Clarence Eckerson Jr., the mad genius behind Streetfilms, believes that the next frontier of activist journalism isn't going to be written blogs but video blogs. Sometimes, when I look at the performance of your average Streetfilm compared to the hits one of my best researched and most popular stories, it's hard to argue with him.
Picking up the mantle of citizen journalist is USC Junior Matt Schraeder who's story on how the city will ticket cars parked on streets due for cleanings is pretty much a must-see piece of journalism. While you're not going to confuse the above piece with a Streetfilm, Schraeder does take the needed steps to take the film beyond your run-of-the-mill time elapse video to a worthy, well-rounded news story. He manages to interview officials in the LADOT and Parking Enforcement. Just add some music, get rid of the sympathy for drivers who park illegally and we're in business!
While you won't catch me crying crocodile tears for the drivers in Schraeder's piece, it's not like they know the streets isn't going to be cleaned when they make their parking decisions, there is a major issue with this ticketing practice. The City of Los Angeles is in desperate need of parking reform, which should include more rate increases and longer metered hours. The more the city decides to use the new funds to fill a hole in the general fund and the more it hands out tickets that are more likely to enrage than educate; the harder and more politically unfeasible it is going to be for politicians to make the right decision when it comes to parking pricing and reform.
