Activist TV: a better view
By Elinor Rennie
MELBOURNE — In May, while a protest against uranium mining on native title land was occurring outside the headquarters of CRA, a swan became stranded on the nearby Princes Bridge. TV news reporters from the three commercial stations left the protest to film police rescuing the swan; the report made news headlines.
Not surprisingly, activists in recent years have begun to address the problem of media access. The development of inexpensive, high quality video cameras has enabled groups of people to document community actions and present stories on the political issues that are avoided by the mainstream media.
Access News M (Channel 31 Melbourne, Mondays 8pm), News Unlimited (Channel 31, Sydney) and Undercurrents in the UK are at the forefront of this movement.
Tackling environmental, human rights and social justice issues, these groups continue filming long after the networks have finished their 30-second story. They speak to the people who are not normally interviewed, go into areas where they may not be permitted to go and continue filming even when a blue uniform is blocking the lens.
The stories themselves are compelling, and so is the way they are presented. There is no journalist in front of the camera, no newsroom and no newsreader telling the information in a way that makes you feel removed from the events.
Alternative media give the community a chance to voice their concerns and the grassroots organisations a chance to inform the community.
Watching this kind of documentary-style news also makes you aware of the camera. You view the attempts to stop filming and the methods used by police, who rarely smile for the camera but do suddenly become self-conscious about their actions. Footage by Undercurrents has been used successfully to defend protesters in English court cases.
After a few weeks off air, Access News will be relaunched on August 11 at the State Film Theatre, Melbourne, at 7:30 pm.
The launch will feature activist news from around the world. Among the stories will be the Goolengook protests, Deer Park Prison actions and footage of what actually happened at the recent anti-One Nation protests. This is television viewing that will not let you go numb and switch off.