Be educated in the world of journalism

Though you may not be the least bit interested in journalism, media, or a Communications major, it is still important that you have a basic knowledge on how to deal with related issues surrounding these topics. Topics such as interviews, media, and journalism can save someone's career. Without this knowledge, a person could make the simplest mistake ruining their career, reputation, or both.

It doesn't matter if you come from a large city, or a small town, your future career and experiences could force you into a situation involving media exposure. Like Aaron Thomas, son of legendary Ed Thomas, for example. Thomas was a small town graduate of Aplington-Parkersburg, and went to college to become a future educator himself. Little did he know that the murder of his father would throw him into the world of journalism, involving unexpected public conferences following the event. Without the basic knowledge of journalism, and a background in communication skills, this task would have been very difficult for Thomas to accomplish. He stated in his speech at the Iowa College Media Association Conference on February 5, 2011, that watching his father handle the press due to the tornado taught him how to handle the publicity that followed his father's death.

Another small town citizen that wasn't looking for a career which involved journalists, or media, was chief of the astronauts, Peggy Whitson. Whitson was someone who had a dream of becoming an astronaut after witnessing mans first steps on the moon, but has never enjoyed the publicity that is accompanied with such an accomplishment. Recently Gabrielle Giffords, wife to astronaut Mark E. Kelly, was shot in the head. Kelly was to fly on a 2 week mission in April, but due to the circumstances was forced to make a decision on whether to follow through with the mission, or stay behind with his wife. After Kelly took time off training to be with his wife, another person was training for his position. It was Whitson's decision on who would be a part of the team for that mission, and recently she decided that Kelly would be the safest decision. This event caused many interactions with journalists and the media, and if Whitson wasn't instructed on how to handle these situations with the press then she could have made one simple mistake shattering her career.

Journalism skills are not only for people who are pursuing a future in Communications. Having certain skills as these, and a basic knowledge in the Communications department, will allow people to be able to handle these situations at any given time. You never know why you could have this type of situation on your hands requiring this specific knowledge, it could be because of an unexpected death in your family, your job, or something that happens specifically to you. Are you ready for that day, because if not now is the time to become prepared. Take a journalism class, do some online research, interview someone that has the experience, regardless now is the time to become educated.

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Sympathy and respect

On the morning of Friday, Feb. 4 I was fortunate enough to see Aaron Thomas give his speech entitled "The Meaning of Courage: A Story of Family and Compassion" at this year's Iowa Newspaper Association convention. He is the son of the late Ed Thomas, coach of Aplington-Parkersburg high school.

As many are aware, a tornado hit and destroyed a significant portion of the town, and a relatively short time later Coach Thomas was shot and killed by a mentally disturbed player on his team.

One of the most interesting things to note about Thomas' presentation on Friday was his repeated thanks to the media for being polite and respecting his, his family's and the town's feelings in their coverage of this story.

Despite two relatively minor incidents with the press, Thomas was deeply thankful for the respect news people showed to those in deep mourning. Luckily, this instance was not one where the media was as intrusive into a private citizen's life as it may have been in the past.

There is a fine line journalists must draw between desire to get "the big story" and respect the people in that story as human beings. Having a deadline is hard, and meeting it is even harder sometimes, but no matter how different one journalist's idea of what sympathy or ethics might be, they must all agree to respect victims to the utmost of their ability.

Student journalists today absolutely have to be educated about journalism ethics and, even more than that, they must be taught to treat victims or relatives/friends of victims as human beings first and stories second.

There is usually an interesting human angle to most stories, but that "angle" involves people with hopes, dreams and emotions just like the journalist's. The day a journalist forgets that fact, he or she can no longer completely fulfill the purpose of journalism.



Photo Credit - Anthony Easton via Creative Commons

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The Daily Uprising

The Daily app is a new source of digital media that delivers news, entertainment and advertising to consumers. This type of media is a fine example of how consumers in the future will receive information on a handheld device, such as an iPad, rather than a newspaper.

Although some may believe The Daily app is pointless and will not gain interest from consumers, there are many hidden benefits, such as: dramatic display, concise storytelling, rich-media integration and interactive advertising.

The dramatic display plays a huge role on the iPad by delivering information on a large, high resolution screen. There are photo galleries in every issue in which you access by turning your tablet into the horizontal position. This allows the consumer to pick and choose what sort of pictures they are interested in, rather than being stuck with the one-dimensional ways of the newspaper.

The Daily holds their stories to a screen or two while still trying to make every paragraph enticing to the reader. This can be hard at times because the attention span of a reader is not lost for a long amount of time; therefore, what they are writing has to make an impact or offer some sort of emotional relation in order to keep their consumers satisfied.

Even though there have been issues of The Daily app freezing up while in use, the emotional impact of a video, audio, photo and graphics overrule this problem. Video and audio clips are effective because they make the news unique by adding eminence to the story. Also, you can add comments to a story by recording your voice and submitting it. The photos and graphics are superb as well because they are artistic and unique, which makes the story more appealing.

Interactive advertising in The Daily allows ads to come alive and encourage consumers to purchase or research the products that are being advertised being that they are available with a click of a button. In other words, it allows consumers to be satisfied instantly because of availability.

The Daily is a unique app that is challenging society in many ways because not many are used to this type of digital media, nor are they ready for it. Slowly but surely, there will be multiple types of apps similar to The Daily, it is just in a matter of time.

Photo Credit: CreativeCommons.org

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Benefits of E-books

Electronics run the world today, and with the latest creation, tablets, the world will change even more. Tablets such as the iPad, Nook Color, Sony Reader and Amazon Kindle are changing our world drastically by one simple feature, e-books.

E-books are books that can be read electronically on digital devices like computers or tablets in this case. These can be very helpful in the fact that a person doesn't have to carry around all of his or her books.

