The great Huff breaks into sports

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? 

A blogger's code of ethics

It is pretty obvious the Society of Professional Journalists' Code of Ethics wasn'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?

Overseas tabloids and all that jazz

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.

Transparency is the new objectivity

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?

'Failed' writer breaks onto the scene

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.

Nothing is off the record.

The Future of Indy Media

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?

Movies on the small screen

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. 

What's next with the media?