According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the racial and ethnic composition of Boston is: 49.5% white, 23.8% African-American, 14.4% Hispanic, 7.5% Asian or Pacific Islander, 3.1% multiracial, .3% Native American. What is the race and ethnicity of the people in the camera wearers' field of vision? What is the gender and age of the people they encounter? How do the video images compare to what and whom you see during your day?

We can get a sense of how the camera wearers (and others in their field of vision) move in different parts of the city - do they wander, rush, walk in a straight line? What are the rhythms of Boston neighborhoods? What is the ebb and flow of movement over the course of a day? Boston's population of 589,141, according to the U.S. Census, doubles during the day to almost 1.2 million. Does the footage reflect this change?

Sociologist Martin Gilens underscores the ways that mass media warps our sense of reality. He offers a striking example, based on his research of how mainstream newspapers and magazines portray poverty: "For most Americans the most powerful images of poverty are undoubtedly the black urban ghetto...Yet they...represent a minuscule portion of all American poor. Only 6% of all poor Americans are blacks living in urban ghettos" (Gilens, 1999, p.132). Gilens also finds that news coverage about poverty plays into negative stereotypes of African-Americans. When mainstream media covers the lives of poor people, whites are typically described as worthy, hard-working poor trying to make ends meet, while poor blacks are consistently depicted as lazy, irresponsible, and unworthy of assistance.

For media to create a more realistic description of social issues, Gilens recommends that journalists become aware of their own stereotypes and misperceptions. He also recommends that news agencies hire more journalists of color, so that people of color will be depicted more accurately. A group called Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR), which keeps close watch on the influence on journalism of corporate ownership, advertisers, telecommunications policy, and the public relations industry on journalism, believes that media will be improved only when there is structural reform of the media industry. As FAIR writes on its website:

Independent, aggressive and critical media are essential to an informed democracy. But mainstream media are increasingly cozy with economic and political powers that it should be watchdogging... Ultimately, FAIR believes that structural reform is needed to break up the dominant media conglomerates, establish independent public broadcasting, and promote strong non-profit alternative sources of information.