“It is a privileged position to be able to reflect on what is happening around you. Most people are just having to live it.” - Susan Fleischmann, The Executive director Cambridge Community Television[1].
If only that 14 year old could tell the world how raw her heart is from watching her family being hacked to death and all the years of rape and abuse her little premature body suffered, I bet the world would listen. Or if the world had looked into that young girl’s eyes as she recounted the day some of her friends who were too tired to walk, or those who had tried to resist being raped again, were hacked to death, cooked and fed to the rest[3]; I bet the world would have listened. Even though I didn’t understand her language, her labored facial expressions spoke directly to me in clearer words than the translator could muster. If only she had had a camera phone on that fateful day or the UN peace keepers had been able to get a clue from a panicky ‘twit’ from one of the teenagers. In such a world, sans newspapers, TVs, internet and the blogosphere, citizen journalism can only ‘come’ to the people[4]. In the words of Jakana Stucky, a fellow blogger; Citizen journalism is indeed "a predominantly middle class culture"[5].
Ironically, although I grew up in Uganda, the closest I got to any accurate picture of the civil war in Northern Uganda was from four formerly abducted children that came to speak at my church. My American friends were surprised that I was almost as shocked by the content of “The Invisible children” documentary as they were. But again, it’s not surprising because dictatorships always have a firm grip on what makes the news and “nosy” journalists have a really high mortality rate in Uganda[6].
Despite the limitations of citizen journalism, “The Invisible children” documentary is evidence that it can done anywhere as long as there is someone at that time and in that place, that is ably equipped to share their story. Unlike the traditional journalists and media houses that may be barred or bound by censorship, citizen journalism follows the pulse of the citizens, covering that which they care about and want to be heard. Victoria Grand, the Head of Communications & Policy at YouTube compared phone cameras to swords, in reference to the camera wielding protesters on the streets of Tehran following President Ahmadinejad’s 2009 ‘election’. In the face of bullets and the brutal police, the protesters were armed with cameras instead. Neda’s death wasn’t caught on tape by a media house. It was the video clips from cell phone cameras that rallied an international effort to speak truth to power in Iran. Her steady gaze into the camera in her last minutes spoke more volumes than the most eloquent pinstripe-suited anchor on any media channel.
Citizen journalism is a truly empowering tool gifted upon us by technology and the advent of the internet. It gives regular middle class citizens the rare opportunity to voice their opinions, share stories or rally support for causes they care about. Over the years, citizen journalism has evolved from pamphlets to video blogs, iReports, YouTube videos and Twitter updates. The ultimate power of citizen journalism lies in the fact that the citizens can participate in authoring the content of the news.
If only the people of Northern Uganda had cell phone cameras the day the LRA rebels massacred 121 at Balonyo in the most brutal and inhumane manner. Or perhaps the images of the people whose lips and ears had just been cut off by the LRA rebels would have caught the world’s attention like in Neda's case. May be the intrinsic kindness of humanity would have been evoked in solidarity to draw international attention to northern Uganda and pressure the Ugandan government to do more to protect the helpless, especially the children. With Uganda's general election coming up in a month’s time, I can only hope that the middle class citizens rise up to the occasion and head out armed with their camera phones and blackberries, ready to report live at the scene of any injustice.
If only there was an avenue for those below the middle class to participate in this discourse in real time too.
[1] This was a comment Susan Fleischmann, The Executive director Cambridge Community Television made about citizen journalist in a YouTube video, “Citizen Journalism, What is it?”, 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58iZpMRclwI Web. Jan 20, 2011
[2] The Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), a rebel group led by Joseph Kony, are the pertuators of the 24 year old civil war in Northern Uganda that has resulted in the abductution of over 80,000 children and internally displaced people by the millions since the rebels took to the Bush in 1986.This is particularly close to my heart because I grew up in the Capital city(Kampala) which is only 6 hours by bus from the site of these atrocities. I consider myself lucky because it could have been me with 3 children at 16.
