Sampling Culture http://samplingculture.posterous.com Most recent posts at Sampling Culture posterous.com Sun, 10 Oct 2010 20:59:00 -0700 A coup d'état in Ecuador? http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/10/10/whats-happening-in-ecuador http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/10/10/whats-happening-in-ecuador

The following is my guestblog for TVO's The Agenda. The article originally appeared here, but I've also posted it here. Read on for more:

The news of the attack on President Rafael Correa by protesting police in Quito last Thursday came as a surprise to the international community. Like most countries left out of the elite G20, most of the national politics and news in Ecuador go completely unnoticed in North America until something boils over. Sometimes, it’s only when we have a personal connection to world news that we want to find out more. In my case, I have family and friends in Ecuador. Though I was born in Toronto, my father was born in Ecuador and lives there now. I knew there would be several perspectives circulating amongst media sources and my friends and family in Quito. The first news I heard was reports of President Correa being rushed to hospital after he was tear-gassed by police protestors. The attack came after he yelled to them “If you want to kill me, kill me,” according to an article by Eduardo Tomayo G. on Vancouver.MediaCoop.ca. BBC journalist Irene Caselli wrote it was the lower ranks of police and military rebelling against Correa's presidency. Under a new law it would take seven instead of five years for a policeman or woman to get a promotion. However, government ministers pointed out that during Correa's presidency, salaries for police increased from around US$700 to US$1200 a month. Despite the improvement overall, police want to maintain their additional benefits. According to Caselli's report, the protests on September 30th occurred after growing controversy over civil service laws that Correa proposed many months ago. The initial deadline to pass the laws was mid-October 2009 but it was repeatedly pushed back because Correa lacked a majority within his assembly and even within his own party, Alianza Pais. “Earlier this week Mr Correa was, according to the local press, considering the possibility of dissolving the assembly and ruling by decree until new elections because of the deadlock,” writes Caselli. “This move would have to be approved by the Constitutional Court first, and this seems more likely after Thursday's events.” There are many opinions about whether escalating violence against Correa was actually a failed coup d'etat, as President Correa has claimed. The questions of whether a coup had been planned and whether Correa is manipulating a volatile situation in order to gain more control are being hotly debated. I found a range of opinions from family and friends in Quito. Jose Unda, a visual artist and my dad, was at his home in a small town outside of Quito yesterday when the protests started. He is adamant that Correa’s version of the events is correct: there was an attempt at a coup and that former President Lucio Gutierrez, who is supported in the assembly by the Patriotic Society Party, was likely involved. According to the BBC, Gutierrez denied the accusation by Correa, although it is noted that Gutierrez was prominent in an uprising in 2000 that brought down then-President Jamil Mahuad. Meanwhile Guitierrez himself was ousted by massive protests in 2005. Back in 1995 former Vice-President Alberto Dahik Garzozzi was charged with embezzlement. As history reveals, Ecuador is not immune to corruption and popular uprisings that get rid of presidents. Some people are concerned about what kind of power Correa will exert after the events of September 30, 2010. Daniel Fernando, my cousin who is studying journalism in Ecuador said, “What happened yesterday was a big problem, but it was also bad for people like me who don't like the president. … Now our president is kind of like a victim and he will have more power than he had one day before.” Carmen Carreño Ossa, an artist in Quito, said she does not agree with Correa's twentieth century socialism, but believes that the police protesting violently was not the way to move forward. “Besides we already have enough security problems every day and now that we have problems with police it means that we are totally unprotected,” she said. She emphasized that she doesn't like the polarizing division between left and right ideologies that often come up when discussing politics. “We just need to solve our problems and forget about political names,” she said. “We do not need to change presidents every time we have problems because that means we are very unstable and immature. … Violence is never a good solution. Never, even if we do not agree with his ideology.” Melinda Maldonado, a Toronto-based freelance journalist and Spanish-English interpreter, also with family in Ecuador, said she had been in contact with relatives. Maldonado said Ecuadorians were already disappointed in the country’s police. “Expectations of corruption run rampant in a country where when you're stopped for something minor you can say, 'how can we work this out?' and pay your way out,” she said. The majority of people in Ecuador want to respect democracy while maintaining a right to protest and the ability to go about change in a transparent way. But in a country that is often polarized along political lines with serious policy issues and people's livelihoods at stake, all we can do is work toward calm negotiations and greater social justice.

