Bradley Louis Friedman (born July 19, 1966) is an American
blogger
A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...
,
journalist
A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
,
actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...
, radio broadcaster,
director
Director may refer to:
Literature
* ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine
* ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker
* ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty
Music
* Director (band), an Irish rock band
* ''D ...
and software programmer, most known for his criticism of
election integrity issues in the United States. Friedman graduated from
Interlochen Arts Academy
Interlochen Center for the Arts is a non-profit corporation which operates arts education institutions and performance venues in northwest Michigan. It is situated on a campus in Interlochen, Michigan, roughly southwest of Traverse City.
In ...
in 1983 and received a
BFA from
New York University
New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin.
In 1832, the ...
's (NYU)
Tisch School of the Arts
The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic and media arts school of New York University.
Founded on August 17, 1965, Tisch is a training ground for artists, scholars of the a ...
in 1988.
[Brad Friedman writer resume](_blank)
The BRAD BLOG
Friedman's blog covers
voting rights
Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...
and election integrity issues in the US, and a number of other subjects related to media reform and political corruption from a
progressive standpoint.
His blog site is generally critical of
Premier Election Solutions
Premier Election Solutions, formerly Diebold Election Systems, Inc. (DESI), was a subsidiary of Diebold that made and sold voting machines.
In 2009, it was sold to competitor ES&S. In 2010, Dominion Voting Systems purchased the primary asset ...
(formerly Diebold Election Systems),
ES&S,
Sequoia Voting Systems Sequoia Voting Systems was a California-based company that is one of the largest providers of electronic voting systems in the U.S., having offices in Oakland, Denver and New York City. Some of its major competitors were Premier Election Solutions ( ...
and
electronic voting
Electronic voting (also known as e-voting) is voting that uses electronic means to either aid or take care of casting and counting ballots.
Depending on the particular implementation, e-voting may use standalone ''electronic voting machines'' ( ...
in general.
Based on his advocacy at The BRAD BLOG and in other publications, he was invited to testify at the
Election Assistance Commission
The Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is an independent agency of the United States government created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002 (HAVA). The Commission serves as a national clearinghouse and resource of information regarding electi ...
's ''Voting Advocate Roundtable Discussion''. Friedman is a noted advocate of a return to
paper balloting and of the role of bloggers as journalists. He has been described in ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' as "perhaps the most dogged critic of electronic voting machine technology in the blogosphere".
Other work
Friedman is the host of the internationally syndicated daily radio show, ''
The BradCast'' produced at
Pacifica Radio
Pacifica may refer to:
Art
* ''Pacifica'' (statue), a 1938 statue by Ralph Stackpole for the Golden Gate International Exposition
Places
* Pacifica, California, a city in the United States
** Pacifica Pier, a fishing pier
* Pacifica, a conceiv ...
's Los Angeles affiliate station
KPFK
KPFK (90.7 FM) is a listener-sponsored radio station based in North Hollywood, California, United States, which serves Southern California, and also streams 24 hours a day via the Internet. It was the second of five stations in the non-commerci ...
90.7FM, and the long time regular guest host of the nationally syndicated ''
Mike Malloy Show''. This show is also aired on
AM950 Minnesota.
He is featured in numerous documentary films, interviewed as an investigative journalist, and expert in issues of election integrity and voting systems. Among the films in which he appears:
Phil Donahue
Phillip John Donahue (born December 21, 1935) is an American media personality, writer, film producer and the creator and host of ''The Phil Donahue Show''. The television program, later known simply as ''Donahue'', was the first talk show forma ...
& Ellen Spiro'
''Body of War'' David Earnhardt'
''Uncounted: The New Math of American Elections'' Dorothy Fadiman's
''Stealing America: Vote by Vote'' and Patty Sharaf'
''Murder, Spies & Voting Lies: The Clint Curtis Story''
In July 2006,
Hustler
Hustler or hustlers may also refer to:
Professions
* Hustler, an American slang word, e.g., for a:
** Con man, a practitioner of confidence tricks
** Drug dealer, seller of illegal drugs
** Male prostitute
** Pimp
** Business man, more gener ...
magazine featured an article in which Friedman discussed the alleged suicide of Raymond Lemme, an investigator tracking down claims of
vote-rigging by Congressman
Tom Feeney
Thomas Charles Feeney III (born May 21, 1958) is an American politician from Orlando, Florida. He represented . He was defeated in the 2008 election by Democrat Suzanne Kosmas.
Early life
He was born in Abington, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Phi ...
, as alleged by Florida software programmer Clint Curtis in a story Friedman broke in late 2004 and ha
covered in great detailever since.
Friedman reported on suspicions that the
2008 New Hampshire Democratic primary
The 2008 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary on January 8, 2008 was the first primary in the United States in 2008. Its purpose was to determine the number of delegates from New Hampshire that would represent a certain candidate at the ...
was rigged.
He has also extensively covered the case of Ann Coulter's voter fraud issues in Florida.
In 2008 Friedman reported critically on the
FBI
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
investigation into the suspected involvement of
Bruce Ivins
Bruce Edwards Ivins (; April 22, 1946July 29, 2008) was an American microbiologist, vaccinologist, senior biodefense researcher at the United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick, Maryland, and ...
in the
2001 anthrax attacks.
An exclusive interview Friedman conducted with Ohio Secretary of State
Jennifer Brunner, just prior to the 2008 general election, was published in two parts; one part in ''
Computerworld
''Computerworld'' (abbreviated as CW) is an ongoing decades old professional publication which in 2014 "went digital." Its audience is information technology (IT) and business technology professionals, and is available via a publication website ...
