Direct Action

P.S.A may have been the abbreviation for yet another defunct airline, but it's also media lingo for public-service announcement, a commercial that sells social consciousness to TV viewers. Direct Effect, a project of the nonprofit organization Direct Impact, is attempting to deliver these messages without the sermons. Created by filmmaker Jim McKay and R.E.M. lead singer Michael Stipe, Direct Effect pairs media artists with their choice of subject—among them Laurie Anderson on toxic waste, Natalie Merchant on homelessness, rapper KRS-One on peace. 'The issues we're addressing—abortion, racism, AIDS—are unfairly perceived as controversial," says McKay. Stipe: "But we are mainstream."

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