Greg Guma
Encyclopedia
Greg Guma born March 4, 1947 in New York City, is an American progressive journalist and author.
A graduate of Syracuse University (B.S., 1968) and the University of Vermont (M.Ed, 1975), Guma edited a variety of publications from the 1970s to 2005, including The Vermont Vanguard Press, the state’s first commercial alternative weekly; Toward Freedom http://www.towardfreedom.com/home/, an international affairs newsletter founded in 1952; and Vermont Guardianhttp://www.vermontguardian.com/. In 2006, he became Executive Director of the Pacifica Foundation, parent corporation of the Pacifica radio network. He is also the author of several documentary scripts, plays and books, including The People’s Republic: Vermont and the Sanders Revolution http://www.amazon.com/dp/093305078X, Uneasy Empire: Repression, Globalization and What We Can Do http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/American_Empire/Uneasy_Empire.html, and Spirits of Desire http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594577307.
. After working briefly as publications director for Bennington College
and as a project director for government work and training programs, he moved to the Burlington
area in the mid-70s, becoming a college teacher and alternative journalist.
In 1978, he covered one of the first “terrorist” trials in the US, the prosecution of Kristina Berster http://cdi.uvm.edu/findingaids/viewEAD.xql?pid=berster.ead.xml, a West German woman who attempted to cross the border illegally, and revealed in a series of articles that the government’s charges were part of a massive disinformation
campaign. Defended by Chicago 8 lawyer William Kunstler
, Berster was acquitted of conspiracy charges. Two years later, Guma revealed that the FBI was using the US Census http://www.loc.gov/law/find/hearings/pdf/0013929497A.pdf as a cover for illegal investigations, a revelation that led to a congressional investigation. For those stories and other civil liberties
writing he won a 1980 National Endowment for the Humanities
fellowship.
As editor of the Vermont Vanguard Press (1978-1983), he helped set the stage for electoral victories by progressives in Burlington, including the election of Bernie Sanders
as city mayor in 1981. He also chaired the city's third party and ran for local office.
Guma became editor of Toward Freedom http://www.towardfreedom.com/home/ in 1987 for two years, and returned to the position in 1994, remaining editor of the international affairs publication for the next decade. During that time Toward Freedom expanded its coverage and won several Project Censored
awards, including one for Guma’s coverage of private military companies http://books.google.com/books?id=_DpW2MB2UooC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=Guma+Project+Censored+Secrets+R+US&source=web&ots=L4NOwbL3T_&sig=evfKQX72ma2RRhSmhkbZEc4yWbI&hl=en#PPA98,M1. In 2000, he organized Building Independent Media, a national conference, and in 2001 helped to found Vermont’s Independent Media Center
, coinciding with FTAA protests in Quebec City. His feature articles and editorial columns have been published worldwide.
In 2004, Guma and Shay Totten co-founded Vermont Guardian http://www.vermontguardian.com/, a statewide weekly newspaper. Two years later, Guma became Executive Director of the Pacifica Foundation after the resignation of Dan Coughlin. During his tenure, Pacifica launched several new programs, including Informed Dissent, From the Vault, and a daily newscast in Spanish. He resigned in late 2007.
myths. In 1985, he edited Bread & Puppet: Stories of Struggle and Faith from Central America http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/794489/used/Bread%20&%20puppet%20:%20stories%20of%20struggle%20&%20faith%20from%20Central%20America. His 1989 book, The People’s Republic: Vermont and the Sanders Revolution http://www.amazon.com/dp/093305078X , chronicled the rise of progressive politics in the Green Mountain State. In 1991, he co-authored Passport to Freedom http://www.worldgovernmenthouse.com/Book_List.php#catpass with World Citizen leader Garry Davis
.
