Abby Martin

{{short description|American citizen journalist}} {{about|the journalist|other people with the name|Abby Martin (disambiguation)}} {{good article}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2026}} {{use American English|date=June 2021}} {{Infobox person | name = Abby Martin | image = Abby Martin RT correspondent.png | caption = Martin in 2012 | birth_name =  | birth_date = {{birth year from age at date|29|2014|Mar}} | birth_place = [[Oakland, California]], U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | alma_mater = [[San Diego State University]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]]) | education = [[Amador Valley High School]] | occupation = {{hlist|Journalist|activist|artist|director|author}} | title = | spouse = [[Mike Prysner]] | partner = | relatives = | known_for = {{plainlist| * ''Media Roots'' * ''Breaking The Set'' ([[RT America]]) * Project Censored * ''The Empire Files'' ([[Telesur (TV channel)|Telesur English]]) * ''[[Newsbeat (Philippine TV program)|News Beat]]'' ([[DWWX-TV|AMBS-TV]]) }} | children = }} '''Abby Martin''' (born {{birth year from age at date|29|2014|Mar|noage=y}}<ref name="Butter 2014">{{cite news |last=Butter |first=Susannah |title='I feel like I'm in House of Cards': an exclusive interview with Abby Martin, the Russia Today presenter who spoke out about Ukraine |date=May 3, 2016 |orig-year=first published March 12, 2014 |work=The Standard |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/london-life/i-feel-like-i-m-in-house-of-cards-an-exclusive-interview-with-abby-martin-the-russia-today-presenter-who-spoke-out-about-ukraine-9187689.html |access-date=March 20, 2026 |quote=The 29-year-old has been 'shocked' at how supportive RT has been.}}</ref>) is an American journalist,<ref name="Bakir 2018">{{Cite book |last=Bakir |first=Vian |date=2018 |title=Intelligence Elites and Public Accountability: Relationships of Influence with Civil Society |publisher=Routledge |publication-place=London |isbn=9781351388955 |language=en |doi=10.4324/9781315143347 |quote=Citizen journalist Abby Martin's tweet demands that Democrats who sanctioned torture be pursued{{nbsp}}[...] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zSFWDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA1979 |via=Google Books}}{{page needed|date=February 2026}}</ref><ref name="MacLeod 2019">{{Cite book |last=MacLeod |first=Alan |title=Propaganda in the Information Age: Still Manufacturing Consent |editor-last=MacLeod |editor-first=Alan |date=2019 |publisher=Routledge |publication-place=London |isbn=9780429772627 |language=en |chapter=Assessing the Strength of the Five Filters Today |doi=10.4324/9780429430329-4 |quote=when former RT journalist Abby Martin asked Senator Rand Paul why he supported Mitt Romney despite his aggressive foreign policy{{nbsp}}[...] |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IYmUDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA2012-IA1 |via=Google Books}}{{page needed|date=February 2026}}</ref> television presenter, and activist. She helped found the [[citizen journalism]] website ''Media Roots'' and serves on the board of directors for the Media Freedom Foundation which manages [[Project Censored]].<ref name="Huff 2012">{{cite book |last1=Huff |first1=Mickey |last2=Roth |first2=Andy Lee |others=Project Censored |date=2012 |title=Censored 2013: The Top Censored Stories and Media Analysis of 2011–2012 |publisher=Seven Stories Press |publication-place=New York |page=421 |isbn=1609804236 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P0tjsUKRMuQC&pg=PA421 |via=Google Books}}</ref><ref name="Huff13">{{cite book |last1=Huff |first1=Mickey |last2=Roth |first2=Andy Lee |others=Project Censored |date=2013 |title=Censored 2014: Fearless Speech in Fateful Times: The Top Censored Stories and Media Analysis of 2012–13 |publisher=Seven Stories Press |publication-place=New York |page=409 |isbn=1609804953 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dXgevmOjLPkC&pg=PT409 |via=Google Books}}</ref> Martin appeared in the documentary film ''[[Project Censored The Movie: Ending the Reign of Junk Food News]]'' (2013),{{sfnp|Huff|Roth|2013|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=dXgevmOjLPkC&pg=PT432 432]}} and co-directed ''[[99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film]]'' (2013).<ref name="Anderson 2013">{{cite news |last=Anderson |first=John |date=January 22, 2013 |title=99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film |work=Variety |location= |publisher= |url=http://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/99-the-occupy-wall-street-collaborative-film-1117949058/ |url-access=limited |url-status= |archive-url= |archive-date= |access-date=January 17, 2014}}</ref>

