Bigger Footprints: Building Shared Vision around Mutual Goals
BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 10, 2004 - A U.S. Army specialist suspected of snapping some of the now-notorious photos of Americans abusing Iraqi prisoners will be the first soldier to face a public court-martial in the scandal, the U.S.-led coalition announced Sunday. - Knight Ridder News Service
Few will deny that the battleground on which the world s public and private drama plays out daily is the media. Owning or managing the content of media outlets is the goal (you might even say obsession) of global corporations and national governments. In the midst of the violent and falsely-justified invasion of Iraq, it s worth noting that the first person prosecuted at Abu Ghraib prison was the soldier who shot and, presumably, disseminated the unauthorized images. The criminal is the photographer, proving that the power of a camera in the hands of a single individual - whether discerning, exploitative or simply lucky - can pose an immense threat to the status quo.
The 24-year-old military policeman accused - and since convicted - of taking pictures in the U.S.-run Iraqi prison may not have acquired his passion for capturing images through a local media art center or an artist-in-schools program. Regardless, as a member of the "new media" generation, he managed to shake the world with a digital camera and an email account. The rest of us ask, how can independent voices and voices of dissent make the most of the tools and outlets available for media production and dissemination? How can we find audiences that care? The images we capture and the stories we tell can engage or enrage, can provoke neighborhood dialogue or upset the global power structure.
"Community Engagement and the Media Arts" was the topic of an online conversation among several dozen NAMAC members during February and March of this year. Led by Robert West of North Carolina s Working Films, participants shared strategies, discussed the multitude of tools they use, debated the responsibilities of media arts organizations, and pondered how to best make a case for the importance of independent media. West asked Salon participants to consider various questions, including: "Is new media activism going to shake our world? Bring us as yet unknown opportunities for closer engagement? Or will the powerbrokers just find new ways to control the medium and the message?"
Global (Re)Positioning - The Role of Media Arts
Whether you speak of "independent media," "media arts" or "alternative media," there is no roadmap for the work being done by this field, nor is there a score card. Sharing strategies and best-practices is of constant value, but the greatest concern mentioned by participants in this Salon was finding support to continue their work. Historically, the media arts have been financed by a relatively small group of funders interested in the arts or social change.
Sharing his story of a protracted fight for cable access in Asheville, North Carolina, Greg Lucas of the Media Arts Project weighed in with an insightful idea: "The way we have gained the most ground is contextualizing public access TV in the larger space of economic development." By articulating cable access s contributions to the larger process of community economic development, Lucas saw his city government become more willing to support access agreements and to dedicate funding streams.
The idea struck a chord among several participants. Learning Commons co-founder jesikah maria ross noted, "Many different organizations, agencies, social action groups, faith-based organizations, etc., can come together around the notion of community development." This can lead to "a more diverse range of stakeholders" engaged in the process. Ross put the impact of media arts in broad terms, such as "exploring how media tools contribute to improving conditions of community life, cross boundaries and divides, and build shared vision around mutual goals." She cited various examples beyond economic development that have worked well for her group, such as, "creating electronic greenspaces, increasing civic participation, integrating cultural communities into public life, and facilitating artistic expression."
Fred Johnson of Media Working Group heartily concurred. "We decided that if we wanted to carry forward our vision of media-change," he explained, "we needed to reposition ourselves in relationship to discussions about economic development in the communities and nations in which we were working." He called this "the central discourse on social change taking place." Johnson characterized his group s results not in terms of more funding but "diversified funding and greater community engagement." He elaborated, "We have abandoned simplistic ideas of commercial versus non-commercial media or the the public interest and instead ask in each instance, Does this make the media here more diverse and democratic, or less so? What partnerships and economies do we need to build to do that? How can we construct production markets that support a diversity of production groups and ideas? We learned that markets, like media - to twist the old media literacy concept - are socially constructed."
Making the Case
While media arts and cable access organizations have to find better ways to better position themselves as contributors to social, economic, and civic improvement, media producers often have to be even more specific and agile in making their cases. On this subject, Salon participants exchanged a variety of sometimes differing opinions.
"Our funding for projects has dropped dramatically over the past two years," lamented Susan Walsh, a longstanding media activist, who works at the Center for Independent Documentary. "While we have done well with funding for outreach, we are not doing as well with raising money for production itself. We can't do the outreach and the community engagement if we don't have excellent work to begin with."
"There will always be threats to independent voices," said Cynthia Close of Documentary Education Resources. However, she continued, "We all have more power and possibilities for our voices to be heard than at any other time in history. There is always a way for people with the drive, who are also articulate about their work, to find funding. I'm seeing great programming getting made."
