Truth & Justice 

Photo by Alison Taggart-Barone, Ai Wei Wei, Your Truly @large

In Australia and many western societies, we take for granted our freedom and we expect our government and media to provide us with truthful and honest information.  It is ingrained in us from an early age that we have the right to free speech, so much so that it is sometimes difficult to imagine a world without these basic human rights.  

Despite this sense of freedom, the general public can be deceived by fake news or by the government through censorship, resulting in no freedom of speech for the public. The news media has been called out by politicians for perpetuating fake news over the last three years. Currently, the main purpose of media messages is not reliable knowledge and deep reflection, but the triggering of preferred emotions in the target audience to generate wealth. There is less emphasis on individual rights and significantly more emphasis on the value of the individual in terms of their contribution to harmony in society.

Freedom of speech is important because it should promote the development of society, and showing the world both good and evil.  When this freedom is removed, it can be taken to the extreme resulting in imprisonment, torture and even life. All of which is a violation of our Human Rights. 

These issues of truth and justice are explored in the films Bellingcat and Ai Weiwei Yours truly.  

AI Weiwei, Yours truly (2019) is a documentary directed by Cheryl Haines, which explores in-depth the life of the artist and his relationship with freedom. Based on his own experience and using his art as a form of expression, AI Wei Wei lets us explore his ways of truth and justice. Prisoners of conscience and iconic characters plus the poetics of his exhibition organised in the prison of Alcatraz lead the spectator to hope in finding justice while the public is invited to send postcard messages of support to the prisoners on conscience presented in Ai Weiwei’s artworks. 

Bellingcat, Truth in a post-truth world (2018) directed by Hans Pool, is a revealing documentary that explores our current world issues and how authorities with political power manipulate the truth in the media and the response of citizen journalism is breaking these stories. Bellingcat lets question the expectation that as citizens, our right is to have access to truthful information instead of fake news. 

The people most at risk are: 

  • People with an opposing political view with the government 
  • Prisoners of conscience
  • Leaders of opinion
  • Communities without information
  • Manipulated audiences
  • Vocal protesters
  • People with limited access to technology (internet)

 

The nature of the risk:

People would face criminal charges, imprisonment, harassment, abuses in different forms: physical, psychological and emotions. 

Lose social standing and reputation. 

Future- information shape our views view: So if the information we saw on the Web is invented, false, exaggerated or distorted, we won’t make good decisions.

It aims to erode our values and norms, the trust in our institutions that hold society together

 

Previous films and public campaigns that brought attention to this issue:

  • “Write for Rights” – Campaign by Amnesty international 

Every December, Amnesty International supporters across the globe write millions of letters and take actions for people whose human rights are under attack.

  • Spotlight (2016)  film about reporters working on child abuse in the Catholic church. 

Increase awareness of fake news and helps prevent future cases.

  • The silence of others (2018) 

The film shows the victims of human rights abuses during Franco’s regime, that amnesty law has proved a formidable obstacle to justice. 

  • Patricio Guzman filmmaker – Filmography about Augusto Pinochet dictatorship in Chile. (“El Mercurio” a newspaper that is mentioned in his films as a source of fake news).

 

Key organisations addressing this issue

The key organisations addressing this issue are Bellingcat and Amnesty International.

 

Target audience

  • General: All age groups – Everyone deserves to know the truth and have justice.
  • Specific: the audience of the HRAFF

 

Communication strategy & call to action 

Emotional connection with elements seen in both documentaries, as the use of postcards and fake news channels with our “call to action” message inviting the audience “to make the change” supporting causes that Amnesty international have and through social media. Unify people interested in fighting fake news activism and with the objective of encouraging people to support Bellingcat.

 

Deciding media and action type

Different age groups respond in different ways, millennials are the ones who will share posts, signed petitions using Facebook etc. Which will cause more people to see? Whereas, older generations may see the information and act, but will not always share. 

 

Goals

1) Raising awareness

2) Encourage citizens to stand up

3) Inspire viewers to take action in the struggle for human rights at home and abroad

 

Aesthetic and visual elements

  • Colour scheme
    •  Red, white yellow and black (including graphics) 
  • Overall tone
    • Dark and gloomy
  • Shots 
    • Medium  close-ups
    • Crosscut
    • Not showing faces (using over the shoulder shots & extreme close-ups)
    • Extreme closeups (hands, eyes etc)
  • Effects
    • Message pop-ups
    • Phone screen record
    • Zoom through eye effect
    • Globe effect
    • Locations (TBC): Old Melbourne gaol and RMIT university
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