She hosted ''Breaking the Set'' on the Russian state-funded network [[RT America]] from 2012 to 2015 and gained attention for condemning the [[Annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation|Russian annexation of Crimea]] on-air, and then launched ''The Empire Files'' in that same year as an investigative documentary and interview series on [[Telesur]], later released as a web series. In 2019, she released the film documentary ''The Empire Files: Gaza Fights for Freedom''.

== Early life == Born in [[Oakland, California]], Martin grew up in nearby [[Pleasanton, California|Pleasanton]],<ref name=nemire>{{cite web |url=http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2014/03/oakland-born_rt_anchor_had_art.php |title=Talking with Oakland-Born RT America Anchor Abby Martin About Art and Life |first=Jessica |last=Nemire |department="Exhibitionist" |date=March 21, 2014 |work=SF Weekly |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323043451/http://blogs.sfweekly.com/exhibitionist/2014/03/oakland-born_rt_anchor_had_art.php |archive-date=March 23, 2014 |url-status=dead |quote=Born in Oakland and raised in Pleasanton, Martin{{nbsp}}[...]}}</ref> where she attended [[Amador Valley High School]], graduating in 2002.<ref name="SFSU"/><ref>Ciardelli, Dolores Fox. (September 6, 2002). [http://www.pleasantonweekly.com/morgue/2002/2002_09_06.leaving6.html "Leaving for college"]. ''Pleasanton Weekly''. Retrieved January 22, 2014.</ref> She became interested in journalism when her old high school boyfriend enlisted in the military after the [[September 11 attacks]] in 2001. "I didn't want him going to war, let alone fighting in one," she recalls. "I began to critically ask 'What is really going on?'"<ref name="Koss">{{cite journal |author=Koss, Jeremy |date=May–June 2013 |title=Real Talk |url=http://digital.somamagazine.com/publication/?i=158989&page=1&p=55 |journal=SOMA Magazine |volume=27 |issue=3 |pages=52–53 |issn=0896-5005}}</ref> By the time she was a sophomore at [[San Diego State University]], she began questioning what she called the "selling" of the [[Iraq War]] by the media.<ref name="Koss"/><ref name="SFSU">{{cite web |type=video |title=Abby Martin of Media Roots on Citizen Journalism at SFSU Media Literacy Event |date=March 13, 2012 |publisher=Media Roots |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7kl4L1M8TY4 |via=YouTube}}{{time needed|date=February 2026}}</ref> She received an undergraduate degree in political science and minored in Spanish.

In 2004, she campaigned for [[United States presidential election, 2004|John Kerry's presidential campaign]], but became disillusioned with the [[left–right paradigm]], a concept proposing that societies have a tendency to divide themselves into ideological opposites.<ref name="kzyx">Mckenty, Doug. (September 12, 2011). [http://www.mediaroots.org/kzyx-interview-with-abby-martin-of-media-roots/ "KZYX Interview with Abby Martin of Media Roots"]. ''Thursday Morning Report''. [[KZYX]]. Event occurs from 1:58—3:26. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140801082235/http://www.mediaroots.org/kzyx-interview-with-abby-martin-of-media-roots/ |date=August 1, 2014 }} – via Media Roots.</ref> Martin worked for a time as an investigative journalist for a San Diego-based online news site until moving back to Northern California.<ref>Saportas, Oriana. (August 4, 2010). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUIRkQcK0sg "Interview with Abby Martin about Media Roots"] (video). Media Roots – via YouTube.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Kerkman |first=Cassandra |editor-last=Mosco |editor-first=Oskar |date=July 31, 2012 |title=MR Founder Abby Martin – Activist Turned Journalist |url=http://www.mediaroots.org/mr-founder-abby-martin-activist-turned-journalist/ |publisher=Media Roots |access-date=}}</ref>