Permalink

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1547055/somethingnice.jpg http://posterous.com/users/he6h5y5Q4XfM6 Samplingculture.com amandatoronto Samplingculture.com
Sun, 10 Oct 2010 20:49:00 -0700 'Inside Disaster' in Haiti http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/10/10/reporting-on-international-crises http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/10/10/reporting-on-international-crises

Space is a funny thing because the world shrinks with technology and with the relative ease of air travel. But, how does where we are located affect how we (as journalists) report on important issues? Recently I've written a bit on journalists covering issues that occur abroad. My article "Inside Disaster explored Haiti from within," was originally published in the Ryerson Free Press here. You can also read on for the full article here: 

The devastating earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12, 2010 became the subject of much sensational media coverage in the months that followed and then it slowly faded into the background as different news items filled out the daily news cycles of major news networks. However, the earthquake's destruction lived on in Haiti and so it became the subject of an in-depth three-part documentary series directed by Nadine Pequeneza, as well as the subject for an innovative website, also aptly called Inside Disaster. As soon as the PTV Productions team who were responsible for creating Inside Disaster, heard the sad news of the quake they immediately went to Haiti to document the momentous events. Katie McKenna, the in-house internet producer at PTV Productions in Toronto hired Nicolas Jolliet, an experienced internationally travelled photographer and filmmaker, to be their website producer from the field. He landed in Haiti with the film crew, carrying only his backpack, camera, laptop, GPS and satellite modem in order to produce photos, videos and blog entries four times each week. He worked separately from the film crew, uncovering the stories of survivors and humanitarian aid workers. Jolliet's mandate was clear, recalled McKenna, “find out how people are surviving without humanitarian aid.” Flash backward several months to September of 2009. McKenna was a recent graduate from the masters program in humanitarian studies at the London School of Economics. She had just become the internet director at PTV Productions and was securing funding to build an interactive website that would run parallel to a documentary film which would follow the international Red Cross to their next destination, wherever disaster would strike. On October 1, 2010 PTV submitted their Bell Fund application, and they ended up receiving several grants to produce an interactive website. They proposed using existing web 2.0 tools and some savvy media techniques to deliver in depth content and a historical context to current events. They also offered educational resources for those interested in learning about humanitarian efforts, volunteer work and fundraising. They were going to produce a unique website that was in an innovative form for distributing important information. Their website also served as a platform to connect desperate audiences of people from Haiti and people in Canada, as well as the Haitian community living abroad. By February of 2010 they had already begun developing their experiential interactive component to their website; a flash website with video clips from the film embedded. Flash forward to September 2010. McKenna discussed the lessons she learned while working on the Inside Disaster website to a room full of interactive web producers and film producers who want to create similar projects. The event was hosted by the Documentary Organization of Canada's Toronto chapter, and by the DOC Shift project. McKenna explained how she and her team were able to pull off fabulous results in both the real world and online, by providing critical information and unique perspectives. The results of their project were remarkable. Inside Disaster produced over 60 blog posts and garnered 7000 flickr photo views.They produced 30 videos which were seen over 43,000 times on youtube and and they had coverage on all of the major Canadian news networks. They received over 400 comments on their content and approximately 31,000 visitors went to the website in a number of months. Even more tangible than the online results were the results that came about because of their reporting efforts. Haitians in Canada were able to learn more about what was going on with their loved ones and could connect with a broader community of Haitians around the world to make sense of it all. McKenna retold the story of how a Haitian they hired to write a blog for them, Emmanuel Midi was able to launch his own successful career as a fixer for other news organizations after he worked with Jolliet, putting him in contact with people so Jolliet could document their stories. With PTV's support and testimonial, Midi now widely offers a fixer service (haitifixers.com). One of his more light hearted blog entries that he wrote for Inside Disaster, which was about two innovative brothers doing good in Haiti also got redistributed on globalvoicesonline.org and received hundreds of reader comments. McKenna said, “This is the power of the web – You create someone who exists and now they exist online too.” How can others interested in creating an interactive project like McKenna, succeed? McKenna advises, “Write a confident funding application... Get a blog and mailing list up fast... Don’t be afraid to be simple... Hire someone for outreach... Crowdsource and talk to your audience.” Finally, she said, “Prototyping works!” She also reminded film producers that the website has to be beneficial to the filmmaker, and that they need to be involved in the website development process. Hiring a writer who knows the web medium is a good idea too, she said. Finally, McKenna was enthusiastic about working with young employees who have a lot to gain, and a lot to give, on the job. For more on the new Inside Disaster website now in BETA, visit: insidedisaster.com.

