Media Mayhem

Spot News!

2008-08-11T07:05:00.000-04:00

This short educational film dates back to 1937. Oh, how times have changed.

Harvard Magazine 2.0

2008-08-08T08:07:00.003-04:00

The Digital Natives Project asks:

"Is Harvard Magazine Coping in a Digital Age?"

(via the Berkman Buzz )

Tags: magazines, harvard, news, journalism, media

Citizen Media Legal Guide

2008-08-07T22:05:00.003-04:00

The Citizen Media Law Project recently launched an online guide to media law. This guide is a great resource for anyone who publishes anything online -- bloggers, web developers, professional journalists, olde skool media companies, nonprofit organizations, journo-preneurs who want to start their own media empire ... you name it.

It clocks in at a whopping 575+ pages, but it's broken up into eight parts, with sub-chapters and topics that are well-organized and easy to find.

Topics include a brief primer on how to launch your own website or blog... how to start a business online....how copyrights, trademarks, and patents work.....the legal risks of publishing reader comments....how to correct or retract stuff that's been published on the web....and the pros and cons of blogging anonymously.

Here's the press release from the Berkman Center for Internet & Society, announcing the launch of the guide. It's definitely worth checking out.

Tags: newsroom, newspapers, news, journalism, media, blogging

Helping the "Almost-Journalists" Do Journalism

2008-08-04T13:34:00.007-04:00

Dan Gillmor ponders the future of advocacy journalism:

"Doing journalism at its most basic level is a combination of two essential tasks. The first is reporting — gathering information via research, interviews, etc. The second part is telling your audience what you’ve learned — writing (in the broadest sense, including video, audio, graphics and more) and editing. The demolition of the professional journalism business model has led to a sharp decline, one I don’t see slowing anytime soon, in traditional media. Many people in the field have been asking an obvious question with a not-so-obvious answer: Who will do the serious journalism we need in the future?"

....you can read his full post here, and you'll find some interesting comments at the end.

(via the Berkman Buzz )

Tags: newsroom, newspapers, news, journalism, media

New York Times-esque graffiti

2008-08-03T23:07:00.004-04:00

You're probably familiar with this New York Times logo:

...when I visited New York City over the weekend, I spotted this on a truck that was parked on the lower east side:

Tags: street art, newspapers, New York Times, graffiti, journalism, media

The Changing Newsroom

2008-07-30T07:37:00.000-04:00

Earlier this week, The Project for Excellence in Journalism came out with a report on the changes going on in today's newsrooms.

One thing that caught my attention...is that national and foreign news is getting the boot:

...and media outlets are focusing more on local news.

Personally, I think the push toward "hyperlocal" coverage in the media industry has been a bit overblown. I mean really....these days, parents can get their kid's school lunch menu from the school district's website...and they can check out their Little League team scores online. They don't need to buy a newspaper (or log on to a separate website) for that kind of stuff...

I wish there was a push for more coverage of international news. I realize this is impossible, given the state of the media industry at the moment. But I mean, c'mon....we're living in a post-9/11 world, with an increasingly globalized economy....and we're in the middle of a war overseas. To lean towards more local coverage, during a time like this....it just seems so wrong. Like we're sticking our heads in the sand.

Dan Kennedy views the report a bit differently in this Guardian column; he rightly points out that today readers can get international news from all different sources all over the world, via the web.

Tags: newsroom, newspapers, news, journalism, media

Yankee Quill Awards

2008-07-30T06:52:00.002-04:00

On Monday, July 21, I went up to the Lawrence Eagle-Tribune to help choose this year's Yankee Quill Award winners....

The Yankee Quill award is an honor that “recognizes the effort and dedication of those in New England who have had a broad influence for good in the field of journalism.” In other words, it's like a lifetime achievement award. There were 11 nominees this year...and we chose three winners.

and this year's winners are...

::drum roll::

Al Larkin, the executive VP of The Boston Globe who retired in May
John Howe, general manager of the Laconia Citizen
Nelson K. Benton, editorial page editor of the Salem News

The awards will be presented at a dinner this fall hosted by the New England Society of Newspaper Editors on Friday, Nov. 14.

Some folks may not even be aware of the Yankee Quill award. It's open to journalists who work in all types of media, not just newspapers. You can download the nomination form for the 2009 Yankee Quill awards here. Please spread the word!

Tags: newspapers, journalism, media

SPJ Convention & National Journalism Conference

2008-07-26T08:06:00.000-04:00

The 2008 SPJ Convention & Journalism Conference is just around the corner....but unfortunately, I won't be able to attend.

Is anyone else from the New England chapter planning to go?

If you register by July 28, you can snag the early-bird discount and save some dough. You can register online or by calling Linda Hall at (317) 927-8000, ext. 203.

The Hyatt Regency Atlanta will be offering cheap hotel room rates through Aug. 6, or until SPJ's reserved block o' rooms fills up. Check out the SPJ's convention page for the complete schedule, hotel and travel info, roommate requests and other conference details.

Can Creativity Be Crowdsourced?

2008-07-26T07:04:00.000-04:00

The Berkman Center for Internet & Society hosts informal luncheons that anyone can attend (as long as you RSVP in advance - those seats fill up quickly).

Here's the scoop on next week's installment of the Berkman Luncheon Series:

"Can Creativity Be Crowdsourced?"

with guest speaker Jon Ippolito

Tuesday, July 29, 12:30 PM
Berkman Center Conference Room
23 Everett St., 2nd Floor, Cambridge MA

Free admission....RSVP required
To reserve a seat, email: rsvp@cyber.law.harvard.edu

Podcast: The future of paidContent and online media

2008-07-25T20:25:00.002-04:00

"How do you go from being a broke journalist to building a multi-million dollar media company?"

The entrepreneurial blog Venture Voice answers that question by interviewing an enterprising journo-preneur: Rafat Ali.

Ali founded paidContent.org, which was was recently acquired by Guardian News & Media for a lot of $$.

Listen to the Venture Voice podcast here.

(via Cyberjournalist)

Web 2.0 Tips for Journalists

2008-07-25T06:55:00.005-04:00

Manage Your Online Rep
What happens when someone types your name into Google? ("Oh wow! There's a photo of Joe performing a perfect keg stand in college! Hey, look at this obscenity-laced blog post he wrote back in 2002!") If you're not happy with what turns up in those search results, here are some things you can do to improve your online reputation. (via Lifehacker)

Track Down Anyone Online

Trying to find someone? Here are some handy online resources you may not be aware of. (via Lifehacker)

Social Networking, Journo Style
The January issue of Quill magazine had an interesting article about the various ways reporters can use social networking sites. There’s also a bunch of social networking groups created specifically for journalists. Here are some networks that I belong to:

Boston Journalists Myspace Group
New England SPJ Facebook Group
Wired Journalists
SPJ's Ning Network
SPJ's Facebook Group
New England SPJ's LinkedIn Group

Hone Your Skillz
NewsUniversity offers some free online courses that you can take anytime. Check out "Five Steps To Multimedia Storytelling," "Telling Stories With Sound," and "How To Build & Engage Local Audiences Online." They only take a couple of hours to complete, and you can go at your own pace.

Tags: social networking, social media, linkedin, technology, journalism, media

Get the Inside Scoop on the Airline Industry

2008-07-25T06:44:00.008-04:00

The Foundation for American Communications, in association with SPJ, will present Unfriendly Skies: Airlines in Crisis, a tele-seminar for journalists on Thursday, August 7 at 2 p.m.

The presentation is free for working journalists, but advanced registration is required. Click here to RSVP.

Social Networking Is Not a Business....At Least Not Yet

2008-07-24T22:56:00.006-04:00

In the latest issue of MIT's Technology Review, Bryant Urstadt writes about the business of social networking:

"Facebook, according to ComScore's latest research, saw 33.9 million unique U.S. visitors in January 2008, nearly double the number from the previous January (but down by about 2 percent from December 2007). MySpace doubled Facebook's numbers again, with nearly 72 million unique visitors in the same month. Nevertheless, the sites seem largely incapable of generating revenues commensurate with their popularity."

Urstadt's report includes some bleak projections for major social-networking sites (i.e. Facebook will likely lose $150 million this year) and informative graphs that illustrate the teeny-tiny slice of the online advertising pie that is currently spent on social-networking sites.... a slice that isn't expected to grow that much over the next few years.

Here's a link to the complete article: "Social Networking Is Not A Business* (But It Might Be Soon)".

Tags: social networking, social media, facebook, myspace, journalism, media

Gonzo journalism

2008-07-08T22:54:00.004-04:00

I'd like to see this movie.

The evolution of Boston slang

2008-05-25T18:18:00.001-04:00

In my latest video, Billy Baker and I talk about tonic, dungarees, bobos, and other Boston words:

Wicked Good Bostonisms Come and Go
The Boston Globe - May 25, 2008

MTV's new show about newspapering

2008-04-11T06:33:00.000-04:00

MTV's new series, "The Paper" will premiere on April 14th. After watching the trailer, I assumed it was a fictional comedy show about students who work at their high school newspaper...but apparently it's unscripted. And they're already casting for next season:

MTV News & Docs is casting for another season of The Paper, which chronicles the inner workings and outside lives of a high school newspaper staff. The chosen staff will take us through the story breaks and stressful deadlines all the while balancing the normal pressures of high school. We're looking for interesting, inquisitive young journalists to share their lives with us... and a proud, dedicated school that's willing to open up their doors to our producers. [Filming would take place next semester, in fall '08.] Interested parties should contact Claresa Mandola, Casting Director, to discuss making a video application: (212) 654-4871 or castingspring08@mtvstaff.com. (Make sure to include your name and phone number!)

Online mag takes multimedia to a new level...