== 9/11 truth movement == In 2008, Martin was active in the [[9/11 truth movement]],<ref name="9/11 truth movement">{{Multiref2 | {{cite news |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/latest-updates-on-ukraine-crisis-2/#critical-russia-today-host-in-911-truth-movement |title=March 4 Updates on Ukraine Crisis {{!}} Russia Today Host Has Roots in '9/11 Truth' Movement |last=Mackey |first=Robert |date=March 4, 2014 |work=The New York Times |department="The Lede" |access-date=February 23, 2026 |ref=none}} | {{Cite web |last=Graves |first=Lucia |others=National Journal |date=March 5, 2014 |title=Confessions of a Former RT Employee |website=The Atlantic |language=en-US |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/03/confessions-of-a-former-rt-employee/439872/ |access-date=July 22, 2019 |url-access=limited |ref=none}} | {{Cite news |last=Taylor |first=Adam |date=March 5, 2014 |title=RT journalist quits live on air, citing Russian intervention in Crimea |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/03/05/rt-journalist-quits-live-on-air-citing-russian-intervention-in-crimea/ |url-access=limited |ref=none}} | {{cite news |last=Gray |first=Rosie |date=February 19, 2015 |title=RT Host Who Criticized Russia's Ukraine Invasion Is Leaving The Network |work=BuzzFeed News |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rosiegray/rt-host-who-criticized-russias-ukraine-invasion-is-leaving-t |access-date=February 23, 2026 |ref=none}} }}</ref> a movement which disputes the consensus regarding the [[attacks of September 11, 2001]]. Martin set up her own "truther" group in [[San Diego]], California.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://nationalpost.com/news/russia-today-presenter-abby-martin-says-she-isnt-going-to-crimea-no-matter-what-her-bosses-say |title=Watch as Russia Today presenter quits on live television over Moscow's actions in Crimea |website=www.nationalpost.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://newrepublic.com/article/116877/most-interesting-part-abby-martins-rt-outburst-its-aftermath |title=The Most Interesting Part of Abby Martin's Outburst on Russia Today: Its Aftermath |last=Bennett |first=Laura |date=March 5, 2014 |magazine=The New Republic |access-date=July 22, 2019 |issn=0028-6583}}</ref> That year, Martin said that the attacks of September 11 were "an [[inside job]], and that our government was complicit in what happened".<ref name="Kirchick2014">{{cite news |last=Kirchick |first=James |url=https://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/165008/rt-anchors-riff-not-as-rogue-as-it-seems |title=RT Anchors Riff Not as 'Rogue' as it Seems |work=Tablet |date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=July 28, 2019 |quote=On her program, she regularly gives air to outrageous conspiracy theories, including the notion that water fluoridation is a pernicious government plot to poison unsuspecting American citizens}}</ref> In March 2014, the [[Associated Press]] wrote that Martin no longer believes that U.S. government officials might have been complicit in the Sep 11 terrorist attacks.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://bigstory.ap.org/article/tv-anchorwoman-criticizes-kremlin-ukraine |title=TV anchorwoman criticizes Kremlin on Ukraine |last=Riechmann |first=Deb |date=March 5, 2014 |work=Big Story |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140322165232/http://bigstory.ap.org/article/tv-anchorwoman-criticizes-kremlin-ukraine |archive-date=March 22, 2014 |agency=Associated Press. |quote=She once protested with the 9/11 Truth movement, which alleges that U.S. government officials might have been complicit in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a theory to which Martin says she no longer subscribes}}</ref>

