After reading FAIR's report "Study finds lack f balance, diversity, Public at PBS NewsHour," I realized that OK PBS obviously caters to its higher-ups. We all know that by now. So the main question is....Should it man-up and state its bias? Should it say, "We are PBS and we support and believe in so-and-so,"? Being completely fair and balanced shouldn't be that difficult, but I believe with sponsors it can get complicated. That's why PBS should stop trying to fool everyone and just say what its goals are out in the open.
Sandra Day O'Connor was quoted in the article "PBS Discriminates Against Alternative Views" saying:
We're likely to experience more restrictions on our personal freedom than has ever been the case in our country.
This must be because the Internet is expanding which scares big businesses.
Because 75 percent of public broadcast funding comes from the public — corporations are the single largest source of underwriting for programs — the way PBS broadcasts is largely dependent on what corporations want.
Former "NewsHour co-host Robert MacNeil said, "We [at PBS] are not as provocative, innovative, creative or original as we should be."
But shouldn't public broadcasting be for the public? And shouldn't any program be provocative, thought-provoking and creative? If not, why show it?
In the "U.S. lags behind in broadband infrastructure" article, writers John Irons and Ian Townson discuss the need for the U.S. to catch up in broadband efficiency.
An interesting part of this article is the paragraph that says expanding broadband can benefit the U.S. in ways outside of the Internet:
Expanding broadband infrastructure in the United States would not simply improve the speed of connections for entertainment purposes, but it will also bring a wealth of knowledge to more citizens in more areas. With greater reach, the United States could see improvements in education, health care, and first-responder capabilities as communications become faster, more efficient, and more effective.
This idea that the Internet can bring more piece to the U.S. is interesting. Online education and learning tools can download faster and use bigger — more interactive — files if there is a larger broadband connection. Emergency responders can transmit calls via the Internet and arrive at accident sites quicker.
The possibilities are endless with bigger, badder broadband. Would having more space to play give journalists more room for investigation?
For the first time, there is an argument saying we need to make something mainstream equal in dollar and quality value.
In Nate Anderson's article "Fixing US broadband: $100 billion for fiber to every home," Anderson quotes EDUCAUSE saying, "broadband prices in countries without unbundling policies exceed prices in countries with unbundling policies."
Anderson shows that the U.S. is falling behind other countries — for no reason — when it comes to broadband packaging. He states that not only are we extremely slow, but we are also extremely expensive when it comes to broadband.
As I said, when it comes to things big businesses own, we usually argue about fairness and objectivity. But here, the truth of the matter is we need quicker, cheaper broadband access to stay on top of our game. It's nice to know that sometimes we just want whats best for everybody.
Marguerite Reardon's article "Thanks to BitTorrent, Net Neutrality debate reignites" supports the idea that Net neutrality is necessary.
To my surprise, Comcast prevented some users from uploading certain networks. Comcast is the number one provider in the Philadelphia so the idea that the company that provides my Internet service could be acting as Big Brother is pretty scary.
If Congress didn't think Net neutrality was important before, than it sure needs to now. But what argument will win the case? Other than the three examples listed here, what else can prove to higher ups that big businesses are trying to control the free World Wide Web? My biggest fear is that Congress is in on all of this...
The article "Happy Birthday, Public Broadcasting!" is first of all, very bias. There were hardly any facts to back up the Jerold Starr's point. Aside from that, the article did bring up a few interesting points that relate to independent journalism.
First of all, there is this ideal that all things outside of the paper realm are meant to be like a newspaper. In paragraph eight, Starr said:
KQED itself produced scores of documentaries and offered a "Newspaper of the Air" that featured local reporters commenting on the news items of the day.
As independent journalists know, news doesn't just come in the form of printed word. News comes in packages, sound slides, videos and quotes.
Secondly, after hearing that the U.S. pays only $1 per person for public broadcasting, I understood the need for a trust fund.
But if there is an agency that is in control of the funding, will there be an agency in control of the content broadcasted?
One thing that's nice about independent media that is listener-supported is that the audience gets the issue's it thinks are important covered. If that were to change, watching PBS would be like watching any other government sponsored show.
