- Eric Jackson
Eric Jackson (born 1952 in
Colon, Panama ) is a politician, journalist, and radio talk show host. He is the chief editor of "The Panama News " [http://www.czbrats.com/forums/view_topic.php?id=284&forum_id=12] , and host of theWappin' Radio Show . Both of which are made inPanama City ,Panama .History
Jackson was born in Colon, Panama, on December 29, 1952, where he lived with his family in the
Panama Canal Zone until after his father's death, when his family moved toBloomfield Hills, Michigan in June of 1966.He became a radical activist, dropping out of high school and joining Motor City SDS Weathermen in 1969 and later living in
Yippie communes. In 1971, Jackson got into some trouble with the law for destroying a Marine recruiter's literature table in protest against theVietnam War . As a result he spent 30 days in jail and was ordered to go back to school by a judge.As Jackson didn't have a
high school diploma , he was admitted as a special student toWashtenaw Community College , where he took computer programming and black studies courses. Later he transferred toEastern Michigan University and earned abachelor of science inPolitical Science andHistory . [http://www.panamaeagle.com/index.php?id=22]After graduation, he went on to study law at the
Detroit College of Law , where he received hisJuris Doctor . [http://www.panamaeagle.com/index.php?id=22]After spending about 28 years in the
United States , he returned to Panama in 1994 to cover that year's Panamanian election campaign, and later that year became the founding editor of The Panama News. [http://www.internationalspecialreports.com/theamericas/01/Panama/education/index.html]Public office
While Jackson was in Michigan, he became involved with the Human Rights Party and in 1974 was elected to
Ypsilanti, Michigan , city council. In 1976 he was re-elected to the position. [http://www.panamaeagle.com/index.php?id=22]He was also elected as a Democratic precinct delegate eight times and was appointed as a member of the Ypsilanti Building Code Board of Appeals by both Democratic and Republican mayors.
Literature
While in Panama, Jackson started working for a paper called "
The Panama News ", an English language newspaper, that at the time, was in printed form. That paper went on to later become the online version of "The Panama News".In 2000, Jackson released a book entitled, "
9°N ". The book's title derives from the approximatelatitude of Panama.The Panama News
The English reading community in Panama had been on a steady decline after the closing of the
US Army Bases, making it hard for an Englishnewspaper to survive in a country where the main language is Spanish."The Panama News" started out as a small English newspaper that catered to a small group, and as more and more of the hard copy newspapers were dying out, "The Panama News" launched its own website in hopes of recovering some of its readership.
Thus taking the newspaper to a place where it could be reached from anywhere in the world.
External links
* [http://www.thepanamanews.com The Panama News Website]
References
* [http://www.panamaeagle.com/index.php?id=22 Interview from the Panama Eagle] , Article by Silvio Sirias
* [http://www.internationalspecialreports.com/theamericas/01/Panama/education/index.html International Reports Article] , includes photos of Eric.
*9°N Dispatches from Panama, 1994-2000. Eric Jackson. Panama News Books. ISBN 9962-02-116-2
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