== Media Roots == In 2009, Martin founded the organization Media Roots, a [[citizen journalism]] platform for reporting news.<ref name="WP">Priesnitz, Wendy. (Sept/Oct 2011). "Media Roots". The Media Beat. ''[[Natural Life (magazine)|Natural Life]]'', 141: 26. {{issn|0701-8002}}{{subscription required}}</ref> As an independent journalist with Media Roots, Martin covered the [[Occupy Oakland]] actions during the [[Occupy Wall Street]] movement in 2011.<ref>Reitman, Janet (March 27, 2014). "The Young Renegade of TV News". ''Rolling Stone''. 1205: 20. {{issn|0035-791X}}</ref> Her documentary video footage of Occupy Oakland protests was used by the family of [[Occupy Oakland#Scott Olsen head injury on October 25|Scott Olsen]], a 24-year-old former Marine and Iraq War veteran, in a lawsuit against the [[Oakland Police Department]]. Martin's footage was used to argue that the protests were non-violent at the time Olsen was allegedly hit in the head with a police projectile.<ref name="SFSU"/><ref>Martin, Abby. (October 26, 2011). [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rgn4IXHyVdI#t=12 "Occupy Oakland: Police Standoff & Brutal Assault, Tear Gas"] (video). Media Roots. Retrieved January 21, 2014 – via YouTube.</ref> RT took notice of Martin's work and began employing her as a correspondent.<ref>Ventura, Tyrel. (August 27, 2013). [http://thelip.tv/abby-martin-discusses-breaking-the-set-and-her-work-at-rt/ "Abby Martin Discusses Breaking The Set and Her Work at RT"] (video). "Buzzsaw". ''TheLip.tv''. Retrieved January 13, 2014. {{dead link|date=February 2026}}</ref> In the fall of 2010, she moved to Washington, D.C.<ref name="mrr1">Martin, Robbie. (October 6, 2010). [http://www.mediaroots.org/media-roots-radio-episode-one/ "Abby & Robbie Martin Introductions, Obama Administration"] {{Webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20140305212935/http://www.mediaroots.org/media-roots-radio-episode-one/ |date=March 5, 2014 }}. Dangerous Conversations. [[RadioIO]].</ref>

==''Breaking the Set'' and work for RT == From 2012 to 2015, Martin hosted her own show, ''Breaking the Set'', on [[RT America]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/features/2017-rt-media/ |title=At RT, News Breaks You |last=van Zuylen-Wood |first=Simon |date=May 4, 2017 |website=www.bloomberg.com |access-date=March 15, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Bidder">{{cite news |last=Bidder |first=Benjamin |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/business/putin-fights-war-of-images-and-propaganda-with-russia-today-channel-a-916162.html |title=Putin's Weapon in the War of Images |work=[[Der Spiegel]] |language=en-us |volume=33 |pages=134–135 |issn=0038-7452}}<br />Bidder's article also appeared in other news outlets, such as {{cite news |url=http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/impresso,a-anti-cnn-russa-na-guerra-das-imagens-,1070078,0.htm |title=A anti-CNN russa na guerra das imagens |language=pt |trans-title=Russian anti-CNN in the war of images |date=September 1, 2013 |work=O Estado de S. Paulo |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130902031206/http://www.estadao.com.br/noticias/impresso%2Ca-anti-cnn-russa-na-guerra-das-imagens-%2C1070078%2C0.htm |archive-date=September 2, 2013 |location=Brazil}}</ref> The program described itself as "a show that cuts through the false left/right paradigm set by the establishment and reports the hard facts".<ref name="yt">[https://www.youtube.com/user/breakingtheset/about "Breaking the Set {{!}} About"]. Retrieved January 16, 2014 – via YouTube. {{dead link|date=February 2026}}</ref> The original opening credits depict Martin applying a sledgehammer to a television tuned to [[CNN]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Rankin |first=Jennifer |url=http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/regions/europe/russia/121219/russia-today-television-rt-satellite-tv-moscow-putin-washington |title=Russia Today chases ratings with controversy |work=[[GlobalPost]] |date=December 20, 2012 |access-date=January 16, 2014}}</ref>

Shortly after beginning her show on RT, Martin stated in an interview with media studies professor [[Mark Crispin Miller]] that "the media dismisses things that are too controversial as conspiracy theory".<ref>{{cite web |type=video |title=Staged Terror, Fukushima Crime Syndicate, Conspiracy Reality |date=November 1, 2012 |url=http://markcrispinmiller.com/2012/11/you-want-to-kill-an-inconvenient-story-call-it-a-conspiracy-theory-mcm-with-abby-martin/ |work=Breaking the Set |publisher=RT |via=Markcrispinmiller.com |archive-date=June 19, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619042246/http://markcrispinmiller.com/2012/11/you-want-to-kill-an-inconvenient-story-call-it-a-conspiracy-theory-mcm-with-abby-martin/ |url-status=dead}}{{time needed|date=February 2026}}</ref>

