Issues and Analysis
News and views on the people, places and topics of concern to Community Supported Film and its project partners
Recent Posts
ON AFGHANITAN, ON MIGRATION | Afghan Newcomers Bring Critical Value to the U.S. Economy and Society
Upwardly Global’s new report highlights Afghan newcomers’ $1.71 billion potential annual earnings and $227 million potential annual tax dollars, in an effort to spur legislative or administrative action and ensure stability for over 36k Afghans in the U.S.
War is a Racket! by The Department of Homeland Inspiration – featuring the Art Ranger and Michael Sheridan
Art Ranger, along with her colleague Michael Sheridan, review “War is a Racket” by Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler. This highly decorated war hero becomes dogged activist and tours the country giving speeches about how he was in effect, a bully for the corporations, then quit. Art Ranger and Sheridan share excerpts of the text as well as a piece of their minds. Sonic textures provided by our back up band, The Dirty Pens.
ON THE MEDIA | Disrupting Journalism: How Platforms Have Upended the News, Columbia Journalism Review
After decades of shrinking revenues, and an increasing expectation among consumers that journalism should be free, the global media industry has reached a crisis point. As legacy news outlets shut down or lay off staff, misinformation and conspiracy theories run rampant, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. Trust in our institutions of governance continues to decline, fueling an alarming rise in extremism and political violence across previously stable democracies. In the Global South, the impact of journalism’s decline has been even more striking, with the rise of a new generation of autocrats skilled in manipulating the online conversation to suit their consolidation of power.
ON THE MEDIA | Meet the Next Generation of Mexican Filmmakers, Global Press Journal
After the 1994 [Zapatista] uprising, a boom in documentary films focused on indigenous themes and communities — but the overwhelming majority, Sojob says, were made by people from outside the state. Her own interest in storytelling began when, using a camera that her father gave her, she recorded an ongoing land conflict between the people of Chenalhó and the neighboring town of Chalchihuitán. Unless there was some sort of testimony, she realized, no one would know what was happening, “that it was us, ourselves, who had to get out everything that was happening within, from our own context, from our community.”
ON MIGRATION, ON AFGHANITAN | Biden Admin Plan to Resurrect Asylum Ban Advances Trump Agenda – ACT NOW
President Biden’s administration has said it will introduce a new rule that would deny many from seeking asylum based on their manner of entry or transit through other countries. The asylum ban is a fundamental departure from how our life-saving asylum system should work and is reminiscent of moments in our nation’s history when we turned away refugees to their death.
ON THE MEDIA | A New Paradigm for Global Journalism: Press Freedom and Public Interest, The Tow Center
There is a need to expand the framework for press freedom defense to incorporate the notion of public interest. Linking press freedom and public interest allows for the protection of press freedom based not only on the individual right to free expression but also on the collective social benefit derived from independent journalism.
On the Media
ON THE MEDIA | Disrupting Journalism: How Platforms Have Upended the News, Columbia Journalism Review
After decades of shrinking revenues, and an increasing expectation among consumers that journalism should be free, the global media industry has reached a crisis point. As legacy news outlets shut down or lay off staff, misinformation and conspiracy theories run rampant, blurring the line between fantasy and reality. Trust in our institutions of governance continues to decline, fueling an alarming rise in extremism and political violence across previously stable democracies. In the Global South, the impact of journalism’s decline has been even more striking, with the rise of a new generation of autocrats skilled in manipulating the online conversation to suit their consolidation of power.
ON THE MEDIA | Meet the Next Generation of Mexican Filmmakers, Global Press Journal
After the 1994 [Zapatista] uprising, a boom in documentary films focused on indigenous themes and communities — but the overwhelming majority, Sojob says, were made by people from outside the state. Her own interest in storytelling began when, using a camera that her father gave her, she recorded an ongoing land conflict between the people of Chenalhó and the neighboring town of Chalchihuitán. Unless there was some sort of testimony, she realized, no one would know what was happening, “that it was us, ourselves, who had to get out everything that was happening within, from our own context, from our community.”