By downloading the books legally online a person can have hundreds or even thousands of books with them at once. This not only saves space, but it also allows a person to search for topics within the books.

For example, if a person needs to find a specific section in his or her textbook, he or she can search key words to help narrow the search down. This saves a great amount of time.

Another great thing about e-books is the bookmarking feature. A person can bookmark certain parts of an e-book to come back to. Whether it's where he or she left off in the book, or he or she wants to share it with another person.

For my second semester here at Simpson College I had to purchase 15 books. I spent nearly $300 on these books. Which brings me to another great benefit of e-books, cost. E-books are much cheaper than buying actual books and textbooks. There are even times when you can download the books for free.

My final point about e-books is the immediacy. When purchasing a book you have to go to the store or even buy it online, but with e-books it's only a click away. You can purchase all you're textbooks necessary for classes and any other reading materials that may interest you at your home.

I believe e-books are the next big thing in today's world. I think in the next five years if you look into a classroom you won't see textbooks sitting on students' desks, you will see e-books.

Photo Credit: Livia Iacolare, via Creative Commons

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Twitter in the Courts

The most important court within the United States, the Supreme Court, is now allowing individuals, specifically journalists, to tweet about what is happening from within the cases. This new opportunity will increase the amount of publicity newspapers will receive by allowing the current journalists to keep the public informed online about debates and court progressions.

These progressions will allow readers to remain more updated about cases and hopefully spark interest in other individuals who wouldn't be interested in the past. By allowing tweets to be submitted during the case, officials hope the popularity of the Supreme court cases will be enhanced and questions from the public will be answered immediately.

Journalists along with the public, are going to benefit from this opportunity. By allowing immediate information to be relayed to readers they will build loyalty for their information by the public.

Having immediate news to relay towards the readers will keep the readers interest. This interest will help the journalists receive more attention.

However, not all cases are open for tweeting. "Important exceptions include cases where there are formal reporting restrictions in place, family cases involving the welfare of a child, and cases where publication of proceedings might prejudice a pending jury trial." Another factor that needs to be taken into consideration is that it should not disrupt the court system.

These exceptions are minor when it comes to the overall picture. Keeping readers informed about what is happening immediately, is imperative to building popularity for the news industry in the media world.

photo credit: http://www.is.gd/uvJwws, www.creativecommons.com

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Journalism Is Not Dead

This past Thursday and Friday, Simpson College students traveled to the INA Convention & Trade Show to engage their minds in becoming better journalists.

On Friday morning, Michael Bugeja, journalist, author, and educator, talked to writers about his views on social networking vs. newspapers. He believes that in this generation journalism is gone. As well as Bugeja, many people feel that social networking has swept over the popularity of receiving news.

As a college student wishing to pursue a career in journalism, the possibility of wasting your time writing a piece of work readers may never read is a scary thought.

Although online data has become very useful and easily accessible, young journalists should not give up on their dreams of writing for a newspaper, magazine, etc. Writing in a newspaper can provide a lot of the same advantages online sources can today.

Still worried? There is a great solution that many writers are turning to today: combining the newspaper and social media together. Many writers at the INA Convention Show were taught the advantages of both traditional media and social media.

The common phrase, "Two is better than one," has been an accurate statement for many journalists and reporters all over the world. Writers from past generations just may have to set up a Twitter or Facebook account to see if it can help provide better publicity of their work. With the increase of social media, it is a great time for writers to research the pros of mutually combining the two and seeing the steps they can take to reporting the news today.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

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Switching Labels

Shakespeare's Juliet once pined for a certain man named Montague, and proclaimed that the name had nothing to do with her love for the man-- that the two were separate entities and did not affect one another. Calling a rose a rotten egg would not change her opinion about its sweet smell.

Today, many sociologists (and some everyday people) recognize that what we call something does affect how we feel about it. Journalists Karen Carmichael and Rabiah Alicia Burks recently wrote this article, commenting on the nature of the relationship between the current debate about immigration and the terms "illegal immigrants," and "illegal aliens".

The article reminds us that the term illegal never has good connotations when it is applied to a person-- it can conjure up images of hardened convicts. Alien is also a word that is only used to establish a category of other.
The authors' primary issue of concern, however, is not the application of the words "illegal", and "alien". It is the use of the two terms by journalists.

With the advent of the internet and all the digital media that accompanied it, journalists have gained the ability to nurture and lead labels that are reflected in society. For this reason, it is important for journalists to report without bias.

Unfortunately, the terms that journalists have chosen in this case are not bipartisan.

I agree with Otto Santa Ana's suggestion that journalists use less biased phrases, like "unauthorized immigrant," which still accurately reflects the status of the immigrants. And of course, I don't think that only journalists have made a mistake here.

Anyone entering into the debate needs to first, recognize that not all unauthorized immigrants are Hispanic. And secondly, people must recognize that terms in a debate do affect outcomes.

Photo courtesy of FreeRepublic.com, via CreativeCommons.org.

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Jerry Morton, a Great Photojournalist

Jerry Lee Morton, an editorial-page editor and photojournalist for the Enquirer in the 1970s, died this Jan. 24 at the age of 67.

His death took place at his East Lansing residence.

Through Jerry many learned it was important to relax, laugh and observe people with a good-natured curiosity, he was truly inspirational.

During his time at the Enquirer he wore a newsboy hat and was tall and gangly always holding his pencil and notebook with a big smile on his face. People in small-town Michigan always seemed happy to see him.

Morton would also, from time to time, engage in a "walk through spring" hiking through the area, meeting, photographing and writing about people along the way.

Morton taught journalism at Michigan State University after leaving the newspaper.

Along with teaching Morton gathered some of his greatest Enquirer columns into three paperbacks, which he sold to his admirers.

Morton had many hobbies, one of which, was traveling. He spent substantial time in Mexico and Romania, where he published photo-essay books of people he met in both places.