In 2014, Martin gained attention for her criticism of RT's coverage of the [[annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation]]. Martin closed her show on March 3, 2014, with a minute-long statement condemning the [[Russian military intervention in Ukraine]].<ref name="nbc">{{cite news |last=Austin |first=Henry |url=http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/ukraine-crisis/news-anchor-slams-crimea-takeover-state-funded-russian-tv-n43746 |title=News Anchor Slams Crimea Takeover on State-Funded Russian TV |work=NBC News |access-date=March 4, 2014 |date=March 4, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |type=video |last=Paget |first=Antonia |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/russia-today-host-condemns-ukraine-occupation-rgmqv036jcj |title=Russia Today host condemns Ukraine 'occupation' |work=[[The Times]] |date=March 4, 2014 |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/ukraine-crisis-could-russia-today-turn-you-into-a-putin-propagandist-9174759.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140307050724/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/tv-radio/ukraine-crisis-could-russia-today-turn-you-into-a-putin-propagandist-9174759.html |archive-date=March 7, 2014 |url-access=limited |url-status=live |title=Ukraine crisis: Could Russia Today turn you into a Putin propagandist? |work=The Independent |access-date=August 25, 2018 |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2014/03/05/rt-journalist-quits-live-on-air-citing-russian-intervention-in-crimea/ |title=RT journalist quits live on air, citing Russian intervention in Crimea |first=Adam |last=Taylor |date=March 5, 2014 |work=The Washington Post |url-access=limited}}</ref> [[Glenn Greenwald]] compared Martin's statement favorably to the unquestioning behavior of the United States media during the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].<ref name="greenwald">{{cite news |last=Greenwald |first=Glenn |url=https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/03/04/rt-host-abby-martin-condemns-russian-incursion-crimea-rt/ |title=RT Host Abby Martin Condemns Russian Incursion Into Crimea – On RT |work=The Intercept |date=March 4, 2014 |access-date=March 4, 2014 |archive-date=June 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150623172955/https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/03/04/rt-host-abby-martin-condemns-russian-incursion-crimea-rt/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> Critics of Martin argue that she appeared to be reading from a [[teleprompter]], implying that her remarks were made with the consent of the show's producers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Krishnan |first=Joe |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-crisis-russia-today-tv-host-goes-offmessage-with-attack-on-intervention-in-crimea-9168654.html |title=Ukraine crisis: Russia Today TV host goes off-message with attack on intervention in Crimea |work=The Independent |date=March 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323050245/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukraine-crisis-russia-today-tv-host-goes-offmessage-with-attack-on-intervention-in-crimea-9168654.html |archive-date=March 23, 2014 |quote=However, sharp-eyed viewers may have noticed that she was reading from the auto-cue and, therefore, presumably had permission from producers of the show to express her beliefs. |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Graef |first=Aileen |url=http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/03/04/RT-news-anchor-speaks-out-against-Russian-intervention/1991393958764/ |title=RT news anchor speaks out against Russian intervention |work=UPI |date=March 4, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323051313/http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2014/03/04/RT-news-anchor-speaks-out-against-Russian-intervention/1991393958764/ |archive-date=March 23, 2014 |quote=Media analysts say that Martin was reading from a teleprompter and therefore more than likely had her producer's consent |url-status=live}}</ref> RT issued a statement saying: "Contrary to the popular opinion, RT doesn't beat its journalists into submission, and they are free to express their own opinions, not just in private but on the air."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-26440556 |title=Russia TV host calls Ukraine intervention 'wrong' on-air |work=[[BBC News]] |date=March 4, 2014}}.</ref> RT added: "[W]e'll be sending her to Crimea to give her an opportunity to make up her own mind from the epicentre of the story." Martin declined the offer, saying, "I am not going to Crimea despite the statement RT has made."<ref name="Ensor">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/russia/10676113/Russia-Today-host-who-criticised-Kremlin-sent-to-Crimea.html |title=Russia Today host who criticised Kremlin sent to Crimea |last=Ensor |first=Josie |date=March 4, 2014 |work=The Daily Telegraph}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' wrote that RT notified Martin that what she had said about Ukraine was "not in line with our editorial policy".<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/19/business/media/moscow-joins-the-partisan-media-landscape-with-familiar-american-faces.html |title=Larry King, the Russian Media and a Partisan Landscape |last=Rutenberg |first=Jim |author-link=Jim Rutenberg |date=September 18, 2016 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=February 13, 2019 |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331 |url-access=limited}}</ref>

