There's sad news to report: Dirk Koning, longtime supporter and organizer of community media efforts and director of the Grand Rapids Community Media Center (in Grand Rapids, Michigan) passed away yesterday suddenly at age 48.

Those of us in community media organizing and media activism nationwide owe a debt of gratitude to Dirk's work. I personally owe my political awakening to a TV show which aired on GRTV, the public access channel (now a small fleet of channels) in Grand Rapids which broadcasts out of the Community Media Center which Dirk served as founding director.

The media activist movement in Grand Rapids and nationally has grown a bit dimmer tonight. It's something of an irony that word of this comes down on the same day that an article of mine gets published and featured on the Guerrilla News Network.

Fare thee well, Dirk. May we continue to broaden and strengthen the legacy you leave to us...

Update: The Grand Rapids Press has published an article, which barely mentions Dirk's work but goes into details about catheter ablations.

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