Anthony Ramos' astute deconstruction of television news focuses on his part in the media coverage of President Jimmy Carter's 1977 declaration of amnesty for Vietnam draft evaders. Ramos, who had served an 18-month prison sentence for draft evasion, was interviewed by news reporter Gabe Pressman, whose film crew meets Ramos' video crew in a confrontation between technologies and sensibilities. At the time, some broadcast television news crews still used 16mm film, although the expensive transition to ENG (electronic news gathering) systems had begun in 1974. Ramos contrasts the unedited interview footage - and patronizing comments of the news crew - with Pressman's final televised news report. In his ironic manipulation of the material, Ramos exposes the illusion of "objective" news and the point of view found in any work of journalism. Ramos' tape also presents an important chapter of social history; accounts of Ramos' prison term and his friend's experience in the trenches of Vietnam underscore the extent to which the Vietnam War informed the political and cultural activity of this era.
Post-produced at Electronic Arts Intermix.
The original total running time for this piece is 26:00. An excerpt of this title (15:29) is only available on Surveying the First Decade: Volume 2.