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Video Advocacy Example: Commercial or Advocacy Video for Marriage Equality?
This video is a good example of the blur between corporate advertising and video advocacy. The content and presentation resembles an advocacy video for marriage equality, yet the intention of the video was to sell a product (a dating site created by fashion company Björn Borg). The message of advertisement is lost to most viewers, and fails as an advertisement.
October 14, 2011
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Yahoo! and YouTube Share Learning on Business Practices to Protect Human Rights Content Online
The latest in the Carnegie Council’s lunchtime workshops for Ethics in Business took place on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 in New York and brought together a range of business stakeholders to discuss the unique challenges that currently face the ICT sector.
October 4, 2011
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Video Advocacy Example: Not In Our Town – Light in the Darkness
The rise of anti-immigrant violence is an urgent global problem threatening the fabric of community life everywhere, creating complex new challenges—and it is most intensely fought at the local level.
September 21, 2011
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Did Citizen Media Help Get Us the Story That Counts in the London Riots?
Almost as soon as riots exploded in the streets of London two weeks ago - indirectly sparked by protests over the shooting of 29 year old Mark Duggan – hundreds of videos and photos capturing the violence became available online. For days every major news outlet in the UK gave center stage to citizen-shot content, inviting people to send in their photos and videos to be published online.
August 24, 2011
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The Cause of Progress: The Power of Film and the Crippling Force of Corruption in Cambodia
Lizzy Tomei is a master’s student at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. She is currently interning with our Forced Evictions campaign.
August 16, 2011
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Forced Evictions Training in Rio: Social Activism as Samba
Whether it was talking social movement strategy and video action plans or singing samba underneath the stars, an overwhelming energy of solidarity and brotherly and sisterly love pulsed through WITNESS’ video advocacy training in Rio.
August 10, 2011
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In the News: Authenticating Video Footage as Evidence in Sri Lanka
Over the past two years, mobile phone footage of alleged human rights violations in Sri Lanka has been at the center of a conversation regarding the evidentiary value of amateur video.
August 4, 2011
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Video Advocacy Example: New Yorkers for Marriage Equality
After celebrating the recent passage of New York’s Marriage Equality Bill, I wanted to revisit some of the video advocacy efforts that supported the campaign. This PSA, produced by Human Rights Campaign, featured statements from New York celebrities and civilians, and garnered over 1 million views on YouTube.
August 1, 2011
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New Film Captures the Trials and Triumphs of Housing Activists in South Africa
Less than two decades ago, South Africa joined the ranks of democracies around the world as years of agonizing civil struggle and violence gave way to the moment so many had fought for: the end of apartheid, and the beginning of a government representative of all its people.
July 26, 2011
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Ahmad Bayasi’s Story: Citizen Video Authentication in Syria and Beyond
When a video was posted online in April showing Syrian protesters being brutally beaten by security forces in the town of Bayda, the Syrian authorities quickly responded on state TV. First they said the footage was fake; they then alleged that the video had been filmed not in Syria but in northern Iraq, and depicted the abuse of prisoners by American marines.
July 25, 2011
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Video Advocacy Example: Yale E360’s Video Makes a Powerful Statement on Water-Based Conflicts in East Africa
For most, the words “climate change” and “forced migration” are likely to conjure images of tsunami evacuations and FEMA trailers. These images have saturated the mass media and, as a result, remain fixed in our moral psyche.
July 19, 2011
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Crowd-Sourcing Surveillance: When Does Little Brother Get Too Big?
On June 16, riots swept downtown Vancouver after the Vancouver Canucks lost the Final of the NHL’s Stanley Cup. The online response to the riots—a public campaign to name and shame rioters followed by a heated discussion regarding whether naming and shaming constitutes vigilantism or community policing—still rages.
July 5, 2011
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Can You Raise Money and Awareness at the Same Time?
While nonprofits certainly need support in ways other than monetary contributions, we cannot accomplish our goals if we don’t have the funding. We love our spring fundraising campaigns because they provide an opportunity for WITNESS supporters of all levels to contribute based on their capacity and have their support multiplied.
June 1, 2011
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Can Video Stir the Debate on Peace and Justice?
The International Center for Transitional Justice’s “Peace versus Justice: A False Dilemma” video explores the relationship between peace and justice and the raging debate that often excludes one at the expense of the other.
May 18, 2011
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New Documentary Film Aims to Prevent Another Genocide
Michael Kleiman and Michael Pertnoy co-directed The Last Survivor. To find a screening of the film near you or to host a screening of your own, visit the website for more information.
April 13, 2011
