18 Doughty Street
see video
''18 Doughty Street will be a channel that challenges the stale, status quo thinking that dominates so much of British political life.
It doesn’t set out to be left, right or centre, but to be anti-establishment. We want to involve people of all political parties and none.
In the next few weeks we’ll start streaming a few hours of programmes every weekday – all via the internet.
We’ll be employing about a dozen people to produce the programmes and to oversee the station’s editorial direction but at the heart of the channel’s output will be a network of more than fifty reporters and commentators – genuine citizen journalists.
I would love you to agree to be one of those fifty.''
Iain tells me...
''18 Doughty Street will be a channel that challenges the stale, status quo thinking that dominates so much of British political life.
It doesn’t set out to be left, right or centre, but to be anti-establishment. We want to involve people of all political parties and none.
In the next few weeks we’ll start streaming a few hours of programmes every weekday – all via the internet.
We’ll be employing about a dozen people to produce the programmes and to oversee the station’s editorial direction but at the heart of the channel’s output will be a network of more than fifty reporters and commentators – genuine citizen journalists.
I would love you to agree to be one of those fifty.''
So I said yes. Apparently the camcorder is handbag sized and easy to use so even a techno-muppet like me can use it. Why not have a go? Got to try new things, and as nothing like this has been done before (as far as I know), I'm all up for it. Who knows where this will lead as an idea? I like the idea of voters talking about politics, making their own programmes, interactive user-generated content, ''citizen journalism'' - what I described once as ''stories of the people, by the people, for the people'' and rattling a few cages. I like the idea of interviewing people about what they think about politics, and getting as many people's voices out as possible. I like the idea of 'visual' blogging, since you can communicate much more when you speak it rather than just write it. Like all content, it will stand or fall on whether people find it interesting. So let's see what happens next...and thanks for the invite to get involved with something so interesting-sounding.
posted by Rachel at 4:53 pm
'Yes' she said "yes, yes' , brava, bravissima, if you want an Italian view (and as once remarked, it's never easy to tell if the worst that is happening in Italy is following or leading what is happening in England ; we've dumped Berlusconi and now find that there was a secret, privatised, nationwide snooping system run on Telecom, the equiv alent of BT, goodness knows what will emerge next) there are lots of us wanting to help.
they were talking about this on channel 4 news this week. the people behind it were saying it's the only way they can be as right-wing as they want to be without someone wrapping their knuckles about political bias. the way channel 4 news were slanting it, they were gonna be more over-the-top than Fox News. but maybe they got the wrong end of the stick...
well Channel 4 news ~ "font of all knowledge" ;) ~ said it will be right of Fox News so maybe they want some balance, and to be honest are we not moving beyond left and right to a new political compass, all that cross-dressing, politically speaking, Blair was on about!
hope your tv show thing goes well rachel.......
but a part in Eastenders?
Jetstar