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Frequently Asked Questions for Human Rights Channel
- What is the Human Rights Channel?
- How do I use this site?
- What kind of content do you publish?
- Are there guidelines for violent or objectionable content?
- Who runs the channel?
- How are videos verified?
- How do I find content?
- How are videos chosen?
- Do you have any influence over YouTube taking down my video?
- What are human rights?
- Are you on social media?
- How can I submit a video?
- What is citizen journalism? Who are citizen witnesses?
- What are you guidelines for commenting or interacting, on the channel or on social media?
What is the Human Rights Channel?
Part breaking news and part alert network, the Human Rights Channel curates video on human rights issues and supports the people who create this video. Our content focuses on breaking news and under-covered stories, engaging the wider context behind evolving controversies and, where appropriate, pointing to campaigns and ways viewers can take action.
We showcase video from citizen witnesses and citizen journalists to connect viewers to an "on the ground" perspective that is often absent from mainstream media sources. By verifying and contextualizing citizen journalists’ work, and by placing their work in the context of internationally recognized human rights standards, we amplify their voices and make their videos more authoritative and more understandable to outside audiences.
Citizens and journalists can use our “Watching” playlists to catch the newest verified citizen videos from around the world, and use our “In Depth,” “Uncovered,” “Breaking,” and “Profile” thematic playlists to dive deeper into diverse human rights issues. Citizen witnesses and journalists as well as human rights advocates can use the information, trainings, and tips that we publish on how to film more safely and effectively.
The Channel is a WITNESS project, powered by Storyful, hosted on YouTube. It was launched in a beta version on May 24, 2012.
You can find us on YouTube, Google+ and Twitter.
How do I use this site?
The Channel was created with many audiences in mind, including journalists, local activists, international organizations, regional experts, academics, and engaged citizens. Each group will have its own way of interacting with the Channel, and some suggestions are below.
I’m a journalist.
Use our content as a starting point for investigating breaking or under-covered stories. The citizen video (user generated content / UGC) on our site has been verified to journalistic standards by Storyful, an industry leader, and WITNESS provides the human rights context to help you understand isolated or fragmentary clips in the context of bigger stories.
Our “Watching” playlists are updated daily with breaking human rights-related citizen journalism from across the globe. We maintain a “Citizen Watch” playlist for global citizen videos, as well as regional or topical “Watches” for other issues (e.g. “Watching Syria,” “Watching Sudan”). Our thematic playlists delve more deeply, giving you insight into a topic and the human rights issues at stake. These focus on under-covered events or under-explored right issues, exposing topics that are relatively unknown to mainstream media. Look at “Profiles” to learn about the courageous citizen activists, journalists, and organizations behind the stories.
If there is a particular issue you would like to cover, or if you would like to be notified when we publish playlists on certain topics, please contact: matisse [at] witness [dot] org. Include your name, email address, areas of interest, and professional affiliation.
You can also subscribe to get our announcements via YouTube, Google+ and Twitter.
I’m a citizen witness, citizen journalist or human rights activist creating video.
You can submit videos that you or others have uploaded to the Channel (See “How Can I Submit a Video?”).
You can also view tutorials on how to film effectively and safely via WITNESS. There are resources on:
Is video advocacy right for you?
There are short video tutorials on filming basics, which are also available in Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, Burmese:
Getting ready to Make a Human Rights Film
Filming, Audio, and How to Use Cell Phones
Filming and Protecting Interviewees
Editing and Distributing Your Film
There is also a video series on “How To Film Protests,” which includes:
Part 2: Choose the Right Tools
Other resources include:
“Top 10 Tips for Filming #Occupy Protests, Arrests & Police Conduct” in English and Arabic
“‘Video For Change’ Best Practices” in English and Arabic
I’m a curious citizen.
You can use the Channel to learn about what’s happening with human rights issues around the world. Our thematic (In Depth/Breaking/Profiles) playlists are a great way to explore an issue across the globe or to get a deeper understanding of what’s happening in areas--ranging from the USA to Syria--where human rights are being violated. Watch the videos here, and join the conversation on Twitter, and Google+.
I’m a human rights advocate or NGO worker.
Watch our playlists to find videos that support campaigns or issues that you and your colleagues work on. We focus on covering a range of issues from the most overlooked human rights issues to stories that are ongoing or currently prominent. Please feel free to suggest topics that you would like to see covered.