Among his many accomplishments Morton had a doctorate in journalism. A list of his accomplishments can be seen at lsj.com under his obituary.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons, Jason Perkins

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Vlogging Tips

Hello fellow BNR students. As all of you know one of the requirements for this class is to do a vlog. The main tip given for this assignment is to look at the camera and not the screen, so when your vlog is viewed it doesn't look like you purposely didn'took at the camera or didn't know where it was. Such as in the wonderful example Brian Steffen showed us of Michele Bachmann. I have a few more tips that can help you have the best vlog ever.

1. Choose a topic and stay on topic. Vlogs are not ment to be long. Address the points you want to in a timely and organized fashion.

2. Quality beats quantity. It is better for you to have a few quality videos than a large sum of boring videos.

3. Articulate, if people can't hear or understand you they are not going to want to view your vlog.

4. Avoid the use of ummm and like. It is plain and simple-just don't say them.

5. Avoid unnecessary distractions. This includes a distracting background scenery or noise.

6. Lastly, just like this blog it is important to add lables to the vlog describing what your vlog is about. It gives people a higher likely hood of being able to see your vlog and possibly getting more subscribers.

I hope these tips help and feel free to comment with more tips.

Photo Credit: Via Creative Commons

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The Issue of Ethics

When journalism involves crime and justice, the issue of ethics is often called into question. Confidentiality is frequently one such issue. A journalist may be caught between protecting private information for a source and breaking this trust when ordered to give up information to a court judge. When a source trusts the journalist with information that breaks the law, the journalist must decide whether or not to turn the source in to police officials.

Journalists also call into question the issue of ethics when using a victim’s emotions in order to boost attention to their article. A crying victim may create an emotional response in readers and cause more people to read the article, but may stir up emotions of the victim as well because the image captured was so personal and private. Journalists may also make events more overdramatic then they are in order to boost sales.

When dealing with victims and the families of victims, journalists must also be careful. They should be respectful and understanding of what the victim and those affected have gone through, and must know what lines should not be crossed. At the same time, they need to be able to gather the facts and information necessary to build a good story.

Many other issues regarding ethics and reporting crime exist. I think today’s news sometimes pushes the borders of ethics more than it should. Personal, private, and sometimes violent images and videos are available for all to see. Hardly anyone has any sort of privacy, partly because private matters are always being leaked onto the internet.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

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Journalism Schools Adapting to Changing Times

In this fast changing world of journalism, editors and reporters have to adapt with the times. The same thing goes for journalism schools.

With the industry changing and embracing more personal forms of journalism, not to mention shifting from print to Web, journalism schools are changing their curriculum as well. J-schools are putting more emphasis on the new media and opinion journalism.

"Journalism should have a greater ambition than simply reporting facts without analysis or context," Nicholas Lemann, dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, wrote in The Chronicle of Higher Education. Journalism schools are thriving in this world even though the news industry is shrinking. The question is, how are they changing to accommodate this financially struggling field?

Susanne Shaw, a professor of journalism at the University of Kansas, says the numerous changes in the journalism industry are causing many schools to consider changing their curriculum. She thinks the focus is more on multimedia including Web-based video and audio.

"Most schools, I think, are trying to include courses to prepare students to do it all," Shaw says.

The nation's first J-school, University of Missouri School of Journalism, is considering a new curriculum track dedicated to opinion and advocacy journalism. Students need these skills in order to have the flexibility to go down any journalistic path they choose.

According to the Annual Survey of Journalism and Mass Communications Graduates, the percentage of journalism graduates writing and editing for the Web increased by 35 percent from 2006 to 2007. This nearly tripled from 2004 to 2007. Overall, about 56 percent of J-school grad were doing Web editing and writing.

For all you journalism majors out there, you may have to think twice about which J-schools to attend. You need to make sure you have the necessary skills to prepare yourself out there for the real world.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

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Chick-fil-A Accused of Being Anti-Gay, but Where’s the Proof?

In a recent article published in The New York Times there are many questionable issues brought to the table.

The article discusses issues surrounding the food chain Chick-fil-A and accuses them of being anti-gay marriage. As many know Chick-fil-A is an evangelical Christian company and is known for being closed on Sundays.

In the article, published on January 30, the Times attacked the food chain, accusing it of being anti-gay marriage. Although this could be a good guess based on most evangelical Christian views, they produced no solid sources to back up the accusation.

The argument against Chick-fil-A is extremely weak in the first place. The issue that served as the initial basis for the story was a stretch. In the article, Chick-fil-A is accused of being anti-gay marriage after people got upset when a Chick-fil-A provided food for events of organizations known to oppose gay marriage. Not only were these events not sponsored by Chick-fil-A themselves, but the events weren't centered around the subject of gay-marriage. Not only were these events not sponsored by Chick-fil-A themselves, but also the events weren't centered around the subject of gay-marriage rights to begin with.

Near the end of the article there were finally a few sources mentioned, but none were truly reliable. Most of the information ended up coming from the everyday person who is most likely not a reliable source for the article.

Checking the facts is not only an important part of journalism, but arguably the most important part. This article may hurt the image of the Times when readers question the sources of their information.

Photo credit: Rick, flickr.com via Creative Commons

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Journalism Through Social Media

Social media is all the rage these days with websites such as Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Youtube, and yes even Myspace. There are some basic guidelines to follow on each of these websites in order to be a successful journalist on any of them, but I am going to focus primarily on the website that I personally am most familiar with, Twitter.

There are some simple rules to follow when it comes to Twitter.

Make sure to follow other people. That is the main way to increase followers on Twitter. Also, make sure to reply to people. By starting a conversation, a new follower could be gained. Don't have a whole conversation though. This can get annoying for followers who follow both parties, because they will get all the updates in their feed.

