I met Jason Barnett of TheUptake.org earlier this year at a dinner with Schlomo Rabinowitz and Jay Dedman here in Washington , D.C. You may recall the video. Since then I’ve had a pretty rapidly expanding relationship with The Uptake and citizen journalism in general via Jason and those Minnesota new media mavericks. I’ve dabbled with helping them out with video requests and editing in the past, but after seeing what Brian Conley and Co. went through to document the ‘truth’ in Beijing I felt sort of dirty for having talent and time and not using it to help document what’s going on here in in our own backyard. So when the call came in to help out TheUptake, EpicFU, and Remix America with some video backup for the DNC/RNC I couldn’t resist.

These guys are doing some great work for the cause of citizen journalism and covering all of the news and events that slip through the cracks – i.e. all of the stuff that the mass media missed because they were too busy parlaying in obsequious banter about how the candidates haven’t chosen a VP, or how once they have that *gasp* they’re a woman. If you want the skinny from the ground make sure you tune in on;

TheUptake.org
QIK: The Uptake
TheUptake on Twitter
TheUptake on Youtube
TheUptake Group on Facebook (For the Latest Uptake Updates)
The Uptake 24/7 Streaming on Mogulus

A few of the pieces I was lucky enough to edit for these guys, highlights from the DNC:

BEIJING (AFP) — Beijing police said Thursday it had handed out 10-day detention terms to six foreigners believed by an overseas activist group to be pro-Tibet campaigners involved in Olympic protests this week.
SFT’s Statement on the Sentencing
These individuals were in Beijing to amplify Tibetan voices calling for freedom and human rights and the right of all people to freedom of expression. They are no more guilty of a crime than Tibetans or Chinese who speak out for justice and for the Chinese authorities to sentence them at all shows the government’s paranoia and intolerance of even the most peaceful challenges to its control. (continues below…)
SFT WILL FIGHT THIS UNTIL THEY ARE HOME – MORE HERE SOON ON WHAT YOU CAN DO: Remember why they went, and keep in mind – Americans get 10 days jail, Chinese grannies get one year forced labor, and Tibetans get shot.

free the baghdadbrian5

I’ve met a lot of great people via Jonny’s Partay. I’ve met folks that are using social media not just as a tool to further their career, launch their startup, become a superstar overnight, or let us know what they’ve had for lunch; but, people who are using technology to exact social change via the mediums. To perfect examples of this are Brian Conley, award winning videographer and creator of AliveInBaghdad.org, and James Powderly one of the minds behind Graffiti Research Labs, a group that exercises free expression using technology and art with the world that we live in as their medium. Brian Conley is a former guest of Jonny’s Partay and an all around great guy, videographer, citizen of the world, filmmaker, educator and peace fighter – he stopped in DC for a tweetup earlier this year to meet and greet some folks at a bar near Capitol Hill. James Powderly is a personal friend of Jonny Goldstein and fellow Alums from the interactive technology program at NYU. These guys were in China reporting on the struggle for Tibetan independence, covering news that the networks were all too busy to cover because its apparently more important to keep track of how many Gold medals the Chinese have won than the freedom of a people. And while we were sleeping…

Right now those Olympic rings are looking a lot like handcuffs. Brian Conley, his friend Jefferey Rae, James Powderly and others were arrested and are currently being detained in a Chinese prison in Beijing. Details started pouring in around 1am this morning via twitter after a post on FreeTibet2008.org surfaced. It was all abuzz on twitter with folks like NBC’s @NewMediaJim and NPR’s @ACarvin scouring for details to compile as much information as possible about the incident. At this point the best that we all can do is to get this as much press coverage as possible to demand and ensure their safe return. Please Digg this article about their arrest and subsequent detention to help free our friends.

Below you’ll find a few posts I’ve collected from around the world wide web showcasing the developments (or the lack of them – we just know that they’ve been detained at this point) in this story. The real question again – is why isn’t this being covered in the main stream press aside from the NY Times? Where are the networks? If these were mass media journalists it’s a sure bet that this would be national news. Again – has the line been drawn between professional journalist and citizen journalist? These are American citizens, friends, and generally great people fighting for something bigger than themselves. So please – Digg the story above and help free the BaghdadBrian6.

Found Articles:
NYTimes
BoingBoing
MobLogicTV
NewTeeVee
BlipTV
TakePart
ReadOrAlive
ReadWriteWeb
ChrisBrogan
Beet.tv
FoxNews.com