It is quite difficult to produce an LGBT story in Japan, where the overwhelming tendency is to put their head in the sand. Ultimately, I have to be grateful to my colleagues and network for even considering it.
Below, you can find the link to this story on my company's website, and I hyperlinked to it at the top of this post.
If you don't speak Japanese, I took the liberty of typing a rough translation.
(Translation note: I used the term “gay/lesbian group” because in Japanese the word feels more neutral than “homosexual”, and similarly gender-neutral. (同性愛者団体))
As part of my company's online policy, the video will probably only be available for a few days, but I will keep a copy for my own private portfolio. and you can read the Japanese script below the English translation
“At this parade, shutting down NYC’s 5th Ave.: coming up next is a gay/lesbian group.”
(Narrator)
On the 17th, NYC’s 5th Avenue was colored green by a parade, where this gay/lesbian group marched forward under a banner.
The parade started in the late 18th century in New York and is named for the Christian patron-saint of Ireland.
Never allowing openly gay groups to participate, saying it went against Catholic beliefs, makes this the first group ever to be acknowledged by the organizers.
Craig Robinson (participant)
(Narrator)
Although they enjoyed applause from spectators, this was the only gay/lesbian group to receive permission to participate.
Other groups who have spent many long years demanding participation were not accepted.
(Member of a group that has applied to march for 26 years)
(Narrator)
The mayor of NYC, who has also called for gay/lesbian rights to openly participate, refused to march as well, saying “At its core, the issue has not yet been resolved.”
The organizers of the parade say “We’ve worked hard to not let the parade be a political platform. This shows our willingness and goodwill toward gay/lesbian groups”
It seems it will take much longer to resolve the complaints surrounding the parade completely.
I want to talk to you about two aspects of the news in Ferguson, Missouri.
The first part deals with the nuts-and-bolts of foreign news coverage of the event and the challenges therein:
People have a very a-la-carte opinion of "the media".
While covering the rally marking one-month-in to the Occupy Wall Street Movement at Foley Square, live no less, an angry protester shot a dirty glance at my team, shouting "Where were you a month ago?" I started covering the Occupy Wall Street movement from Week Two, keep in mind my target audience is Japan, and I feel my network, TBS, was one of - if not the first in Japan to report it as international news. I can't remember now whether I bothered to set the person straight, but in the grand scale of things, I doubt it would have mattered.
Fast forward 3 years.
From the moment it became national news, I kept a close watch on the reaction to the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri . My office debated daily whether it was "time to go".
Similar to OWS, after about one week, the first night of a city-imposed curfew in Ferguson turned violent, and I was on a plane the next morning.
Seated behind me on the plane were two colleagues from another Japanese television network, Fuji. This confirmed our own sense of timing, and we found out later, our two networks were the first to deem the situation as needing the on-scene presence of a reporter to accurately report the situation to the Japanese viewing public.
In the days that followed, the other networks hurried out, playing catch-up, and covering oddly minute aspects of he movement, so as not to appear lacking in their coverage. I have learned this is part of the nature of "being second", in television news.
Interestingly, despite all of the Japanese media covering many different events and perspectives, I noticed, all networks avoided explaining the phrase "Hands up, Don't shoot" - a mantra and rallying call throughout the city of Ferguson. Although we and a few others mentioned "Don't Shoot", I believe no one wanted to attempt translating "Hands up". Surely putting your hands up is understood world-wide as a symbol of surrender, but the phrase in this context stumped everyone. Were the protesters using "Hands up!" as a command, or describing Michael Brown's reportedly final act? Do the words serve as a patronizing reminder to police, or some combination of the three? I find it fascinating, and an argument that most people never contemplate, simply because we assume collectively these four, simple words are mutually understood. Are they really?
Regardless, "the media" faces many challenges "the public" never bother to consider. Show up late, and "where was the media while..." becomes the new headline. Show up immediately, and face ridicule for "ambulance chasing" or not respecting the privacy of a people in mourning.
Meanwhile the rest of the nation, or world, screams for more info, and want to hear comments from victims and their friends and family. The ambulance-chasing, victim-interviewing ridicule is two-fold, by the way. Some members of the community my shout it, but the hardest part is hearing it from the voice in your own head. I have interviewed and spoke with parents of Sandy Hook children on the day of the shooting, and Boston Marathon amputees. I hate tracking them down, and asking for their time and comments, and I hate that I have to, but when they do agree to speak on camera, I hope it benefits the world and the story. I am not thinking about ratings or advertising.
Second is my whole take on what I experienced by being there:
My crew assembled that Sunday just in time to make it to the Greater Grace Church, where a rally was being held. The guests in attendance ranged from prominent local religious figures, to Jesse Jackson and Keke Palmer, Broadway's first, black actress to play Cinderella. The speakers included Martin Luther King III, the lawyer of Michael Brown's parents, who also attended, but were understandably silent, and the main speaker, Rev. Al Sharpton.
