Money. Power. Journalism.

Being a journalism major, the future of print is discussed thoroughly, if not overly so, in all of my classes. The point is exhausted. However, while making my daily visit to good.is I found a new point of view from a blogger who was discussing something Michelle Malkin of Townhall and National Review Online wrote.  

Malkin had previously "joked" about a countdown to a print media bailout. However, that may not be far from reality.  With every other industry heading down the poop shoot, is journalism soon to follow and be brought under the "quick to rescue everything" government that has shown up in the past month?

Malkin said: "How “free” can a “free press” be if it is leveraged with government funding? How free would they be to criticize other corporate enterprises seeking local, state or federal help to keep them afloat in hard times? A press beholden to the ruling class—a press that cannot stand on its own two feet and the strength of its product—is a press better off dead." 

She makes a good point but then there are the outlets of the BBC and PBS who are very much exceptions to the rule.  However, if people stopped needing the reliability of print media, which I hope and pray won't happen, I don't even want to begin to think of the consequences.  This all seems like a worst case scenario.  Yes, numbers will drop in magazines and newspapers published, but only in an Orwellian 1984 world should government ownership ever be imagined.  And if it comes to that, let us hope in those who are being educated in journalism today and tomorrow receive the knowledge to know that any thing of this sort would be a calamity. 

The Best News Is GOOD News

The creative folks over at GOOD magazine have given their website a revamp which extends beyond the magazine and includes all that is good and thought worthy.

My favorite addition, which is also my new daily habit, is GOOD News. Roger Numbers, the little blue news anchor, leads viewers through new information everyday that one most likely will not hear elsewhere but is dually worth hearing.

GOOD News brings in recording artists, scientists, politicians and people from every facet of life to help tell the day's story. It's always interesting to hear what the little blue man named Numbers has to say. And for a piece of animation, he has some very realistic facial expressions.

So, once again, the ever evolving people at GOOD are giving their readership/viewership something fresh to digest and react to. Here are some of my favorite GOOD News broadcasts:

"GOOD News: What A Week"
http://www.good.is/?p=13190

"GOOD News: McCain vs. McClane"
http://www.good.is/?p=12880

"GOOD News: John Hodgman"
http://www.good.is/?p=12782

Barack says "Bye-Bye" to BlackBerry

For many, President-elect Barack Obama embodies a youthfulness that no other president has before. Obama has taken that youthfulness to a new standard by being extremely dependent on techonologies that no other president has utilized.

Obama may be the first president to have a laptop on his desk in the oval office and during his election was never seen without his BlackBerry. Although Obama has every good intention of finally catching the presidency up withthe 21st century, aides are telling him that it may not be a good idea.

No matter how much Obama wants to continue his constant correspondance over the internet with his high-tech tools, cyberspace is easily hackable and information easily stolen. Presidents are also under harsh scrutiny and almost any information sent or recieved is public information. These are the two main reasons aides to Obama are saying his BlackBerry has to go.

I have mixed feelings on whether Obama should be able to keep his BlackBerry and other gadgets. I hadn't realized until I read this article that this could even be an issue. I would love to see Obama be able to keep typing away on his Blackberry, however I would hate it even more if something terrible happened because someone hacked into the president's private information.

Decide for yourself and read the whole article here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/16/us/politics/16blackberry.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=obama+blackberry&st=nyt

Cat Head: Making the Blues Cool Again

Roger Stolle is making the blues cool again. Stolle, a speaker at Ole Miss's journalism week shared his story of finding and falling in love with the blues. Stolle takes the otherwise forgotten stories of Mississippi bluesmen and makes them come to life again through his store in Clarkesdale, Miss., Cat Head, or the documentaries. CDs, and his other promotions.

I was very impressed with what Stolle has done and is doing in Clarkesdale. It's a forgotten and some say, dying city. The blues deserve to live on and Stolle is doing an amazing job of keeping that spirit alive.

Stolle's presentation of his movies were very impressive and what he said about Clarkesdale made me want to visit there the next time I can.

