Globalisation and the Media
Director: Paul O’Connor/ Undercurrents
Running Time : 22 mins (approx)

The United States has spend the last fifty years constructing the present New World Order. Aided by its powerful military resources, alongside the IMF, World Bank and the World Trade Organisation, the rules of global trade have been largely imposed to serve its own interests. Globalisation and The Media explores the role of the media in this corporate led takeover of global resources.

In April 1993, the first of a series of Alternative News Videos was released by non profit organisation, Undercurrents. The ‘News you don’t see on the News’ as Time Out dubbed it. The next years proved to be a heady mix of hands on experience, as Paul O’Connor and the various crew both learned and taught skills of story telling, computer editing, camerawork, video screening, as well as raising awareness of ignored issues and public concerns.

They adopted the term Video Activist to describe their work. They were much more than reporters of facts, trying to offer a style which made people take notice and feel empowered to take action themselves. Ten years on, the international award winning News Video, the network of video activists have expanded rapidly and a dozen similar groups exist within Britain alone. Many of the people who worked alongside Undercurrents have since worked within many of the mainstream broadcasters. Some are currently reporting from Iraq, others are training activists in conflict zones. Since first picking up a video camcorder in 1993, Paul O’Connor has reported the grassroots perspective of living in oppressive regimes around the world.

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