Multimedia
Blogs
Forum
Affordable HD
Whitepapers
Newsletters
Events
Advertisers
DCP Directory
MillimeterDream Job: State of Videocracy
Nov 1, 2008 12:00 PM, By Kristinha M. Anding
Jacob Soboroff of Why Tuesday? uses videoblogging to question the current voting system.
Jacob Soboroff videoblogs from the ABC News Democratic Debate at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia.
Jacob Soboroff believes we are not only living in a democracy, but also in a “videocracy.”
“By far, many more people upload videos to YouTube and are on MySpace and Facebook than ever vote in elections,” says Soboroff, who has videoblogged for LA Observed, NPR, and AMC. “If you want to speak out about an issue that's important to you, people aren't going to the ballot box to do it. They're going to the Internet.”
Soboroff launched an episodic videoblog for New York-based nonprofit Why Tuesday?, which strives to increase voter participation nationwide. The organization sparks discussion by questioning why we vote on Tuesday, a day that is inconvenient for many U.S. voters.
Soboroff, now executive director of Why Tuesday?, has posed the question to many political figures, including the 2008 presidential candidates. He captures his interviews in a fast-and-dirty style, primarily with his Sony HVR-A1U, and edits them on the fly with Apple iMovie. He has determination, instinct, and often, a lot of luck.
“Luck is when preparation meets opportunity,” Soboroff says. While he carefully plans the majority of his interviews, he also sometimes stumbles upon politicians who are willing to comment. His impromptu interview with Sen. Joe Biden, obtained outside a Washington, D.C., coffee shop, is a good example.
Why Tuesday? opens the door to other citizen journalists as well, with an ongoing call for video submissions that showcase elected representatives talking about voting reform. After speaking with Soboroff on camera, New York Rep. Steve Israel, who introduced the Weekend Voting Act to the House, agreed to produce his own interviews using a Pure Digital Flip videocamera.
In addition to the videoblog, Why Tuesday? launched the Ultimate College Bowl in partnership with MySpace, an ambitious initiative to get every college student in America registered to vote. The HD footage from the regular videoblog, Soboroff says, will also form the backbone of an upcoming documentary about voting reform.
While much of the organization's current efforts are focused on this election cycle, Soboroff says, the most important work will occur after the next president comes into office. “That's what we'll be focused on: the ways to marshal the energy from this election and put it into the structure of how we vote in the United States,” he says.
For more information on Why Tuesday?, visit www.whytuesday.org.
