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The Journey from ‘My Voice’ to ‘Our Voices’
I went to South Africa to teach filmmaking to youth, but what I really wanted was to foster critical consciousness—the ability to question authority and turn a lens on society, literally and figuratively. I soon realized that these youth were more than willing to question—and they started with me.
March 1, 2013
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Citizen Video for Journalists: Verification
Citizen video is becoming a powerful new reporting tool. But faked footage threatens to break the trust that's so critical to newsrooms and audiences. Storyful reporter Della Kilroy demystifies the verification process, sharing important lessons for reporters and human rights researchers alike.
February 25, 2013
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Marshaling Social Media to Tell Stories of Death Row Innocence
Too many cooks spoil the broth? Not anymore, says One for Ten producer Laura Shacham. She's hitting the social media superhighway to bring hundreds of voices to the stories of death row exonerees.
February 22, 2013
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Dear Mandela: Putting a Documentary to Work
Impact does not happen in a straight line: you make the film, show it, and things change. We spent four years shooting Dear Mandela, but it wasn't until we finished that we fully understood where our audience would be.
February 6, 2013
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New Laws Threaten To Restrict Filming of Police Actions Worldwide
Social upheaval is surging through the world--protests against economic protests rock Europe, protests against politics boil in the Middle East. Governments are responding with new laws to suppress citizens' right to film police. Will they succeed?
February 4, 2013
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InformaCam Rises to the Knight News Challenge
The same information that journalists and judges use to verify a human rights video is what repressive regimes use to identify and target activists. How can video activists stay credible and safe? ...with InformaCam.
February 1, 2013
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Using a Film to Nail a Dictator
Efrain Ríos Montt is going to trial. The brutal Guatemalan dictator is the first head of state to be prosecuted for genocide in genuine proceedings in his own country. And my video evidence helped send him there.
By Guest Blogger Pamela Yates
January 31, 2013
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Watching, Documenting, or Participating: A Documentarian’s Ethical Dilemmas
When is it okay to watch? When is it okay to shout with the crowd? Filmmaker Chris Kelly explains his bright line between observing and participating. Do you agree? Please share your thoughts in the comments.
January 25, 2013
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Video Advocacy at a Crossroads: 2012’s Dangers & 2013’s Solutions
Video is increasingly at the nexus of opportunity and danger for human rights activists. Video helps activists to document, confront, circumvent, and lobby against oppressive authorities—but it also allows those authorities to stalk them. Here's what we think will happen in 2013.
January 22, 2013
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Untold Stories from the Conflict in Mali
As citizen video becomes a critical tool in monitoring international political and humanitarian crises, its absence is all the more striking. In northern Mali, limitations on digital communications means a virtual “black hole” for human rights violations.
January 18, 2013
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Workers’ Rights = Human Rights: Documenting the American Workforce
The Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) prioritizes members' voices when creating original videos that are geared toward advocacy, member engagement and communication, and awareness among potential members. Are these lessons applicable to advocacy in other areas of human rights?
January 16, 2013
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Can Video Document Possible War Crimes In Syria?
Amid a rising tide of citizen videos worldwide, there's a torrent of Syrian citizen journalism. Christoph Koettl, Emergency Response Manager at Amnesty International USA, discusses the potential--and the potential pitfalls. What power does a Syrian cell phone video have, for justice and deception?
January 8, 2013
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Ethical Storysharing: My Words, Not My Story
If your story isn't yours, what is? Ethical storysharing advocate Aspen Baker tells how her personal abortion story was used to fit someone else's narrative. What are our obligations as advocates, as filmmakers, as editors -- as storysharers?
January 3, 2013
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Working for Sex Workers’ Rights in Macedonia
Today is International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, and we are thinking back to the events of November 21st, 2008 in Skopje, Macedonia. That night, 23 sex workers, 8 clients, several passers-by and one NGO activist were detained in a police raid geared toward the “suppression of street prostitution”.
December 17, 2012
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16 Days Series: Looking Forward to Solutions for Gender-Based Violence
Over the past few weeks, we have highlighted videos and stories on the Human Rights Channel and the blog in honor of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. For this final 16 Days post, we’re highlighting some of the successful solutions and promising strategies that are being developed to address sexual and gender-based violence.
December 15, 2012