And that's a threat no independent journalist wants to hear.
Metropolitan Home is officially folding with its December 2009 issue to focus its resources on Elle Decor. Both magazines were owned under Hachette Filipacchi Media U.S. corporation.
There has been a rapid increase in niche media, however, these overdone muffy publications are really taking a hit. We might only need one home decor magazine at this point in time.
Today the Huffington Post finally launched its very own sports section: HuffPost Sports. Not only does Arianna Huffington plan to cover game scores and stats, but she also plans to cover off-the-field stories. Anything from steroids to scandals will be covered on the site. The HuffPost is the first independent news site to take on sports. This news outlet is really becoming something like a newspaper online. Maybe weather is next?
It is pretty obvious the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethicswasn't written for online media — especially bloggers. But some rules can limit bloggers if they followed them.
Refuse gifts, favors, free travel and special treatment, and shun secondary employment, political involvement, public office and service in community organizations if they compromise journalistic integrity.
But not being recognized as a "real" member of the press, bloggers are essentially forced to accept favors, free travel and special treatment when it comes to getting into a closed event.Granted, citizen journalists ignore this ruling often, even when it's unnecessary.
My question to SPJ is, when will there be an online code of ethics?
In the Guardian article "Why Kerry should sue the sun," issues of transparency were apparent. The story goes back and forth between the Drudge Report and the Times of London "libeling" John Kerry.
The Drudge Report, claiming 15 million readers, alleged that a young "intern" had a "mystery relationship" with Kerry and that several major US news organizations were already investigating. But none published a word, though political society in Washington and New York was instantly consumed with gossip.
A little transparency would have been helpful here. Disclosing sources is a hot-button issue, especially in gossip stories. Recently, at The Ithacan, we published a story using unnamed stories. Later we discussed the rules of using anonymous sources:
Procedures for using anonymous sources:
1. Attempt to convince the source to speak on the record. If that fails,
2. Attempt to confirm the information with sources willing to be named and with documents. If these aren’t available,
3. Confirm the information with multiple independent sources, even if those sources, too, will only speak on condition of anonymity.
4. Provide an explanation of why the source was granted anonymity.
5. Allow anyone discussed in the story the opportunity to fully respond to statements made about them.
I think when dealing with a public figure, disclosing sources is absolutely necessary.
After reading "Transparency is the new objectivity," different questions popped into my head. In my Journalism Ethics class last semester, we talked often about transparency with citizen journalists. The biggest issue was being able to identify the reporter/writer and how to contact them. This article talked about many ways to be transparent, mostly about writers disclosing their own biases. But after looking over all of these suggestions, I wondered, are there levels of transparency? Do larger stories need more information to prove objectivity? Does that include name, title, contact, resources and links? Could some blogs just out right say their bias and that be the end of it? How much is necessary, sufficient or superfluous?
In the summer of 2008, the LA Times published a series of articles covering a specific event that portrayed Obama in a negative light. Aside from the remarks that this writer uncovered, her ability to make headlines left the media in awe.
Mayhill Fowler was an everyday American just writing about whatever she thought was important. The day she quoted Obama saying "bitter" small-town Americans "cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them" she opened a door for citizen journalists all over.
The most amazing part of the story is that Fowler never considered herself to be a journalist.
With the immediacy of blogging and news gathering it is a smart statement to make saying everything is on the record. In one of the LA Times' articles, Larry Pryor, a USC journalism professor, said:
We have entered new territory and the rules are not all clear. You have to assume that everything is on the record. There is no getting around that anymore.
This applies to my generation even more because we have to deal with Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. We cannot take away our online footprints, so saying certain things in our status and tweets will stay with us forever.
Journalism professor Vadim Isakov gave a presentation in class Thursday discussing the future of independent media.
