own channel offers some independent thought: https://youtube.com/c/marktaylorcanfield

When 'legacy' means left behind

The phrase "legacy media" is often deployed as an insult these days. But "legacy is not a word we shy away from. It's our superpower," NBCUniversal ad sales boss Mark Marshall said earlier this week. He called NBC's 100-year legacy "our greatest competitive advantage."

Other media execs are talking the same way at this week's upfront presentations, spinning "age as its advantage," as Axios put it.

It can be — but legacy media brands are in danger of being "left behind" right now, former BBC News chief Deborah Turness warned in a powerful speech in London last night.

Turness, who also ran NBC News in an earlier life, argued that "established media hasn't confronted the hard truth — that this revolution isn't just about consumers moving to different platforms. It's that they are choosing more direct forms of journalism."

Like... newsletters! And podcast hosts, YouTube creators, Substack startups, and Instagram influencers. I was complaining the other day to Mosheh Oinounou, founder of Mo News, that there's no catch-all name for this new type of news content. Oinounou is a podcaster and a video maker and a newsletter publisher and an all-around narrator of the news.

But you know this type of news when you see it in your feed. "This creator journalism is not a sideshow. It is fast becoming the show," Turness said last night.

Her concern, shared by countless others across the news industry, is that traditional outlets haven't totally faced up "to the consequences of the shift of trust and attention from institutions to individuals; from programs and platforms to people."

"The reason why this matters transcends the impact of any one organization," she said. "It matters because this new media diet is, in the main, driven by commentary and conversation. And because the established media has not yet broken into this new world at scale, it isn't yet the home of frontline reporting by courageous journalists from dark and dangerous places across the globe. Or, with notable exceptions, the home of risky undercover investigations."

What newsrooms can still offer...

News organizations are trying. (Hey, this newsletter has been around for ten years.) TV networks are signing digital creators as on-air contributors. The publications formerly known as newspapers are churning out podcasts.

But Turness argued last night that news bosses need to go further: They're "going to have to be more prepared to liberate their talent. To strike a 'new deal,' with a compelling offer that outweighs the value of going it alone in the new 'talent economy.'"

On stage at Milken last week, Puck CEO Sarah Personette told me that journalists from "legacy" outlets like the middle ground Puck is offering — a place where they can "move faster" and "try new things" while getting healthcare benefits and equity in the company.

Turness laid out many ideas in her speech, which The Guardian excerpted here.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/may/12/warning-news-industry-act-now-joe-rogan-piers-morgan-ecosystem

For further reading/listening along these lines, Substack just started an interview show with independent media founders.

Important point about influencers:

Anytime I write about this topic, I feel compelled to add this huge caveat, which Evan DeSimone expressed really well last week: "Almost all of these news influencers build their brand by commenting on reporting done by real journalists at legacy outlets."

"To be clear," he added on X, "my point here isn’t that influencers are bad, but rather that anyone who posits them as the future of the media business needs to reckon with how they'll function once the actual reporting they rely on repackaging dwindles away." Indeed, which is what makes the Turness argument so urgent.

There is a revolution reshaping how people want and get their information. News brands can and must react, but the time is now, says Deborah Turness, former head of BBC News

Without a free press there can be no  ! The US is now ranked 64th in   on the newly released   by  . That means there ar...
05/07/2026

Without a free press there can be no ! The US is now ranked 64th in on the newly released by . That means there are 63 other nations where journalists have more legal protections and have more access to information about their own government. US journalists can't be proud of our steadily declining ranking but most US news organizations still decline to report on that information despite efforts by our non-profit to brief our colleagues in the and inform members of . The vast majority of members of Congress are completely unaware of (May 3) or the World PressFreedom Index compiled by .

Quote from International Federation of Journalists:

"Across the world, the killing, injuring, and threatening, as well as the arbitrary detention, forcing into exile and silencing of journalists, has become a shocking reality. Women journalists are disproportionately targeted by gender-based violence, including online harassment and abuse, further silencing critical voices. 2025 was the deadliest year for journalists worldwide ever recorded." - Council of the EU. "In its latest global Surveillance report published on 28 April, the IFJ highlights the systemic and unprecedented surveillance carried out against journalists, where classic phishing emails and fake websites now coexist with state-level spyware, compromising journalists' security and the protection of their sources with no meaningful legislative or regulatory oversight." - International Federation of Journalists Thinking of all those who keep reporting despite the dangers, challenges, deliberate targeting.
https://youtu.be/YqEIOUu5YyQ?si=VyCtZ1oThr0vciVX
World Press Freedom Index
https://rsf.org/en/index

10 likes, 2 comments. "World Press Freedom Day 2026: RSF report says press freedom at its lowest in 25 years • FRANCE 24"

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