Streaming from the Streets: Mídia Ninja on ‘no-cut’ video and urban appropriation techniques

lecture and discussion

Speakers: Rafael da Silva Vilela and Felipe Altenfelder Silva (Mídia Ninja)

Respondents: Ruben Pater and Ola Hassanain

Introduction: Katía Truijen (Het Nieuwe Instituut)

NINJA ¬Independent Narratives, Journalism and Action¬ – aka Mídia Ninja – is a decentralized network of volunteer journalists who produce and disseminate reports based on collaborative work and online sharing. Ninjas are primarily involved in real time broadcasting, but also produce news stories, documentaries and investigative journalism in Brazil and abroad.

The collective became known internationally for its outstanding coverage of the 2013 Brazilian social protests but has existed since 2011. Its capillary organizational culture caters to the need for direct witnessing in an age of ubiquitous digital network communication. The agility of Mídia Ninja’s networked organizational form allows journalists "to be there at the right moment", without a large and expansive infrastructure. They reinforce independent journalism by challenging the news monopoly of traditional media corporations.

Over the last years, they have reframed journalism as a public good and civic tool, and revitalized the use of non-edited and live video reports. They emphasize that the decision to be at a certain place at a certain time, or to point the camera in a certain direction, are all to be considered editorial decisions. Mídia Ninja’s coverage reminds us that new situations require new approaches and a continuous negotiation of arrangements.

This evening, Rafael da Silva Vilela and Felipe Altenfelder Silva will present their work at Mídia Ninja, addressing the urban appropriation techniques they developed over the last years, as well as their ‘no-cut’ video philosophy. Respondents are designer Ruben Pater and architect and artist Ola Hassanain.