by Tom Regan

One of the biggest changes brought about by the Internet, wireless and similar communication innovations, is the ability of political movements to organize more efficiently, and reach their members on a more cost effective and timely basis. These tools also provide a way for those movements to do an end run around traditional media that might ignore them anyway.

A great example of all these principles at work is this weekend's showing of the documentary Uncovered: The Whole Truth about the Iraq War. It's being sponsored by MoveOn.org, the antiwar group that was so instrumental in organizing protests against the war earlier this year. But it's the way the documentary is being shown that's so unique.

Almost 2500 MoveOn members are holding house parties to show the film, basically side stepping the need to get the documentary on TV or in a theatre. And MoveOn is using the Internet to allow people to host, find, or sign up for house parties in their cities, towns or villages. Filmmaker Robert Greenwald says this ability to "think outside the media box" has been crucial to the success of his film.

"What's unusual about this film is that it's being seen in 'real time' – the same debates about the ramifications of Bush's Iraq war policies debated in the film, are taking place everyday, at work places, in the media, and will surely be a key topic in the 2004 election. If I had produced this film in the traditional way – finding a distributor, trying to line up exposure on public TV, etc. it would have taken a year or two ... 'Uncovered' would have been an after-the-fact documentary; not a real life experience."

For me, it's the use of the Internet as the organizing tool that's the most fascinating part of this process. Regardless of your political persuasion, it is hard not to be impressed by how MoveOn has become the leader and pioneer of a new kind of political activism, one that recognizes that by using technology like the Internet, e-mail and wireless, you can be faster, more responsive and often more successful than your opoonents.

MoveOn has also created the Fox Watch Group to track what it alleges is Fox News' right-wing bias and close ties to the Bush administration. The Group's latest release accused Fox News' producers of " being the PR brains behind the GOP's all-night protest of Democratic efforts to block judicial nominees." MoveOn says it has signed up "thousands of Americans" to monitor Fox News daily and hold it accountable for specific instances of manipulations or distortions of truth and partisan bias.

Well, if anything, a lot of liberal people will be exposed to some very interesting viewpoints.