Frame 313: The Beginnings of Citizen Journalism
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Disclaimer: Embedded link contains potentially disturbing image, viewer discretion is advised.
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22nd November 1963, Dallas, Texas. President John F. Kennedy is assassinated while waving at bystanders from his motorcade. Although caught on camera by multiple people, the Zapruder Film provides us with the most clear view of the assassination.
Filmed from a home video camera and spanning a total of 486 frames, Frame 313 captures the fatal gunshot to the President's head. The film was inducted in the National Film Registry for being both culturally and historically significant. It is believed that 1970s Hollywood cinema took inspiration from the home movie in its depiction of violence, particularly Frame 313.
But more importantly, the Zapruder Film paved the way for what we now know as Citizen Journalism. Where citizens actively partake in collection, analyzing and reporting news and information. It is a movement meant to challenge conventional mainstream media and is highly important in conflict zones where media agencies have little to no presence or simply refuse to report news.
Aided by accessibility to social media platforms, citizen journalism is exactly what brings us news from conflict zones such as the ongoing Israeli brutalities in Jerusalem. Our Instagram feeds are filled with militarized Israeli police forces raiding the Al-Aqsa Mosque, injuring hundreds and forcefully taking over Palestinian homes in the neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah, violently attacking those who resist, and even those who do not.
The videos and images, often having violent content, much like Frame 313, are all coming from individual citizens who are the oppressed and are actively doing their part as citizen journalists. All to bring international attention to this forceful Israeli occupation and somehow, put an end to it.
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