The Tech Trends Everyone Should Know:
1) Real Time Web 2) Light Blogging 3) Personalization Niche Targeting 4) Interactive TV 5) Identity Recognition 6) Augmental Reality 7) Mobile Life 8) Geolocation 9) Internet of Things
One debate we had in class was that #2, Light Blogging, almost downplays the art of actually blogging. To me, saying light blogging is unauthentic because someone else types for you is as ludicrous as when reporters complained about bloggers rifting off of mainstream stuff. It's all the same thing. Getting information out there as soon as possible is the goal. The way you do that is honestly up to you.
p.s. Many celebrities do not upkeep their own blogs and twitters homepages. Why start yelling at secretaries now?
In the article "Wanna share ear buds?" published in the LA Times Nov. 20, 2007, David Sarno discusses the ever-changing forms of media — specifically the film industry. The first full-length feature film to go straight from production to iTune's was "Purple Violets," directed by Edward Burns. Burns decided to skip the movie-theater stage because "releasing a film online eliminates costs associated with printing and distribution, while also making the film available everywhere." Burns' film can be viewed on laptops, desktops and even iPods.
This story signifies to me that even other forms of media outside of journalism know they need to adjust the way they present their work and the way they make their products available to the masses. Just like journalists took to blogging to get information out there quicker, now the film industry is picking up on the same tip.
Today, Ithaca College received a visit from probably one of the most important political pundits in the world. Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post, came to the college to speak on the importance of political reporting. More so, Huffington discussed the need for the media to report all sides of events — basically the truth.
"Journalists can give a voice to the voiceless, which is an incredibly powerful opportunity," she said. "We can look in the mirror and discover leadership in ourselves."
One question I have after listening to Huffington speak is: What is the job, or goal, of independent media? Is it to cover all stories that are important and newsworthy even if they are on a smaller scale. Or do they only report on the things the government leaves out?
After recently checking out the new homepage design for CommonDreams.org, I noticed a change in their opinion section. Common Dreams has set up its homepage in four columns: "Further...," "News," "Views" and "Progressive Newswire." The "Views" section, which I find most interesting, give the names of the writers and then the headline of their piece. What caught my eye was Chris Hedges' piece on "Opium, Rape and the American Way." Common Dreams new site really draws readers in, especially with headlines like these. Updating is obviously important for independent media.
On Friday, Grit TV with Laura Flanders hosted a program entitled "Media Myths and Misses on Health Care." On the show, Flanders had guests discuss what the mainstream media was publishing on health care reform. Though Lieberman obtained the attention of most headlines, Flanders made it a point to show mainstream media wasn't telling the whole story to citizens. Obviously, independent journalism is a head of the competition — at least with publishing issues that matter in an interesting and truthful manner.
Thanks, Laura, for pointing us in the right direction.
Last night on The Daily Show, John Stewart poked fun at the on going battle of The Presidency versus Fox News. When Mark Finkelstein came to our class the other day to discuss conservative, independent news, he touched on the subject, as well.
Huffington Post published a small blurb about the Daily Show skit citing a quote from White House Communication Director, Anita Dunn. Dunn said:
It's astounding the White House cannot distinguish between news and opinion programming. It seems self-serving on their part.
Finkelstein said though he could argue that CNN is somewhat bias, he feels as though discrediting a news source is unethical and unprofessional.
I agree. The President has every right not to watch Fox News, but to allow his team to make public statements encouraging citizens to stay away from a particular news station is petty.
Hopefully, this feud will end before someone gets hurt.
Going along with our discussion in class today, I found this YouTubeclip on Google's censorship in China. It's pretty interesting to think that the Chinese government can censor hits on Google, yet a Chinese man sued Yahoo and Google for erasing his name. It is interesting to see two different sides of the story. I am starting to realize that Google, though it is a major fixture in the Web, may not be so "free" and open to the public.
I found this interesting packaging blog. It contains a lot of student showcases where readers rate packaging ideas and displays. In today's world just about everything and everyone has a blog. I think it shows the success of the Web in creating free space for people to express their minds. And, truthfully, blogging doesn't just belong to journalists.
Kate Sheppard '06 left Ithaca College with one goal in mind — to be a professional journalist. Well, she realized that school doesn't always prepare for the reality of getting a job. It's actually not that easy. Sheppard, after researching some independent news sites, applied for an internship at Grist in Seattle, Wa. From there she wandered around freelancing to pay the bills. She then went to WireTap, and then back again to Grist. In the midst of her constant moving, Sheppard was picked up by highly notable independent media outlets. Though she was laid off by Grist, Sheppard found a home at Mother Jones.