Make sure to get to know the lingo, as well. For example, replies are typically called "@replies", direct messages as "DMs", trending topics as "TTs", and understand how to use hashtags. Using hashtags and trending topics are another way to increase followers. Other ways to make a Twitter more successful is to show that there is actually a person behind the account by posting a profile picture. Don't be afraid to use links as well, to news stories, pictures, videos, or even to posts on other social media websites.

A few other tips for being a successful journalist on Twitter is to make sure your Twitter is not on private. Although it may seem more secure, it also hinders the ability to communicate and get the word out, because no one but a follower will be able to see the tweets. Also,

There is obviously a lot more to Twitter than just the few simple things that I have mentioned. Twitter is changing with each tweet that is sent out, helping keep the world connected and informed. A lot of rules and helpful tips can be found over at The Journalist's Guide to Twitter, and make sure to check there if any questions arise, or comment below.

Photo Credit: androinica.com via creativecommons.org

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Be Smart By Using a Smartphone

The social media craze these days can thank the mobile medium for its large explosion onto the scene of reporting. Smartphones are a new way to report news in a quick and exciting manner as well as having media consumers a new, immediate option for being caught up while being on-the-go.

MediaShift came up with five ways which describe how the trends of mobile consumers are analyzed. Before I get into the characteristics, I can say that as a smartphone owner, these five characteristics are very close to how I use my smartphone in terms of obtaining information. When trying to be a news savvy, owning a smartphone is a necessity for future reporters (or current media personnel, for that matter) to know what is up-to-the-minute.

A savvy news-hungry smartphone user should be an impulse user, demand for fast news, be more contributing and less about consuming, follow news on multiple platforms (apps) and make news a high priority in one's daily life.

A BlackBerry or a smartphone is a must need for those who want to get into the news industry, or for that matter, to be always caught up with the latest information.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

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Freedom of Speech Gone too Far?

After posting rude, unprofessional comments on Facebook about his teacher, a California high school student was suspended by his high school.

Donny Tobolski is the student from Mesa Verde High School that vented his frustration on Facebook saying Mr. Cimino, his biology teacher, was a "fat ass who should stop eating fast food, and is a douche bag."

Harsh words there, kid, but not too threatening.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has already said the student's free speech rights were violated and the school broke federal and state laws.

We've come to another case where the battle for freedom of speech is debated. Just what exactly is saying too much and how much is going too far when posting something on the Web?

Now, a federal agency last November already declared that Facebook updates were protected speech. In a similar case, an employee named Dawnmarie Souza was fired for making belittling comments about a supervisor in a Facebook status update.

Again, the comments were very rude and malicious, but it wasn't anything horribly threatening.

So, just what is the general feeling on this sort of thing? I think we can all agree it's a bit immature and disrespectful, but it is freedom of speech, isn't it?

Tell me what you think. Do you think Mesa Verde high school should have the right to discipline students for any opinions they put on the Internet?

Personally, I know I've expressed my mind through Facebook on rare occasion. Not to that extent, but I do believe freedom of speech is something that can never be taken away. At the same time, there's a certain professionalism we should hold when using the social network called the Internet.

Photo credit: sodahead.com from Creative Commons

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Alternate Forms of News Media

As the news skyrockets from Egypt, journalists are adapting to the lack of Internet by using satellite phones in order to update the global community about the violent protests in spite of Hosni Mubarak.

Twitter is one of the top media forms being used among journalists in order to recall current events to the public. Ben Wedeman, a reporter in Egypt for CNN, has been tweeting newsworthy updates by using quotes from sources he has conversed with as well as commentating on his own observations.

The next source of media being used is Facebook. Nicholas Kristof, a journalist for The New York Times, has been covering the news through his Facebook page by reporting his observations and personal reactions of those experiencing the intense streets of Cairo.

Another form of media that journalists are relying on consists of Live Streaming and YouTube videos. Since the Egyptian authorities have closed the Cairo bureau and revoked the press credentials, Al-Jazeera journalists are calling in anonymously to report protests to the news organizations Live Stream. Also, Russia Today and other news organizations have been posting videos that show acts of protesting through YouTube.

The last form of media being used is the Tumblr Curation. Tumblr has created an Egypt page which allows journalists to post updates, videos and pictures from Ciaro. This page allows viewers to sort through the most relevant and current posts pertaining to the media.

News media can be reached anywhere at any time through a various amount of sources, allowing society to always be up-to-date with the most current events around the world.

Photo Credit: Metaprinter, Creativecommons.org

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Readability

What does the abbreviation app mean? This abbreviation did not exist a couple years ago but has a very profound impact on our lives today.

The abbreviation app stems from the word application which is not only a computer program like it used to be but an iPad and cellular device program. One new app that has been impacting the journalism world is called "Readability".

Readability,mobile and web app, was created in 2009 by Richard Ziade. This app, which is a simple browser add on, allows newsreaders to open an article and feel comfortable while they are reading the article.

While reading online articles it is easy to become distracted by all of the pop-ups, rewards, and advertisements the website tries to offer the reader. Readability erases all of these nuances and simply allows the reader the story at hand without any distractions.

Each newsreader can customize their reading article to fit their needs. This helps the reader to enjoy the material which will increase their need for journalists to create new articles.

If the reader does not have time to read the article, don't worry. You can save the article to the app and then access it later whether that be online or offline.

The first version of this app was free of charge but the new version is one that will credit the publishers and writers by paying them 70% of all member fees. Each time an article is clicked on the writer or reporter will be given a payment for their work.

I believe this app is a great and affordable way to keep the news on demand for consumers. Consumers will find this app easy to use and it keeps the journalists happy by providing them profit for their work.

Photo Credit: Matthew Chung,http://is.gd/IHNorn, creativecommons.com

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Get started early

Have you ever entertained the idea of getting involved with your school newspaper? Whether it be taking pictures for articles, writing the articles, or even working as the editor of the paper, getting involved with your school newspaper can give you a step up as a journalist.

