The British media has been notoriously labelled ‘Pale, Male, Stale and Posh’ based on the fact that our journalists are predominantly white (94%), male (55%) and university-educated (86%; with 51% privately educated prior to university and 54% Oxbridge educated). This is important because it affects what (and how) news and media is recorded and this, in turn, impacts how people understand one another and understand society.

However, technology is transforming this landscape, making way for what we call ‘citizen journalism.’ Citizens or ordinary people are now documenting what they see, hear and think in ways that would have been impossible just a couple of decades ago. Playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analysing and sharing news and information.

As passionate advocates of participatory media, we think that this is great because it allows people from a range of backgrounds to carve out space for their voice. This allows us to have conversations with and amongst one another and that is a very important part of creating change. Look at the global 'Black Lives Matter' uprising in the Summer of 2020, for example. It was a video recorded on a mobile phone that shocked the world into action; social media that was used to mobilise; infographics, books, films and podcasts that were used to educate.

We want to help as many people as possible to create media. Don't worry if you don't have fancy equipment! You can make media using the things you have around you. For example, a podcast can be recorded using Zoom, a film shot/ edited using a mobile phone and most platforms, like YouTube and Anchor, allow you to upload content for free.

So use the videos above to pick up some of our top tips and tricks. And don't forget to share with us what you create! We'd love to see it - hello@filmanthropy.co.uk or @FilmanthropyUK.

Source: City University, Sutton Trust, Oxford University