Permalink

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1547055/somethingnice.jpg http://posterous.com/users/he6h5y5Q4XfM6 Samplingculture.com amandatoronto Samplingculture.com
Thu, 18 Mar 2010 04:31:18 -0700 Eco-frugal in Toronto http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/03/17/eco-frugal-in-toronto http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2010/03/17/eco-frugal-in-toronto TORONTO - April 2009 Networked Streets
Media_httpnetworkedst_htiua
Reusing, refashioning and building community As both social entrepreneurs and activists try to save their money, conserve natural resources and build community, eco-frugality appears to be thriving. Amanda Sissons unpacks boxes of fabric, buttons and unused colored paper for the craft swap happening at her store. She says she has a good feeling about how many people will show up that cold winter day at Freedom Clothing Collective. Established in 2006, Freedom Clothing is a cooperatively owned and operated store by Sissons and three of her friends. About an hour after she has been unpacking supplies, 15 people fill the small store on Bloor Street West in Toronto. By 8pm that evening, at least another 40 people have passed through to exchange their unwanted materials.
Media_httpnetworkedst_pbqvh
Sissons explains, “Now that people can't afford expensive items they are looking for new ways to re-do their old clothing.” According to Sissons, the craft swap encourages people to get together to swap items they are not using. It’s also a good place for people to share crafting tips. She says, “It's recycling.” Freedom Clothing represents one sub-section of a larger group of people involved in the unofficial ‘eco-frugal’ movement in Toronto. In an eco-frugal approach, reducing waste, remodeling and reusing old things becomes en vogue during financially uncertain times. Since the economic turmoil swept North America, eco-frugality that combines both ecological and fiscal responsibility has retained followers. Eco-fashion stores like Freedom Clothing, non-governmental organizations such as GlobalAware, dumpster-diving groups like Food Not Bombs (who collect unwanted food and then cook for the hungry) and freecyclers like the Really Really Free Market (who swap unwanted items), continue to persist in their efforts. When times are tough, these groups are building community by sharing and reusing what they have. Their commitment to living an environmentally-friendly, socially sustainable and frugal lifestyle appears stronger than ever. North American Green consumerism is strong Trendwatching.com's March 2009 brief professed that during the recession consumers still want to move away from non-sustainable products to those that aren't contributing to a large ecological footprint. According to the GfK Roper Green Gauge study, "Americans are taking notice of the dual benefits of making simple eco-friendly changes that help both the planet and their wallets.” They found “More Americans are discussing recycling (86%), conserving energy (79%) and conserving water (76%); - - all simple ways to save money.” In Canada, the City of Toronto launched its Live Green Community Investment Program last year. They award grants of $25,000 to community groups who undertake action on sustainable energy use. In Toronto, the persistent popularity of and curiosity about community gardening and all-things-environmental is evident in the March ‘Ecoholic’ issue of NOW Magazine. Across income levels and diverse lifestyles the buzz about being Green and sustainable has not lessened. In fact, more people may be making cost-effective decisions and lessening their ecological footprint at the same time. Grassroots Green Contrary to the Green-washing of mainstream products by major retailers, in grassroots circles, a skeptical attitude toward corporate mechanisms persists. This is true, especially now, in reaction to the recent North American financial collapse. Bryn Roshong, an activist and labour union organizer said, “I hope that people see job losses and companies failing, and relate it to their own consumption and connect that there needs to be a holistic change in the way we relate to the planet.”
Media_httpnetworkedst_chcbt
Roshong, Wes Hannah, Ben Hackman and others in Toronto are participating in Food Not Bombs. Almost every weekend they collect unwanted food from vendors at St. Lawrence Market and grocery stores before closing time. Then they cook the food for homeless and hungry people on Sunday afternoons. Instead of the unwanted food going into the garbage, the edible food gets rescued and served to around 50 people in Allen Gardens. Roshong explained, “A lot of food comes from California or Chile and is grown with pesticides, and shipped here. So much energy goes into producing our food, and then sometimes perfectly good vegetables get thrown away because no one buys them. There’s so much food wasted and so many people go hungry in this city. I see it as completely backwards.” Community efforts Roshong and the ‘Really Really Free Market’ collective put on the ‘free store’ events. People attending donate and take away items without the exchange of money. People bring clothes, toys, books, electronics, and kitchen utensils to the store. Their last ‘free store’ event in March was held at the Toronto Free Gallery, and they estimated that up to 800 people visited. The event drew people from a broad cross-section. They put advertisements in Now magazine, on Craigslist, and put up posters around the city. There were kids and people of all ages searching for something they might like to take home. Passersby also came in, unaware what the event was about, but learning once inside. Roshong and Hannah said it was a great way to build community. For them, the recycling aspect is important. Roshong said, “There’s no reason why we can’t reclaim things…We are going to become a larger community space for people to have an alternate means of sharing and getting what they need.” While unique to Toronto, free store events are happening regularly all over the world – in the Netherlands and in cities like Vancouver. According to Roshong's pamphlet, free stores are “responsible to the environment, community, and the planet.” Hannah said their event is an example of eco-frugality, which is “not just dependent on a depressed market.” He said, “It’s brought out in times like these, but people see it is sustainable, even if they have a high paying job and job security.”
Media_httpnetworkedst_jkifh
In Kensington Market at GlobalAware, executive director Clive Shirley had similar things to say about how his organization is eco-frugal. He said they print their postcards on tree-free paper, they recycle old books by making them into new notebooks and they stock fair trade clothes. “I think people can save money by investing in products that are made well that will last for life. Rather than going to Walmart and buying a cheaply made knife that will last one year, and then going back again each year for twenty years, people should buy one knife that will last,” said Shirley. Dr. Leslie Jermyn, an anthropology and environmental studies instructor at the University of Toronto, said that as people are budgeting, environmental solutions fit into their thinking. Jermyn explained being eco-frugal means, “making choices to reduce energy usage, excess and waste.” Community initiatives like these show us that through reclaiming old things and turning them into new treasures, eco-frugality is alive and well. As times get tough, it makes sense that eco-frugality and community-building are on an up-surge and they are only getting stronger. It will be interesting to see whether private and public funding will be channeled into official government, industry, and smaller community projects too.
Media_httpnetworkedst_htiua