"The more work you do within the community, the more the product grows," wrote Jill Sheinberg of ITVS. "The effects of projects of years past often come back to assist in current ones." Sheinberg s case for "an historical and patient approach" to fundraising within communities was tempered by her recognition that such an approach is "not always possible under the grant system within which most of us are working." Alyce Myatt of OneWorld reminded the Salon that "funders have specific goals and objectives - education reform, reduction of poverty, environmental awareness" and suggested our field can work toward a more sustained alignment of goals with funders. "I believe we, as a field, need to do a better job of tracking impact and, equally important, publicizing that impact." Though most foundations, in Myatt s words, "don't consider film as a valid tool to forward their goals and objectives," many of them can be persuaded by a demonstration of "effective civic engagement," one that "involves community partnerships - not advisors but real partner organizations."
The notion of making our organizational and artistic histories known to funders was reflected upon by Susan Walsh. "For a field of storytellers, we don't seem to collect the stories about ourselves. The more stories we can tell which show how our field is a real agent for important social action, the better we will do."
"I hope when we talk about funders we can get beyond the vary narrow view of private foundations as the only source of support for the incredible variety of work that is being done in the field," noted consultant Morrie Warshawski, citing other avenues of possible project support, such as "individuals, associations, small businesses, government agencies - to name a few." Similarly, Warshawski noted that "each of these different funders has a different criterion for the type of outcome (and evidence of that outcome) needed to convince them a project (and proposer) is worthy of support."
Sharing Power to Build Power
"Why do outreach anyway?" Salon moderator West asked. "What are the benefits to your organization? Is outreach for you about addressing a social question or is it about developing an audience?" Strategies for broadening and deepening involvement were offered, especially as participants generally agreed that merely putting the media you ve produced in front of an audience isn t enough.
"Even getting a national program service slot on PBS or HBO doesn t mean that anybody much will pay attention." wrote Pat Aufderheide of the Center for Social Media at American University.
"We recognize it isn t sufficient any longer to only show a documentary to an audience, have a good discussion, and move on," noted Steve Goodman of the Educational Video Center - speaking even of docs with highly compelling subject matter. "We are looking at how to develop sustained relationships with community activists so organizers can use both the production process and products as tools for social change." Offering one resource for media groups nationwide to tap into, Jim Sommers of ITVS talked about their Community Connections Project (CCP) - "a public education and outreach project that transforms timely social-issue independent film- and public-television-broadcasts into tools that engage communities, convene public dialogues, and support ongoing positive action." CCP s outreach campaigns, he noted, "are designed to reflect the specific goals of the program which often align with local community goals."
Steve Goodman added that over the years he s found inspiration in watching as "youth documentary producers become collaborative organizers, and community activists become media-literate co-producers."
Weighing in on the topic of outreach, NAMAC members reflected considerable diversity in their methods of organizing, their uses of discussion and technologies, as well as their definitions of buzz-words. Jesikah maria ross suggested a larger strategy that essentially turns common approaches inside out: "I've heard colleagues argue that we should ditch the notion of outreach and start working on inreach, " This name-change drops the notion that one s efforts are "the center of the universe" and that others should be brought in, and proposes instead, in ross s words, "that we need to get out and into the campaigns, organizations, and social groups of others."
Margot Chew Barringer of the American Poetry Center offered an important reminder: "No matter how difficult and daily the fight is, freedom of speech must surely be the ultimate goal and responsibility of those of us who now possess these fabulous new tools of media technology."
The Medium is Sometimes The Message
The many contradictions inherent in complex community work did not escape the Salon, as institutions of long standing came up against contemporary methods and tools. But it was passion for the work being done in our field, and the principles of social justice, that brought cohesion to the group.
"What I love most about access is the community involvement, which is truly grassroots," wrote Pamela Colby of Minneapolis Telecommunications Network. Colby cited as an example the seven weekly shows done by Somali producers for the Somali community currently running on her network.
"Our best outreach and activism is reaching out to underserved populations, especially youth, immigrants, and minorities," wrote Wendy Blom of Boston Neighborhood Network (BNN), noting that 33% of cable subscribers in her area say they watch BNN - a potentially large audience for independent media makers.
Sally Mason-Robinson of National Video Resources put in a plug for planning and presenting programs at local public libraries, many of which are experiencing a "wonderful renaissance" in programming for adult audiences. "Civic engagement is a mission for a good public library," she reminded. "Many librarians are both willing and anxious to co-sponsor, sponsor, or provide meeting space for substantive programs."
Laura Deutch of Pacific Film Archive (PFA) added, "I've come to realize that on many levels outreach has to begin with literacy and education of the moving image." A PFA media-literacy workshop called "How to Read a Film," according to Deutch, was "one of the most rewarding experiences of my work here," bringing to the PFA - often for the first time - many high school teachers and media educators, and creating "a forum for networking and dialogue."
