"My America" Screening followed by Q&A with filmmaker Peter Hegedus
Filmmaker Peter Hegedus will host a Q&A session following the screening of his documentary "My America" on Wednesday, April 4, 5:30 pm in Wechsler Theater on the third floor of American University's Mary Graydon Center. This event is free and open to the public. Read more..

Pat Aufderheide at Temple University, Occidental College, and USC
On April 10th, at Temple University's International Lectures on the Humanities Series, Pat Aufderheide will be addressing how scholars and librarians share a common set of challenges around fair use, and have new tools in the librarians' Code. Read more...

On April 12th, at Occidental College, Pat will be speaking at the Center on Digital Learning and Research, concluding the Digital Scholarship Symposium, on the way in which fair use can be exercised responsibly in a digital environment. Read more...

And on April 13th, at the University of Southern California, Pat is keynoting the Video@USC II conference, talking about using fair use effectively to teach with video in the classroom. Read more...

AU at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
Along with CSM associate director Angelica Das, eight AU film students will be attending Full Frame, April 12-15, as Full Frame Fellows. These passes are reserved uniquely for university students, provide exclusive opportunities to meet with filmmakers, and guarantee spots at the most in-demand screenings. Look for updates from the AU group at #fullframe #csm and on @ctr4socialmedia.

Justice Matters at Filmfest DC
Filmfest DC is back, April 12-22 in the district. The CrossCurrents Foundation, dedicated to social justice documentary that inspires action, is once again sponsoring the Justice Matters award and 7 films are in the running. Check out: 5 Broken Cameras, Big Boys Gone Bananas!, Blood in the Mobile, Brothers on the Line, Granito: How to Nail a Dictator, The Island President, and Pink Ribbons, Inc. The award winner will be announced on closing night, Sunday, April 22.

Innovate / Activate 2.0
 The Center is proud to cosponsor Innovate / Activate 2.0, hosted by New York Law School’s Institute for Information Law & Policy and Berkeley Law’s Samuelson Law, Technology, & Public Policy Clinic. The conference takes place April 20-21, 2012 at Sutardja Dai Hall at UC Berkeley, and Angelica Das is moderating a panel. Follow @innact and check out www.innovateactivate.org to learn more about last year's event and how you can get involved. Read more...

Now Available: Media That Matters 2012 Rapporteur’s Report  
In case you missed this year's awesome Media That Matters conference, you can now read the 2012 Rapporteur's Report on the Center for Social Media's website. Visit the Center for Social Media's Facebook page to join the conversation, share media, and receive updates.  Read more...

Pull Focus Video Interviews with Visiting Filmmakers
Check out our Pull Focus interviews with visiting filmmakers from this semester, including Gerry Wurzburg ("Wretches and Jabberers"), Heather Courtney ("Where Soldiers Come From"), and Suzan Beraza ("Bag It!").

Environmental Film in the District
We're about mid-way through the 20th annual DC Environmental Film Festival, which features an astounding 180 films, and not just documentary -- narrative, animated, experimental and more. What's impressive is not just the breadth of films involved, but that this festival takes advantage of the kind of experiences unique to our nation's capital. Read more...

Copyright and Fair Use at SXSW
Pat Aufderheide reports: Copyright and creativity, as usual, were deeply intertwined at South by Southwest (SXSW) this year. I missed some cool panels that friends were giving, because logistics overcame me. Read more...

Journalists, Fair Use and Copyright: SPJ and Principles
At the latest ONADC meet-up, hosted by the Center for Social Media, we had the privilege of announcing that the Society for Professional Journalists, the Washington College of Law's Program on Information Justin and Intellectual Property, and the Center will work together on creating a set of principles on journalistic application of fair use. Read more...

Fair Use Question of the Month - Preserving At Risk Material
In this month's Fair Use Question, an academic librarian has a question about copying a VHS tape to preserve at-risk material for a faculty member. Read more...

Fair Use Video of the Month - Mad Men: Set Me Free
Sung by your favorite female characters, Mad Men: Set Me Free is a musical mash-up by Marc Faletti and Elisa Kreisinger. As Peggy, Joan and Betty sing the Motown hit "You Keep Me Hanging On", the entirely female-framed version of Mad Men becomes an entertaining and refreshing re-articulation of female frustrations amidst rigid gender roles. Read more... 

Reclaiming Fair Use: The Book Tour Continues
Peter Jaszi's and Pat Aufderheide's new book, Reclaiming Fair Use, has been a door opening opportunities to discuss the growing movement to employ fair use more effectively--and in the process making more and better work, as has been the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries. Read more...