Permalink

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1547055/somethingnice.jpg http://posterous.com/users/he6h5y5Q4XfM6 Samplingculture.com amandatoronto Samplingculture.com
Mon, 07 Dec 2009 11:29:32 -0800 Reimagining public space, one plant at a time http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2009/12/07/reimagining-public-space-one-plant-at-a-time http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2009/12/07/reimagining-public-space-one-plant-at-a-time [wpvideo iovtAoAT] As part of our series on unique artists, Amanda Connon-Unda discovers how a pair of artists - Sean Martindale and Eric Cheung - create artistic interventions that compel people to think about their lived environments. Video Notes: Produced by Amanda Connon-Unda Featuring Sean Martindale and Eric Cheung Some photos provided by Sean Martindale (http://picasaweb.google.com/sean.martindale/PosterPocketPlants#) Made in Toronto, Canada, in December 2009.

Permalink

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1547055/somethingnice.jpg http://posterous.com/users/he6h5y5Q4XfM6 Samplingculture.com amandatoronto Samplingculture.com
Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:23:24 -0700 Twitter for everyone http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2009/03/08/twitter-for-everyone http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2009/03/08/twitter-for-everyone Since I wrote this post on January 23 2009, I've been on Twitter. Now with over 100 people that I'm following and 72 followers, I think I actually understand how Twitter works. Daily, I get updates from Richard Florida, George Strombo, Jay Rosen (NYU professor), Atrak, and an eclectic dose of friends and social media experts. I get updates from some of my favourite media groups too! The Agenda with Steve Paikin, The Walrus Magazine, and classmates... I enjoy getting links. Add me if you want: www.twitter.com/Amanda_C_U. I've been posting links of who I am interviewing lately: Rebecca from the Paradigm Shift Project, Mathew Ingram from the Globe and Mail, Brett Gaylor the director of Rip: A Remix Manifesto, Lesley from Globalaware.net, and others. So... come join the party! -

Twitter for Journalists

I’m Twittering Now

I’m embarrassed to say it, but I’ve been wondering for a year now what the deal is with Twitter. I first heard about it when Kat Angus, an editor at DOSE.CA, started posting Twitter status updates on her Facebook. Around the same time, Phil Barrett, a mobile and interactive marketing professional, also started referring to Twitter.

I thought I was savvy with online journalism - having blogged about music and created a podcast - but Twitter seemed more mystifying.

With the desire to immerse myself in online journalism, I signed up for a Twitter account. The process of joining was made easy by reading Twitter’s helpful FAQ.

Twittering for the masses

In a nutshell, Twitter is being used by people to send quick, frequent messages - tweets - from a computer or cell phone, that are then distributed to everyone following that person on various sites.

According to Sharon Gaudin, social networking sites are changing the way North Americans experience historic events.

Media_httpfarm4static_dgxaz

How journalists are using Twitter

Mike Miner, a writer for Toronto Life and a producer at TVO’s The Agenda with Steve Paikin, spoke with me on facebook chat about Twitter.

