David Rice; Lewanne Jones; Pamela Smith
The past decade has witnessed an unprecedented consolidation of media assets in the hands of a few commercial and government entities. FCC deregulation, corporate media mergers, and closer ties between government and media have all resulted in a small number of corporations controlling the majority of U.S. news and information media. But grassroots news outlets are also housing media collections. Grassroots media archives, supported by its users and not by its sponsors, enhance the historical record by including issues and perspectives and community representations that are not given voice through corporate media. The question is how to manage this resource, ensure that archives are preserved properly and keep these resources accessible to the public.
Get it On Line!
Fabriana Brown, Yanara Porter, and Mera Beckford, HarlemLIVE!
This workshop will give you some tips on how to design your own online magazine. The workshop will cover issues of design, presentation and maintenance. If you’ve ever been shy about using the internet to let others connect to your work, this workshop will help you get the basic skills to break the myths of web design. Using the internet youth publication HarlemLive as an example, participants will also hear from youth reporters the process that goes behind using the internet as a youth empowerment tool.
Making Folks Think, When They’re Laughing Too Hard to Realize It… Performance as Creative Resistance
NYC Radical Cheerleaders; Time’s Up Bike Clown Brigade; Missile Dick Chicks
Creative resistance groups are reinventing what it means to protest through the use of humor, the element of surprise and kick ass dance moves to get political messages into the public. Participants will learn a “patriotic” song and dance number, a good ol’ radical cheer, pick up a southern accent and perfect the skill of writing parking tickets while riding a bike in clown shoes. Learn adaptable models for gaining press attention, educating the public and reinvigorating the movement.
Media Policy: Why It’s Important for Everyone!
Antwuan Wallace, New School; Tim Karr, Free Press; Lynn Stern
Our networks, access, internet, and channels are under attack! Public Access faces being completely cut, phone and cable companies are trying to take over the wires and limit access, community wireless and low power FM face serious threats among many other BIG issues. We all need to take action! Come learn why it is important for everyone to get informed on what is going on and how to get more involved with issues that will have a huge affect on all media and media makers in the years to come!
PSA in a Day: Hands-on Video
(limited space, youth prioritized
Derrick Dawkins and Verena Faden, MNN Youth Channel
In this hands-on production workshop, participants will use video cameras and their collective creativity to create public service announcements (video messages). The session begins with an overview of media literacy and the language of video including camera shots, points of view, and cuts. After breaking into groups, participants will work together to brainstorm ideas, storyboard the shots, and shoot their PSAs. The finished pieces will be screened back to the group. [Disclaimer: This workshop is not intended to create broadcast-quality videos.]
Putting the “Community” in Community Media: Video as an Organizing Tool
Noor Alam, Michael Drutz, Dottie Harle, Gary Levin, Jennifer Stearns, and Robin Stigliano, CIAD; Yuichi Tamano and Sara Weiner, NMASS
Over the past two years, the Coalition of Institutionalized Aged and
Disabled (CIAD) has used peer-topeer
video interviewing and on-site video reporting to organize residents of
New York City’s notoriously
mismanaged adult homes. The National Mobilization Against Sweatshops (NMASS) works with injured and/or undocumented workers and Lower East Side residents to fight for common rights to healthy, safe
and just working conditions. NMASS uses video as a critical organizing tool, putting cameras in the hands of the community to document their stories and struggles. These two community organizations
are models for how community members can use video to forward their social justice campaigns. You’ll learn about the similarities and differences in their media projects and find out how you can use video to enhance your advocacy efforts.
Reading Between the Headlines: A FAIR Reading of the News
Julie Hollar and Hilary Goldstein, FAIR
We can all agree that news media is bad, but it’s often hard to grasp what exactly is wrong. Learn how to separate fact from fiction from media
criticism experts at Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting (FAIR). Whether you’re already a media activist wanting to enhance your “reading” skills or a social justice organizer battling how your issue is covered in the media, this workshop is for you. You’ll learn how to identify, document and challenge inaccurate or unfair news coverage, and find out what you can do
to get the story told right.
The Spectrum Spectacular: Community Wireless and Smashing Your Way into the Thrill Ride of the Century
Dharma Dailey and Hannah Sassaman, Prometheus Radio Project; Dana Spiegel, NYC Wireless
Cities and community groups around the world are getting online wirelessly, bringing cheap, fast internet, computers, and training to families that big telecom companies refuse to reach. But Verizon, Comcast, and SBC are fighting it every step of the way. Mixing ragtag technical know-how and scruffy policy wonkiness, this workshop will demystify wireless technology and plug you into the fight for our communications future!
Silkscreening 101
Kristine Virsis and Molly Fair, Visual Resistance
This workshop will be an introduction to photo silkscreen, from a do it yourself angle, with examples spanning a variety of budgets. We will go over steps such as building a light box and a printing space, applying emulsions, burning screens, and printing on fabrics and paper. ** Participants are encouraged to bring a shirt to print on, free patches will be available to use.
Teach The Teachers: Media Lesson Share
Christen Cofer and Andrew Lynn, MNN Youth Channel; Denise Gaberman, Videolink
Facilitators will turn participants into students and teach lessons covering media literacy and pre-production that they have found to be successful. Come prepared to learn how to teach about media and share ideas about what has and has not worked for you. This workshop is especially geared towards educators, after school program leaders, peer trainers, and others who care about teaching!
Using Hip-Hop for Social Change
Rolando Brown, Hip Hop Association
A workshop on the founding principles of the Hip-Hop Association [H2A]: facilitating, fostering, and preserving Hip-Hop culture. The workshop
explores how this approach to community organizing is supporting the work of a variety of individuals and organizations that utilize Hip-Hop culture as a tool to encourage critical thinking, social awareness, educational
empowerment, and unity.