Voice of the poor gets a global platform
by
Neville Parker |
Army of rural ‘journos’ can trigger a news revolution in India, Neville Parker writes
THERE is much substance in a revolutionary project that was launched in India on World Press Freedom Day on Tuesday. Aptly named India Unheard, it involves an army of about 30 correspondents, armed with video cameras, going around rural areas of the country.
Their task: produce, manage and upload news, views and reports on issues that affect the lives of communities. The news will go online through a dedicated web portal.
The novel concept has been launched in the country by Video Volunteers, an NGO, and it has given a new voice to the underprivileged communities in India through its web series India Unheard.
The correspondents, who have been recruited for this ambitious project, are from communities who have faced poverty, hunger and discrimination themselves.
These rural ‘journos’ have been taught the basics of news-gathering and how to use a video camera and transmit the data via Internet to a central office located in Goa which will manage the news update on the website.
If freedom of expression is an integral component of peaceful existence and progress of civil societies, then India Unheard seems ready to play an important role in shaping the future of communities which are riddled with poverty, suffer oppression and lead a miserable life.
The pioneering endeavours of Video Volunteers, founded in 2003 by Jessica Mayberry who works closely with Stalin K, an Indian documentary filmmaker and community radio activist, and co-founder of Drishti Media, Arts and Human Rights, also adds a new dimension to the way news is reported in India.
The mainstream media, like major newspapers, TV channels and radio generally do not accommodate much news and views from under privileged communities in the rural heartland. India Unheard will provide an insight into the daily lives of such communities.
One can imagine the possibilities that lie ahead for India Unheard; it could enlarge its target audience by linking correspondents’ profiles to Facebook or YouTube where news content could be uploaded. Arrangements can also be made with leading TV and radio channels for dissemination of content.
Even Video Volunteers may not have realised the immense impact their project could have on the general public and various organs of government which are usually blamed for not doing enough for the poorest of the poor. Since the correspondents of India Unheard, who will be spread across 24 states also come from communities which have suffered poverty and deprivation, they will be inspired to provide accurate accounts of what’s actually happening in their regions.
Such social media can generate tremendous influence, and if it can be used in tandem with mainline media outlets its impact on civil society will be phenomenal. It is about time the stifled voice of vast swathes of India’s suffering people was heard. It would be a new beginning for them and for the country.
Oman Tribune |
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