Brent Cunningham posts an intriguing article, "Take a Stand" on Columbia Journalism Review, which explores the concept of the evolving journalist's role in the 21st century. Cunningham states that journalist need to not limit their writing to "breaking" news media, but return to the roots of "investigative" journalism.
Cunningham quotes Jack Newfield from the memoir:Somebody’s Gotta Tell It:
"Pick an issue. Study it. Make yourself an expert so you won’t make any stupid factual mistakes. Figure out who the decision makers you want to influence are. Name the guilty men. Make alliances with experts. Combine activism with the writing. Create a constituency for reform. And don’t stop till you have achieved some progress or positive results."
The article further supports the notion of the journalist taking a step further into the realm of journalism; report breaking news, but also explore what is important. Don't tell society what to think, but supply society with information to MAKE them think. Stir up passion in issues that are still unresolved:
"The mythology of the nation—exceptional, above the taint of history—has been undercut by a terror attack, two botched wars, the reality of torture, a flooded city, a wounded economy, staggering inequality, a shameful health-care system . . . the list is long. It has been undercut, too, by the emerging realities of the twenty-first century: a multipolar world, transglobal problems that no amount of debt-funded escapism can keep at bay, a realization that America must lead, but cannot dictate."
Journalists hide behind the facade of retaining objectivity and reporting in a non-offensive tone, yet why does this excuse important issues to simply go ignored? It is not a luxury to pick and choose what you want to write as a journalist, IT IS YOUR DUTY TO REPORT IMPORTANT ISSUES, EVENTS, OCCURRENCES THAT ARE FOR THE BETTERMENT OF SOCIETY.
It is time to step out and shine, time to uncover to the veil of selective journalism, TIME TO TAKE A STAND.
Friday, November 6, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Layers of Citizen Journalism
Steve Outings posted an intriguing article,11 Layers of Citizen Journalism, onto PoynterOnline. The article divulges into the concept of Citizen Journalism and the many facets of what exactly it entails.
Outings explores the concepts of public comment, add-on reporter, open-source reporting, citizen bloghouse, stand-alone-citizen-journalism site edited & unedited, and a print version. As readers become more familiar with using the Internet, the anility to partake on citizen journalism is endless. There are no more restrictions, as in the case of writing to the editor and the letter is not printed....now we are able to visit hybrid newspapers, such as Ann Arbor News, and comment on whatever our heart desires, negative or poditive: WE HAVE THE RIGHT!
There is an issue that arises:How do you strike a balance between editoral control and citizen expression?
Editors of a hybrid newspaper are faced with the challenge of making the final decision as to leave commentary notes as is or edit for misspellings, grammatical errors and so forth. The argument lies within not editing to retain the author's point as is; to express the meaning within their individual personality. Yet the opposing side states to edit the material to retain credibility of the site and not create a "mish-mosh" of information as stated by Outings in his article.
I feel that a hybrid newspaper should have the ability to edit in a minute fashion; not the point intended, but minor issues such as spelling/grammatical errors. On the other hand, blogs, chat forums and so forth....leave as is....it is the freedom of expression and you are left to be judged, so you better know how to spell!
Outings explores the concepts of public comment, add-on reporter, open-source reporting, citizen bloghouse, stand-alone-citizen-journalism site edited & unedited, and a print version. As readers become more familiar with using the Internet, the anility to partake on citizen journalism is endless. There are no more restrictions, as in the case of writing to the editor and the letter is not printed....now we are able to visit hybrid newspapers, such as Ann Arbor News, and comment on whatever our heart desires, negative or poditive: WE HAVE THE RIGHT!
There is an issue that arises:How do you strike a balance between editoral control and citizen expression?
Editors of a hybrid newspaper are faced with the challenge of making the final decision as to leave commentary notes as is or edit for misspellings, grammatical errors and so forth. The argument lies within not editing to retain the author's point as is; to express the meaning within their individual personality. Yet the opposing side states to edit the material to retain credibility of the site and not create a "mish-mosh" of information as stated by Outings in his article.