[3] This is a short clip on my time in Uganda.http://www2.binghamton.edu/ar/being-transformed-by-transforming-lives.html Web. Jan 20, 2011
[4] Like the three American film students from Southern Carlifornia that decided to go to Africa in search of a story in spring 2003, only to end up becoming an international voice for the child soldiers in Northern Uganda. They have since created a not-for-profit organisation called ‚‘‘The Invisible Children‘‘, named after the documentary they made on their maiden trip. http://www.invisiblechildren.com/undefined. Web. Jan 20, 2011
[5] This was further elaborated by Jakana Stucky in the YouTube clip“Citizen Journalism,What is it?”, 2006. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58iZpMRclwI Web. Jan 20, 2011
Jakana Stucky is also an author and avid blogger(http://www.blogger.com/profile/07909018947379157942) Web. Jan 20, 2011.
[6] http://www.demotix.com/welcome:
. http://www.demotix.com/news/562702/journalists-injured-uganda-presidential-campaign
I was pleased to come across this website. Its all about citizen journalism and they also had images and news from election related violence towards journalists in Uganda(second link). There are images from Uganda that wouldnt appear in any news paper because of the governement’s censorship of the news.
I thought you had a very powerful blog entry to say the least. I love the angle you went with the whole thing. The view points you had in this just were amazing to me. When thinking of citizens journalism most peoples minds I don't think of the bad things that happen across the world that people could report. At least when I was writing about it I didn't take into consideration the bad sides of what people are going to report. I couldn't imagine being a child over in Uganda and seeing all of the brutality. I can't imagine having a 14 year old girl report a brutality like that one. They shouldn't be seeing things like that let alone having to describe something like that. Again, your entry was an eye opener for me, great job with everything. It was very powerful.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Lindsey, I can't imagine going through or witnessing this kind of event. I think probably most of us (in this blog) lead a pretty sheltered life and the only way to experience this is by citizen journalism. Traditional news doesn't cover topics like this. They are too raw, and "potentially damaging to our American sense of well being." A courageous example of a citizen journalist to expose this, but what will the "middle class culture" that accesses it do with the information?
ReplyDeleteCindy I agree with you when you say that most of us in this blog/class really don't know what it is like out in a world that is lived like that. Most of us don't experience that at all, much less on a regular basis. Because of citizen journalism people are able to read stories like that, and as Cindy said it isn't possible to read stories like this in traditional journalism. Traditional journalism tries to protects people from reading things like this, which is good and is bad. Traditional journalism helps to shelter more people and hide what is going on in the world. It is good that people don't have to hear stories like this, but how does it feel to be someone who experiences that every day of their life? How does it feel to know that traditional journalists don't want people to know in detail what goes on in some peoples every day lives?
ReplyDeleteI am sorry for responding late, I was on the road most of today.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comments.
@Cindy- Like the opening quote says, we are privileged to be able to reflect on why things are the way they are in some parts of the world, as opposed to living through those situation.
In response to you question, I believe that with more privilege comes a greater responsibility to the less fortunate amidst us. Without coming off as preaching, I'd say doing something in one's means or becoming the voice for the voiceless is perhaps the best the middle class can do with such information.
Thats what the three college students that shot that documentary did and their initiative became quite infectious. Perhaps the best part about humanity is the intrinsic compassion we all have within us.
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ReplyDelete@Lindsey- I am short of the right words to explain how I felt listening to the stories of those kids I met. I had been teaching them how to sew for two weeks before some of them could share these stories with me. I just didnt know what to say..How do you react to someone telling you they were forced to eat some of their family??...I couldnt sleep for a while. I was so disturbed by how cruel fellow human beings can be.I couldnt explain why and how anyone who has the propensity to be kind and compassionate would also have the propensity to commit such horrible crimes,especially against children!It was really shocking to say the least. Like Cindy said, its the kind of news people would call "disturbing" or "too raw".
ReplyDeleteAs much as I felt like I needed a therapist after hearing all these stories, I tried to imagine if that were my life. I really admired their courage and will to survive, as opposed to self pity and or self destructive behavior.
Thanks for your comment.