It seems like this should be a video posting. I am deeply impressed by the ever growing power of video as a tool for change. Yes, YouTube has been making change for awhile now. Most recently, and for me the most dramatic, demonstration of the power of video was the story about the human rights group B'Tselem in Israel that gave over 100 cameras to Palestinians. The purpose was to document abusive actions by Israeli Soldiers, West Bank Settlers and others against Arab and Palestinian people. The videos have captured some awful things.
To its credit, Israel, when it received these videos acted swiftly to denounce the actions and to punish those involved. The videos have now appeared around the world thanks to the Internet, blogs and YouTube. It is fair to say that today; no one can assume their actions will remain hidden. Of course, there are a host of privacy issues when video is taken of people engaged in ordinary acts of living and have no reason to expect their actions to be documented.
The impact of the video/internet combination as a tool to hold power accountable is a game changer. There are other examples. In Virginia former Senator George Allen was brought now largely by the video tape made by a Warner campaign worker. And there are be more examples I am sure.
Video is of growing importance in all campaigns. The equipment is inexpensive and the quality is incredible even when taken by the least experienced. Expect to see more and more organizations figure out how to integrate video into their work. And expect to see the more change in the world as a result
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