Jan 31 2007
CCTV Interviews AliveinBaghdad.org Founder
Eli Kao, Membership Coordinator and Online Community Developer for CCTV, interviews AliveinBaghdad.org Founder Brian Conley on his CCTV blog, titled Community Media Near and Far.
Listen to the the full, unedited interview (49min).
Thanks for posting this, Colin. (Slight delay on the commenting, but I did notice!) I was struck by Brian’s commitment and ambition, as well as his insightful criticism of both established, commercial media AND grassroots, activist media organizations. In the interview he points out how both generally fail to provide the people closest to the story, Iraqis living in Baghdad, for example, with a way to express their daily experience that extends beyond a soundbite or quotation.
It made me think of other projects dedicated to giving people the means to make their own media, from the Chiapas Media Project to some of David Isay’s audio documentaries (like Ghetto Life 101). These projects do not have the same aim as aliveinbaghdad.org, where the focus is on approaching an alternative, day-to-day journalism, but there is a common methodology- the “producer/instructor” provides means of production and some instruction, then steps back (to varying degrees, depending on the person/org).
I think it’s a good reminder to anyone who is producing documentary work, especially if it is inter-cultural, to think hard about whether their purpose might be better served by allowing the “subjects” to share, or take over, authorship. Even in such situations the “producer/instructor” is often necessary, if they have the privilege of access to quality equipment, knowledge of how to use it, and potential to help distribute the work.
Messed up the AIB link above. Visit aliveinbaghdad.org.