Pristine Jungle on the Edge of Devastation
Jon: The awe-inspiring images in this video depict a rich and endangered wilderness, and gives an idea of the vast resources the country of Brazil has in its back yard. In this northeastern region, the state-controlled energy company Norte Energia is building the world's third largest dam. This will likely lead to tens of thousands of people being displaced, and a reduction in what scientists call “the carbon sink”, the atmospheric sponge that soaks up many greenhouse gasses, especially methane and CO2. You can see that this patch of the Amazon is not a ‘deserted wilderness.’ Rather, communities have lived along the edges of the Amazon basin for most of human history. It is not just the river’s future that is at stake, it is their way of life. We are going to produce audio, video and photo reports on the construction of this dam, and what it could mean not only to the people living here, but also to the government of Brazil, and to the rest of the world.
Stark Choices
Claes: The sprawling Amazon basin absorbs between a quarter and a third of all the CO2 produced by the planet’s burning of fossil fuels. That means the region is vital to the health of the planet’s air. Since 1970, over 600,000 square kilometers of Amazon rainforest have been destroyed, a quarter of that just since 2000, representing an area larger than the state of California. Development is virtually slicing away at the lungs of the planet. For a booming country like Brazil, infrastructure, resources, food, and above all power are imperative if it intends to provide its citizens the quality of life they have come to expect.
It’s Complicated…
Jon: Critical environmental stories can’t be framed as simply ‘big government = bad’ and ‘noble environmental activists = good.’ The challenges Brazil faces are not new; they are faced by countries with growing economies everywhere. In Brazil’s case, the stakes are extraordinarily high, because the consequences could affect people far beyond their borders. Telling this kind of story takes stamina, diplomacy, and technical expertise; but with more and more news operations abandoning or cutting back on international coverage, they are coming to rely on independent media operations to ‘get the story’, and to craft it in a way that is understandable, unbiased, and compelling. This is where you come in…
You can make history
Claes: If you are familiar with our work, you know the care, time, and thoroughness we put into each story we do. That takes scrupulous research, hard-hitting interviews, technically flawless recording, and careful production and distribution. That work doesn’t come cheaply. While commitments from a number of international radio programs will help us defray some of our expenses, the rising costs of equipment, travel, production assistance, and room and board, puts many stories out of our reach. By supporting our effort on KickStarter you can participate in a new and promising model of how journalism is produced. By pledging a small amount, you can have a huge effect in getting this important story to a broad, world-wide audience.
What we are up to
Jon: As in the past, we will produce a range of content. In addition to our signature long-form radio pieces, we will also produce video content, photo slide shows, and other media, including dispatches to our social media, and email to a select audience of supporters. This material will form part of not only individual audio, video and online photo stories, it will also make up the documentary we will be producing. While we can’t disclose the names of our international distributors at present, what is verifiable is our past history of producing content for National Public Radio, BBC’s The World, many Swedish National Public Radio programs, KCET Channel 13 in Los Angeles, and syndicated programs including Living on Earth, Latino USA, California Report, Sirius Satellite Radio, and many others. You can have confidence that we will continue in this direction. With your help in subsidizing some of the costs associated with travel, production and editing, these respected broadcasters, programmers, and networks will be able to afford to acquire our high-quality work.
Decades of Experience
Claes: Between us, we have thousands of projects and years of experience telling award winning stories to audiences virtually around the world. I have been associated with Swedish public media for almost two decades, as a reporter, editor and anchor. I have also produced special projects for UCLA, St. Mary’s College, and arts organizations across southern California. Jon has taught as Professor of Broadcast Journalism at Cal State LA for over a decade, and has hosted radio programs from Los Angeles and New York, and is a respected journalist who has worked in radio, TV, and online. Together, our stories have garnered recognition and many awards. Our account of the survivors of nuclear testing in Nevada (“Dirty Harry: How the American Dream Became a Nightmare” produced in 2008 for PRX) won an award from the LA Press Club, and our joint reporting on the politics of water in the central valley of California, and a series of stories from Peru in 2009 earned the respect of listeners and other journalists alike. I am the winner of three LA Press Club awards, and a range of awards in Sweden. Jon is the winner of 10 Golden Mikes from the Radio TV News Association of Southern California, in addition to dozens of other awards and recognition.
It’s a Brave New World
Jon: We want you along for this adventure. Your support will not only make it possible for us to continue this award winning coverage, it will also mean that you will be travelling with us. We’ll report back to you from the field, and you can get copies of the work we produce. It’s also a chance for us to find out if this new funding model can actually succeed in getting out this vital, and compelling series of stories. While we are deeply grateful for your support, the thanks will come from the listeners who hear these stories. You can feel the satisfaction that you played a part in telling them.
Here's the Pitch
Please, do this now: go to http://tinyurl.com/3cefd3q and click on the green "Back this Project" button on the right side of the page.
Be generous. We need support at all levels. If you can afford a dollar, great! If you can afford $20, wow! If you can afford more, we will be forever in your debt. You can be confident that your support is going to an important cause.
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