Vision and Values
The internet was supposed to democratize information and art alike. But, by making it easier than ever to produce and share written and audiovisual content, it also diluted the quality and power of the works produced.
In fact, the internet has helped to usher in a crisis of journalism, not least by upending traditional media business models and facilitating the proliferation of lies and propaganda. And it has helped to transform the film industry from a source of potent art capable of catalyzing social and political change to a generator of endless easily palatable content.
Among the myriad crises the world is facing today, the crises of journalism and the film industry might seem to be of minor concern. They cannot compare, one might argue, to climate change and environmental degradation, to skyrocketing inequality and societal fragmentation, to democratic decay and the revival of authoritarianism, to the collapse of multilateralism and the growing militarization of international politics.
But a lack of free, high-quality, and trusted journalism exacerbates every one of these destructive trends. And our failure to give meaningful filmmaking the attention and support it deserves amounts to neglect of a powerful potential lever for change.