LSE - Small Logo
LSE - Small Logo

Julia Ziemer

December 2nd, 2016

Global stories for a global audience?

1 comment

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Julia Ziemer

December 2nd, 2016

Global stories for a global audience?

1 comment

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

By LSE MsC student Diska Putri Pamungkas on a Polis talk from Liz Mermin, Director of Visual at the Thomson Reuters Foundation

In the world full of infotainment and politainment with fact-checking in crisis, in-depth and inspiring journalism is more valuable than ever.

As a director of Visual at the Thomson Reuters Foundation (TRF), Liz Mermin oversees a team making creative documentaries telling under-reported humanitarian stories. The aim of the work is to create journalistic work that has an impact to raise global awareness towards some of the most the most urgent humanitarian issues: “We’re trying put message that the far away is not so far away,” said Mermin.

Along with a small group of experienced and skilled people in the field, Mermin created a number of creative documentary videos working with local fixers to gain close access to individuals from a range of countries. Focusing on how to make work with real impact, Mermin said that the crucial part is to treat the medium differently from print, with an emphasis on the personality and connection with the ‘characters’ in the film: “The key is emotional connection.”

But the work does not stop at making good documentary, the next challenge is to attract an audience: “With more documentary channels and film-makers in the game than ever, it may be a golden age for consumers, but not for filmmakers who make documentary about humanitarian topic” said Mermin. To attract a global audience, filmmakers must go to where the audience is already exists. TRF establishes partnership with media companies around the world such at The Guardian and Take Part.

bangladesh-still

From the story of refugee to ‘hidden connection’ of child marriage in Bangladesh with climate change, Thomson Reuters Foundation have created a number of documentaries aiming to raise audience’s awareness on humanitarian issue.  Mermin said that the goal of these documentaries is to encourage advocacy to solve these alarming issues, which can hopefully also lead to policy and system changes.

By Diska Putri Pamungkas

Liz Mermin: Global stories for global audiences? from Polis Video on Vimeo.

About the author

Julia Ziemer

Julia Ziemer is Institute Manager at the Marshall Institute. She has previously worked at Polis, LSE's journalism think-tank, the charity English PEN and the Literature Department of the British Council.

Posted In: Development | Featured | International

1 Comments

Comments are closed.