Tactic: Using Digital Video to Oppose Racism on TV

Written by Mary on January 13, 2008 – 4:54 am -

Description: A video shows a clip of a caller using a racial slur on a Fox sports call-in show and then asks viewers to lodge a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission against Fox News for not deleting the comment from their broadcast.
Organizer: the video has appeared on several blogs, but it is unclear who created it.
Purpose of Action: To punish Fox for airing the racist comment.
Organizing Tools: YouTube
Outcome: The showed aired on December 23rd and no action has yet been taken against the network by the FCC.
Ease of Replication: The is a pretty basic - yet highly effective - style of advocacy video, which cuts between live action clips and white text on a black screen. You will need to video editing skills to create it.

There are some positive points about this video and some negative points. Let’s talk about the positive points first.Good!

  1. The style gets the message across very clearly. You see the text explains the context of the clip and point out what is the clip you are supposed to pay attention to (the racial slur).
  2. The text uses emotion, making the viewer in engaged in the injustice of what is portrayed.
  3. The action has a clear targe: the FCC

Not so Good

  1. The call to action at the end of the video (contacting the FCC) is unclear. How do I lodge a complaint with the FCC? What should I say in the complaint?
  2. There is no web site where people to get more information about the action.
  3. In short, the video is excellent until the end, when it fails to give people enough information to complete the action. The last frame should have shown the address of a web site where people can get more information about how to complete the action.


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Posted in Americas, Tactics, Video |

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