His lecture on Wednesday was especially important to me because what he is doing is similar to something I want to do. I have no real interest in the blues, but I share his entrepreneural streak. I want to bake. As laughable as that sounds for someone who is about to graduate with a journalism degree, I wholly enjoy baking, making sandwiches with all fresh materials, and I want to learn to brew a really good cup of coffee. Stolle's lecture encouraged me to do what I love and although it may not seem like it, my journalism training will help.

The Branches of Democratic Journalism

Recently, I interviewed a fellow classmate for an article assignment. I've noticed Karen Shainyan in some of my classes before having Editing (Jour 379) with him this fall and I thought I would use the article as an excuse to finally meet him.

Karen is a graduate student from Russia who is studying journalism on a fellowship. He is in his third semester studying at Ole Miss and in December, he is defending his thesis and going back to Russia.

During my interview with Karen, we began talking about the current state of Russia and how journalism is practiced there compared to America. He began telling me how all of the TV channels are very loyal to the government and the things the government wants to say. The only balanced and objective media outlets in Russia, he said, were the liberal newspapers. Sadly, these newspapers are only available to the highly educated elite class.

Writing this article and talking to Karen refreshed my memory to what a great country America really is. As a journalist, or training to be a journalist, we can say anything we want to within ethical standards. We do not have to deal with any type of censorship, but Karen says he has to deal with the worst kind, self-censorship.

Dr. Samir Husni, the chair of Ole Miss journalism department said that a foreigner once emailed him and asked him where he could apply for a license to start a publication. Dr. Husni proudly emailed him back with, "'My friend, in this country, you don't need a license. There is something called the First Amendment that gives you the right to publish whatever you want.' If [people] see nothing but those powerful 45 words that we refer to as the First Amendment, that even Congress of the United States, even the legislative arm of the country cannot do anything about and cannot touch, as we say here in the South, 'Ain't nothin' like it.'"

Dr. Husni also talked about the responsibility the journalism faculty has to educated students like Karen and how it is imperative that he be given the tools to effectuate change when he goes back home to Russia.

"The concept of freedom is definitely exportable,” Husni said. “The concept of balance and objectivity is definitely exportable. Just the mere fact that you package a newspaper, put it in a box and ship it overseas and say ‘do like this,’ that doesn’t work. Journalism is rooted in the community. They can look at all the branches that are reaching all over the world and learn from us, take some of our fruit, but they have to plant their own seeds.”

Let Your Horoscope Tell You Who To Vote For

Good Magazine recently compiled a list of the 1,565 reasons to vote in the upcoming presidential election. Reason # 1,149: Let astrology decide how your going to vote.

The article goes through the humorous findings and that the planets and stars have created for voters. The planets have aligned and according to any horoscope (found anywhere, in any publication) they are mysteriously and ambiguously correct.

"Astrologically, the polarity that exists in this election between the Republicans and the Democrats is a symbolic contest of the celestial opposition between the planets Saturn and Uranus. It’s a rather rare occurrence and will culminate around election time and last through 2009."

The people at Good not only go through the astrological repercussions of this election but each candidates personality and how the stars created Obama and McCain to clash. It was meant to happen because it was written in the stars.

Look at the whole article here: http://www.good.is/?p=12516
Or read some other reason's why: http://www.good.is/?p=12617

As always Good continues to appeal to all the reasons why people should give a damn and participate in something wholly good as voting in a presidential election.

Obama gets double boost

Presidential candidate Barack Obama got a double boost in his campaign over the weekend. Former Secretary of State, Colin Powell, gave his endorsement to Obama which gives him a good chance of votership among independents. This is one more reason why I think Obama's momentum will help him continue to overshadow John McCain's campaign.

The second boost Obama recieved this weekend was through his donantions, which hit record numbers: totally $150 million this month (double of what he recieved in August. ) This is also will will also help him overtake McCain from every part of the country.

Will this push Obama through to the end? Well, it will certainly help.

Look at the article here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/20/us/politics/20campaign.html?th&emc=th