Access to Justice Video Project
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It hardly seems that five years have passed since a group of NWLS employees from the Erie office went to the Community Access Television studios in downtown Erie in May 2001 to tape the first episode of a program called “Access to Justice.” Most of the Erie staff had no previous experience in television broadcasting, but they were willing to get involved in a project that promised to bring important information about legal services to the homes of cable television viewers throughout the city.
Five years, and about 50 television programs later, “Access to Justice” continues to bring news and information about substantive areas of civil law to the low-income community we serve on Erie Community Access Television (Channel 2) in the city of Erie. The half-hour program is broadcast Monday and Wednesday evenings at 9:30 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday night at 7 p.m. NWLS executive director Robert Oakley remains the host for a series that has featured guests ranging from judges, social workers and legal aid attorneys, to members of our client community.
In 2005, NWLS produced television programs in languages other than English for viewers with limited English proficiency. A program on public benefits was done in Spanish, Russian and Bosnian for newcomers to northwestern Pennsylvania who speak these languages as their native tongue. We also created a show on Earned Income Tax Credits as part of a local initiative to encourage low-income taxpayers to apply for the federal program.
NWLS staff continue to produce, direct and edit all of the shows,
including all of the technical aspects of camera work, set design, and
the audio mixing board, including the use of the Chroma-key for special
effects and PowerPoint presentations. Throughout it all, the goal of the
series has remained to help low-income individuals and families by
providing information they can use to improve the quality of their
lives.
“EITC”
When the Erie Community Foundation pulled together a coalition of area social service agencies in order to increase participation by local taxpayers in Earned Income Tax Credits (EITC), Northwestern Legal Services was able to create a television show as part of the effort. NWLS invited Jim Daugherty, a territory manager for the Internal Revenue Service Office of Stakeholder Partnerships, Education and Communication (SPEC) to come to Erie a tape a television program for our “Access to Justice” series. Daugherty was able to explain EITC, especially the requirements for obtaining the credit, in a way that helped the local community understand the federal project. The show, taped in November 2005, was edited and broadcast well in advance of the tax season that ended on April 15.
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