Getting started early with a school newspaper, whether it be a high school newspaper or a college newspaper, can help journalism students become better educated on what their future careers will consist of. Not only will students learn how to go out into the public, get interviews, and take notes, but journalism students will learn how to make a story out of the information they gather.

Being able to put on your future resume that you worked on your school newspaper is also an important plus to working for a school newspaper. It will give your future hiring editor the ability to contact credible references, take a look at your actual work, and not to mention let them know that you have experience with working on a newspaper.

Writing articles in the paper can also help exploit your skills. Like a student from Benilde-St. Margaret’s High School in St. Paul, Minnesota, Sean Simonson. This student wrote an article for his Catholic high school supporting gay rights. This article not only sparked interest in his high school, but sparked interest with the nation. Now is article is known, and read, by people across the United States.

Getting started early is very important to journalism students everywhere. One way in which students can do so is by getting involved with their school newspaper. It is important to do so because it will give you a step up in your future profession, by helping the student establish a future job as a journalist.

Photo Credit: DRB62, Flickr

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Everyone is a journalist

TechCrunch recently had a post by Alexia Tsotsis about how the journalists of the future are "you."

Tsotsis talks about how people "are functioning as defacto news aggregators" using currently available tools like Twitter and Facebook. However, much of this information is useless due to the sheer number of tweets and the tiny piece of the picture they provide. That is, unless, it can be organized in some way.

When people (mostly independent of the larger news networks) put a lot of effort into curating and making sense of the hundreds of tweets coming in, they often provided a more concrete picture of what was happening in Egypt and even Tunisia than the large networks who didn't put a lot of stock in those sources. (She notes that Al Jazeera was one of the few mainstream sources covering it well).

This article struck me not only because we are doing many of the same things as these people with our weekly Twitter assignments but because this is the first time we are actually able to witness these tools being used in this way in great numbers and over a long period of time.

People are even using YouTube to get information and direct video of riots with a speed news networks would be hard pressed to replicate.

Accuracy is a real problem, but then others can call Twitter users out on inaccuracy almost as fast as they can post news. The "real" media shouldn't disappear by any means; someone still needs to check the facts with a high degree of accuracy. This does mean that we have the capability to get more news, and even better, real news, out there with nothing more than our eyeballs and the click of a mouse. We are reaching the point where it's nearly impossible to keep the truth from getting out, one way or another. That should be every journalist's goal.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

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Journalist: A Risky Job

Since Dec. 29, 2009, two French journalists are held hostage in Afghanistan. It will be 400 days this Wednesday february 2nd. that Herve Ghesguiere and Stephane Taponier, great reporters for the French public channel FRANCE 3 were kidnapped.

In December, a video sent by the captors showed the two captives alive and calm but emaciated.

While the French governement has at various times issued statements insisting that negotiations for the release of the two mens were progressing, they remain captive and their families have spoken to the media for the first time about their frustrations in December.

"When the foreign minister Michelle Alliot-Marie speaks of a 'short time', we say to ourselves it's imminent." Taponier's father gerard told Agence France Presse. "And then Christmas is already gone...we are still hoping for good news but it gets you down."

Families and colleagues of the two journalists have called for a rally this Wednesday at 2 p.m (local time) in front of the National Assembly in Paris. This rally will only be a moment of contemplation. It will not have any speeches, nor speaking but only a simple moment of communion to support the two journalists-hostages.

Journalist is not an easy job. Sometimes while covering a story you face the risk of being arrested like some journalists in Egypt, or even killed like many journalists in China, russia or Irak.

The freedom of speech and information is, unfortunatelly, not an universal right. Some countries, all over the world, are still controling what is on the news and do not hesitate to use the force to persuade reporters not to critizise governments or not to deal with governments' actions in some regions of the world.

Photo credit: Agence France Presse (AFP) via Creativecommons.org.

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It's About Using Mediums

At some point in time we have all used social media. Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter just to name a few. These mediums have different uses. Facebook is about keeping in contact with people you know, MySpace allows musicians to upload music to gain fans, and Twiiter is for celebrities to say where they are going for dinner. Not necessarily. In his blog Robert Hernandez discusses that it isn't about the social medium being used but rather about the way in which it is used. When I found out I had to open a Twitter account for my Beginning Newswriting and Reporting class I wasn't thrilled. To me Twitter was one of the dumbest mediums people could use. I don't care where someone is, what they are doing, and who they are doing it with. It seems to me Twitter gets a bad rap thanks to all the celebrities out there talking about shallow nonsense. In the past month that I have been using Twitter I've found it is actually a pretty cool medium. No I don't Tweet that my friend and I went to Maurices but about the goings on in the world of journalism. Sometimes I also Tweet about what's going on in the world. While I was looking for stories to Tweet about I found articles about flooding in parts of Brazil. Had it not been for Twitter, and my classwork, I would most likely have never found out about the situation there. After posting I gained a follower. What I'm saying is keep an open mind about new mediums, you never know what you can learn from it.

Photo Credit: Library of Congress

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Speak and Tweet in Egypt

President Hosni Mubarak has had his hands full in Egypt since last Tuesday. Citizens have been outraged and want to kick Mubarak out of power. Many Egyptian protesters are upset about not receiving many things from the government, including their freedom and internet.

Last week, the Egyptian government put a blackout on all internet usage. Government officials felt like this would be a beneficial way to block the outside world from seeing what's going on and from protesters organizing groups via Internet. With the websites blocked, journalists were in a world of hurt, as they were unable to communicate, surf, or report through Google, Facebook, Twitter, or BlackBerry Services.

However, Google and SayNow have provided hope for many reporters to share news once again. They developed a way for people currently in the Egypt area to tweet via phone on Speak-To-Tweet. Users have been given the option of three numbers to leave a voice mail to, which will be turned into a tweet under the hashtag of #Egypt or #speak2tweet.