If you create advocacy videos, and would like the Human Rights Channel to profile your work, please send a link and all relevant information to: witness [at] storyful [dot] com. Please keep in mind that due to verification requirements, resource limitations, and editorial range, we are not able to publish all content.
What kind of content do you publish?
The Human Rights Channel publishes several playlists a week concerning issues worldwide. We aim to cover a range of human rights issues from the high-profile to the under-discussed, and across the range of internationally-recognized human rights from civil and political to economic, social and cultural.
We organize our playlists into four categories:
Citizen Watch - This is our flagship playlist, and is updated daily with citizen witness/journalism videos from around the world. There is a new edition started every month.
‘Watching’ Playlists - Watching Playlists are added for issues that consistently generate a high rate of citizen footage (e.g. “Watching Sudan” or “Watching Syria”). These playlists may also include occasional contextualizing videos. As video coverage of a particular issue wanes, any ‘Watching’ Playlist dedicated to it will be discontinued and future content will be included in ‘Citizen Watch’ and/or thematic playlists.
Thematic Playlists - We form playlists around discrete issues or events to help to provide a greater understanding of the subject. These playlists showcase both citizen video and contextualizing video, such as documentaries, news broadcasts, and advocacy videos.
In Depth - These playlists frame citizen journalism with contextualizing video to look deeper into an event or issue. We focus particularly on issues that are under-covered by mainstream outlets, and help to amplify citizen video that is not reaching broader audiences or being paid attention to by policy-makers.
Profiles - These playlists take a closer look at a person, organization, or project. They may use content from exclusively one organization, individual, or team in order to showcase their issue or work.
Breaking - These playlists are formed when we receive video out of a developing situation before all the facts are clear. While we do not publish unverified citizen video, we may be unable to obtain contextualizing video and will add it to the playlist as it becomes available.
Are there guidelines for violent or objectionable content?
Unfortunately violence, disturbing speech and other objectionable content is often a part of human rights footage. Documenting it can play an important role in conveying an accurate understanding of a situation and potentially securing redress. The Channel will share graphic footage and other forms of objectionable content where it serves an important documenting function. We will make every effort to provide warnings on playlists and in notes.
To ensure that WITNESS upholds the basic principles of human dignity, and to help minimize and prevent direct or indirect harm resulting from any footage, audio or imagery, careful consideration will be given on whether to feature content:
Posing a significant risk to someone’s life or personal safety;
Representing a direct written or verbal incitement to violence or hate;
Containing pornographic nudity or sexual imagery;
Where the subject’s capacity for decision making or ability to give consent may be compromised, such as children (under 18), detainees/prisoners, and people with mental disabilities;
Featuring graphic violent imagery;
That is discriminatory or intolerant on the grounds of ethnicity, race, gender, disability, national origin, sexual orientation or religion or is otherwise inappropriate;
Content that risks re-victimizing the subject of the human rights violation.
Who runs the channel?
The Channel is a WITNESS project, powered by Storyful, hosted on YouTube.
WITNESS is an international organization that has been using the power of video and storytelling for 20 years to open the eyes of the world to human rights abuses. In its capacity as Channel curator, WITNESS ensures that featured videos address fundamental rights-based questions, and adds context and perspective to ensure a powerful story is told. We provide feedback and support to people whose content is featured, to enable them to be more effective in their work. WITNESS has sole editorial discretion over what content is published on the Channel.
Storyful is a team of professional journalists dedicated to unearthing authentic voices and actionable news from the noise of the real-time web, 24/7. Through a combination of local sources, regional experts and data algorithms, they ensure that each video featured on the channel has been verified to a journalistic standard before our editorial team begins their work.
YouTube has always been known for entertainment, but is increasingly a nexus of information coverage. 72 hours of video are uploaded every minute, and viewers watch over 3 billion hours of video each month. Much of the news content watched on YouTube is “User Generated Content” (UGC), which has been recorded by citizen journalists.
How are videos verified?
Citizen Journalism
Storyful’s key expertise is in sourcing and verifying citizen journalism across various social media platforms, from YouTube to Twitter and beyond. Through a combination of local sources, regional experts and data algorithms, they will ensure each video featured on the channel has been verified to a journalistic standard before our editorial team begins their work. They use a mix of technical analysis and old-fashioned journalism to ensure that videos are consistent with what is known about the user, the area, and the event.