Sharpton explained that he was contacted by Michael Brown's grandfather and asked to give a voice to their family's injustice. He made no excuses about exploiting the tragedy to promote larger matters of concern, such as civil rights, and political neglect of black neighborhoods. He even went as far as saying "Where are Jeb Bush and Hilary Clinton? If they want to go to the White House, first they've gotta come to our house!" asking why future presidential hopefuls weren't weighing in on the incident. Overall, I felt he was still respectful of the family and their loss, but it was a uncomfortable balancing act of respect-paying and stirring the crowd to rally, and he was clearly practiced and comfortable, which did not sit right with me.
For the rest of the day, we went to the site of the shooting, we had to park at a nearby drugstore that had one glass door boarded up after it was broken in the first riot, and walk down the main street, because the police had closed it to traffic. There was a steady parade of protesters coming and going passed boarded up businesses with "OPEN" spray-painted on particle board.
The closed road meant that people often walked in the street, although cars of those who live in the neighborhood were still allowed in and out.The atmosphere was that of a bloc party, but without any plan or events, people who wanted to show their support by showing up, ended up inventing ways to pass the time while they were there. People were barbecuing in the street and in the parking lot of the gas station that was burned down in the riot. We were offered hot dogs and bottled water by one man. The occasional car rolled by honking their horn, blasting hip hop, sometime people hung out of open car doors and windows, or stood in truck beds or through an open sun roof.people would spontaneously begin chanting "Hands up, Don't shoot", or "No justice, No peace" - I heard one man on CNN later saying the phrase is actually "know justice, know peace", but I did not get the sense that the people saying it that day knew that either. There was a line of state police, mostly white, present, but they stood and watched the circus silently.
The place where Michael was shot had two small memorials and the stream of people who came were mostly calm & quiet.
Police having a bit of a stand-off with local residents as they searched the area.
After filming our report, we went back to our hotel to edit and file. We planned to return to the area an hour before the curfew started to film if any riots happened. I had just started eating my chicken salad and transcribing soundbites when we heard from AP that the rioting had already begun. It was only around 9:30pm, but we jumped in the van and tried to get back. By the time we got there the perimeter was sealed off by police who were very on edge. they held shotguns and barked orders, and even after getting permission to enter, they would not let us get an inch closer until they confirmed it themselves on their radio. We went through this three times, so by the time we actually got in, most of the protesters were gone and the police were searching houses for someone who had fired a gun.
The streets did look like a war zone though. The police had cleared a path through a pile of bricks protesters had dumped on the street to try to block their military-style vehicles. Tear gas canisters and litter were strewn about as well. I was prepared to taste my first dose of tear-gas, but instead all I smelled were some drunk people peeing near where we parked.
We stayed in the parking lot of the nearby Target, until 1am - the only place press was allowed after the curfew, and finished sending our footage to Tokyo, before heading back to the hotel.
The next morning we returned for one more look and shockingly, it was a very different scene. Perhaps it being Monday played the biggest role, but the street was no longer closed, and as a main road, the traffic seemed to clear out most of the protesters and unruly behavior. Garbage trucks inched up and down the streets, which even by 9am were completely free of bricks, trash, or other traces of the preceding night. CNN had moved into the same gas station which was now free of BBQ grills, low-riders, and most of the protesters who crowded it the day before. Jesse Jackson stood at the site of the shooting, talking to a small group of people.
While the issue continues, we had covered it to the extent we felt Japanese people needed to know. Our report was four minutes long, which I'll tell you is relatively long for a news piece, and I was very satisfied with our final piece, but more importantly, I'm glad we went, and even happier that I got to be there on the ground and form my own opinion. I don't have a link to share with you because it timed-out, but if you see this soon, you can watch our follow-up story on Body Cameras I just filmed in New Jersey below:
I had my own Boston Strong moment, on this, the one-year anniversary of the attack in marathon spectators and subsequent attack on the psyche and safety of the entire town.
Last night I few to Boston, while sick, barely able to ignore the chills, sneezes and coughing up yellow cement.
I still managed to handle logistics, research, plan, stakeout, interview in the rain, transcribe, rough edit, and feed to Tokyo the following story for their final cut. If you wanted to know what a television news producer does, this is it, and I don't forget, of course, I couldn't have done it alone.
http://youtu.be/0Q9O1eFdxx4
Now, just over 24 hours later, I am back in New York (where, by the way, it's SNOWING?!?), and glad to be one closer to my bed and much needed rest, but my thoughts are still with Boston.
