On Friday, September 27th, FSRN, a daily, international news program that aired on stations throughout the U.S. and in other countries, went silent. I listened to the last broadcast and wept when it was pau.
For over a decade, FSRN has provided independent journalists, like myself, with a space to produce and air stories that would otherwise not be heard anywhere. Because of the collective talent and effort of professional producers, many stories about Hawaiian resistance to militarization, desecration and occupation had an audience of millions. To my knowledge, the only other news program willing to broadcast pro-Hawaiian stories was Independent Native News (INN), and that went off the air in 2006.
As a reporter, I often found myself feeling embarrassed for not being a better producer, or for sounding like a zombie because by the time I got to the end of the writing and producing and was supposed to do my voicing I was exhausted and still fighting a deadline. I usually did my voice over in a bathroom with a heavy wool coat over my head in a futile attempt to block out the urban sounds of Honolulu. And I always found it impossible to read my copy and sound perky while holding a microphone, hoping not to pick up too much mic noise!
But FSRN (like INN before them) never turned me down. They were always interested in Hawaiian stories of ku’e and mana. They even aired two, 30-minute documentaries I produced, one about Memorial Day for Hawaiians, and one about homeless Hawaiians.
The loss of FSRN is immeasurable. Even though I have not filed much for them over the past few years, just knowing they were there and that if I needed to get a story out they would be the ones to go to, meant something.
Like many, I hope the FSRN organization regroups into a news program that will still be open to Hawaiian stories and other stories from around the world. I look forward to being a part of whatever it becomes.
I’ve linked a few of the stories I filed with them here. Mahalo nui to everyone at FSRN who always made my stories better and always taught me something new about reporting and producing. It was great to file Hawaiian stories that were broadcast beside other international stories. Whether those stories were about the war in Iraq or a tsunami or any other world event, FSRN always took Hawaiian issues just as seriously, and treated them as the international stories they truly are. The producers were open to learning about the U.S. occupation of Hawaii and once understood, they never questioned Hawaiian claims to independence, they simply allowed me to report that perspective as it unfolded in front of the microphone. For this and everything else, I am forever grateful to them.
On Being Hawaiian and Homeless-2009
Public Land Development Corporation (PLDC) report-2012
US Supreme Court Takes up Hawaiian Land Title – 2009