ON THE MEDIA | A New Paradigm for Global Journalism: Press Freedom and Public Interest, The Tow Center
There is a need to expand the framework for press freedom defense to incorporate the notion of public interest. Linking press freedom and public interest allows for the protection of press freedom based not only on the individual right to free expression but also on the collective social benefit derived from independent journalism.
ON THE MEDIA | Local journalism steps up to the challenge of civic coverage – Neiman Lab
As journalists and local news organizations, we have recognized over the past few years that we have too often lost touch with the basic civic information needs of our communities. It is difficult for citizens to engage with either news media or government without the fundamental information they need to participate.
ON THE MEDIA | Rosa Park was not a little old lady who was tired that one day on the bus, it’s just so inaccurate – The Monitor
Rosa Parks was taking testimony from women who’d been raped … she would travel around the country doing that. It just really changes your take on her … Rosa Park was not a little old lady who was tired that one day on the bus, it’s just so inaccurate.
ON MIGRATION, ON THE MEDIA | In a New Documentary, Refugees Reclaim Their Narrative, from Hyperallergic
Refugees of the Moria camp in Lesvos, Greece are behind the camera in the film Nothing About Us Without Us.
One of the pressing complaints about Western journalism is that traveling reporters drop into the scene where a story is unfolding, tell only a fraction of it, and jet off to the next destination chasing another lede. Marginalized people seeking media coverage also sometimes find themselves at the mercy of journalists who lack cultural context in their reporting, resulting in clickbait headlines that reinforce problematic stereotypes.
On Economic and Social Development
War is a Racket! by The Department of Homeland Inspiration – featuring the Art Ranger and Michael Sheridan
Art Ranger, along with her colleague Michael Sheridan, review “War is a Racket” by Brigadier General Smedley D. Butler. This highly decorated war hero becomes dogged activist and tours the country giving speeches about how he was in effect, a bully for the corporations, then quit. Art Ranger and Sheridan share excerpts of the text as well as a piece of their minds. Sonic textures provided by our back up band, The Dirty Pens.
ON DEVELOPMENT | Soaring humanitarian costs in 2023, The New Humanitarian
More hunger, more displacement, more people in crisis, and a soaring price tag: Humanitarian needs and costs will once again shatter records in 2023, but available funding – and the system itself – isn’t keeping pace.
Source: Soaring humanitarian costs in 2023: Key takeaways, The New Humanitarian, by Irwin Loy and Jessica Alexander, December 1, 2022
ON DEVELOPMENT | Protecting 30% of Earth’s surface for nature means thinking about connections near and far, The Conversation
Governments, scientists and conservation groups are working to protect 30% of Earth’s land and water for nature by 2030. Scientists say that protecting 30% of Earth’s surface will help species and ecosystems recover from the stresses that are depleting them. It also will conserve valuable services that nature provides to humans, such as buffering coasts from storms and filtering drinking water. Protecting forests and grasslands can help slow climate change by promoting carbon storage in soil and plants.
ON DEVELOPMENT | This Planet Is Drying Up. And these Are the Consequences, IPS News
Drought is one of the ‘most destructive’ natural disasters in terms of the loss of life, arising from impacts, such as wide-scale crop failure, wildfires and water stress. Droughts are one of the “most feared natural phenomena in the world;” they devastate farmland, destroy livelihoods and cause untold suffering.
ON DEVELOPMENT | Five international NGOs launch fresh bid to tackle power imbalances in aid
Can a new set of unbinding promises really accelerate progress towards a more equal aid ecosystem by 2030?
ON DEVELOPMENT | The Solution to the Global Food Crisis Isn’t More Food
There’s plenty [of food] to go around, but it’s going to the wrong places.
On Migration
ON AFGHANITAN, ON MIGRATION | Afghan Newcomers Bring Critical Value to the U.S. Economy and Society
Upwardly Global’s new report highlights Afghan newcomers’ $1.71 billion potential annual earnings and $227 million potential annual tax dollars, in an effort to spur legislative or administrative action and ensure stability for over 36k Afghans in the U.S.
