You are invited to the free East Village–Lower East Side premiere of my film, Plunder The Crime of Our Time, TONIGHT, Tuesday at the wonderful Sixth Street Community Center, an organization that supports food, health and education. I will be there.

Please RSVP by email or by phone [212.677.1863] to join us for an organic dinner, which will be served at 6:30 PM.

MEDIA RELEASE UPDATE

Filmmaker, Danny Schechter, Director of the new film, ‘PLUNDER The Crime Of Our Time,’ says, “Thank you, Goldman Sachs.”

As the Government Launches A Criminal Probe of Goldman Deal Making, Financial Crime is Back On the Media Agenda

New York, New York, May 3: After a week of compelling Senate hearings investigating the alleged fraudulent practices of the country’s largest investment bank, The Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the firm’s practices.

The actions followed protests across the country against leading banks including a march on Wall Street by 15,000 workers who blame financial institutions for causing the loss of ll million jobs. Many feel that they have been robbed by crooked schemes that have resulted in massive job losses and growing foreclosures.

At the Goldman hearings, protesters wore old style black and white prison uniforms to call for the jailing Goldman executives.

At the same time, a new film, Plunder The Crime of Our Time, by investigative journalist Danny Schechter has been released on DVD (Disinfo), iTunes, and to On Demands Systems. The feature-length documentary treats the financial crisis is a crime story, not just a business problem.

“Thanks to the disclosures about Goldman’s shady practices, and now the announcement of a criminal probe, the charge raised by Senator Ted Kaufman and others that fraud is the heart of the meltdown are no longer seen as far fetched,” says veteran producer Schechter, whose earlier film, ‘In Debt We Trust,’ exposed subprime abuses and warned of the coming collapse back in 2006.

“Let’s thank Goldman Sachs for drawing all the flak and allowing us to put the crime narrative out there in a media that has mostly blamed Wall Street for mistakes. My new film shows what really happened in the form of an epidemic of mortgage fraud, dodgy securitization schemes that overvalued toxic mortgage backed securities, and insurance scams that allowed Wall Street to bet against their own deals. The film shows criminal intent.”

Screenings are being organized nationwide after a premiere at New York’s National Arts Club.

Plunder The Crime of Our Time was called “the anti-Wall Street Film That’s Not Just For Michael Moore fans” by The Wall Street Journal. Danny Schechter has been interviewed by media outlets that skew right like Coast To Coast and Ron Paul’s website and left on Democracy Now., although he has been “banned by Fox Business News after a booking was abruptly canceled.

A sampling of the media attention the film is receiving can be found on the move’s website, Plunderthecrimeofourtime. There’s a Facebook page at PlunderMovie and a Twitter account. A new music video of the Plunder theme song by Polarity1 has now been posted on YouTube and other outlets.

Director Schechter has been writing about financial crime on scores of websites including Huffington Post, OpEd News Alternet, ZNet, Buzzflash, Global Research, Creative I, Al Jazeera and Market Oracle. He also has written a companion book, ‘THE CRIME OF OUR TIME, further documenting his investigative findings.

I am looking for some volunteers to help us with outreach and distribution. Write to me at dissector@mediachannel.org

Finally in the spirit of Spring, a song from an old/new friend of mine, Juan Carlos Musser, a name to know on the music scene.

Media: I will be talking about the film with Reporter Gary on Paltalk tonight, Tuesday, at 5:30, and later in the week on GRIT TV.

Media Comment: Were you watching Rachel and Keith on MSNBC as I was? Did you notice that Bank of America was the big sponsor on her show while Well’s Fargo helped bring us Keith? Sorry, I know they don’t influence the content. But still, the Banksters are all over their opposition.

BBC: Media watchdog group Reporters Without Borders has named the leaders of
China, Russia and Rwanda as some of the world’s worst “predators of
freedom”.

The report, marking World Press Freedom Day, lists what the Paris-based
group regards as the 40 worst offenders against the freedom of the press.

North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il and the head of Burma’s military government
Than Shwe, are also on the list.

Mexico is named as among the most dangerous countries for journalists.

Sixty-two journalists have been killed in Mexico over the last decade.

Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin has “promoted a climate of pumped-up
national pride that encourages the persecution of dissidents and
freethinkers”, the report contends.

‘PREDATORS’
Group lists offences against press freedom in 40 countries including:
•Russia
•China
•Saudi Arabia
•Cuba
•Rwanda
•Libya
•Spain
•Sri Lanka
•Iran
•Italy

The Basque separate group Eta in Spain and criminal gangs in Italy are also
said to have threatened journalists.

Israeli Defence Forces have physically injured at least 33 Palestinian
journalists, the report says. Palestinian militant group Hamas is also
criticised.

Comments to: dissector@mediachannel.org