Martin left RT in February 2015.<ref name="Leaving">{{cite news |last=Gray |first=Rosie |date=February 19, 2015 |title=RT Host Who Criticized Russia's Ukraine Invasion Is Leaving The Network |work=BuzzFeed News |url=https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rosiegray/rt-host-who-criticized-russias-ukraine-invasion-is-leaving-t |access-date=February 23, 2026}}</ref> An RT spokesperson told ''BuzzFeed'': "Abby decided that this is the time for her to try something new. We are proud of the great work she has done as the host of ''Breaking the Set''."<ref name="Leaving" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Gray |first=Rosie |url=https://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/jesse-venturas-son-and-oliver-stones-get-a-show-at-russia-to#.nigkN5NMY |title=Jesse Ventura's Son And Oliver Stone's Son Get A Show At Russia Today |work=BuzzFeed |date=March 9, 2015 |access-date=April 20, 2015}}</ref>

Martin called the charges of foreign control over her and [[Tulsi Gabbard]] [[McCarthyism|"neo-McCarthyist hysteria]]" typical of the [[New Cold War]]. She said that the "campaign to malign RT" by "the corporate media" had resulted in a [[chilling effect]] over legitimate dissident reporters. She said that she had "complete editorial control" over her RT show, as did other American RT journalists like [[Chris Hedges]] and [[Lee Camp (comedian)|Lee Camp]].<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/matt-taibbi-podcast-abby-martin-903218/ |title=Useful Idiots: Abby Martin on New Doc 'Gaza Fights for Freedom' |date=October 25, 2019 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US |access-date=October 29, 2019}}</ref> She had earlier refused RT's offer to send her on a tour of Crimea, saying she didn't want a "vetted PR experience."<ref name="Leaving" />

''[[Millennial Magazine]]'' has described Martin as an outspoken media representative for the [[Millennial generation]] who reports "stories that deserve public recognition".<ref name="Hysen">{{cite news |last=Hysen |first=Britt |date=February 21, 2026 |title=RT Host Abby Martin Takes On Corporate Media |work=Millennial Magazine |location= |url=https://millennialmagazine.com/2014/07/28/rt-host-abby-martin-takes-on-corporate-media/ |access-date=February 23, 2026}}</ref> Journalist [[Glenn Greenwald]] praised Martin for condemning the [[Russian invasion of Crimea]] during an episode of her RT program ''Breaking the Set'', saying Martin demonstrated "journalistic independence".<ref name="Mackey">{{cite news |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/thelede.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/latest-updates-on-ukraine-crisis-2/#critical-russia-today-host-in-911-truth-movement |title=March 4 Updates on Ukraine Crisis {{!}} Russia Today Host Has Roots in '9/11 Truth' Movement |last=Mackey |first=Robert |date=March 4, 2014 |work=The New York Times |department="The Lede" |access-date=February 23, 2026}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Greenwald |first1=Glenn |author1-link=Glenn Greenwald |title=RT Host Abby Martin Condemns Russian Incursion Into Crimea – On RT |url=https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/03/04/rt-host-abby-martin-condemns-russian-incursion-crimea-rt/ |website=[[The Intercept]] |access-date=February 20, 2026 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140712064051/https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/03/04/rt-host-abby-martin-condemns-russian-incursion-crimea-rt/ |archive-date=July 12, 2014 |date=March 4, 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

== ''The Empire Files'' == [[File:Abby Martin Venezuela.jpg|thumb|Abby Martin interviewing a member of the {{ill|Green Cross (Venezuela)|lt=Green Cross|es|Cruz Verde (Venezuela)}} during the [[2017 Venezuelan protests]]]] In September 2015, Martin launched ''The Empire Files'', an interview and documentary series. She has hosted guests including [[Chris Hedges]], [[Noam Chomsky]], [[Richard D. Wolff]], [[Ralph Nader]] and [[Jill Stein]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCG29FnXZm4F5U8xpqs1cs1Q/videos |title=Empire Files {{!}} Videos |via=YouTube |access-date=August 11, 2020}}</ref>{{Primary source inline|date=February 2026}}