Making a Bigger Footprint
Leaders of youth media organizations were especially active on the Salon, wrestling with the dual roles of providing empowering experiences for a new generation while contributing to "real time" social change.
Diana Coryat of Global Action Project (GAP) observed that outreach was extremely valuable on many fronts: "peer education, supporting youth-led public dialogue on community issues, and combating the relative absence of youth perspectives in the media on political, social, and cultural issues - just to name a few." In annual surveys, Coryat reported, a very high percentage of GAP s youth producers indicate that the most important aspect of the program is "screening their work before an audience."
John Gwinn of Phillips Community Television (PCTV) agreed with Coryat s comment that providing youth with this experience "is enough of an outcome to make the project worthwhile." He described this as "evidence of civic engagement: creating public forums for the discussion of ideas, including intergenerational and cross-cultural dialogues led by youth."
"Perhaps another important impact of youth media is found not in the product, but in the production process itself," suggested Chris Boulton of Urban Dreams Video Project. "The outreach of a public production process also applies to more dramatic or artistic forms of youth media, since the bigger the cast and crew, the bigger the footprint the production makes in the community."
Seeking to push the envelope further - and responding to words introduced by moderator West - Austin Haeberle of Listen Up! said, "We could do a better job at making people feel uncomfortable." He spoke of Listen Up! s "public town hall meetings," which bring short, youth-produced documentaries to different parts of the country. "There ends up being harmony in enragement, " Haeberle said. "We need to go past this comfortable spot. Can we use community enragement to get people in the doors?"
PCTV s Gwinn asked, "Can we then hope for something to come out of those screenings and discussions? Or is that too much to ask? Can we say, up front, that our video production project and subsequent public screenings are actually going to cause some change to happen? Can relationships be built and sustained beyond the screening night?"
The Changing of the (Digital) Guard
"Despite my ungentle entry into old age and current rage against mediocrity," reflected Barringer of the American Poetry Center, "I have been thrilled to discover a raw new energy in NAMAC members: a whole generation of explorers committed to pursuing the highest ideals our country has to offer."
That generational passing of the torch was quite evident in this Salon. Some new-media-generation participants used technological terms unfamiliar to their forebears, while the latter made references to institutions that held little meaning to the post-Vietnam generation. "It truly is a time of convergence!" enthused Nettrice Gaskins of the Commonwealth Broadband Collaborative, citing various projects that "are blurring the lines of media and technology, production and distribution to explore emerging issues and activism."
"My eyeballs tend to glaze over when discussions about new technologies ensue," retorted Cynthia Close of Documentary Education Resources. "Not to say that new developments in technology don't offer tremendous opportunities for media makers, but these are all just vehicles for content and communication - the vehicle, not the message." She stressed that it was "unique content" that had kept her company in business.
Gaskins responded that new technologies were redefining the idea of media content as well. She wrote, "In this changing environment, traditional content providers will continue to play a role. However, new forms will be created (and demanded) by the audience, because in online communications, on-demand TV, etc., everyone can be a content provider."
Beyond the Salon: Dialogue to Action
Camera-toting American soldiers in Abu Ghraib prison were content providers and unintentional media activists, creating what NAMAC Director Helen DeMichiel called "content thunderstorms." Provocative images served the needs of commercially-motivated media outlets and resulted in unprecedented levels of "enragement" and engagement. Concurrently, popular documentaries like Michael Moore s Fahrenheit 911 and Morgan Spurlock s Super Size Me blend commercial appeal with the goals of social-change movements, suggesting a widening of the strategies available to those who aim to intentionally create content thunderstorms.
In light of this provocative online discussion, future questions for our field might include: Who qualifies as a media activist in this time of blurring boundaries? How can media artists and organizations best position their ongoing work in the context of more broadly supported social and economic goals? How can the independent media field forge mutually beneficial relationships with issue-based activists, community builders, and "mainstream" institutions?
Salon participants demonstrated that the proliferation of tools of production and dissemination, along with an increase in media literacy, are of utmost importance in the global village. A balanced ecology of media activism must be nurtured. To secure future support, leaders in independent media must articulate the ways in which media activism - and the organizations that enable it - contributes to creating sustainable communities. Leaders in the field must also locate and join with multiple allies on the local and national levels.
"The media system/culture we now have is going to change massively; it is doing that everyday before our eyes; and often to our horror," said Fred Johnson of the Media Working Group at the Salon s conclusion. "The system is incredibly unstable. If we work at it each in our own way, and hopefully together, it is not utopian to think we can bring our media institutions and values closer to the core of everyday life and come up with something better than the marginalizing alternative media we have now."
TOM BORRUP, a past NAMAC board member and co-chair, is now based in Minneapolis, working as a consultant to arts organizations, foundations, and public agencies.
