Paper short abstract:

Hundreds of citizens from disadvantaged communities are now using video cameras to report on issues that affect them and their neighbors. With training from the Video Volunteers, local video producers are changing the dominant model of media in the country to make it more democratic and diverse.“IndiaUnheard” is one of several citizen journalism projects in the country established by Video Volunteers, a U.S.-based international organization that trains people from disadvantaged communities to create their own locally relevant and locally produced media. In India, Video Volunteers operates an intensive training in all aspects of video production for aspiring correspondents for the “IndiaUnheard” program and others interested in video journalism. Through its training efforts in India, Video Volunteers has created “the largest, most diverse network” of community video producers anywhere in the world.

Paper long abstract:

Citizens from disadvantaged communities are now using video cameras to report on issues that affect them and their neighbors. With training from the Video Volunteers, local video producers are changing the dominant model of media in the country to make it more democratic and diverse. "IndiaUnheard" is one of several citizen journalism projects in the country established by Video Volunteers, a U.S.-based international organization that trains people from disadvantaged communities to create their own locally relevant media. Through its training efforts , Video Volunteers has created "the largest, most diverse network" of community video producers anywhere in the world.

After training, some of the producers work for Video Volunteers' Community Video Units. These locally owned and managed units are set up in areas that rarely receive coverage from the mainstream media. Despite the implication that producers work as "volunteers," Video Volunteers is actually quite focused on creating business models to lift people out of poverty. For example, the Community Video Units contribute to the economic well-being of the community by employing residents on a full-time basis. Many of the units earn revenue, some as high as 25 percent of yearly operating costs. As a result of the work produced by trained correspondents, people in slums and villages have been motivated to take action on issues like health, sanitation and women's rights. Suddenly news isn't the domain of the educated city journalist any more. This is a movement towards a media system that incorporates the voice of the poor and marginalized.