Imagine being an Egyptian writer unable to report some of the biggest protests in your country. Journalists want to recreate stories so viewers can connect to current events. Many reporters in Egypt currently feel relieved to be provided with a way to do their job.

As journalists, this is a good time for Egyptian reporters to practice reporting news by observation instead of relying on the internet for news. Egyptian queen Cleopatra once said, "I will not be triumphed over." Many reporters should take this advice and realize there is always a way to get the job done and report globally what is going on.

Photo Credit: Nima Maleki

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Throwback Technology in Times of Need

As most of you have heard that Egypt has practically been shut down from technology. Protestors are running amok in Cairo freeing themselves from the rules of President Hosni Mubarak. They're calling for the resignation of their president who has made their lives more complicated when it comes to providing and feeding their families. There are many images of the chaos in Cairo being broadcasted via Internet by the region's popular satellite channel Al Jazeera; Protestors are seen ignoring curfew, running through the streets, clashing with tear gas-wielding police, and even setting buildings on fire.

This event is not just a big deal in the country of Egypt; Mohamed Nanabhay, the head of Al Jazeera online, said via Twitter that nearly 45% of the traffic to the site's Egypt coverage has come from the United States. You may also view coverage of the live video on CNN's website.

While us Americans watch from the "sidelines", Egyptians are finding ways to communicate around the Internet blockage; they're currently using old-fashioned landlines (yeah those still exist!), faxes and even ham radio. People are also being offered dial-up from Telecomix News Agency and activists have been recieving morse code. For all you 21st century technology junkies, yes all those things still exist and no matter how painfully slow they seem to you and me, anything is better than nothing.

Photo Credit: Ramy Raoof via Creative Commons.

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Are Video Diaries Considered Journalism?

There are many different types of vlogs (video blogs) today. Many people consider all of these different types of vlogs journalism, but do they really share news with us?

The one type of vlog I have questions about is video diaries. A video diary is a vlog where a person tapes him/her self and discusses his/her opinions, thoughts, and experiences. I have seen many of these vlogs, and I'm not sure I would consider them journalism. I realize that this blog that I am writing now is simply my thoughts and opinions on video diary vlogs; so is this blog considered journalism?

It's difficult for me to say that a vlog about someone discussing their trip to the mall or how their day was could be considered news. After all, many of these vlogs do not impact the audience in any way. A great deal of them do not have any of the seven news honored values. Most are for sheer entertainment, and that is why they receive so many views and subscribers.

For example, Shane Dawson has his own YouTube channel, but there is no actual news in his vlogs. He simply discusses what experiences he has had, and he also makes little skits to entertain his audience. This is considered a video diary, but I would not consider this news. There are countless other vloggers who do the same thing.

I have yet to come across a video diary vlog that is news worthy. I have searched YouTube and Yahoo video up and down and still haven't found any that abide to the seven news honored values. If anyone does know of one please write it in a comment. I'd enjoy viewing it.

Photo Credit: Fagstein

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The Internet Age in Journalism

Journalists have to know how to use the internet if they're going to be successful today. But when they start relying on the internet for all their facts, things get messy. So when is the internet useful, and when is it harmful to your story?

Catherine Wylie, a journalist in training and writer for The Graduate Times, talking about the importance of being internet savvy as a journalist. For much of her life she was internet-phobic, but now is an avid blogger and Twitter member. As a journalist, the internet is an easy way to publish work for the masses and find information. But the information found is not always reliable.

So how can you make sure your information is reliable?

First, stay away from Wikipedia facts. As the story of Shane Fitzgerald, a college student who posted false quotes by French Composer Maurice Jarre who had recently passed away, shows us, Wikipedia isn't reliable since it can be edited by anyone. If you insist on using Wikipedia, you should check out the sources at the bottom. These may be much more reliable and contain much of the information found on Wikipedia.

Second, just because it's everywhere on the internet, doesn't mean it's true. Tweets from the Arizona shooting of Gabrielle Giffords claimed the congresswoman was dead. News channels picked up on these tweets and other reports of her death and reported it across the nation. Soon it was confirmed that the Congresswoman was actually alive and in surgery at an Arizona hospital, even though it was widely reported across the internet an TV.

Last, don't use the internet as your only source. Sure, it has a lot of good information, but the internet shouldn't be the only source of information you ever use. Interviews, newspaper, TV shows and many other things can have a positive impact on the story you're writing and add depth you wouldn't have gained from using the internet alone.

The internet is an important tool in journalism if you use it correctly. The internet can help you get your work out there and amass fans and hopefully a job that pays well. But if you use it incorrectly and report false facts, it can also ruin your career. Use the internet wisely and you can save yourself from many mistakes.

Photo Credit: Jcarranzz, WikiMedia via Creative Commons. Sérgio Savaman Savarese, Flickr via Creative Commons.

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Journalists not Checking Facts

College student Shane Fitzgerald used the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia in an experiment to show just how dependent journalists are on the internet as their source. Fitzgerald posted a fake quote on Wikipedia supposedly said by Maurice Jarre, a French composer who had recently passed away. After posting the quote, Fitzgerald was surprised to find that not only had various blogs and websites used the quote, but mainstream high- end newspapers as well included it in their versions of the composer’s obituary.
It surprised me that so much of the media depended on such an unreliable source. While I understood how low key bloggers could made the mistake, I would have thought the more upscale and bigger newspapers would not be able to afford making the same one. These papers affect many more people and it should be important for them to get their readers accurate and dependable news. Situations like this may cause them to lose readers and promote the image of their newspaper as being unreliable. While, like in this case, the mistake may not have been very important to many people, I believe a newspapers' reputation is still hurt because in the end it shows their carelessness and laziness when it comes to checking the facts. I think this experiment is a good wake up call to journalists out there in regard to checking facts. It also raises public awareness on being able to identify which source "got it right."