#PBSNeedsIndies Catches Fire
Hundreds of documentary filmmakers have signed on to the open letter to PBS that Kartemquin FIlms posted only a week ago. Among the signatories: Barbara Kopple, Bill Moyers, Alex Gibney, Michael Moore, Joan Churchill, Jennifer Fox, Chuck Workman and other major award winners. (Signatures still are being accepted.) Filmmakers are, in the technical language that IndieWIRE employed, pissed. Read more...

Antiques or Independents? Why it Matters Where PBS Puts Independent Lens and POV
PBS, the biggest of the programming services for public TV, has rescheduled two programs that showcase independent producers’ work from across the nation: Independent Lens and POV. The results could put the future of those programs at risk, because of declining viewership. Read more...

Confessions from the Platform Agnostics at the iMA Conference
Earlier this month, Center for Social Media Senior Fellow Jessica Clark presented at the Integrated Media Association conference as part of the Confessions from the Platform Agnostics panel. Check out video of the panel here.

Corey Ford to be Director of the Public Media Accelerator
At the Integrated Media Association Conference, PRX CEO Jake Shapiro and Director of Media Innovation at Knight Foundation John Bracken announced that Corey Ford will be the Director of the Public Media Accelerator, which invites mission-driven entrepreneurs to develop innovative ideas for expanding public service media. Ford has taught at Stanford University, ran the venture capital firm Innovation Endeavors and has public media pedigree because of his track record at Frontline.

Popping Your Bubble: Stories of the Digital Divide at SXSW
This year at SXSW, National American Public Telecommunications presented the panel "Popping Your Bubble: Stories of the Digital Divide". The panel's focus was on people from rural areas and communities of color that still find themselves on the unconnected side of the Digital Divide. Discussion was around obstacles created by and solutions for overcoming the Digital Divide, as well as how people creating sites and online tools that want to reach these audiences can engage with them. Check out the full recap of the panel including video clips to see what was discussed as well as to join the continuing online discussion.

PRX Managing Director on the Decline of Newspapers
In an Op-Ed on CNN PRX Managing Director John Barth comments about the decline of the newspapers and suggests changes to keep them relevant and competitive. He highlights where newspapers can improve their connection to readers, preserve authenticity and move to mobile technology, but also suggests what newspapers can learn from the public media model.

AU’s Center for Environmental Filmmaking 7th Annual Spring 2012 Film Series
Hosted by Chris Palmer and Justine Schmidt, events for the 7th Annual Spring 2012 Film Series will be held in Wechsler Theater in American University’s Mary Graydon Center. April’s events include Trevor Spradlin, a marine bioligist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and a screening of "Menhhaden: The Most Important Fish In The Bay", a film by Sandy Cannon-Brown's Environmental and Wildlife Production Class, which will premiere on Maryland Public Television on April 16. To learn more, visit environmentalfilm.org.

Discussion with Author Tim Caulfield on "The Cure for Everything" 
Q&A and book signing with Tim Caulfield, author of "The Cure to Everything", April 25, 2:00pm, in Ward 2. In this book, Caulfield shows how the truth about our health is distorted by Big Food to Big Pharma. This is a part of the 'Science in Society Film & Lecture Series' presented by the School of Communication.

Investigating Power Screening & Panel Discussion
Chuck Lewis, executive editor of AU's Investigative Reporting Workshop, recently completed a seven year project Investigating Power to honor independent journalism in America. Professor Lewis will present a preview of the extraordinary online multimedia project. The event will include a panel discussion with several important journalists who reported on significant "truth to power" moments in contemporary U.S. history dating back to 1950. Presented by the School of Communication and the Investigative Reporting Workshop on April 30, 7:00 pm in the Katzen Arts Center. 

Sundance London Film and Music Festival
Sundance London Film and Music Festival premieres at the O2, April 26-29. From 120 films that were shown at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2012, 14 have been selected to make their UK premieres at Sundance London. In addition to these great films, there will also be unique opportunities to attend Panels and hear guest speakers including Cara Mertes (Director, Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program and Fund). For more information, visit http://www.sundance-london.com.

Call for Entries: 15th UNAFF (United Nations Association Film Festival)
UNAFF celebrates the power of international documentary films dealing with human rights, the environment, protection of refugees, famine, homelessness, racism, disease control, women's issues, children, universal education, war, and peace.  Early deadline for entries is May 2, and the regular deadline is May 22. For more information, visit www.unaff.org

Bullied: Teen Stories from Generation PRX
Bullied: Teen Stories from Generation PRX, is an hour long special hosted and produced by teens, presented by the Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and produced by WNPR, Connecticut Public Radio. It features stories from teens across the globe who have been bullied, as well as the bullies themselves. Generation PRX Project Director Jones Franzel spoke out on the Huffington Post against the MPAA “R” rating for Lee Hirsch’s new film, Bully. Listen to Bullied: Teen Stories from Generation PRX.