MediaStorm Publishes Common Ground

Common Ground by Scott Strazzante On July 2, 2002, Jean and Harlow Cagwin watched as their home — the last remnant of their 118-acre cattle farm in Lockport, Illinois — was torn down clearing the way for a new housing development. Several years later, Ed and Amanda Grabenhofer and their four children moved into the new Willow Walk subdivision, their house just yards from where the Cagwin's home once stood. Common Ground introduces us to the lives touched by this land, as photographer Scott Strazzante takes us on a visual journey exploring the differences and similarities of these two families while simultaneously asking us to look at what is common among us all.

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The MediaStorm Workshops Launch in New York City

During the week of May 3-10, 2008, four talented professionals collaborated with the MediaStorm team at the first MediaStorm Workshop. The participating photographers and editors explored New York City as they documented their stories and refined their audio, video, photography, and editing skills. See the projects produced during this workshop below or apply for the next round of Workshops. One Man Brand by Lucy Nicholson and Jassim Ahmad After meeting at the gym, Robert Burck and Cindy Fox started dating, but he was elusive about his job. To find out for herself, Cindy went to Times Square and was surprised by what she discovered. See the project.    Roots in the Garden by Carolyn Cole and Pia Sawhney Last century, the Italian neighborhood of Carroll Gardens in Brooklyn, New York, was thriving. But the wave of gentrification has washed over the neighborhood, creating a conflict between those who embrace change and those…

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MediaStorm publishes Rape of a Nation by Marcus Bleasdale

Rape of a Nation by Marcus Bleasdale The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is home to the deadliest war in the world today. An estimated 5.4 million people have died since 1998, the largest death toll since the Second World War, according to the International Rescue Committee (IRC). After successive waves of fighting and ten years of war, there are no hospitals, few roads and limited NGO and UN presence because it is too dangerous to work in many of these regions. The West's desire for minerals and gems has contributed to a fundamental breakdown in the social structure. See the story.

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Open Society Institute launches Katrina: An Unnatural Disaster

The Open Society Institute and MediaStorm recently collaborated to produce Katrina: An Unnatural Disaster (www.katrinamedia.org). This site chronicles the struggles and triumphs of Gulf Coast residents since the destruction more than two years ago. Through stories and images, the site explores what is preventing residents from recovering from the disaster and returning home. It features the work of dozens of award-winning print and radio journalists, photographers, filmmakers and youth media organizations, all of whom are OSI Katrina Media Fellows."

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MediaStorm launches The Ninth Floor and MediaStorm Store

The Ninth Floor by Jessica Dimmock Hidden in an elegant building in a wealthy Manhattan neighborhood, was a sprawling apartment filled with young drug addicts. The Ninth Floor is the story of their battle with addiction, each other, and themselves as they search for some kind of redemption.    MediaStorm Store Launches DVDs of The Ninth Floor and many other MediaStorm projects are now available for purchase via the MediaStorm Store. Projects are available for both personal and educational use.

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