Abby Martin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Abby Martin
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Abby in 2012
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Abigail Suzanne Martin
September 6, 1984 Oakland, California, U.S.
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| Education | Amador Valley High School |
| Alma mater | San Diego State University (BA) |
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| Spouse(s) | Mike Prysner |
| Children | 2 |
Abby Martin, born on September 6, 1984, is an American journalist, TV host, and activist. She helped start Media Roots, a website where everyday people can report news. She also helps lead the Media Freedom Foundation, which runs Project Censored. Martin appeared in the documentary film Project Censored The Movie: Ending the Reign of Junk Food News (2013). She also co-directed 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film (2013).
From 2012 to 2015, she hosted Breaking the Set on the Russian TV network RT America. She became well-known for speaking out against Russia's actions in Crimea on her show. In 2015, she launched The Empire Files, a series of investigative documentaries and interviews. This show first aired on Telesur and later became a web series. In 2019, she released the film The Empire Files: Gaza Fights for Freedom.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Abby Martin grew up in Pleasanton, California. She went to Amador Valley High School and finished in 2002. She became interested in journalism after the September 11 attacks in 2001. Her old high school boyfriend joined the military, and she started asking, "What is really going on?"
By the time she was in her second year at San Diego State University, she began to question how the media presented the Iraq War. She earned a degree in political science and also studied Spanish. In 2004, she worked on John Kerry's presidential campaign. However, she soon felt disappointed with how politics often divides people into two opposing sides.
Starting Media Roots
In 2009, Martin created Media Roots. This organization is a platform where regular people can report news. As an independent journalist with Media Roots, Martin covered the Occupy Wall Street movement in 2011. She filmed the Occupy Oakland protests.
Her video footage was used in a lawsuit by the family of Scott Olsen. He was a former Marine who was injured during a protest. Martin's videos helped show that the protests were peaceful when Olsen was hurt. RT, a TV network, noticed her work and hired her as a correspondent. In 2010, she moved to Washington, D.C.
Hosting Breaking the Set
From 2012 to 2015, Abby Martin hosted her own show called Breaking the Set on RT America. The show aimed to look past common political divisions and report facts. The opening of the show even showed Martin hitting a TV tuned to CNN with a sledgehammer.
In 2014, Martin gained attention for criticizing RT's own coverage of Russia's actions in Crimea. On March 3, 2014, she ended her show with a statement condemning Russia's military actions in Ukraine. Some people praised her for speaking her mind. RT stated that their journalists were free to express their own opinions. RT offered to send her to Crimea to see things for herself, but Martin declined. She said she did not want a "vetted PR experience."
Martin left RT in February 2015. She later said that accusations of foreign control over her work were unfair. She explained that she had "complete editorial control" over her show on RT.
The Empire Files Series
In September 2015, Martin launched The Empire Files. This series features interviews and documentaries. She has interviewed many important thinkers and authors.
The show was first supported by Telesur English, a media outlet mainly funded by the government of Venezuela. Martin stated that her show was completely independent from Telesur. In 2018, Telesur stopped funding The Empire Files. This happened because of increasing US sanctions against Venezuela. Martin and her co-producer, Michael Prysner, had their funding blocked.
In August 2018, The Empire Files started relying on donations to continue. The show is now a web series. New episodes are uploaded to Martin's website, YouTube, and Vimeo. In May 2019, her documentary film, The Empire Files: Gaza Fights for Freedom, was released. It focuses on the conflict in Gaza. The film was shown in independent theaters in the US, UK, and Australia. In May 2021, Martin made the film available for free on YouTube.
Free Speech Lawsuit
In February 2020, Abby Martin was scheduled to speak at a conference in Georgia. However, her invitation was canceled. This happened because she refused to sign a pledge not to boycott Israel, which was required by Georgia law. Martin, with help from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, filed a lawsuit. She argued that the law violated her right to free speech. The conference was later canceled.
In May 2021, a federal judge in Georgia ruled in Martin's favor. The judge found that Georgia's law, which aimed to discourage the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, went against the First Amendment. The judge stated that the law "prohibits inherently expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment."
Personal Life
Abby Martin is married to Mike Prysner. He is her co-producer for The Empire Files and an Iraq War veteran. They welcomed their first child on May 31, 2020. Their second child was born on January 29, 2023.
Selected Works
Films
- Earth's Greatest Enemy (2021), director
- Gaza Fights For Freedom (2019), director
- The Choice Is Ours (2016), as herself
- 99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film (2013), co-director
- Project Censored the Movie (2013), as herself
Books
- Martin, Abby. (2011). Framing the Messengers: Junk Food News and News Abuse for Dummies. In Mickey Huff (Ed.) Censored 2012: The Top 25 Censored Stories of 2010–11. Seven Stories Press. ISBN: 1609803582.
- Martin, Abby. (2011). Media Democracy in Action. In Mickey Huff (Ed.) Censored 2012: The Top 25 Censored Stories of 2010–11. Seven Stories Press. ISBN: 1609803582.
- Martin, Abby. (2015). The Unheard Story of Hurricane Katrina, Blackwater, White Militias & Community Empowerment: An interview with scott crow and Malik Rahim. In scott crow (Ed.) Emergency Hearts, Molotov Dreams: A scott crow Reader. GTK Press. ISBN: 9780996546003.
- Martin, Abby (2018) Project Censored. Foreword by Abby Martin.
Radio
- Project Censored, KPFA (94.1 FM), co-host
See also
In Spanish: Abby Martin para niños
