Talk Radio on 02/08/12

Host Lisa Loving speaks with Maria Armoudian about her new book "Kill the Messenger: The Media's Role in the Fate of the World," an in-depth examination of the media's power to help or harm.

What role do the media have in creating the conditions for atrocities in areas of conflict? Conversely, can the media be used to preserve democracy and safeguard the human rights of all citizens in a diverse society? How will the media affect the fate of the planet itself.

How does the media interact with psychological and cultural forces to impact perceptions, fears, peer-pressure, "groupthink," and the creation of heroes and villains?

Maria Armoudian is a journalist, singer/songwriter, legislative consultant and board member of KPFK, the Pacifica Foundation, the Los Angeles League of Conservation Voters and the Southern California Americans for Democratic Action. She hosts The Insighters and Scholars' Circle Sundays at noon on KPFK. She worked for the California Legislature for over seven years with a specialty in the corporate reform, environmental protection, government accountability and civil rights.

Her articles have been syndicated by both the New York Times Syndicate and the Los Angeles Times Syndicate and she has written for Salon.com, Daily Variety, Billboard, the Progressive and Business Week among others. Her first CD will be released this coming fall.