I feel that a hybrid newspaper should have the ability to edit in a minute fashion; not the point intended, but minor issues such as spelling/grammatical errors. On the other hand, blogs, chat forums and so forth....leave as is....it is the freedom of expression and you are left to be judged, so you better know how to spell!
"Find Your Voice: Writing for a Webzine"
Reading the article, Find Your Voice: Writing for a Webzine, poses the question: What is a public voice?
Pulic voice is the synthesis that lies halfway between two extremes: a private voice and a commercial voice.
A private voice makes no concession to others: the only priority is honest expression, regardless of whether anyone will comprehend or identify with your words.
A commercial voice wants only to produce a predetermined effect in the audience: study the audience and then tell them what they want to hear.
Therefore, what is a public voice? After reading and analyzing the article, I came to the conclusion that "your" voice is something that you are passionate about that strikes the interest of others through your expression of voice in writing.
While browsing a hot blog spot Wordpress, I came across the blog, Caught in the Web, by Eliza Cracknell. The blog explores Social Media & Networking. I find her voice intriguing in how she digs into how media is rapidly changing. She analyzes Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and the vast array of media outlets that are utilized daily, hourly and even by the minute not just for social pleasure, but retrieving facts, information and news. A specific blog,astates how a woman's magazine utilizes Twitter to update their readers in a matter of seconds regarding upcoming issues, sales and promotions.
I really enjoy Eliza's writing style in how she incorporates wit with fact, charm with news and an overall funky personality to her blog that doesn't bore the reader, but rather encourages them to read on.
Pulic voice is the synthesis that lies halfway between two extremes: a private voice and a commercial voice.
A private voice makes no concession to others: the only priority is honest expression, regardless of whether anyone will comprehend or identify with your words.
A commercial voice wants only to produce a predetermined effect in the audience: study the audience and then tell them what they want to hear.
Therefore, what is a public voice? After reading and analyzing the article, I came to the conclusion that "your" voice is something that you are passionate about that strikes the interest of others through your expression of voice in writing.
While browsing a hot blog spot Wordpress, I came across the blog, Caught in the Web, by Eliza Cracknell. The blog explores Social Media & Networking. I find her voice intriguing in how she digs into how media is rapidly changing. She analyzes Facebook, Twitter, MySpace and the vast array of media outlets that are utilized daily, hourly and even by the minute not just for social pleasure, but retrieving facts, information and news. A specific blog,astates how a woman's magazine utilizes Twitter to update their readers in a matter of seconds regarding upcoming issues, sales and promotions.
I really enjoy Eliza's writing style in how she incorporates wit with fact, charm with news and an overall funky personality to her blog that doesn't bore the reader, but rather encourages them to read on.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
WIKI-Digital Journalism
Last week, on October 13th, I posted an entry on the "Digital Journalism" page found on Wikipedia. I checked it today to see of the post has been formatted and was excited to see that my original entry is still there, untouched, and readily accessible for any reader to see! Here is my post:
Digital Journalism is the revolution of how news is consumed by society. Online sources are able to preovide quick, efficient, accurate reportings of breaking news in the matter of seconds, providing society with a synopsis of events as they occur. Throughout the development of the event, journalists are able to feed online sources the information keeping readers up to date in mere seconds. Digital Journalism does not mean the death of newspapers, but rather the evolution of how we retain our news. Online sources are media outlets for news happening at the moment, reported objectively, providing factual information, while newspapers can return to the roots of their foundation and provide an in-depth analysis of current events.
Digital Journalism is the revolution of how news is consumed by society. Online sources are able to preovide quick, efficient, accurate reportings of breaking news in the matter of seconds, providing society with a synopsis of events as they occur. Throughout the development of the event, journalists are able to feed online sources the information keeping readers up to date in mere seconds. Digital Journalism does not mean the death of newspapers, but rather the evolution of how we retain our news. Online sources are media outlets for news happening at the moment, reported objectively, providing factual information, while newspapers can return to the roots of their foundation and provide an in-depth analysis of current events.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Speculation
While surfing the Net during some free time, I came across this blog post that I would like to share with you.
How journalism has changed....states the obvious: the never-ending evolvment of journalism, yet what intrigued me was the usage of personal examples to support the theory of citizen journalism.
