TBA2008 -- New Media, New Motion: New Avenues for Activism

3:22: This session is being led by Robert Greenwald, Jane Hamsher, Michael Kieschnick, Adam Green and Dr. Alan Bean.

3:25: Adam Green is moderating the discussion.



3:29: Robert Greenwald is first. The idea that they are working on at Brave New Films is the The War on Greed.



3:33: It's not just enough to be pissed off, that's easy, it's to translate that anger into action.

3:36: A great way to get a message across is to use personal stories about people that are affected directly and negatively by policies.

3:39: The elements of good video (or blogpost, really) are: messaging, content, politics, and storytelling.

3:40: Jane Hamsher: The idea is to use the Internet to serve the same role for the left as the conservative churches fill on the right.



3:46: Michael Kieschnick: Works with a group called Credo Mobile. They use their phone system, to register voters, GOTV and other activism. They use texting to get people to vote, which led to a boost in turnout of 4% with very little cost. It worked out to about $1.62 per vote, which was only 5% of the cost per vote of the second cheapest cost per vote of any method.



3:50: In collecting e-mails and info, you also need to get mobile numbers, which lead to the cheapest method of voter contact.

3:53: Alan Bean is next. The reason that things like Tulia and Jena are successfully raised into the public consciousness is for someone to take the various details and combining them into a coherent story/narrative. That can lead to media coverage and interest groups active.



3:57: In the Jena 6 case, bloggers helped spread the story and brought the story to the attention of the mainstream media. It wasn't the so-called A-list bloggers that drove the story, either, it was the African-American bloggers who drove the story.

3:59: A narrative-based advocacy model is what is needed.

4:01: Michael Kieschnick: Peer-to-peer GOTV e-mail messages works pretty well, e-mail from organizations don't seem to be as effective.

4:25: When you see a media story presented 50%-50% when it is really 90%-10%, write a respectful and well-thought-out message and send it to the reporter asking for more accurate reporting.