In recent years, he has written a post-9/11 manifesto about political repression and globalization, Uneasy Empire (2002)http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/American_Empire/Uneasy_Empire.html, a novel about Helena Blavatsky and 19th century spiritualism
, Spirits of Desire http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594577307, and a play about the Haymarket affair
and crackdowns on civil liberties, Inquisitions (and Other Un-American Activities http://www.squeakywheel.net/inquisitions.html.
Guma founded and managed two Vermont bookstores in the 1970s and 80s, The Frayed Page (1975-80) and Maverick Bookstore and Gallery (1985-91). In the early 1990s, he managed a bookstore, Revolution, in Santa Monica, California.
A graduate of Syracuse University (B.S., 1968) and the University of Vermont (M.Ed, 1975), Guma edited a variety of publications from the 1970s to 2005, including The Vermont Vanguard Press, the state’s first commercial alternative weekly; Toward Freedom http://www.towardfreedom.com/home/, an international affairs newsletter founded in 1952; and Vermont Guardianhttp://www.vermontguardian.com/. In 2006, he became Executive Director of the Pacifica Foundation, parent corporation of the Pacifica radio network. He is also the author of several documentary scripts, plays and books, including The People’s Republic: Vermont and the Sanders Revolution http://www.amazon.com/dp/093305078X, Uneasy Empire: Repression, Globalization and What We Can Do http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/American_Empire/Uneasy_Empire.html, and Spirits of Desire http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594577307.
Journalism career
Guma's career as a journalist began in 1968 at the Bennington Banner http://www.benningtonbanner.com/, a daily paper in southern VermontVermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
. After working briefly as publications director for Bennington College
Bennington College
Bennington College is a liberal arts college located in Bennington, Vermont, USA. The college was founded in 1932 as a women's college and became co-educational in 1969.-History:-Early years:...
and as a project director for government work and training programs, he moved to the Burlington
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
area in the mid-70s, becoming a college teacher and alternative journalist.
In 1978, he covered one of the first “terrorist” trials in the US, the prosecution of Kristina Berster http://cdi.uvm.edu/findingaids/viewEAD.xql?pid=berster.ead.xml, a West German woman who attempted to cross the border illegally, and revealed in a series of articles that the government’s charges were part of a massive disinformation
Disinformation
Disinformation is intentionally false or inaccurate information that is spread deliberately. For this reason, it is synonymous with and sometimes called black propaganda. It is an act of deception and false statements to convince someone of untruth...
campaign. Defended by Chicago 8 lawyer William Kunstler
William Kunstler
William Moses Kunstler was an American self-described "radical lawyer" and civil rights activist, known for his controversial clients...
, Berster was acquitted of conspiracy charges. Two years later, Guma revealed that the FBI was using the US Census http://www.loc.gov/law/find/hearings/pdf/0013929497A.pdf as a cover for illegal investigations, a revelation that led to a congressional investigation. For those stories and other civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
writing he won a 1980 National Endowment for the Humanities
National Endowment for the Humanities
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency of the United States established by the National Foundation on the Arts and the Humanities Act of 1965 dedicated to supporting research, education, preservation, and public programs in the humanities. The NEH is located at...
fellowship.
As editor of the Vermont Vanguard Press (1978-1983), he helped set the stage for electoral victories by progressives in Burlington, including the election of Bernie Sanders
Bernie Sanders
Bernard "Bernie" Sanders is the junior United States Senator from Vermont. He previously represented Vermont's at-large district in the United States House of Representatives...
as city mayor in 1981. He also chaired the city's third party and ran for local office.