Photo Credit: Britannica via Creative Commons

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Protests Escalate in Egypt, Journalists Arrested

Egypt proves to be a dangerous place for journalists once again with the latest round of protests against the government of President Hosni Mubarak. Eight Egyptian journalists were arrested last week after participating in an anti-government protest, bringing the grand total of arrests up to 860.

Egyptian security forces have been deployed to control the rioting crowds through the use of tear gas. So far, five people have been killed. The Egyptian government has also been restricting access to websites such as Facebook and Twitter in an attempt to cripple the protest movement.

The European Union has publicly called on Egypt to respect their citizens' rights to protest, but the response from the Egyptian government has been disappointing. "No provocative movements or protest gatherings or organization of marches or demonstrations will be allowed," MENA reports the ministry as saying. "Immediate legal procedures will be taken and participants will be handed over to investigating authorities."

Protesters are angry about soaring food prices, a lack of jobs and an oppressive government, among other complaints. Despite the strong negative response from Mubarak's ministry and the danger from Egyptian security forces, protesters continue to take to the streets in thousands.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons, James Buck.

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Not an Orwellian Reality

In 1949, Orwell provided us with a viewpoint on the destructive potentials of technology in his book 1984 (look to the Sparknotes summary if you need a refresher). It has been in the forefront of our minds ever since, taught in many high school English classes and rarely missed by anyone with a four-year degree. In it, Orwell describes a dystopia in which the Party has total control over all of London and eliminates any possible action by the free press (while doing many other damaging things to the imagined society).

Even though the internet is still a scary thing to some of us, evolving so quickly and permeating our daily interactions as thoroughly as it does, most of us realize that it won't result in a scenario like that of 1984. With the arrival of WikiLeaks on the journalism scene, we have seen the beginning of the impossibility of that kind of control. The big names in journalism and the major sources for news still have the ability to distort what information we receive at the base of the news pyramid, but the selective news articles and resources that we have access to today are growing rapidly. New sources of information, not filtered through large controlling companies, are everywhere now. The internet has made journalists out of everyman. Wikileaks provides an outlet for "whistleblowers," journalists and citizens who see that something is being obscured or covered by the main press outlets. This information is now at our fingertips, and as a result, happenings all over the world are becoming more transparent and apparent.

WikiLeaks is also changing journalism as we know it because it provides free and easy sources for the larger media outlets and for consumers of news. Investigative reporting won't take nearly as much work for the big names since many secrets have already been published by WikiLeaks-- but there is also the fear that people won't buy a newspaper or subscribe to an online journal because the information is already logged somewhere else for free.

Instead of Orwell's prediction that this kind of leaked information would be shut down by government implements, companies are taking special precaution to make sure that whistleblowers cannot be identified and prosecuted. This is definitely not the policing that Orwell imagined, and we're all glad to see he was wrong.

For more information WikiLeaks and the new model for journalism, check out this article from the New America Foundation.

Photo Credit: CentristNetBlog.com, via CreativeCommons.com.

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Internet vs Journalism. Ding!

In this day and age, the Internet is a big buzz and everyone is using it for everything. Literally. When it first came about, the original users most likely didn't have a clue what it would become. And what exactly has it become? For America, it has become a huge part of everyday life that we depend heavily on.

This generation has grown up on the Internet and it seems that we do not know a world without it. I can honestly say, that I log on to Facebook approximately ten times a day. Embarrassing, I know. But it's the truth! We also get the chance to whip out our phones and text our friends, "Hey, what's up?" when we are bored or we want to hang out. Our parents had to physically go to a telephone and dial the person's number, to reach them. As a college student, I notice that I use the Internet all the time for research. There is a thing called the library, that students back then had to use in order to do their endless researching. My point is that people had to do much more effort and take much more care to get things done.

This brings up a question. What has the Internet done for journalism? For a few years now, newspapers around the U.S. have declined in circulation. It is so much easier to get on the Internet and click a few clicks to get a colorful article, than picking up a newspaper. I don't think there is nothing terribly wrong about this, but journalists now have to appeal to their audience and give them what they want.

In print form, there was an audience that would take time and find time to read the newspaper. The current audience, is more busy with their own lives and have a short attention span. Due to this fact, journalists have to condense their articles in order to keep their audience's attention. I also don't think there is anything terribly wrong with this concept, but there is something lost in journalism when the writers don't take the same amount of effort to get the nitty gritty and making sure the editing is just right.

Blogs are making it pretty big right now. Heck, I'm writing one! But with these new 'in' things, the Internet has made it increasingly possible to express one's opinion. Because of this, anyone who feels they have something to say, will write and blog what they feel. This could perhaps, bring down the quality of some blogs. It used to be that journalism was the facts. But now, we are all smothered with opinions and "I's" and "you's". It is, after all, hard to write in this world without being first person.

So now the question is this. Should newspapers go out of style and be posted on the Internet? Should blogs be looked at more carefully? Can we as America, be proud to say that we have evolved and erupted this Internet sensation that is going to be passed down to our kids and generations to come? These are very broad questions, but we do need to think about them and what the Internet could possibly come to, in the future.

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

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A Groundbreaking Device

When Apple released the iPad it was described as a groundbreaking device. It has thousands of applications varying from games, weather, to the latest magazines and newspapers. Although, this has many benefits it has its downfalls too.

According to at&t a 16 GB iPad is $629, this is the cheapest option with the least amount of storage space. A 64 GB iPad is priced at $829. These devices are fairly expensive and not that many people have access to these devices. This of course can change in the near future, just like anything else, but at the moment the iPad can be considered a luxury. I beileve this to be one of the biggest downfalls of the iPad.