ON MIGRATION, ON AFGHANITAN | Biden Admin Plan to Resurrect Asylum Ban Advances Trump Agenda – ACT NOW
President Biden’s administration has said it will introduce a new rule that would deny many from seeking asylum based on their manner of entry or transit through other countries. The asylum ban is a fundamental departure from how our life-saving asylum system should work and is reminiscent of moments in our nation’s history when we turned away refugees to their death.
ON AFGHANISTAN, ON MIGRATION | ‘Nobody wants to come this way’, Reuters
Their journey starts with a humanitarian visa for Brazil: one of the few remaining exit routes for Afghans fleeing Taliban rule.
It ends – after a perilous trek overland through Latin America across at least 11 countries – with scaling the border wall and jumping onto U.S. soil.
ON AFGHANISTAN, ON MIGRATION | Afghan Women Refugees Harrowing Journeys to Europe – Inter Press Service
Women escaping from the increasingly restrictive Taliban regime in Afghanistan find their journeys to freedom are fraught with dangers. This week the Taliban banned women from universities. They are increasingly forced to remain at home.
ON MIGRATION | Migrants? ‘Don’t You Dare Come Here, Unless…’ – Inter Press Service
When tens of thousands of Europeans had to flee the horrors of two World Wars seldom, if ever, did anyone classify them as “illegal” migrants.
ON AFGHANISTAN, ON MIGRATION | Tens of thousands of Afghan allies were left behind. Why have so few reached US safety? – USA Today
A year after the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan, tens of thousands of allies are struggling to reach safety. The US Congress needs to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act now.
On Afghanistan
ON AFGHANITAN, ON MIGRATION | Afghan Newcomers Bring Critical Value to the U.S. Economy and Society
Upwardly Global’s new report highlights Afghan newcomers’ $1.71 billion potential annual earnings and $227 million potential annual tax dollars, in an effort to spur legislative or administrative action and ensure stability for over 36k Afghans in the U.S.
ON MIGRATION, ON AFGHANITAN | Biden Admin Plan to Resurrect Asylum Ban Advances Trump Agenda – ACT NOW
President Biden’s administration has said it will introduce a new rule that would deny many from seeking asylum based on their manner of entry or transit through other countries. The asylum ban is a fundamental departure from how our life-saving asylum system should work and is reminiscent of moments in our nation’s history when we turned away refugees to their death.
ON AFGHANISTAN, ON MIGRATION | ‘Nobody wants to come this way’, Reuters
Their journey starts with a humanitarian visa for Brazil: one of the few remaining exit routes for Afghans fleeing Taliban rule.
It ends – after a perilous trek overland through Latin America across at least 11 countries – with scaling the border wall and jumping onto U.S. soil.
ON AFGHANISTAN | Restrictions on Women Employees, Paralyzing NGO Work in Afghanistan – Khaama Press
Gen Egeland, the Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) earlier today Tweeted that Norway’s primer aid organization can’t continue its operations in Afghanistan without its female employees. [The Taliban recently banned women from working in Humanitarian aid.]
ON AFGHANISTAN | Taliban Education Minister Speaks on Altering Journalism Curriculum – Khaama Press
The administration is planning to significantly revise the journalism curriculum to prepare the young journalists to serve the country with honesty and good faith, not to propagate wrong things against a group, regime, or Islamic values.
ON AFGHANISTAN | Afghan Migrants Released from Pakistan Prison and Deported to Afghanistan – Khaama Press
The detainees spent two months in prison and were incarcerated by the Sindh police due to not having legal documents.
On Haiti
ON HAITI | Surge in use of rape against women and rivals by Haiti gangs
Women and girls are being hunted down by armed groups who are using rapes and targeted killings as a weapon of war.
Women and girls are being hunted down by armed groups who are using rapes and targeted killings as a weapon of war.
