Peter Arnett Video

Peter Arnett (On Returning from Baghdad), 2014, Single Channel Video, Running Time: 10:06 minutes

PROJECT STATEMENT

Peter Arnett (On Returning from Baghdad) is a Single Channel Video that was taken from a presentation that Peter Arnett gave to the National Press Club a few weeks after returning from war coverage in Baghdad. In this video he directly addresses propaganda concerns that the US Congress expressed about his reporting on the war. I have manipulated this video and inserted marks that mimic redaction lines to evoke the notion that some information may be “obscured or too sensitive” for a viewer, very similar to how some governmental papers may be deemed too sensitive and blacked out with markers. It is my intent for a viewer to question the amount of information the public deserves to know. In a free society, should all public information be accessible to its citizenry or should some information be withheld from the public? If full disclosure is not possible, do we trust those in positions of power to always make ethical decisions on our behalf?