A benefit to the iPad is how much you can access at just a mere touch. It can serve as an entertainment or informational tool. You can play games, update your Facebook, or send out a tweet. You can also check the weather, the news, and be informed of any breaking news. Not only can you just check the weather or news, you can read full articles or editions of a newspaper or magazine on the iPad. Will this affect the journalism world as we know it?

I believe it will. By having the option of accessing newspapers and magazines on devices such as the iPad paper waste can be eliminated and so can clutter. This will benefit the environment but will it be better the company's that write the articles? In a few ways yes, by not having to physically print the information on paper money is saved, and this will allow for more information to be published. Also it is still possible to get advertising dollars from companies because online ads are often seen more than in print ads. I think the iPad and other devices that are similar will benefit the world and although it will bring change, I believe it will be for the best.

Photo Credit: Ariel Schwartz, Via CreativeCommons

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Is it Dillenberg or Dillenburg?

How many times has your first or last name been misspelled? I can remember this being a problem all the way back to elementary school. My teacher would constantly spell my name “Dillenberg” instead of my actual name “Dillenburg.” Eventually, my awkward fifth grade self decided to call my teacher out and inform her that she is spelling my name wrong. Did this have any impact? Yes, for only the next couple of days. After the weekend went by and Monday came, it was back to “Dillenberg.”

Unfortunately, misspelled names are a common problem within the journalism world. Craig Silverman, the author of Regret the Error, claims that academic research shows that misspelled names are the sixth most common newspaper error. That is quite absurd and not a good way to attract your viewers.

Misquotes is the number one mistake which is then followed by incorrect headlines, numerical errors, general misspellings and incorrect job titles. Look on the bright side though my fellow BNR peers, we have our soon to be best friend textbook called the Associated Press Stylebook 2010. Therefore, none of these mistakes should occur!

Misspelling names is a common mistake because it is easy to verify, yet journalists are not bothered to confirm the source’s title. Maybe this is because the interviewer is embarrassed of having to ask the source? Regardless, get over it because you will end up being more embarrassed in the long run when your article is published and you misspelled the name wrong in front of everyone.

Misspelling may be an issue because of two reasons. The first is that journalists have the tendency to assume that the source’s name is spelled the “common” way. The second is that journalists are lazy and spell the name based off of other sources that are incorrect.

A good example of a big source that would seem reliable yet is well known for these types of errors is the New York Times. There has even been an article written by one of the NYT editors with the title "So Many Names, So Many Titles."

In order to eliminate this problem, it is strongly encouraged to ask your source for the correct spelling of their name. If you are still worried about this silly yet easy-to-do mistake, read what you have written down back to them. This may seem repetitive and annoying, but in the long run the source will greatly appreciate it.

Another important fact to remember is that you must be consistent with the name spelling throughout your article. I was guilty of doing this today, but fortunately caught my mistake before handing my paper in. I spelled the name “Oroonoko” two different ways throughout my paper: Oroonoko and Oroonoco. Yikes! Double check your work.

If none of this information has helped you, I strongly encourage you to think back to a time where your first or last name was misspelled. How did you feel about this? Were you slightly annoyed? If so, take pride in what you do and make sure you spell people’s names right so they do not get annoyed like you did.

Photo Credit: Simone Trum, Creativecommons.org

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Olbermann is Olber-done

"In the mundane world of television goodbyes, reality is laughably uncooperative."

Those were some of the last words from Keith Olbermann's final "Countdown" Friday night. Olbermann, who was released from NBC Universal after being with the corporation since 2003, was grateful for the experiences he had while being host. No one is sure why the political pundit was booted from MSNBC, but there are some reports out there that make NBC once again the villain when it comes to releasing media personalities.

The release of the former ESPN anchor comes after two days after Comcast and Universal officially made their merger. Did the merger lead to Olbermann's ejection from MSNBC? A report from TruthOut says maybe. Senator Bernie Giffords now wants the merger to stop after believing that Olbermann being ousted was due to the merger.

NBC has its shadowy ways of how they oust their members. Most recently, it was Conan, now it's Olbermann to receive a pink slip. So what does NBC deserve?

Photo Credit: Creative Commons

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iPads: The Sole Device of Future Journalism?

Over the past months since Apple released the iPad in April of 2010 the new device has been growing in popularity. Not only is it the hot new gadget on the market, but it is also taking on a large role in the world of journalism by the ways it is changing how the media is presented to the audience.

As stated in an article on Nieman Journalism Lab, publishers that have realized the importance of this device will no doubt be ahead of the game compared to those who choose to ignore it. Publications like Sports Illustrated have shown their intentions to have a fully interactive magazine that even customizes the magazine to the readers’ interests. Not only does the proposed magazine have interactive features, but video clips as well. Not only are the publications altered to fit each reader, but they would be able to be continuously updated and would no longer have a routine issue every week or every month. The publications that have these ideas will be the ones to keep the reader engaged and will set them ahead of other publications and eventually make them more successful. People want their entertainment and info fast and free. The iPad can provide that for many people, but that is where many arguments about money come into play. The idea of having publications on iPad worries many companies when discussing subscription fees that they still need to stay afloat. The question has come up of how the subscription costs would be shared between Apple and the publication. With growing technology like the iPad publishing companies also worry about information being shared with others who have not paid for the product. Another downside of publications on the iPad and other technology is that a large percentage of the population is not familiar with this technology or does not have access to it yet. The coming years will be a time of difficult transitions for journalists and publications as decisions will have to be made as to how the publication will be distributed to its readers, but changes are necessary with the developing technology that will eventually serve as a large asset to the media industry.

The iPad and other new technological devices will truly revolutionize the way journalism works and how people get their news and entertainment. However, journalists and publishing companies need to realize this and utilize the new technology that is now available to them.

Photo Credit: FHKE, Wikimedia Commons via Creative Commons

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