Research Report

In this blog I will compile all of my sources for project 3. I am doing a video project on the war on drugs so my sources will be image/video based.


Source 1

This video is a Ted Talk on Youtube by Ethan Nadelmann called Ending the War on Drugs. Ethan is the executive director of the Drug Policy Alliance and has a Ph.D in Political Science from Harvard. Here is a of his profile page on the Drug Policy Alliance.

The initial audience is the people attending the Ted Talk. The secondary audience is Youtube browsers and the general public. Since these policies affect every one in America, the information being presented can be useful to everyone.

Ethan spends the majority of the time making points that expose the hypocrisy of the systems put in place. Overall, he aims to simply inform the audience. He does not have a call for action but rather hopes spreading the word is enough to make change.

He never betrays the audience or purpose in this particular video.

Ethan is credible because of the fact that he has done drugs before but does not necessarily advocate the use of drugs, especially with kids. He focuses mainly on the policy and sticks to his education. Also, he makes very objective comparisons that hold a lot of truth due to the objective nature. He presents facts that only an extremely stubborn person would deny.

Source 2

This video is by Melton Friedman called End the Drug War. I found it on Youtube and the original interview occurred in 1991.

He has a Ph.D from Columbia University and won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Science. Here is a link of his bibliography.

His primary audience is the interviewer. His secondary audience is the general public.

His main purpose seems to point out the moral flaws in the policies present. He claims that people should not have to be punished for their own personal sake and compares other destructive habits like overeating.

I like this source because it was filmed in 1991 but the points being made fit today's problem. This shows how nothing has changed for a very long time. There have been actual wars that have ended quicker. I also like the fact that Melton Friedman had more experience in economics, providing a slightly different perspective.

Source 3

This source is from The Point, a Youtube channel featuring Ana Kasparian in a video called Are Americans Ready to End the War on Drugs. She is now a co-host of another channel called The Young Turks and has appeared on other sources of media including the Joe Rogan Experience.

The primary audience is Youtube viewers and the general public, indicated in the title. The secondary audience could be state legislatures as she references the first two states that legalized recreational marijuana.

The main purpose of this video is to discuss the possibilities of ending the war on drugs. All of the people on the show seem like they support the legalization but remain true to the conventions of journalism and try to report both sides.

This video is somewhat recent but is still old enough to compare thoughts presented to today. I also think Ana's firm standpoint combined with her willingness to see both sides make the video more credible as well.

Source 4

This source is Russell Brand's documentary called End the War on Drugs.

Russell Brand wouldn't seem like the most credible source considering he is a comedian. However, Russell used to be a very troubled addict and has seen the worst side of drug use. Also, celebrities have more freedom to speak their mind, including the truth, since they already have a substantial amount of money. Other people in the public arena may have to censor what they say depending on the job they have.

The main audience seems to be the drug user. The entire documentary involves a lot of personal stories of drug users and their stories. The secondary audience is again the general public because of the magnitude of the drug war.

The purpose of this documentary is to show the side of the drug user that is rarely told. It shows police barging into houses where users are minding their own business. In the interviews conducted, Russell reveals the troubles these people go through, humanizing the image of the average drug user.

The main reason this source has credibility is that it is literally following the police at the hip as they raid houses and interview the criminals. Also, the documentary takes place in England but depicts the same things that occur in America.

Source 5

This video is posted on The Young Turks Youtube channel but is of Cenk Uygur on MSNBC.

Cenk had good enough journalist skills to get on MSNBC but when they tried to censor what he was trying to say, he left and made The Young Turks. He claims that the management at MSNBC did not like his views on drugs and corruption in politics. He described this in a documentary called Culture High.

The target audience is the viewers of MSNBC and the viewers of The Young Turks because it was posted there.

The purpose is to expose the fallacies of the government policies governing drugs. He focuses and subsequently blames the government for the drug war.

This video is especially credible because of the facts and statistics used and the still relative facts despite the date (2010).

Source 6

Kyle Kulinski is the host of the Youtube channel called Secular Talk. This video is called Top Nixon Aide Admits The Drug War is to Target Blacks.

This source doesn't have as much credibility as the other sources but Kyle is still relatively successful on Youtube with about 300,000 subscribers. The topic of the video is the most credible/useful information.

The primary audience is the viewers of his channel. The secondary audience is the government as he challenges them to address the shocking statements of Nixon's aide.

The purpose of this video is to address racism in the drug war and show the bad intentions of the people that initiated the drug war.

There is really only one contextual aspect that makes this piece credible, and that is the quoted admission of Nixon's aide that states the reasons why the drug war was started.

Source 7

This video is of Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders talking about legalizing marijuana.

Bernie Sanders is credible because of his extensive experience in politics and the fact that he has no super pacs telling him what to say.

The target audience has to be everyone in America because these rallies are meant to increase his favorability across the entire country.

The purpose is to address the facts about our current policies and consequences of those polices. The secondary purpose is to present these points in a way that increase hie electability.

Bernie uses a lot of statistics, which increases his credibility, especially for a politician. He also pulls in seeming unrelated areas such as the prison industrial complex.

Source 8

This video is an excerpt from the full length documentary called The Culture High. It shows a father telling his story of his young child that suffered from chronic seizures and how he benefited from medicinal marijuana.

The authors of this documentary made one other documentary called Cocaine Cowboys.

The target audience of this particular part could be parents or patients that suffer from similar problems. Another audience is anyone who thinks that marijuana cannot be a form of medicine.

The main purpose is to show the part of the drug war that affects people that could be drastically helped by certain drugs. It challenges the typical image of the drug user.

This source is particularly credible because of the undeniable benefits received by Jayden.

Source 9

This source is a Youtube video from The Young Turks, as they interview Dr. Carl Hart.

Dr. Carl Hart has a Ph.D in neuroscience and psychology from the University of Wyoming and has been featured on a multitude of media outlets like the news and documentaries. Here is a link of his webpage.

The primary audience is The Young Turks viewers and the general population.

His purpose has always been to educate people. He has done a tremendous amount of research and feels compelled to share his findings.

The Young Turks is a Youtube Channel so they do not have to listen to any corporate restraints or sponsors. Dr. Carl Hart has also worked with other famous scientists like Dr. Sanjay Gupta.

Source 10

This source comes from ABC news and is the U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer talking to the Deputy Director of Drug Policy about marijuana.

The main reason this source is credible is the fact that it is raw, continuous footage of the House of Representatives.

There is not really a main purpose to this video considering it is dialogue in the House of Representatives. However, the point Blumenauer is making is that the people running the policies on drugs are not even well informed themselves.