Keeping America Secure

Great Pod, albeit with some flaws to my eye, but very well produced so I can ignore the balance issue. Who says every pod has to present both sides of an issue anyway, this was presented as the right's take on immigration, and in that respect it succeeded.

The view of the right always fascinates me on the topic of immigration, because of the misperception that the left is not at least, in some small principle on board to some degree on the topic of illegal immigration, at the very least it's fodder for debate.

Considering the number of pods that cover remittances from cash in the states flowing out vis a vis Western Union wires to Mexico and Latin America to the tune of 10's of billions, this is an interesting view from the other side of the fence.

While I cannot claim I have an answer for how to solve the immigration crisis myself, pods like this definitely present the view of the opposition to the viewer, and allow them to think a little more critically about the issue. There is no panacea for this issue, no quick fix. It will take heartfelt debate and new fairly thought-out laws to correct this, otherwise it could become the new "one issue vote" topic for republicans to rally their constituents around.

Food for thought anyway.

-zen

Kudos to Current staff for commissioning a piece about a harsh critic of the pro-immigrant rallies. The Salvadoran producer is an especially interesting twist... Nice work Jacob.

But here's the rub: a narrator-less "pod" like this is a poor excuse for balance in the immigration debate.

Sure, it's fun to experiment with storytelling... And it's important to hear from people in their own words... But don't forget to Fact Check!

Yes, hospitals are pinched by the cost of caring for the uninsured and the undocumented, but where are these hospitals he talks about? 64 drivers licenses among the 19 hijackers -- is that in the 9-11 Commission report? Sussman spouts facts about immigrants in prisons -- but where are these numbers coming from? This piece doesn't give us any reason to believe him -- or the protesters. There's no analysis, no context, no history...

Besides, a middle-aged guy ranting alone in a radio studio will never be as visually engaging as the video from the protests across the country -- the many faces, and the chanting in the streets and the driving soundtrack...

Run the numbers, check the facts, remind me what HR4437 would do again... Add to the debate and engage viewers in issues that affect us all.

Or maybe Current underestimates its young viewers/users, just like everyone else... Do you think we'll watch anything with a driving beat, young faces, quick cuts, and shakey camera-work?

If there's anyone who can make wonky stuff like immigration reform interesting, it's Current and "viewer commissioned? content." Make me proud.