Guma became editor of Toward Freedom http://www.towardfreedom.com/home/ in 1987 for two years, and returned to the position in 1994, remaining editor of the international affairs publication for the next decade. During that time Toward Freedom expanded its coverage and won several Project Censored
Project Censored
Project Censored is a non-profit, media criticism and investigative journalism project within the Sonoma State University Foundation. It is managed through the School of Social Sciences at the university....
awards, including one for Guma’s coverage of private military companies http://books.google.com/books?id=_DpW2MB2UooC&pg=PA112&lpg=PA112&dq=Guma+Project+Censored+Secrets+R+US&source=web&ots=L4NOwbL3T_&sig=evfKQX72ma2RRhSmhkbZEc4yWbI&hl=en#PPA98,M1. In 2000, he organized Building Independent Media, a national conference, and in 2001 helped to found Vermont’s Independent Media Center
Independent Media Center
The Independent Media Center is a global participatory network of journalists that report on political and social issues. It originated during the Seattle anti-WTO protests worldwide in 1999 and remains closely associated with the global justice movement, which criticizes neo-liberalism and its...
, coinciding with FTAA protests in Quebec City. His feature articles and editorial columns have been published worldwide.
In 2004, Guma and Shay Totten co-founded Vermont Guardian http://www.vermontguardian.com/, a statewide weekly newspaper. Two years later, Guma became Executive Director of the Pacifica Foundation after the resignation of Dan Coughlin. During his tenure, Pacifica launched several new programs, including Informed Dissent, From the Vault, and a daily newscast in Spanish. He resigned in late 2007.
Pacifica Radio
As Executive Director of the progressive radio network Guma attempted to heal the wounds created by the decade-long struggle for control of the organization. Finances improved and new programs were launched. But the divisions within the organization persisted, and he left prematurely when members of the National Board disapproved of his conflict with the Chief Financial Officer and attempt to strengthen national programming.Other writing
In 1976, Guma edited and co-authored a people’s history, Vermont’s Untold History, including the struggles of women, indigenous people and labor and debunking capitalistCapitalism
Capitalism is an economic system that became dominant in the Western world following the demise of feudalism. There is no consensus on the precise definition nor on how the term should be used as a historical category...
myths. In 1985, he edited Bread & Puppet: Stories of Struggle and Faith from Central America http://www.alibris.com/search/books/qwork/794489/used/Bread%20&%20puppet%20:%20stories%20of%20struggle%20&%20faith%20from%20Central%20America. His 1989 book, The People’s Republic: Vermont and the Sanders Revolution http://www.amazon.com/dp/093305078X , chronicled the rise of progressive politics in the Green Mountain State. In 1991, he co-authored Passport to Freedom http://www.worldgovernmenthouse.com/Book_List.php#catpass with World Citizen leader Garry Davis
Garry Davis
Garry Davis is a peace activist who created the first World Passport.-Early life:Davis was the son of Meyer and Hilda Davis. He was graduated from the Episcopal Academy in 1940 and attended the Carnegie Institute of Technology...
.
In recent years, he has written a post-9/11 manifesto about political repression and globalization, Uneasy Empire (2002)http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/American_Empire/Uneasy_Empire.html, a novel about Helena Blavatsky and 19th century spiritualism
Spiritualism
Spiritualism is a belief system or religion, postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living...
, Spirits of Desire http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594577307, and a play about the Haymarket affair
Haymarket affair
The Haymarket affair was a demonstration and unrest that took place on Tuesday May 4, 1886, at the Haymarket Square in Chicago. It began as a rally in support of striking workers. An unknown person threw a dynamite bomb at police as they dispersed the public meeting...
and crackdowns on civil liberties, Inquisitions (and Other Un-American Activities http://www.squeakywheel.net/inquisitions.html.
Films and other media activities
Since the 1980s Guma has been associated with Green Valley Films http://www.greenvalleymedia.org/index.php3?ticket=, writing scripts for documentaries including Haitian Pilgrimage, Journey Home: Accompaniment in Guatemala, Columbus and the New World Order, and No Longer Enemies. He also wrote and produced the CD Nonviolent Warriors: Dave Dellinger and the Power of the People http://www.towardfreedom.com/home/content/view/89/69/Guma founded and managed two Vermont bookstores in the 1970s and 80s, The Frayed Page (1975-80) and Maverick Bookstore and Gallery (1985-91). In the early 1990s, he managed a bookstore, Revolution, in Santa Monica, California.