Ford Fischer, videographer and cofounder of New2Share, discusses his decentralized video journalism project, challenges in providing unfiltered content, media bias, documenting extremism, and the implications of surveillance on police accountability. The conversation also covers the impact of CESTA FOSTA law on sex workers, journalistic challenges in the contemporary media landscape, and the potential for election violence and polarization in the future.
Ford Fischer provides unfiltered primary source footage, allowing viewers to form their own opinions on events.
Content moderation challenges on platforms like YouTube impact the accessibility of raw documentary footage and news coverage standards.
Fischer's coverage illuminates extremist group dynamics and police response failures, contributing to a comprehensive understanding of historical events.
Deep dives
News2Share's Evolution from Neutrality to Primary Source Documentary
News2Share, co-founded by Ford Fisher, initially aimed for neutrality in news coverage but evolved to focus on primary source documentary content. Fisher's approach involves capturing raw footage, particularly political activism events, to provide unfiltered content for viewers to draw their own conclusions. By licensing his footage to various news outlets, such as CNN, Fisher's work allows for a deeper understanding of events beyond traditional news coverage.
Challenges of Objective Reporting and Content Moderation on Online Platforms
Fisher highlights the challenges faced with content moderation on platforms like YouTube, where his Trump rally footage was removed due to claims of election fraud. The evolving content moderation policies, requiring counterbalancing viewpoints, affect the presentation of raw documentary footage and its accessibility to viewers. Fisher's experience underscores the complexities and impact of changing standards on news coverage and freedom of expression.
Uncovering Extremism and Law Enforcement Tactics Through Raw Footage
Through his coverage of events like Charlottesville, Fisher sheds light on the rise of extremist groups and police response dynamics. His footage not only captures critical moments, such as the car attack by James Alex Fields Jr., but also reveals the failures in law enforcement tactics that exacerbated violence. Fisher's primary documentarian approach contributes to a comprehensive understanding of historical events and the underlying social dynamics at play.
Impact of FOSTA-SESTA Law on Sex Workers' Rights
The podcast delves into how the FOSTA-SESTA law has affected sex workers, leading to their displacement onto the streets due to online platforms' fears of legal repercussions for sex trafficking. A demonstration by sex workers in LA highlighted this issue, pointing out the consequences of the law on their profession, especially with the upcoming 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles potentially impacting sex work demand.
Journalistic Integrity and Ethical Filming Practices
The discussion shifts towards contrasting journalistic practices, drawing distinctions between clandestine recordings for manufactured situations and primary source documentary work. Ford Fisher emphasizes the importance of transparent reporting and documenting events as they naturally unfold, avoiding deceptive editing or biased narratives. By maintaining a neutral stance and focusing on government transparency and free speech rights, the conversation navigates the complexities of media bias and the pursuit of objective journalism in a polarized societal landscape.
You've probably seen footage and images of the January 6 riot at the Capitol captured by today's guest, videographer Ford Fischer. A decade ago, Fischer cofounded New2Share, a radical experiment in decentralized video journalism. He and his colleagues gather long-form footage from all sorts of breaking news events, including protests organized by radicals across the political spectrum. They upload it to YouTube and elsewhere, and then let viewers draw their own conclusions. His coverage has been licensed worldwide and appears regularly on networks ranging from CNN to Fox News to NBC. Fischer's YouTube and Facebook channels routinely get demonetized and in other sorts of trouble because of the controversial nature of his work. Reason's Nick Gillespie talked with him about why he started News2Share, what he hopes to accomplish by offering something truly unique in an age of 24/7 news coverage, and how his training as a Reason intern informs his worldview.
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