Ford Fischer: Why You Should Surveil the State

The Reason Interview With Nick Gillespie

You've probably seen footage and images of the January 6 riot at the Capitol captured by today's guest, videographer Ford Fischer. A decade ago, Fischer cofounded New2Share, a radical experiment in decentralized video journalism. He and his colleagues gather long-form footage from all sorts of breaking news events, including protests organized by radicals across the political spectrum. They upload it to YouTube and elsewhere, and then let viewers draw their own conclusions. His coverage has been licensed worldwide and appears regularly on networks ranging from CNN to Fox News to NBC. Fischer's YouTube and Facebook channels routinely get demonetized and in other sorts of trouble because of the controversial nature of his work. Reason's Nick Gillespie talked with him about why he started News2Share, what he hopes to accomplish by offering something truly unique in an age of 24/7 news coverage, and how his training as a Reason intern informs his worldview.

Today's sponsors:

• "3 Takeaways." It's a top 2 percent global podcast, and for good reason. 3 Takeaways brings you conversations with people who are changing the world. In each episode, a newsmaker talks about lessons they've learned—whether in the halls of power, the corner office, or the research lab. Plus they share three key insights to help you understand the world in new ways. You'll hear revealing talks with people such as former secretaries of the treasury and homeland security, Nobel Prize winners, former prime ministers, past CEOs of Google and American Express, a former Chief of MI6, and many others. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.
• The Reason Speakeasy. The Reason Speakeasy is a monthly, unscripted conversation with outspoken defenders of free thinking and heterodoxy that doubles as a live taping of the Reason Interview with Nick Gillespie podcast. The next one is on Wednesday, May 8 and the guest is Feminists for Liberty cofounder and former Cato staffer Kat Murti, the new head of Students for Sensible Drug Policy, a nonprofit working to change laws and culture around prohibition. The event is cosponsored by the Psychedelic Assembly in midtown Manhattan. Use REASON42 to get 20 percent off all tickets. For details and tickets, go here.

• Audio Production: Ian Keyser
• Video Editor: Danielle Thompson

The post Ford Fischer: Why You Should Surveil the State appeared first on Reason.com.