I just read chapters 1-6 of DeeDee Halleck’s Hand Held Visions. This testament to the history and vision of community media, consists of a series of essays which Halleck wrote throughout her life. It interweaves her own personal involvement in the sphere of community media with a general history of the movement. The essays range from primary source documents, to academic journal articles, to transcripts of speeches she delivered. She begins with her own life, looking back on how she was introduced to television and became involved in the art world. She then moves to her years as a teacher, working with kids in various settings to make film and video. Then she talks about the UNESCO MacBride report, and it’s important impacts, explaining the basics of public access television in relation to MacBride. She then discusses specific examples of public access and how it is used to help bring about social change. Finally after looking at a variety of models for media democratization, she covers independent videomakers and their experience with public television vs. public access television.

Perhaps the most interesting section is chapter 4: “Smashing the Myths of the Information Industry: Creating Alternatives.” This chapter establishes some of the mainstream media’s criticisms of public access, dispelling them convincingly while acknowledging the flaws. Then she moves onto specific examples such as “Not Channel Zero” a show in NYC made by and for the black community to provide representation and rallying among increasing police violence.

Halleck, DeeDee. Hand-Held Visions: The Impossible Possibilities of Community Media. Ch. 1-6, pp. xvii-286. New York: Fordham, 2002. Print.