After listening to Sheppard's story in class today, I learned a valuable lesson: Don't expect to be picked up by a mainstream organization anytime soon after graduation. Sheppard was able to offer us advice on being well-versed in digital journalism, finding a niche and creating a digital footprint. I don't think any of her words fell on deaf ears.
"SaveTheNews.org, a project of Free Press, is leading the search for new public policies to save journalism and to promote a robust free press in America.
In response to the shifting media landscape, there have been a number of important nonprofit initiatives, think-tank convenings, panel discussions and foundation reports on the state of journalism, the impact of technology on newsgathering, and the search for viable new models for the news." (Taken from the Web site)
SaveTheNews.org is a really cool site that has a "Must See Video" updated daily along with a blog that covers some of the biggest stories of the day. It also streams links to important stories at other sites in its column. This site boasts the statement:
"Journalism is in crisis -> Democracy depends on quality reporting -> We need policy solutions -> Take action now."
1) The IRS or Congress should change the tax code: Enact changes that would allow and encourage newsrooms to operate either as nonprofit or low-profit organizations. (read more about L3Cs here)
2) Philanthropists and foundations should increase support for newsgathering: Spur charitable support for news organizations of all shapes and sizes and to fund core operations, as well as new and exciting individual projects. (check out our online chat about foundation funding and journalism here.)
3) We should expand public media: We must increase funding and better direct NPR and PBS to focus on local news and accountability journalism. (learn more about Free Press' New Public Media campaign here.)
4) Journalism education is key: Universities should become institutional sources of news reporting. We need to broaden partnerships with universities and colleges and enlist journalism students to contribute to new and traditional models of journalism.
5) The government should establish a fund for local news: Using revenue generated through fees from broadcast licenses and other spectrum uses, the FCC should create a fund to support local news. This would be modeled after the National Endowment for the Arts.
6) We need to increase transparency and access to public information: All sectors of society must work to better collect, disseminate and organize public records and government data, which serves as the foundation for so many important journalism efforts.
Hopefully, this study will shed light on how to rearrange journalism today. A professor once told me, "When electric street lights were invented, fire didn't disappear. The face of electricity just changed." The face of journalism will cahnge, too.
Student journalist Aaron Edwards, a sophomore at Ithaca College, designed his own blog "Townie Talk" to create a forum for locals on social issues such as the global climate change and the Olympics. It's pretty impressive. He takes his own photos and edits his own video. Check it out here.
After reading CommonDreams.org's article "Big Brother is Blocking," I started thinking of how phone companies could possibly disrupt the free flow of information independent journalists share. What would happen if phone companies prohibited the picture messages every day citizens were sending out in Iran during the war? Some of the best and most up-to-date journalism would be censored, maybe even non-existent. Big Brother needs to know:
"Should your cell phone company decide who can send you a text message? Should your Internet service provider block your Internet movie because it doesn't like the file-sharing service you're using?"
It's quite obvious to run any type of publication, you need money. And when people see the work your doing, and like it, it's fine if they want to invest in it. This is what happened with ProPublica. Two wealthy men donated and have promised to continue donating money to the investigative news site. But what happens when investors/advertisers/readers get so involved with finances that they expect you, the publisher, to write what they want and to toss any idea they don't agree with? Well, if you want to stay in business, you do what your told. But if you want to stay true to your ethical code, you go broke until you create another money-making plan. When people with big checks pick certain news sites, they do it their way — because there is no take-sies back-sies.
Mark Finkelstein, a conservative blogger, works on three different media outlets. His blogging career started when he began writing snippets for NewsBusters. He tried to branch out and make his own blog called FinkelBlog in hopes of achieving Internet fame. The hits on his personal blog were not as common as NewBusters', however. Now, Finkelstein tag-teams both blog sites to share his conservative views. He also has his own Public Access show called Right Angle.