ON HAITI, ON DEVELOPMENT | The international community must own its role in Haiti’s food crisis
It’s time for a different approach in Haiti – one that reckons with the enduring harms Global North policies have inflicted in the country.
ON HAITI | Video: Stolen futures, Haiti’s gangs and its children
‘Most of our friends didn’t make it to their 18th birthdays.’
Many of these gang members are under 24. Some are children as young as 11.
With few work or educational opportunities, many gang members say they have turned to the armed groups as a way of earning quick cash or gaining power. Some even say they are doing what the government has failed to do – taking care of its population.
ON HAITI, ON THE MEDIA | Haiti: Covering a chaotic nation, with deadly consequences
“‘Haiti is a minefield,’ said Harold Isaac, a journalist based in Port-au-Prince who works for the Associated Press. ‘The minute you start reporting news, there are so many threats, because it casts light on people that don’t necessarily enjoy that.’”
ON HAITI, ON DEVELOPMENT | Can Haiti rebuild a food system broken by disaster, historical injustice, and neglect?
Years of political unrest, under-investment in agriculture, and repeated earthquakes and storms have left 4.3 million people facing acute hunger.
ON HAITI, ON DEVELOPMENT | Have the lessons of Haiti’s 2010 earthquake been learned?
“Build back better” became a guiding mantra after the earthquake struck in 2010, but Haiti has struggled to follow it and prepare for future disasters.
Background Information
Background information on the places and topics CSFilm has covered:
Download our Immigration Facts PDF
US immigration facts
- Facts on U.S. Immigrants, 2017: Statistical portrait of the foreign-born population in the United States (Pew Research Center)
- The Facts on Immigration Today, 2017: US foreign-born population and its impact on the economy, current immigration policy, and voting power of new Americans (Center for American Progress)
- Immigration Data Guide, 2018: links to the most credible, high-quality data on immigrants and immigration in the United States and internationally. (Migration Policy Institute)
- Facts about Immigration – Learn about demographics, economics, laws, crime rates, citizenship requirements and factors that drive immigration (JustFacts)
Immigration information and research
- How the U.S. Legal Immigration System Works (Migration Policy Institute)
- Mini Course on US Immigration five short email lessons on US immigration (Pew Research Center)
- Immigration Research Library (The Immigrant Learning Center)
- Frequently Asked Questions on Immigrants and Immigration in the US (Migration Policy Institute)
- Ten Myths About Immigration – information to help you and your students separate fact from fear. (Teaching Tolerance)
Refugees in the US
- Refugees in America – about refugee resettlement in the US (International Rescue Committee)
Perceptions and communications about immigrants and refugees in the US
- Out of Many, One: A Defining Moment for American Integration – attitudes that shape perceptions of immigration in the US (a report by the National Immigration Forum)
- When Facts Don’t Matter: How to Communicate More Effectively about Immigration’s Costs and Benefits (Migration Policy Institute)
- Defusing Hate: A Strategic Communication Guide to Counteract Dangerous Speech (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
- The Hidden Tribes of America – a project to better understand the forces that drive political polarization and tribalism in the United States, 2018 (More in Common)
Employment, the economy and US immigration
- Immigrants and the economy in the US (PDF)
- Immigrants and the American economy (New American Economy)
- Undocumented Immigrants’ State and Local Tax Contributions (Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy)
- Work in the United States, Introduction to Sociology (Lumin Learning)
Immigration and refugee policy, undocumented immigrants, and DACA
- The Debate Over Immigration Policy Reform (Council on Foreign Relations)
- 5 Tips for Talking About DACA – the American Dream and Promise Act of 2019 (The Opportunity Agenda)
- Trump administration’s proposed changes to family-based immigration and refugee admissions (Pew Research Center)
- Crime and Undocumented Immigrants (New York Times)
- The Criminalization of Immigration in the United States (American Immigration Council)
