Laura Flanders
Laura Flanders (born 5 December 1961) is an English broadcast journalist living in the United States, who presents the weekly, long-form interview show The Laura Flanders Show. Flanders has described herself as a "lefty person."[1] The brothers Alexander, Andrew and Patrick Cockburn—all journalists—are her half uncles. Author Lydia Davis is her half-aunt. Her sister is Stephanie Flanders, a former BBC journalist.[2] Actress Olivia Wilde is her cousin.
Laura Flanders | |
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Flanders on New York street | |
Born | London, England, United Kingdom | 5 December 1961
Alma mater | Barnard College |
Occupation | Journalist, author, broadcaster |
Known for | Journalism |
Partner(s) | Elizabeth Streb |
Parent(s) | Michael Flanders Claudia Cockburn |
Website | Flanders' website |
Early life
Flanders is the daughter of the British comic songwriter and broadcaster Michael Flanders and the American-born Claudia Cockburn, first daughter of well-known radical journalist Claud Cockburn and American author Hope Hale Davis.[2] She grew up in the Kensington district of London and moved to the U.S. in 1980 at age 19.[3] She graduated from Barnard College of Columbia University in 1985 with a degree in history and women's studies.[4][5]
Career
Flanders was founding director of the women's desk at the media watch group Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), and for a decade produced and hosted CounterSpin, FAIR's syndicated radio program. In January 1993, she appeared on the ABC "Good Morning America" program as a spokesperson for FAIR to discuss how domestic violence increases during the annual Super Bowl.
Flanders hosted the weekday radio show Your Call on KALW, before starting the Saturday/Sunday evening Laura Flanders Show on Air America Radio in 2004. It became the weekly one-hour Radio Nation in 2007, and a daily TV show on Free Speech TV, "GRITtv with Laura Flanders" in 2008. That show aired for three years on Free Speech TV before moving to KCET/Linktv and teleSUR, as a weekly program.[6]
Flanders is a contributing writer for The Nation, and Yes Magazine and has also contributed to In These Times, The Progressive and Ms. Magazine.
Flanders has published several books: Blue Grit: True Democrats Take Back Politics from the Politicians (Penguin Press 2007); Bushwomen: Tales of a Cynical Species (Verso, 2004), a study of the women in George W. Bush's cabinet; and a collection of essays, Real Majority, Media Minority: The Cost of Sidelining Women in Reporting (1997). She edited "At The Tea Party...." (O/R Books 2010) and The W Effect: Sexual Politics in the Age of Bush (2004) and contributed to The Contenders, (Seven Stories, 2008) among others.
Flanders currently airs The Laura Flanders Show multiple times a week on Free Speech TV.[7].
Personal life
Flanders is a lesbian; in 2011 The New York Times stated her partner of 20 years was the choreographer Elizabeth Streb.[9]
References
- "GRITtv Interview: Stefan Forbes". GRITtv. GRITtv. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 9 November 2008.
- "Six Degrees of Separation – Sally Bowles to Stephanie Flanders – Cabaret Berlin".
- "The '90s Raw: Laura Flanders". Media Burn. Retrieved 2 September 2013.
- Scelfo, Julie (15 December 2011). "At home with Elizabeth Streb and Laura Flanders: A High-Level Collaboration on a SoHo Loft". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- Feldman, Bob (26 October 2005). "Laura Flanders: Anti-War Radio Journalist". Toward Freedom. Retrieved 1 September 2013.
- "Team". The Laura Flanders Show. Retrieved 23 November 2015.
- https://freespeech.org/shows/laura-flanders-show/
- "GRITtv website". Retrieved 16 September 2014.
- At Home with Elizabeth Streb and Laura Flenders NYT