Channel 4’s brilliant documentary series, Unreported World, tackles the important stories so far untold, and with exceptionally honest reporting such as this, is not one to miss.
Over the past few decades, reporting and the media has made great progress in covering and exposing events of the world, informing and educating the human population on what is happening to other members of the human population in the many different areas of the planet that we live on. Yes, that sentence sounds slightly ridiculous, but what i’m trying to convey is that thanks to the development and dedication of the media, and the reporters (who often put their lives at risk) travelling to report on site, watching or reading about events in countries miles from our own no longer feels like hearing about news from an alien planet. Instead, we hear it how it is – as events happening to other people, just like ourselves, who happen to live somewhere else. Modern media bridges the geographical gap, and in doing so, allows us to empathise and understand humanity residing in places we may never step foot ourselves.
Obviously, the reach of media, though far and wide, has not yet covered all parts of the globe nor all of the stories that need to be told, but coverage is steadily advancing. In a brilliant 24th series, Channel 4’s critically acclaimed short-documentary project, Unreported World, has returned, highlighting exactly these stories that need to be, but often cannot be, reported. This particular series has pushed boundaries with episodes in Cuba, Gaza, Syria and Venezuela along with 8 other countries confirmed so far, the topics ranging from navigating the property ladder to the work of anti-kidnap squads.
The most recent aired instalment, in Venezuela, was the latter. The raw nature of this episode, having been filmed by just one man, James Brabazon, and reported on by one woman, Kiki King, makes for an intimate and powerful viewing which has your eyes glued to the set and your heart beating rather too fast for comfort. Reporting alongside Police Inspector Hector Ramirez, the two travel around Caracas, the kidnap capital of the world, experiencing the brutality of kidnapping gangs, the corruption of Venezuela’s prison system and the determination and dedication with which the police work in order to protect the victims of such crimes. Kiki King somehow manages to keep calm amongst the chaos, even when laying prone on the floor with only a wall between the team and the shots of gang members’ guns, and with a mixture of great reporting and directing, the viewers are reminded that whilst such scenes feel like something out of a movie, the harsh reality is that these crimes and victims are real, and such tense events are something the police work through every day.
It is exactly this kind of raw and honest reporting that runs throughout Unreported World, producing a series of documentaries not marred by access or dictated by the political interest of the country concerned, but reliable and sincere in their presentation of stories that can finally be told.
The next instalment, China’s Lonely Hearts, airs tomorrow, 18/10/2013, at 7:30pm on Channel 4.