- Gender Bias and Immigration Policy (Legal Momentum, The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund)
Assimilation and acculturation of US immigrants
- What Does It Take to ‘Assimilate’ in America? (New York Times Magazine)
- Assimilation and Integration of US Immigrants and Their Descendants (Cato Institute)
- Should Immigration Require Assimilation? (The Atlantic Monthly)
- Acculturation, Development and Adaptation of Youth and Young Adults (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry)
Faith and US immigrants
- Immigrants and Religion – data on the religious composition of immigrants (Pew Research Lab)
Women and Immigration
- Immigrant Women and Girls in the United States (Migration Policy Institute)
- New Beginnings: Immigrant Women and The American Experience (National Women’s History Museum)
- Gender Bias and Immigration Policy (Legal Momentum, The Women’s Legal Defense and Education Fund)
- For Immigrant Women, Crossing the Border Doesn’t End Their Struggle (The Nation)
Politics and Immigration
- Immigrants have a long history of taking their issues to the people — as political candidates (PRI-The World)
- Immigrants in US Congress, (Pew Research Center)
Points-of-view on US Immigration
- The 14 Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They’re Wrong (Cato Institute)
- The Real Problem with Immigration… and the Real Solution (The Heritage Foundation)
- Immigrants Have Enriched American Culture and Enhanced Our Influence in the World (Cato Institute)
- 5 Ways Immigration Actually Enhances a Country’s Culture (Global Citizen)
Other websites with immigrant stories
- We Are America Project – high school students define via video what they think it means to be American;
- USAHello-Voices – immigrant and refugee stories of integration and overcoming resettlement obstacles
- I Am An Immigrant – stories demonstrating how immigration benefits our communities, economy, and country
- Newest Americans – a glimpse into the world of the newest Americans and a vision of our demographic future (Rutgers University-Newark, VII Photo and Talking Eyes Media)
Resources and Information for Immigrants and Refugees
- USAHello – the resources and information newcomers need to build successful lives for themselves and their families in the US
Background
- Afghanistan’s 36 Years of Turmoil in Review
- Afghanistan’s Conflict Timeline
- Links to Information on Aid, Human Rights and Conflict
- BBC- Afghanistan Country Profile
- United States Institute of Peace
- Afghanistan’s position in the balance of world power
- The Cost of War: Afghan Experiences of Conflict, 1978-2009 (PDF)
Aid and Economic Growth
- Afghanistan National Development Strategy 2010 – 2013
- The World Bank Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund
- Feinstein International Center – “Winning Hearts and Minds?”
- Afghanistan Research and Evaluation Unit – “Aiding the State?”
- Provincial Reconstruction Teams and Military – Humanitarian Relations in Afghanistan
- Preventing Corruption in Humanitarian Operations: A Handbook of Good Practices
Lessons From Development and Conflict Elsewhere
- PBS Frontline- Nation Building in Bosnia
- Assessing the Kecamatan Development Project, Indonesia (PDF)
- Community-Based Reconstruction in East Timor and Rwanda (PDF)
- Prospects for Community Driven Development in Post-Conflict Sierra Leone (PDF)
- What Everyone Should Know About Filming (And Sharing) Injustice on Social Media (PDF)
US Politics and Afghanistan Current Events
Background
- At a Glance: Haiti (UNICEF)
- Background Notes: Haiti (US Department of State)
- BBC – Haiti Country Profile
Aid and Economic Growth
- Cacophonies of Aid, Failed State Building and NGOs in Haiti: setting the stage for disaster, envisioning the future
- Haiti: the US and Military Aid in Times of Natural Disaster
- Moving Mountains: Challenges in Contemporary U.S. Foreign Aid in the Context of Post-Disaster Haiti
- A Rational Foreign Policy Toward Haiti and How the Media Shapes Public Perception of Haiti
- Ruptures, rights, and repair: The political economy of trauma in Haiti
Lessons From Development and Conflict Elsewhere
- The post-Cold War American interventions into Haiti, Somalia, Bosnia and Kosovo
- The Crucial Role of Civil Society in Disaster Recovery and Japan’s Preparedness for Emergencies
- What Everyone Should Know About Filming (And Sharing) Injustice on Social Media (PDF)
US Politics and Haiti Current Events