Citizen Television

In 1999, eighteen months after the broadcast of Ofra §Bikel''s documentary, The Case for Innocence on PBS''s §current affairs program, Frontline three§men wrongly accused for crimes they did not commit§were exonerated. Similarly, in 2002 Bikel produced§another exposé entitled, An Ordinary Crime about a§young man who spent four years in jail for an armed§robbery he did not commit. A new trial was ordered§less than a month after the documentary''s air date on§Frontline. The district attorney ultimately§dismissed the charges, and released Terence Garner§from prison. Mass media has the power to galvanize§public opinion, as evidenced in these examples. The§television current affairs documentary in particular,§because of its accessibility has the potential to§educate in the grand tradition of the Griersonian§documentary and bolster civic engagement. Can new§technologies mushrooming in the 21st century have§further potential in harnessing intellectual freedom?§Can they become additional vehicles in helping to§build democratic societies? This book explores§several themes, including informal modes of learning,§social movements and mass media, and their§implications for democracy.