The show was originally hosted by [[Telesur (TV channel)|Telesur English]], a media outlet sponsored primarily by the government of [[Venezuela]]. Martin told Ben Norton writing for [[AlterNet]]: "The show is totally independent of Telesur. We merely sell them the content; they have zero control over anything we do".<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/venezuela-abby-martin-mike-prysner-lies-death-threats |title=Venezuelan Opposition Spreads Lies About U.S. Journalists, Inciting Violence, Death Threats |last=Norton |first=Ben |date=June 3, 2017 |website=AlterNet |access-date=June 6, 2017 |archive-date=June 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606212840/http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/venezuela-abby-martin-mike-prysner-lies-death-threats |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2018, Telesur stopped funding ''The Empire Files'' due to increasing US sanctions on Venezuela, according to a press release published by Martin's Media Roots website. Martin, her co-producer and husband [[Michael Prysner]], and other Telesur contract journalists had their funding blocked by the application of [[United States sanctions|United States sanctions against Venezuela]].<ref name=":02">{{Cite book |title=Sanctions as War: Anti-Imperialist Perspectives on American Geo-Economic Strategy |date=2023 |publisher=Haymarket Books |isbn=978-1-64259-812-4 |publication-place= |pages=69 |oclc=1345216431 |last1=Davis |first1=Stuart}}</ref> Academic Stuart Davis cites the cancellation as an example of how United States sanctions hamper public funding of media production in Venezuela.<ref name=":02" />

In August 2018 the show moved to a donation model in order to continue production.<ref>{{Cite news |author= |url=http://mediaroots.org/us-sanctions-shut-down-the-empire-files-with-abby-martin/ |title=US Sanctions Shut Down 'The Empire Files' with Abby Martin |publisher=Media Roots |type=press release |access-date=August 25, 2018 |language=en-US |quote=''The Empire Files'', which airs on TeleSUR throughout Latin America and on Free Speech TV and The Real News Network in the United States, has been funded through a contract with the TeleSUR network.}}</ref> The show has since become a [[web series]] exclusively, with episodes being uploaded to Martin's website, [[YouTube]] and [[Vimeo]]. Released in May 2019, her feature film documentary, ''The'' ''Empire Files: Gaza Fights for Freedom'', concerns the [[Gaza–Israel conflict]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gazafightsforfreedom.com/ |title=Gaza Fights For Freedom {{!}} A Film by Abby Martin |website=Gaza Fights For Freedom |language=en-US |access-date=August 5, 2019 |archive-date=August 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805064611/https://gazafightsforfreedom.com/ |url-status=live}}</ref> It was shown in the US, UK and Australia at independent theatres.<ref>{{Cite web |author= |title='Gaza Fights For Freedom' Screening Tour with Abby Martin |url=http://mediaroots.org/gaza-fights-for-freedom-uscanada-screening-tour-with-abby-martin/ |access-date=March 4, 2021 |publisher=Media Roots |date=August 15, 2019 |language=en-US}}</ref> In May 2021, Martin released the film for free on YouTube.

Martin was interviewed and featured in the award-winning documentary feature film ''[[Seeds for Liberation (2026)|Seeds for Liberation]] (2026)'' by director Matthew Solomon.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cast and Crew |url=https://www.seedsforliberationmovie.com/team-4 |access-date=January 22, 2026 |website=Seeds For Liberation |language=en}}</ref> The film discusses the Free Palestine movement and references her ''Empire Files.''

== Free speech lawsuit == {{main|Anti-BDS laws#Abby Martin v. the State of Georgia}}

In February 2020, Martin's booking to speak at a conference at [[Georgia Southern University]] on Critical Media Literacy was canceled when she refused to sign a pledge not to [[boycott]] Israel as required by law in the State of Georgia. Martin, represented by the [[Council on American-Islamic Relations]], filed a free-speech lawsuit against the State of Georgia.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://finance.yahoo.com/news/cair-ga-civil-rights-groups-165700544.html |title=Civil Rights Groups to Announce Federal Free Speech Lawsuit Against Georgia's Unconstitutional 'Israel Boycott' Law |website=Yahoo Finance |date=February 10, 2020 |access-date=February 10, 2020}}</ref> The conference was later canceled.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schechter |first=Dave |url=https://atlantajewishtimes.timesofisrael.com/georgia-anti-bds-law-challenged/ |title=Georgia Anti-BDS Law Challenged |work=Atlanta Jewish Times |date=February 13, 2020 |access-date=February 15, 2020}}</ref>