One question facing bloggers is this: If it is all about the hits, does that mean the editors and publishers have control over the bloggers ambitions to post? When Finkelstein began receiving more hits on NewsBusters he pretty much abandoned his personal site temporarily. Can a true blogger take a few months off, even if he or she is multitasking for other groups? Or is that all in the nature of blogging?
A new independent blog covers small-town communities too tiny to have their own news publications. Patch.com covers hyper-local news in communities stretching from North New Jersey to Connecticut. Patch.com is spreading so fast expect it in an area near you soon.
Here is the original story published in the paper today.
On Septmeber 30, Democracy Now! covered the revolt in Guinea saying this:
Guinea Toll Approaches 160 in Military Attack on Protest in Guinea
The death toll from a government attack on opposition protest Monday has reached nearly 160. Tens of thousands had gathered in soccer stadium in the capital Conakry, to protest the military junta, when troops opened fire. Opposition leaders are vowing to continue their protest.
Conde Nast released today that four of its publications, Gourmet, Cookie, Modern Bride and Elegant Bride, will be folding. Bon Appetite will stay around. Gourmet, having the most status out of the four, has been a fixture in the foodie world since December 1940.
What is the world coming to if over-weight Americans cannot support a magazine dedicated to delicious endeavors????
Chapter 3 of Rodger Streitmatter's "Voices of the Revolution: The Dissident Press in America" discusses women's rights and their self-made role in the media.
At the time of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott and Lucy Stone, many men considered feminists ugly, butch, unmarried women. Papers against the feminist movement depicted the movement's leaders as crazy basket-cases in their cartoons — here, here and here.
Suffrage leaders were shown as plump, angry women unattractive to men. Though women now have the right to vote, we still battle prejudices against us.
Today's anchors and spokeswomen are the "pretty" ones. To make it on TV, women need to be physically fit and beautiful. The importance on intelligence is no longer a factor (if it ever was).
Citizen’s taxes go to public education, highway construction and public transportation among others. But taxpayers also — unknowingly — provide funds for a school kept secret from most.
Labeled as the “School of the Americas,” this school’s mission is to teach “democracy” to Latin American countries. However, the SOA is known by another name from those on the school’s receiving end — the School of the Assassins.
29 years ago, four religious women working to help Bishop Oscar Romero in El Salvador were raped and murdered by graduates from the SOA. With so much political unrest and turmoil, the United States never shows the truth behind Latin American relations. It wasn’t until nine years later that someone — Father Roy Bourgeois — brought attention to the SOA,
With two fellow priests by his side, Father Bourgeois dressed like a decorated military officer and snuck into the SOA’s gates.Once in the barracks, Bourgeois said he and his partners scaled a tree in the yard and then, with a large boom box, blasted Bishop Oscar Romero’s last sermon throughout the camp.
“We waited until about 11 at night when the lights went out,” he said. “And we said, ‘Bishop Romero, this is for you, brother.’ And his words just boomed into the barracks.”
Once being caught up in the pine tree, Bourgeois said he and his group were threatened by officers to come down.
“They were pretty upset with us,” he said. “We saw this as a very sacred moment, and they didn’t see it that way. We were arrested. They came out with their M16s and their guns and dogs and lights and they said they would shoot us down if we didn’t come down.”
Once the three priests reached the ground, they were arrested. But Bourgeois said this only inspired the men to do more for their cause.
“We wanted to put our foreign policy on trial that day,” he said. “They sent us to prison for a year and a half. And I must say, we didn’t have any regrets. We wrote hundreds of letters from our prison cells.”
The Washington Post, the New York Times and Newsweek published Father Bourgeois’ letters, exposing how little citizens know about the United States’ foreign policy. After being released from jail, Bourgeois took a group down to the SOA in Fort Benning, Ga., and started the SOA Watch — a group that yearly protests against the school.
“We were getting the word out,” he said, “As we gathered at the main gate in November, the weekend before Thanksgiving, to call for the closing of this school. There is a movement bearing the names of the victims and their ages — many of them children. As we process to the gate of Fort Benning the names are called out individually and in unison the masses say, ‘¡Presente!’ This person is present with us.”
