Begin forwarded message:
From: David B. Briones d...@narconews.com
Date: May 27, 2010 8:28:17 AM PDT
To: narcon...@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [narconews] The Unique Experience of the Narco News J-School, and
Why You Should Support It
Reply-To: narconews-ow...@yahoogroups.com
Dear Narco News Reader,
I will not waste any of your time describing why independent, authentic media
is important to you, the fact you come to this site in spite of its color
scheme is evidence enough that you are keenly aware of the importance of
uncompromising content. Nor will I bother you with examples of how the
commercial media models have failed us in that respect, you know where to
find those too, they’re all around you. I’m going to tell you a little bit
about why my personal experience with the School of Authentic Journalism has
convinced me that it is an invaluable institution and tradition in the
ongoing construction a different kind of journalism. Scratch that. Let us not
be humble about something as important as reality: The construction of better
journalism.
My name is Jesse, I am a video-journalist with a project called The Real News
Network, and I had the incredible privilege to attend my first ever School of
Authentic Journalism this February on Mexico’s gorgeous Yucatan Peninsula.
Here’s a sampling of what I got out of it.
The experience made me aware of dozens of ambitious projects, like Ansel
Herz’s incredible reporting from Haiti. Moreover, it’s turned me into a
shameless promoter. When I overhear someone talking about the Colombian
elections, I’m selling them Omar Vera’s Bogota-based paper El Turbion like a
newsie in 1902 Queens. What did you say about alternative media models? I’m
practically pushing you on a train to Philadelphia to see Milena Velis and
the Media Mobilizing Project. Looking for a good movie tonight? Check out
Oscar Estrada’s freely available documentary El Porvenir. Of course you’ve
already seen it, who hasn’t? In that case check out Greg Berger’s Love in the
Time of Influenza or Marine Lormant Sebag’s The Revolution Will Be Animated.
Okay I’m out of corny excuses to show off my new friends to you, just google
the whole list here and here.
I come across an article, a project, a video, and an action every day that
inspires me, and the Internet gives me any number of ways to pass those on
through social networks. But I do so with much more vigor and conviction
those projects with which I have a personal connection with the creators.
Thanks to the J-School I have a stronger connection, understanding, and
respect for these projects, having spent real time with their parents.
Which brings me to my particular work.
The Real News currently operates three journalism ‘cells.’ One is myself, one
is the stupendous Lia Tarachansky reporting from Israel-Palestine, and the
third cell is a group that produces daily interviews with Real News founder
and most vital organ, Paul Jay. As we try to touch on as many topics as
possible, so as to merit the term daily video news service, we have to
reverse focus on a regular basis, both geographically and thematically. For
me that means drastic changes of course as often as three times per week. In
this endeavor, the J-School is a gift that keeps on giving.
The friendships I made were invaluable to my work. In the three months that
have passed, I have contacted at least six J-schoolers for input on stories
of my own (such as my recent video featuring Jean Friedman-Rodovsky on
Bolivia’s resource dilemmas).
There is little I hate more than reporting on places I’ve never been to and
struggles I’ve never witnessed, like the Bolivia video above. But my work
obliges me to do so. So I can’t tell you how important it is to have sources
that I know personally, even a little bit. It is one thing to call up
somebody you’ve never met for information, or someone you met in passing. It
is quite another to call up somebody whom you have shared a room with, met
Mario Menendez with, enjoyed a mojito with, and discussed the craft with.
That is to say, somebody with whom you have so quickly achieved a level of
intimacy that helps you decipher what sort of information that person might
include or leave out, prioritize or de-emphasize. The kind of invaluable
calculations one makes when putting together sources for a story, or when
merely trying to understand an issue for your own curiosity’s sake.
Working alone with video is a tough job. That’s not to say I do everything
myself, but for the most part I do work alone, sometimes by necessity, often
by choice. But working with a director like Noha Atef on the promo video for
her website Torture in Egypt was a window into the possibilities of
collaboration. Noha instantly provided both a vision and specific directions
about what she wanted, and together with the aforementioned Milena Velis we