There are a lot of small stories that I work on that air, but are overshadowed by larger news events, or and interesting conferences I go to that end up on cutting room floor. Best of all, I always have my smart phone camera ready to take some pics. Here are a few that have aired, or were long enough ago that I think it's alright to share online! One day, I will invest in an SLR, and up my blogging game, but for now: Please enjoy.
This is a robot, not a person, who co-starred in one of two one-act plays at Japan Society
Seinendan Theater Company + Osaka University Robot Theater Project Written and Directed by this man, Oriza Hirata
Interviewing Rich, owner and founder of Astoria craft brewery Singlecut for a story on the U.S. craft beer boom
My reporter and cameraman posing during a story on the auction of the original Marine Corp War Memorial
(Footnote: The auction didn't meet the minimum required bid)
Japanese congressman visiting the N. Korean Abduction Display at the Japan Society in NYC
I snapped this arms-length from South Korea President Park, and UN Sec. General Ban Ki-Moon
Here's what the front of them look like, inside the Secretary General's office
Here's what they look like when I'm in the shot (amazing, right?!?)
DCTV's documentary theater ground-breaking ceremony with legend and founder Jon Alpert (in the red, plastic, construction hat), Michael Moore, and Morgan Spurlock
Reddit's NYC Headquarters
Interviewing the general manager of Reddit, he gave me a red bull and Snoo stickers!
A candid moment in the office while preparing a sushi party for our CBS associates
The party in full swing - it was a big success!
N. Korea's UN Ambassador holding a press conference on the US using the UN's name to police the demilitarized zone.
I still have photos and stories I can't tell you about. I went to Cleveland for one, but it had nothing to do with elephants.
Iraq's Foreign Minister at the Security Council stakeout announcing progress in Iraq-Kuwait relations
A Press conference on GM and Honda cooperating for a shared Hydrogen fuel cell tech partnership
The first boat (sort of) to the Statue of Liberty on July 4th for the re-opening
Very impressive close up, always looks smaller on a smart phone camera
The re-opening ceremony was from the backside for some reason, and the sun was blazing that morning!
I got to ask a question and afterward meet Gov. Bill Richardson (D - NM), and former US Amb. to S. Korea Don Gregg
Front row seat for former PM Gordon Brown and 16th birthday and speech by Pakastani Malala Yousafzai
Since this was all work, my next post will be all play! I've been going hard at both! Leave comments, and tune in for more soon. (I know I say that every time, but to my credit, I do average about one blog a month, and as you can see, I'm quite active!)
EDIT: MORE Grand Central pics at the bottom! Sorry it took me over a month to get these uploaded!
Danny Brucker is a native of Manhattan and a character you'd be lucky to meet! (Basically the Patron Saint of the terminal!)
Hello from freezing New York!
I have been super busy at work,as always. Recently a lot of things have been coming together in terms of getting my story ideas on air, which is great, and going out to film takes up a lot of time I would otherwise be sat at my desk staring at a computer. Evenwith the internet, that can become boring after a few hours!
What stories you ask? I have recently had more luck with my soft news pitches, so in the last two weeks I worked on a story about new, experimental “micro-apartments”, more space and cost efficient than aging building codes allowed for, and we just aired footage from last week’s centennial celebration of Grand Central Terminal, too. For that story I got to go on special tours of the terminal where visitors normally aren't allowed, such as down the secret staircase from the four-faced central clock, to the very top of the terminal, behind the giant outside-facing Tiffany’s stained glass clock, inside the control room, and the catwalk between the outside and inside of the main concourse, and the super-secret sub-basement that Nazi spies plotted to attack during WWII! Normally it would have been all business, but because we shared the tour with several other agencies, I had plenty of time to take photos!
The elevator down was all about function.
My cameraman filming the old-timey AC-DC converters
Big wrenches...
These are the new solid-state converters that replaced the old.
A side-stair access with exposed NYC bedrock. You can still see the grooves from drill holes they dropped dynamite down!
In other news, for an early Valentine’s Day present Wendy got us tickets to “Spider-Man, Turn Off the Dark”, the Broadway musical with music written by U2. It was lots of fun and had cool wire work with tons of Spider-Man stuntmen flying around shooting party-streamer-web all over everyone. The set design was incredible as well! I guess what I’m saying, in movie terms, is: it wasn't Lincoln, but it was at least Star Wars!
I guess the only other thing to mention is I shaved my head again on Groundhog Day. I’d like to say it was because Punxatawney Phil didn't see his shadow, but really I was just tired of my curly, unruly hair.
I think that about covers it, except to say I was on TV in Japan Tuesday for a phone interview of a satellite photo analyst RE: N. Korea's nuclear test sites, and Fuji TV who was at Grand Central covering the same story! Links below may stop working after a couple days:
