Funding

I think we should fund Brittany's online magazine "Charm." First off, I see a huge whole in the market and she's really hit a perfect target audience.  There's no magazine for women who are just graduating college and just starting careers.  These are the women who don't need "recipes your kids will love" and "how to relight the romance on your 10th wedding anniversary."  I think that having it online will allow it to reach a wider audience.  I know that I would read this magazine and I know many women who would read it.  I think that she’s got a great plan for expansion and for it to become a real power house.

            However, I’d like to see the name changed.  I know the definition of charm means what she wants it to, however the connotation doesn’t.  Charm makes it should like just another women’s magazine that’s about sex and impressing men.  I think this is one that we’d have to take to a naming company because I’m not exactly sure what to call it.  We want it to sound fun, not dowdy but at the same time it should reflect a level of professionalism. 

            I’d also like it to eventually move to being a print outlet.  I think this is something that could be a definite kind of “beach read” magazine.   So I’d like to see a physical copy should the magazine expand enough. 

            Overall though, I think she’s got a ready, willing and asking audience.  Not only that she’s got a fantastic plan.  Her magazine is one I’d like to see produced.

 

This Graph

I know this is late, but it sums up everything not indy. This is the link to a bigger version.

Accountability

I think all media, independent or conglomerate need be held accountable for their actions.  Be it independent student media, Democracy Now! or the Disney Corp. trying to cover things up.

I only write this because I just fired someone and now because of his actions, he's off all student media in Park.

See, coming into Newswatch and hanging out in my newsroom and doing my show while drinking isn't ok.  I've never been put in this position before.  An assistant producer can't write a show or design graphics under the influence.  So today, I had to fire someone.  I've never been so disappointed and upset in my life. 

I've seen it in another Park media group, who published something under the name of a person who didn't write it.  The person in charge doesn't want to believe it's happening.  It's sad, because good people make bad choices that lessen your outlets' credibility.

I feel that people are quick to jump the gun and attack conglomerate media about covering things up.  Where as Indys like Breitbart are defended for heavy editing by their fellow bloggers and indy outlets.  In fact, in some cases, it isn't until others point out problems that they publish corrections.  Sometimes, I feel that Indy media, like bloggers, sometimes get away with saying certain things because they aren't seen as a "real media source."

I think all media, big or small, indy or conglomerate, professional or amateur needs to be held to the same standards as a way to be held accountable for the things they say and the news they spread.

The Market for Fantasy Sports

I writing this in the ICTV Greenroom as the sports guys discuss their fantasy sports teams.  More so, they're yelling at me because evidently my boyfriend is beating someone.  Honestly, I don't care, he's got something like 5 leagues.  I can't keep up with them all.  And again, I really prefer to not care.

But now they want me to ask him if he wants to do fantasy basketball.

Fantasy Basketball?  Really?

Then I learned from Rotoworld.com there are fantasy sports for any sport that has a team.  So that leaves out tennis and boxing.  There is fantasy golf and NASCAR.

Then I found a whole host of sites and books that will tell you who to pick, how to get the best team, lists of stats, good trades to make.

Except for ESPN, Yahoo! and CBS  of these are independent websites that give up to the minute sports information.  They run on fees for organizing your fantasy league, some ads and one even runs on donations.  None of them are owned by conglomerates.

In fact, some of these have been quicker to pick up on NFL injury reports than news outlets.  Interesting concept when you think about it.  It's almost like when independent news outlets set the story out first and then the conglomerates get it.

Andrew Breitbart

This man.

Why did he have to be right about Andrew Weiner? 

Why?

Because if he hadn't been, he'd have his crazy cult following and he'd still be massively twisting the videos of ACORN and re cutting Shirley Sherrod to make her look like a racist. 

And he calls himself a Journalist.  That's just the thing, independent of conglomerate, journalists don't cut up the words of others to make them look like they are saying the complete opposite of what they're saying.

The ONE THING he's ever been right about was Weiner.  And during the Weiner press conference Breitbart took over the microphone and essentially the press conference.  If Breitbart wants to be some kind of conservative journalism hero, more power to him, but let's all stop pretending that BigGovernment.org, BigMedia.org and breitbart.com are suddenly these meccas for good reporting.

Really, they're the same thing this blog is: one person spewing their ideas and using the pieces that fit their argument.  The difference: He's treating his a news, I know mine is an opinion.  

Post Secret

We've talked a lot about start ups.  I appreciate a great start up and one of the most prominent of our time has been postsecret.org. Post Secret was the idea of Frank Warren, a guy in Maryland who collects secrets that people write him on postcards.

Since it's inception Post Secret's cards have gotten bigger and better.  A few weeks ago, a woman sent in her wedding ring and later asked for it back after her husband saw it and they worked out what ever problems they were having.

The website, the books and the new app are all done by Frank and his team of interns.  They keep the site updated with weekly secrets and prepare the books.

While the books aren't independently published, not much is censored in the way of secrets. Nudity, profanity and drugs are all more than allowed on secrets.  It seems as if this is one hybrid of an independent and a conglomerate.

Post Secret has also been active in the world suicide prevention.  They're huge supporters of Hope Line and other non-profits who don't charge per minute or charge at all.

Post Secret also has been working with vetrans to use put their secrets and feelings into words after they've returned home and after the government stops trying to treat their PTSD, a cause very close to my heart and part of the reason I love them.

Defunding Public Broadcasting

Our government is sensitive, perhaps too sensitive.  They get so offended by every bad thing that some out about them.

Which is why I feel Public Broadcasting does work here.  Take NJN for example.  My governor (who I openly hate and am not allowed to do stories on) Chris Christie made one of his plans of actions after destroying teachers was destroying NJN.  I liked NJN because NJN News made sure to tell everyone how Christie was trying to destroy NJN and was probably NOT the best choice to be governor or president while everyone cheered him on.

I see many merits in Public Broadcasting.  I think that a lot of times we see our news being clouded by advertisers.  If your funding is through donations and maybe a government grant then you don't have to worry about an expose on a used car dealer who is selling dangerous cars losing advertisers.

There is a place for public broadcasting and I think it's stupid that governors like Christie would think it ok to something like defund them.  I understand NJ's financial situation, but to be honest the double dip pensions and unnecessary transportation are really causing problems...not a station run by donations and the government.

The Case Against Citizen Journalists

They're cheap, they're willing and they're woefully untrained.

While CNN may think not paying real photojournalists is the easy way out to balance a budget, they're doing so by sacrificing their quality. iReport gives you assignments with dead lines!  You can take pictures!  You can write what you want to see!  It's stupid.

I know many professors here are huge supporters of Citizen Journalist because they think that sometimes professional journalists miss the story.  I get it, I really do, but I can't help but think that these people have ZERO training.  They don't know how to put together a package, they don't know what's ethical, they don't know every law, they haven't had the ideals of a shield law and where they exist drilled into their heads.

It sounds elitest of me, but I hate them.  Do I think there is merit when Citizen Journalists who are participating in Occupy can really get inside and aren't afraid to get arrested do just that?  Yes I do.  But then again, nobody can protect their freedom of the press, because they're just some guy with a camera.

Journalism is like teaching, a lot of people think they can teach elementary school. You only have to know how to write and take pictures, but the truth is it's so much more than that which his why my teacher parents say they could never be journalists because they aren't willing to do the work.

I can't believe Final Cut Pro X would have an "export for CNN iReport" and no way to export to .mov.

I think my hatred stems from my need for a job and people thinking they can do it.

"The Media are Cowards"

As more and more occupy protestors are arrested, the scene in LA proved to be another place where the media could have stepped up and used their rights to show the police brutality.  Actor Wil Wheaton a huge supporter of the Occupy movement and resident of LA was tweeting and retweeting sentiments from protestors and viewers who were watching protestors and the few citizen journalists (like victim @OakFoSho) being carted off and threatened by officers.

While this might not seem out of the ordinary from all of the Occupy news we've heard, the LAPD also blocked most press from being allowed in to the area, set up press approved areas and threatened to arrest any journalist out of the press pool.  Which resulted in this tweet

What's most disturbing isn't that the police but this press ban on, it's that the reporters then FOLLOWED it.  The fact that all these reporters have the chance to get the story and really make a difference.  More so they're openly giving up their rights as reporters.  They are just not doing their jobs on checking the power of government and this might be a time when citizen journalists are going to take hold of the media because trained journalists don't do their jobs.

Mainstream and Sexual Abuse

Both Penn State and Syracuse have been hit hard by recent child abuse allegation. The tragic sexual abuse of young boys many of whom were at risk came as a shock to the nation.

But some people in media may have known about this years before and never said a single word.

According to an article recently posted by yahoo, ESPN and The Syracuse Post Standard have, for the past eight years, possessed a tape that alleged Bernie Fine, a Syracuse basketball coach sexually abused a teenage boy.

The tape is conversation between Fine's wife and the boy who was abused where it seems as if she knew about the abuse.

Both outlets released the tape on Nov. 27th, well after the abuse allegations of both Sandusky from Penn State and Fine were out and open in the media.

Both outlets said that they didn't release the tapes or do a story on them because they couldn't verify the truth of the allegations at the time.  However, neither outlet reported the tapes to the police.  Which is scary.  The fact that they knew that there was possible sexual abuse was going on and they did nothing to help these boys.

I think as a media source we have an obligation to protect minors from those who can hurt them, especailly if we know it's going on.  I find it disgusting that ESPN and the Post-Standard would allow not knowing if it was true to stop them from reporting it. They could have saved so many other young people and they didn't.  They dropped the ball.  They ignored a chance to be a hero.

With a new Penn State accuser this is the time for the media to step up and give all the info that they know.