'', noted Brunner's memorable thought upon reviewing the "awful" findings of the state's report on the security of electronic voting systems in Ohio ("I thought I was going to throw up"), and the other in
Alternet
AlterNet is a left-leaning online news outlet. It was launched in 1997 by the Independent Media Institute. In 2018, the website was acquired by owners of ''Raw Story''.
Coverage
Coverage is divided into several special sections related to progre ...
quoting the Secretary as stating "we will be ready" for the 2008 election.
Friedman contributed a chapter on Nevada's "illegally certified" electronic voting machines t
''Loser Take All'' a collection of essays on America's voting system, published by Ig Publishing in 2008, as edited by NYU media professor, author and outspoken election integrity advocate
Mark Crispin Miller
Mark Crispin Miller (born 1949) is a professor of media studies at New York University. He has promoted conspiracy theories about U.S. presidential elections, the September 11 attacks and the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting as well as misinf ...
. The investigative essay, titled "The Selling of the Touch-Screen 'Paper-Trail': From Nevada to the EAC" was co-authored with Michael Richardson, and described by Miller in the book's introduction as "the harrowing pre-history of the 2004 election in Nevada, whose voting system had long since been hijacked by Secretary of State Dean Heller".
Ohio Congressman
Dennis Kucinich
Dennis John Kucinich (; born October 8, 1946) is an American politician. A U.S. Representative from Ohio from 1997 to 2013, he was also a candidate for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in 2004 and 2008. He ran for ...
'
"35 Articles of Impeachment Against George W. Bush"refers to several reports by Friedman in its published footnotes for Article XXIX, "Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965". Friedman wa
tapped by Kucinichas one of several experts who helped to compile two (Article 28, "Tampering with Free and Fair Elections" and Article 29, "Conspiracy to Violate the Voting Rights Act of 1965") of the 35
articles
Article often refers to:
* Article (grammar), a grammatical element used to indicate definiteness or indefiniteness
* Article (publishing), a piece of nonfictional prose that is an independent part of a publication
Article may also refer to:
G ...
of
impeachment
Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements.
In ...
as
introduced in Congress in 2008.
In February 2011, Friedman and his family wer
discovered to have been named as targetsof a proposed $12 million smear campaign being created for the
U.S. Chamber of Commerce
The United States Chamber of Commerce (USCC) is the largest lobbying group in the United States, representing over three million businesses and organizations. The group was founded in April 1912 out of local chambers of commerce at the urgin ...
by three government-contracted cyber intelligence firms. In an interview with David Dayen at Firedoglake, Friedman decried the plot, called it a "new era of dirty tricks" and said "We’re fighting against how our own tax dollars are being spent against us."
Recognition
Buffalo's independent newspaper ''The Beast'' describes him as "perhaps the most diligent and unassailable election integrity advocate in America."
He is the creator and publisher of The BRAD BLOG, which the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' has described as California's "most persistent blogger-watchdog on the dangers of voting technology".
"If you want to learn about the state of our election process, I urge you to visit BradBlog.com. Brad Friedman has worked doggedly on this issue, amassing tons of valuable news and information on this subject." - Catherine Crier, ''Crier Live'', Court TV, July 11, 2006. Friedman would later appear along with
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Robert Francis Kennedy Jr. (born January 17, 1954) is an American environmental lawyer and author known for promoting anti-vaccine propaganda and conspiracy theories. Kennedy is a son of U.S. senator Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of President ...
live on Crier's program, on July 20, 2006, to discuss concerns about voting systems to be used in that year's upcoming general election.
A November 200
interview by BuzzFlash.comdescribes Friedman as a "Champion of Fair Elections and Challenger of Election Theft," and notes "Brad has been unrelenting in documenting the details of the dark side of our voting system."
The Chicago Sun-Times' ''Beacon News'' profiled Friedman in April 2008.
McClatchy-owned ''
Kansas City Star
''The Kansas City Star'' is a newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Star'' is most notable for its influence on the career of President Harry S. Truman and as ...
'' cited Friedman's "rare" radio interview with Missouri Sec. of State
Robin Carnahan
Robin Colleen Carnahan (born August 4, 1961) is an American businesswoman, lawyer, and politician, who previously served as the Missouri Secretary of State and currently serves as the Administrator of General Services in the Biden administrati ...
in May 2008, concerning the controversial issue of voter Photo ID restrictions at polling places in the state, as a bill to require it in Missouri was being debated in the state legislature. The paper describes Friedman as a "well-known voting machine critic and blogger".
Friedman is a 2010 Project Censored award winner for "Excellence in Investigative Journalism" in recognition of his coverage of "The Mysterious Death of Mike Connell—Karl Rove’s Election Thief". He also contributed a chapter to the organization's ''Censored 2010: The Top 25 Censored Stories of 2008-09'' book, on voting problems and fraud in the 2008 Elections.
On September 30, 2010, CNN's Senior National Editor Dave Schecter wrote "One of the squeakiest wheels on the subject of voting is Brad Friedman, of 'The Brad Blog'"
and cited his coverage of Pac-Man being hacked onto an electronic voting system made by Sequoia Voting Systems.
References
External links
The BRAD BLOGBrad Friedman's personal website*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Friedman, Brad
1966 births
Living people
American democracy activists
American Internet celebrities
American investigative journalists
American political writers
American male non-fiction writers
Tisch School of the Arts alumni
Writers from Los Angeles