In May 2021, in a federal court hearing in Georgia, District Judge [[Mark Howard Cohen|Mark Cohen]] ruled in Martin's favor when he found that a law created to discourage the [[Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions]] (BDS) movement was in violation of the [[First Amendment]].<ref>{{cite court |litigants=Martin v. Wrigley |vol=540 |reporter=F. Supp. 3d |opinion=1220 |court=[[N.D. Ga.]] |date=May 21, 2021 |url=https://casetext.com/case/martin-v-wrigley |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230503152928/https://casetext.com/case/martin-v-wrigley |url-status=dead |archive-date=May 3, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Redden |first=Elizabeth |url=https://www.insidehighered.com/news/2021/05/26/court-says-requirement-conference-speaker-sign-anti-bds-pledge-unconstitutional |title=Want Your Honorarium? Sign an Anti-BDS Pledge First |work=Inside Higher Ed |date=May 26, 2021 |access-date=May 27, 2021}}</ref> Judge Cohen ruled that Georgia's law "prohibits inherently expressive conduct protected by the First Amendment."<ref>{{cite web |title=Federal judge says Georgia's anti-BDS law violates First Amendment |url=https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/555124-federal-judge-says-georgias-anti-bds-law-violates-first-amendment |first=Harper |last=Neidig |work=[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]] |date=May 24, 2021 |access-date=June 3, 2021}}</ref>

== Personal life == Martin is married to her ''Empire Files'' co-producer, [[Mike Prysner]], an Iraq War veteran.<ref name="Day 2021">{{cite news |last=Day |first=Meagan |date=August 19, 2021 |title='Antiwar Sentiment in the Military Is Stronger Than Ever.': Interview with Mike Prysner |work=[[Jacobin (magazine)|Jacobin]] |quote=Prysner founded the organization March Forward! in 2008. Today, he's an antiwar journalist, having cowritten and produced multiple documentaries for the program ''The Empire Files'', hosted by his wife, Abby Martin. |url=https://jacobin.com/2021/08/antiwar-military-veterans-afghanistan-iraq-biden-troops |access-date=February 23, 2026}}</ref>

== Selected work == === Film === * ''[[Project Censored the Movie]]'' (2013), as herself<ref>{{cite web |title=IMDb: Project Censored the Movie (2013) |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2689286/ |website=imdb.com |publisher=IMDb |access-date=November 14, 2016}}</ref> * ''[[99%: The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film]]'' (2013), co-director<ref>{{cite web |title=99% // The Occupy Wall Street Collaborative Film |url=http://www.99percentfilm.com/ |website=99percentfilm.com |access-date=November 14, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161114093643/http://www.99percentfilm.com/ |archive-date=November 14, 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref> * ''The Choice Is Ours'' (2016), as herself<ref>{{cite web |title=The Venus Project |url=https://www.thevenusproject.com/learn-more/documentaries/ |website=imdb.com |publisher=The Venus Project |access-date=January 23, 2016}}</ref> * ''Gaza Fights for Freedom'' (2019), director<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://gazafightsforfreedom.com/ |title=Gaza Fights For Freedom |website=gazafightsforfreedom.com |access-date=August 11, 2020 |archive-date=August 5, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805225048/https://gazafightsforfreedom.com/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> * ''Earth's Greatest Enemy'' (2025), director<ref>https://earthsgreatestenemy.com/</ref>

=== 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<ref>{{cite web |title=Project Censored — The News that Didn't Make the News and Why |url=http://projectcensored.org/ |website=projectcensored.org |publisher=Project Censored}}</ref>

== References == {{reflist|30em}}

== External links == * {{official|http://www.abbymartin.org}} * {{IMDb name|5449911}} * [https://empirefiles.tv/ The Empire Files]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Martin, Abby}} [[Category:21st-century American journalists]] [[Category:21st-century American women journalists]] [[Category:American activist journalists]] [[Category:American alternative journalists]] [[Category:American opinion journalists]] [[Category:American political journalists]] [[Category:American political commentators]] [[Category:RT (TV network) people]] [[Category:Journalists from California]] [[Category:Journalists from Washington, D.C.]] [[Category:American activists for Palestinian solidarity]] [[Category:American anti-Zionists]] [[Category:Activists from Oakland, California]] [[Category:People from Pleasanton, California]] [[Category:San Diego State University alumni]] [[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]] [[Category:Living people]]