2008-03-30T06:58:00.008-04:00

Wanna see what the future holds for magazines? Well, when you have a spare moment, you should check out Flyp. It's a new online publication that's full of multimedia goodness, like this feature story on The American Dream.

Commenting on Globe blogs

2008-03-13T15:09:00.006-04:00

The Globe's nightlife blog, Go To It (formerly known as Flipside), has mostly been a one-sided conversation....until now.

I'm happy to say that readers can now post comments to the blog. For real...check it out, and spread the word.

---

Sole Survivor

2008-01-24T20:34:00.000-05:00

Here's a video I made about Alden Shoe Co., one of the few American footwear companies that produces shoes in the US.

shoes, video, Massachusetts, journalism, media

Investigative Journalism, Global Economics, and Unanswered Questions

2008-01-09T16:13:00.000-05:00

A couple of months ago, The Observer published this jarring report about children in India slaving away in factories to produce clothing for The Gap.

The Gap said that the factory was operated by an unauthorized subcontractor of one of their subcontractors, and they had no idea what was going on in there. Other publications followed up on the Gap's response.

I give major props to the reporter who uncovered this story, and I'd love to read more of this kind of investigative journalism on the business beat. Of course, I realize most media outlets can't afford to send out correspondents to the far-flung factories of the world, to navigate the ever-growing labyrinth of supply chains forged through globalization.

But damn, I would really like to know more about this stuff. There must be other folks out there who feel the same. Seriously. I'm so tired of reading newspaper and magazine articles that are merely reviews of some new gadget or fashion, which serves more as an advertisement for the company than it does for anything else.

Because here are the questions I always wonder, whenever I read about a product: "Where does this come from? Who made it? Are they okay? And how does this thing impact the environment? Will it be leaching toxins into the environment centuries after I'm gone?"

But I rarely find answers to those questions in standard product reviews found in most magazines and newspapers. More often than not, an article about a product names the company, but doesn't say where the product is manufactured, how many workers its takes to make one, how much those workers get paid, the long-term (and short-term) impact(s) the product has on the environment, etc.

I'm not the only one looking for answers. The city of San Fransisco has tried to enforce an anti-sweatshop ordinance, to make sure that city contracts bought products that were made under fair and safe working conditions. You'd think that would be feasible for at least one American company to do, in order to land a sweet contract with a big city. But get this - the companies that bid on the contracts...they refused to reveal their subcontractors. And San Francisco had to rethink their regulations.

I'd love to see more in-depth reporting on the companies that operate right here in our backyards.

Don't consumers deserve to know exactly what they're buying? Even if you don't think they are....I think a lot of them -- as well as public officials, investors, shareholders, etc. -- would be very interested to know.

....Aren't you?

tags: media , newspapers , journalists, journalism, sweatshops, economics

Introducing.....the New England Media Network

2007-12-01T21:12:00.000-05:00

I've updated the New England SPJ website. It now features all the latest media job listings in our area, and other cool stuff. Check it out, let me know what you think.

-- Emily Sweeney

Bloodfeast rocked!

2007-11-01T00:01:00.000-04:00

Thanks to everyone who came out to Bloodfeast on Saturday night!

I saw so many people who I wanted to say hi to and dance with...and then it seemed like...*boom*, the night was over, and I never got the chance to. The night went by too quickly.

Here's one of the many highlights of the evening. I shot this video from the DJ booth, during the amazing performance by [:angeldustrial:].

In this particular clip, you'll see Sarah shoving the guy who randomly wandered up on stage and rudely attempted to interrupt their show.

(You'll also hear me saying something like, "What the hell - who is that?" and see that I momentarily lost my steady hand, and accidentally panned away from the stage :-( ...and, as a result, I missed the moments when Bobby and Andy swiftly sprung into action and pulled the rude guy down to the floor.)

More videos to come. I'm going through the footage, and I'll be posting more soon....stay tuned.

-

Bloodfeast Media Party + Halloween Bash!

2007-10-19T00:31:00.000-04:00

This Halloween party is going to be rad. And it's for a good cause -- it raises $$ for the New England SPJ journalism scholarship fund:

Bloodfeast Media Party + Halloween Bash!
Saturday, October 27, 2007
9pm - 2am
Machine Nightclub
1254 Boylston St., Boston
Cost: $15

You can get a $5 discount if you RSVP in advance.

----

The New New Journalism

2007-10-09T00:15:00.000-04:00

Photo Credit: Toan Trinh

The panel discussion at UMass went really well. A video of our talk is now online, and you can download audio podcast from the New England News Forum site.

Here are links to more press coverage:

Multimedia world challenges journalists, speakers tell UMass forum- Daily Hampshire Gazette

Journalism department hosts guest lecture trio - The Daily Collegian

Journalism Lecture Held On Campus - The Daily Collegian

--

Read all about it

2007-10-02T17:31:00.000-04:00

Here's what the what The Daily Collegianan had to say about yesterday's multimedia panel at UMASS.