How media controls what we see

It has been ages since I last posted an entry. I've been spending my time writing two screenplays and also working on a video project with some friends.

Anyway, my friends and I went to Oakland and shot some footage last week, it was partly for the project we are doing, and partly because we just wanted to learn more about what is happening after seeing/reading so much about the Occupy movement there.

In the Bay Area, Oakland is always the spotlight of the occupy movement, violent protest, conflicts, gun fights, we just read about it so much on the news, and in fact the day before we decide to go there to take a look, a murder case just happened near the camps and again it became the headline news.

so here below is the footage we shot and compiled (somehow it's in mandarin coz of the nature of our project):

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLX-Y26VvjY

After we went there, we understand why many people who used to support the original purpose of the movement now begin to show hatred toward the group. Just as what we expected, there were a lot of weird people camping there, homeless, drug addicts (there were strong smell of weeds in the entire area...), lunatics, tree lodgers, kids trying to sell snacks... When you saw these strange people hovering around the camps aimlessly, it began to make you doubt whether these people are really there for civil right movement, or simply for the free food and lodging...

But then, we also saw quite some people who are really disappointed with the current institution and decide to stand up and voice out their concerns there. There are all perfectly sane people in clean clothing and don't mind to reiterate intellectually the reason of their staying.

However, the interesting thing we witnessed is that the large amount of media people there just seemed to be only interested in finding weird people to interview... we saw two reporters intentionally approached a woman who is so obviously having mental problem, provoked her and ended up getting kicked out. (and this is mainstream media, not tabloids)

perhaps it's coz the event has been going on for quite a while, it might seem kinda pointless to look for real protesters to talk, as it probably has been done million of times before, but it still seems little awkward to see them trying to build up some perspectives on purpose.

I mean, if I haven't been there and only rely on the news to see what is going on there, there is no way for me to learn what is really happening. What i see would be a group of weirdo gathering and talking nonsense, showing violent attitudes and attacking reporters...but the truth is there are indeed still quite a number of real protesters there, and those who are unfriendly to the media would just represent a small group...

that's why i always feel that nothing is objective.. even for news coverage (and it is america already), the so called truth it reveals is always controlled by those who present it....

p.s.: just wanna clarify that my friends and I are not supporters of either side...