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News from the Future of Public Media
Innovation in Focus: Link TV’s What Change Looks Like
email discuss Posted by Claire Darby on Sep 26, 2008 at 3:30 PM
As the November 4th presidential election date nears, candidates on both sides have made a call for change their rallying cry. With gas prices going through the roof, the economy in turmoil and no end in sight for the war in Iraq, Americans and others from all over the world are clear that change is necessary, but less clear on how it will happen. What Change Looks Like, a new multi-media effort from Link TV, is examining people who are effecting change in their communities, revealing how they are implementing their ideas and how their actions will affect us all.
Through a combination of on-the-ground coverage of delegates’ opinions on important issues at the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, and a series of 25 documentaries and special programs, What Change Looks Like offers a comprehensive exploration of important issues and how they are being addressed.
Beyond just showing the films, giving people a way to connect to each other and be moved to action is an important aspect of What Change Looks Like. The short documentary Street Medicine, for example, looks at the successes of a group of health workers who provide medical services to homeless and uninsured people in LA. The Link TV page about the film not only tells you when you can see it, but links you to the Street Medicine website. On the site, viewers can participate in online forums to debate the political issues surrounding health care, find other organizations doing similar work and share their experiences with caring for people on the street.
From Link TV’s page for The Motherhood Manifesto, viewers can watch the film—a critique of the American economic system’s lack of support for working families—and link to the Moms Rising website. From there, they can immediately donate money or become active in any one of several dozen state and national campaigns for the rights of working mothers.
Link TV has a long-standing commitment to broadcasting programs that educate and engage viewers to become involved in the world. By linking social issue films to organizations where viewers can turn their beliefs into action, What Change Looks Like encourages viewers to enter into the national debate, and make “change” more than just rhetoric.
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