The kind of parameters that Storyful uses include analyzing individual users: What content has the individual been linked to? What accounts are they associated with on YouTube, Twitter, and other internet and social media? How long have these accounts been active, how frequently are they updated, and with what sort of content? What user networks are they a part of?
Storyful also uses more traditional vetting parameters. Are the languages and dialects consistent with the locations and populations involved? Is the weather what was recorded for that area on that day? Do the shadows indicate what time of day the video was recorded? Is the clothing consistent with what’s commonly worn?
Read these articles for a detailed explanation and example of Storyful’s verification process.
If you have footage that you would like to be considered for verification and publication on the Human Rights Channel, please email a link and any information to: witness [at] storyful [dot] com, and it will be considered. Due to the amount of resources that verification requires, and because we make editorial decisions on the range of content featured on the Channel, not all videos can be verified by Storyful or published on the Human Rights Channel.
Supporting & Contextualizing Material
Supporting and contextualizing material--including news footage, advocacy videos, and documentaries--is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Curators evaluate whether the information presented in the videos is consistent with information that has been verified by Storyful and/or reported by major news and credible human rights organizations.
How do I find content?
Subscribe
By subscribing to the Human Rights Channel, you will receive a digest email with our newest content. To subscribe, simply click the “Subscribe” button next to our name on the main page, while logged into YouTube. Please note that emails will not include additions to Citizen Watch and other “Watching” playlists, which are updated every business day.
Browse
You can view the most recent playlists that we’ve published on our main page. Click on the title of any playlist to enter that playlist. In each playlist, you’ll find a few paragraphs of contextualizing information on the top right. Click on the top video to start the playlist, and use the bar across the bottom of your browser to move through videos.
Search
Use the search field labeled “Search Channel” (found in the grey bar at the top right corner of the channel page, and not the top of the entire page) to search the content on the channel. Please note that this will search only a portion of the descriptions of playlists, and not the descriptions of individual videos, so depending on your search terms, it may not find all content.
All Playlists
Click “view all,” found on the main page at the bottom-right of the list of playlists, to view all of the playlists that the Human Rights Channel has published. Note that there are several pages, which you can access via the buttons at the bottom of the page.
Social Media
You can keep abreast of new content and join the conversation by subscribing to the channel on Twitter, and Google+.
Alerts for Journalists
If there is a particular issue you would like to cover or if you would like to be notified when we publish playlists on certain topics, please contact: matisse [at] witness [dot] org. Include your name, email address, areas of interest, and professional affiliation.
How are videos chosen?
WITNESS retains full editorial control over the content of the channel, independent of any partnership or affiliation, including YouTube and Google. WITNESS curators choose stories based on their relevance to human rights principles and standards, the availability and verifiability of videos, and independent editorial judgment. We give special consideration to breaking news and to amplifying under-covered human rights stories that are not getting adequate attention in other media sources. We seek to publish stories representing a broad range of human rights issues, including but not limited to civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. We highlight core human rights values – either when they are compromised, or where there are examples of their successful implementation. We cover content from all areas of the world.
We are not able to cover all stories or human rights issues, but welcome suggestions of topics and submissions of videos.
Do you have any influence over YouTube taking down my video?
The Human Rights Channel curates content that has already been uploaded to YouTube and does not have its own upload capacity. YouTube administers its own guidelines on acceptable content on their platforms. Human rights-related videos that might otherwise not be allowed on the site are often permitted to remain up because of exceptions designed to protect this public interest content. WITNESS does not have the ability to challenge specific takedowns of material though we do advocate to YouTube to ensure that human rights content is not inappropriately removed from the platform.
What are human rights?
The Human Rights Channel covers the full range of internationally recognized human rights including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights. We also document situations involving crimes against humanity and war crimes.
To explore what human rights means and the binding nature of states’ obligations to protect and realize them for all humans, please use the following links as starting points:
United Nations: What are Human Rights?
Universal Declaration of Human Rights (United Nations)
International Covenant on Civil & Political Rights
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
Convention on the Rights of the Child
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women
ILO Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
Are you on social media?
The Channel has an active presence on several social media sites, and you can share your thoughts and follow our content on any of them.