Every year a few people cross the trespassing line outside of the gate and get arrested. Bourgeois said this always reenergizes the movement.
Father Bourgeois spoke at Ithaca College Thursday, encouraging students and faculty members to join him on the SOA Watch this upcoming November. The Ithaca College Catholic Community hosts a trip to Fort Benning every year, but this time around Ithaca College is teaming up with Cornell University to rent a charter bus for a larger trip.
After inviting everyone down to the SOA Watch, Bourgeois told those present that his social work aside from the SOA has gotten him into trouble with the Catholic Church.
“I’ve been a Catholic priest for 37 years now and for the last 20 I’ve been focusing on this injustice of the School of the Americas,” he said. “In my travels, I have met many women in the Catholic Church who expressed their call to the priesthood, to ministry as equals. And our Catholic tradition for many, many years have been the tradition that only men can be ordained and in other traditions it’s not like that. What I had to do is look at this injustice and what I discovered of course was an injustice closer to home in my church, in my faith community.”
Bourgeois said the Catholic Church’s teaching is rooted in sexism, and sexism is a sin. The Vatican sent Bourgeois a letter, telling him he had 30 days to recant. If he did not, the letter said he would be excommunicated automatically.
“My time ran up months ago,” Bourgeois said. “I wrote back to the Vatican. It simply said, ‘In conscience, I cannot recant and will not recant.’ I simply ended, ‘There will never be justice in the Catholic Church until women are ordained.’ Like any other movement, it’s time has come.”
In essence, Father Roy Bourgeois sent a message that the government continues to hide things from citizens. But citizens’ ignorance is only an enemy — not an excuse. Bourgeois said the SOA is just a cover-up for the United States’ dirty ties with Latin American militaries.
“You don’t teach democracy behind the barrel of a gun,” he said. “You don’t teach democracy behind a chain linked fence that says ‘No Trespassing.’”
In the 2005 New America Media presentation "Ethnic Media in America: The Giant Hidden in Plain Sight," the poll found that 45 percent of "minority" groups prefer to get their news from ethnic news outlets.
Coincidentally, two days ago I was discussing media advertising to certain markets with my roommate. She pointed out that the media caters its programming to particular ethnic groups in specific neighborhoods.
Together we found a Neutrogena face wash commercial that is broadcasted daily in both of our hometowns. Where she lives — in a Maryland suburb outside of D.C. — the spokesperson is actress Hayden Panettiere, a white female. Where I live – in a suburb of Philadelphia — the spokesperson is singer Vanessa Hudgens, a Latina/Native American mixed female.
In our discussion, we found that the market where I live has more Latinos, and her market has very few minorities.
In the nytimes.com article "News you can endow," David Swensen, chief investment officer at Yale University and Michael Schmidt, a financial analyst, propose the notion that newspapers should become nonprofit, endowed institutions.
Though it is true print news is dying, the idea that real reporting has lost its importance is false. We need reporters covering news now more than ever. Healthcare, the cost of education, the War on Terror, the Obama Presidency and the economy are all topics screaming to be put on the front page of papers and Web sites around the countries.
Swensen and Schmidt's point to save newspapers might weigh the pros and cons, but it overlooks one point.
Among colleges and universities there is much competition. Some institutions offer excellent athletic programs and some upgrade their technological resources every year. If newspapers were guaranteed to receive money from endowments like institutions, would the competitive edge between news outlets dissipate? For decades, newspapers have fought to have the highest circulation as well as the most paid advertisements to gather more than a substantial revenue. If newspapers always have a flow of money, will the standards of journalistic performance and ethics diminish?
This is just one idea. It is very possible that the amount of newspaper endowments could fluctuate depending on performance.
But as Swensen and Schmidt said, there has been thus far, no other solution to strengthen the "dying" world of newspapers.
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Michelle Skowronek
Here I go!
I'm excited to begin my first independent blog — granted this sparked from an assignment for my Independent Media class. My only other previous blogging experience occurred on TrackingTompkinsCounty.blogspot.com, a blog set up for my News 1 class.