Amanda: How did you first start using Twitter?

Mike: I took it upon myself to get every producer on The Agenda signed up. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure how to use it at first. But it was clearly an emerging site that was drawing a lot of traffic, so I figured we should be using it and learning with everybody else.

One producer, Dan Kitts, does a pretty good job of using it regularly, but all he does is post when he’s done something, like: About to produce a show on Iran, Just finished producing a show on Iran. It will air tonight at 8….

Not exactly scintillating. But it was good for me to watch this.

Amanda: How are you using it more effectively now?

Mike: On Twitter you’re being followed by lots of people, and you’re following lots of people.

Karl Rove added me… and a journalist I know and respect sent me a personal message based on one of my posts. So what you have here is a very casual, almost ambient, connection with an interesting pool of people.

People don’t read everything that you put up…it doesn’t make sense to make it a mechanical, scheduled part of your job.

Mike Miner also revealed that Twitter is great for journalists to do the following:

  • Float questions
  • Send a direct question to someone who has said something interesting
  • Add people who you saw at a conference or a news event.

At the end of the informative conversation with Mike Miner, he revealed that in fact he found two sources through Facebook yesterday. He said, these forms of social netoworking “show how the search for people is changing.” Indeed, these tools can be very useful if used wisely!

Permalink

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1547055/somethingnice.jpg http://posterous.com/users/he6h5y5Q4XfM6 Samplingculture.com amandatoronto Samplingculture.com
Sun, 08 Mar 2009 20:12:17 -0700 Web 2.0 and diverse perspectives http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2009/03/08/11 http://samplingculture.posterous.com/2009/03/08/11 Here's a blog I wrote originally for our class website: networkedstreets.com
Media_httptangyslicef_ztgju

I think people still like to read their paperback novels and newspapers with breakfast. But the internet is best suited for presenting hybrid feature forms, which have the potential to bring readers or viewers closer to understanding their world from different perspectives. And, a fair number of news media outlets and new media sites have been doing just that – using the potential of Web 2.0 to show multiple perspectives worldwide in compelling new ways. While not everyone can travel frequently, most can get a glimpse of remote places on websites via multimedia presentations that reveal complex issues in a more tangible way than print. Web 2.0 is undoubtedly easier to grasp for people of our generation – That’s ‘Generation Next’ - but the point is not whether new media formats are more effective than print news media – they are clearly just different.

I live-blogged an event last week, at which Tony Burman spoke, and I was reminded of the need for a diversity of perspectives in our media. Burman, who heads up Al Jazeera English (AJE), spoke about the cultural diversity of AJE’s staff, and how they have a make-up that is as multicultural as people are in Canada. He explained that two of AJE’s goals are to bring the perspectives of the South to the rest of the world, and to tell truth to power. His vision was progressive and in his own words, he said, “We are moving into a post-American world, one defined and directed by many people… AJE in many parts of the world provides more coverage than all of its competitors.” Burman closed the evening stating, “It’s about freedom of expression… and understanding this complex multicultural world we are trying to make better. We want to welcome multiple perspectives to make democracy better.”

Until the channel is available in Canada, AJE is available online.

Burman’s call for multiple perspectives got me thinking about which other news media outlets are doing this kind of thing right, getting at perspectives from the rest of the world. I found a few notable examples:

Democracy Now! often features correspondents from abroad, and people from within media in the Middle East. One good example is a correspondent on the phone, live from Afghanistan in this piece.

In the world of new media photojournalism, the traditional constraints of print are no longer an issue. We can zoom in on images, and interact with text. With multimedia packages becoming features in their own right, we can bring viewers closer to far away places with a greater deal of immediacy. World renowned photojournalist James Natchwey used digital media in his new project (here) which he said the world needs to know about. After winning a TED Prize in 2007, he said, “I wish for you to help me break it in a way that provides spectacular proof of the power of news photography in the digital age.”

Another example of a well-researched new media piece that takes us to another region of the world, would be this one from the Globe and Mail, on the Drug War in Mexico.

And there are more examples out there, if one only searches Web 2.0 to find them. What might be more interesting is to figure out how we can interpret these new media pieces and define the dilemmas that we might come up against in creating them. Interactive technology has already arrived. What’s sometimes missing is a rigorous analysis. And, yes – my piece is a case in point – an example providing examples, but without very much analysis.

Permalink

]]>
http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1547055/somethingnice.jpg http://posterous.com/users/he6h5y5Q4XfM6 Samplingculture.com amandatoronto Samplingculture.com