Google+
You can circle us on Google+. The Channel engages in substantive conversation on Google+, sharing articles and photographs, asking questions, and listening to your thoughts. It’s a great place for conversation that’s longer than 140 characters. If you add us to your circles, our posts will show up in your post stream, and you’ll see content that we’ve recommended on Google News and other pages. We look forward to using Google+ innovative group and chat tools to mediate discussions and face-to-face “Hangouts” with videographers, human rights experts, journalists, and advocates working on featured issues.
Please note that re-shares are not endorsements, and that re-shares of others’ content is not a signal that we have verified that content or are vouching for its authenticity.
You can follow us at @ythumanrights. We share updates to our channel, as well as articles and information that are relevant to human rights and human rights video. Please follow us, and tweet your thoughts on human rights.
Please note that re-tweets are not endorsements, and that re-tweets of others’ content is not a signal that we have verified that content or are vouching for its authenticity.
WITNESS Blog
The Channel posts longer-format pieces to the WITNESS blog: http://blog.witness.org, including editorial reactions to the channel’s featured stories.
How can I submit a video?
If you have a video concerning a human rights violation, please upload it to YouTube and send us the link. Please include any and all relevant information, including the location and a description of the events in the video. Please note whether you are the original uploader of the video, or whether you found this footage online already.
BE VERY CAREFUL OF YOUR SAFETY AND THE SAFETY OF THOSE IN THE VIDEO. There have been instances of groups using information from photos and videos on social media to identify and target the individuals involved in front of and behind the camera. Be aware of this, and try not to reveal information about those who might be targeted. Where possible you should seek informed consent from people who are seen in the video and who may be at risk by speaking out or being seen: explain to them the risks and that the video may well be seen by the people responsible for the violations and help them make an informed decision on whether to be filmed.
Based on the risks you can offer options like blurring people’s faces or making sure they are not seen in a recognizable location. For blurring, consider using YouTube’s facial blur tool that will auto-detect faces and blur them so that individuals cannot be identified. Use these links for instruction, a post on how it works, and more information.
What is citizen journalism? Who are citizen witnesses?
Citizen witnesses are anyone who observe events and makes a decision to bear witness and to try and expose or prevent an injustice by sharing information with others. Citizen journalism is reporting that’s done by people who are not employed by mainstream media. Many citizen journalists have no media training whatsoever; they lead normal lives until they find themselves face-to-face with breaking news. Some citizen journalists become passionate about a topic and seek out ways to report on it, but others are simply at a certain place and a certain time, and become witnesses to events.
There can be serious dangers to citizen witnesses and journalists, especially in areas of the world where the press is given no protection or is even targeted for violence. Citizen journalists should remain aware of this, and take precautions to ensure their safety. For a quick guide on filming safely and effectively, see “I’m a citizen journalist or a citizen witness creating video.”
What are you guidelines for commenting or interacting, on the channel or on social media?
The Human Rights Channel community is extremely broad, global in scope, and encompasses a wide variety of perspectives and life-experiences. In the interests of making the community function as well as possible, here are the Channel community guidelines we would like you to be aware of, and which we expect all users to abide by:
1. We welcome hearty debate and dissent, and please focus on intelligent, insightful and passionate discussion of human rights issues. We will not tolerate racism, sexism, homophobia or other forms of hate-speech, or content that could be interpreted as such.
2. Please respect other people's views and beliefs. We understand that human rights issues are often emotive, but we will consider removing any content that other users might find extremely offensive or threatening. We actively discourage obscenity and mindless abuse.
3. We will remove any posts that are obviously commercial or otherwise spam-like.
4. Please keep it relevant. While conversations can be wide-ranging, be aware that comments that are completely unrelated to the original topic may be removed, in order to keep the thread on track.
5. The platform is ours, but the conversation belongs to everybody. We want this to be a welcoming space for intelligent discussion, and we expect participants to help us achieve this by notifying us of potential problems and helping each other to keep conversations inviting and intelligent.
6. It is never acceptable to pretend to be someone else, whether it is another member of the community or another individual, a staff member, or the representative of another legitimate organization.
Where can I leave feedback?
Please send your questions, comments or concerns to: curator [at] witness [dot] org. You can also reach us through the YouTube messaging system, Twitter, and Google+.