Mainstream media has, for years, been using their influence to sway elections, push products, and even help get murderers off. Well as long as those murderers are wearing badges, that is.
This “brainwash the masses” mindset has created a rift in society that has spawned a new type of media. These citizen journalists have emerged as an “alternate” media that has gained tons of credibility by reporting the real stories with videos to back up claims of abuses.
Suddenly, viral stories are no longer a result of those working for the corporate media, but of citizens who acted fast and decided to record what they were seeing.
Mainstream media has been forced on a number of occasions to stop pushing lies and run the real story for fear of looking foolish when the world sees the videos.
Well just a few days ago independent media sources and journalists have even gained the recognition of mainstream media, yet again. This time it was an acknowledgment of a need for them.
The Morning Call is one of the larger news sources for my area, a newspaper renowned for printing stories that paint city officials as saints, and anyone who questions their authority as troublemakers.
That is why when I saw a story entitled “Cellphone video was crucial in many Lehigh Valley controversies in 2015” I was eager to read what they had to say.
The story is quoted as saying :
“Prosecutors and defense attorneys both used citizen videos in court in 2015, though they often disagreed about what bystanders captured on their phones.”
The story goes on to name a number of instances where citizens, recording police, were able to get charges dropped, and in some cases, lawsuits filed.
It’s a whole new world where police are finding it increasingly difficult to fabricate stories. Armed with our right to record public officials across the country and our cellphone cameras, we have turned the tables on the untouchable police.
