VideoTheVote.org

Bring your cellphones, digital and video cameras to the polling booths and document anything you think is delaying, preventing or disenfranchising your vote this Nov. 4th.

videothevote.org

"Video the Vote is a national initiative to protect voting rights by monitoring the electoral process. We organize citizen journalists—ordinary folks like you and me—to document election problems as they occur. And then we distribute their footage to the mainstream media and online to make sure the full story of Election Day gets told. Watch our 2006 highlights and join us as we Video the Vote this November."

Agriculture: Emile Vig - The Future Farm

This is a second contribution by producer Emile Vig to Current TV. His first, A Midwest Oasis, was a study of the Milwaukee art musiem. It was chosen by the web community for TV back in April. This latest upload of his looks like it will be taking the same route as it is presently number one in the community picks. This one tells the story of a progressive farm in NY that is trying to be a model for local, sustainable, agriculture.

Journalism: Kevin Epps & Njeri Sims - US Vs Josh Wolf

Josh Wolf was a freelance videographer who often posted his work on blogs. In July of 2005 he captured footage of a protest in San Fransisco. There was some disorder at the protest and the federal government tried to subpoena his equipment and his footage as part of the investigation. Josh believed that his footage didn't show anything significant and that the disorder did not warrant a federal investigation. He believed that the government simply wanted his tape so that they could use it to identify the people at the protest for their homeland security database. He offered to let the judge see the footage but refused to give over the tapes to the government, citing the first amendment and freedom of the press. They said, among other things, that he didn't count as the press and threw him in federal prison on April 1, 2006. He has since been released after posting his footage on the internet.

In all honesty, when I watch his footage, I have a hard time not concluding that some of the anarchy demonstrators were indeed out of line but I think this story still says something important about the state of our country today with it's hysterical fear of terrorists and "subversives". They put a guy in jail to get his camera footage of a protest.

Regardless of which side of this issue people fall on, I think this really opens up some important legal questions: who exactly counts as the press these days now that pretty much anyone can publish on the internet? How far does the first amendment go? Should journalists be able to refuse grand jury subpoenas? Does raw footage of a public event, with no participation from the observer, constitute the creation of some property that can then be protected by the first amendment?

This video was created by two allies of Josh as part of the movement to get him out of jail.

Comedy: Current TV - Super News - Gates Vs. Jobs

Current TV is a national cable TV network that was founded by Al Gore. It is targeting the intelligent wing of the MTV base and it is the strongest advocate I have seen yet for the new media generation. One of the primary features of Current is that about 1/3 of it's content is created by independent producers who upload their work to the website. The website has an interface similar to YouTube in some ways but with specific requirements for the kinds of content they will accept.

They want ordinary people to create short 2-8 minute documentaries or satirical shorts, which they call "Pods" and post them on the website. There, both the web community and the Current programming staff review the submissions. If the programming staff like something, they will pay the producers to broadcast it. If the staff don't choose your work, there is still a chance for it because everyone who is a member of the website can cast a vote for any Pod they think should be on TV.

There is a ranking list that puts the pods in the order of their popularity and the number one choices are automatically picked for broadcast twice a week. Along with pods, Current also offers opportunities for people to submit raw footage, homemade commercials for their sponsors and promo spots for the cable network. The upside of all this is that it is a great place for talented people to get their work in front of a national cable TV audience. The down side is that once you are paid for your work, Current has the exclusive right to that particular version of it forever.

I and my fellow contributors have all been very prolific on Current TV and we have each been through this selection process several times now both by the community and by the staff. I must admit that I have had strong disagreements with Current on some of the new directions they have taken since they began. However, I still think Current is the best idea that has come around in the media for a while. It is very fertile ground for grass roots producers and amateurs who want to showcase their work, give and get constructive criticism and share stories and ideas that aren't being found on TV.

Current is also a great place for people who want to find web videos that are trying to be productive rather than just getting attention. We will be sharing many of them here in the future. This time, though, I thought it would be fun to share a funny spot that was done as one of their in house productions: Super News