The post explores the past and present of journalism, the restrictions to the open-forum, the limitations to the freedoms.....the post is quite intriguing.
How journalism has changed....states the obvious: the never-ending evolvment of journalism, yet what intrigued me was the usage of personal examples to support the theory of citizen journalism.
The post explores the past and present of journalism, the restrictions to the open-forum, the limitations to the freedoms.....the post is quite intriguing.
Impact of "New Media" on the News
Dr. Logan's Understanding New Media, explores the growth of the news media outlets, ranging from the traditional newspaper to the popularized Internet and how the two have become a collaborative force to presenting "news" quickly, efficiently and accurately.
What is news? What is information? Is there a distinction?
The online news environment blurs the distinction between news and information; while the traditional newspaper provided the reader with the latest reports of daily events occurring locally, nationally or worldwide, the Internet holds no limitations. Therefore, the online news environment has the ability to incorporate the past into a new genre of generating news, yet is it all newsworthy or merely information?
Rich Gordon, Director of Digital Technology in Education at Northwestern University, states that in order for citizen journalism to be successful, there must be a citizen editor.
What is a citizen editor? According to the article, Understanding New Media, a citizen editor would solicit other people to provide information and encourage interactivity among users.
I agree with Rich Gordon in retrospect to utilizing a citizen editor. Despite the fact that we do have the freedom to post articles, pictures and entries onto the Web for all to see, how does a reader sift through the information and decipher what is credible and not? A citizen editor, trained in the field in Journalism, will be able to take the initiative to promote the site, while educating and encouraging community members to participate by submitting tidbits of information and/or images. The citizen editor will organize the information submitted and enhance the site to promote the concept of citizen journalism.
While reading the article, I was intrigued to better understand the world of citizen journalism. I found the article: The 11 Layers of Citizen Journalism by Steve Outing. The article deciphers in-depth the meaning of citizen journalism by exploring blogs, Wikipedia and social networking sites such as Facebook/MySpace.
In the conclusion of the article, Dr. Logan states, "If newspapers can no longer be the first to report breaking because of television, radio and the Internet, then perhaps they should get back to their roots....newspapers were a source of depth, analysis and opinion." This is a great statement and supports my opinion that newspapers are not dying, but rather transforming. Society wants "news" now, therefore utilizing the Web, yet society also enjoys an intellectual piece that involves analysis, so why not pick up the paper?
What is news? What is information? Is there a distinction?
The online news environment blurs the distinction between news and information; while the traditional newspaper provided the reader with the latest reports of daily events occurring locally, nationally or worldwide, the Internet holds no limitations. Therefore, the online news environment has the ability to incorporate the past into a new genre of generating news, yet is it all newsworthy or merely information?
Rich Gordon, Director of Digital Technology in Education at Northwestern University, states that in order for citizen journalism to be successful, there must be a citizen editor.
What is a citizen editor? According to the article, Understanding New Media, a citizen editor would solicit other people to provide information and encourage interactivity among users.
I agree with Rich Gordon in retrospect to utilizing a citizen editor. Despite the fact that we do have the freedom to post articles, pictures and entries onto the Web for all to see, how does a reader sift through the information and decipher what is credible and not? A citizen editor, trained in the field in Journalism, will be able to take the initiative to promote the site, while educating and encouraging community members to participate by submitting tidbits of information and/or images. The citizen editor will organize the information submitted and enhance the site to promote the concept of citizen journalism.
While reading the article, I was intrigued to better understand the world of citizen journalism. I found the article: The 11 Layers of Citizen Journalism by Steve Outing. The article deciphers in-depth the meaning of citizen journalism by exploring blogs, Wikipedia and social networking sites such as Facebook/MySpace.
In the conclusion of the article, Dr. Logan states, "If newspapers can no longer be the first to report breaking because of television, radio and the Internet, then perhaps they should get back to their roots....newspapers were a source of depth, analysis and opinion." This is a great statement and supports my opinion that newspapers are not dying, but rather transforming. Society wants "news" now, therefore utilizing the Web, yet society also enjoys an intellectual piece that involves analysis, so why not pick up the paper?
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
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