Independent Media Investment Proposal

There were many great presentations and business ideas pitched within the past two weeks. However, after much consideration, I have finally made my suggestion for the board: I believe we should consider backing Elma Gonzalez’s project, Exchange Easy. It serves a highly specific audience in great need: people trying to cross the border between Baja, California and Tijuana, Mexico. There is a need to exchange money, and many different exchange stores with competing prices are lined along the long wait to cross the border.  This need to find the best exchange rate is never going to fade, and can be easily expanded to other borders and exchange rate areas nationally and globally.

I feel her  idea would translate into a great business model because it can be easily converted to many mediums with a relatively small staff and a simple marketing plan.  She can start with the website that would be updated with a constant live feed. Runners, teens, interns or young adults who are being paid minimum wage would send her updates on the prices.  She could then expand this to a mobile app after the business gets off the ground, but waiting to make the app would  not inhibit her because most people could check her website from the internet on their phones until the app is created. Marketing could be in the form of billboards that line the border crossing and the radio — a very under used form of marketing currently, but perfect for her target audience: people traveling in cars, stuck in traffic for long periods of time with nothing else to do but listen to the radio.

The only foreseeable problem I saw in Elma’s presentation was the want for individual businesses to update their own prices. I  could picture dishonesty or a lack of motivation to update the site frequently. However,  in conversations after the presentation the idea of paid runners was brought about that made the most sense. I think Elma is really on to something with her pitch. It serves a particular niche in a new, exciting and feasible way. Exchange Easy is my personal investment suggestion to the board.

Final Pitch Powerpoint

Not Ready To Make Nice

Some people say they really are not a fan of country music. Well, many radio stations took this to a new level after the Dixie Chicks’ lead singer Natalie Maines told an audience in London, England that they were not happy with President George W. Bush, saying, “Just so you know, we’re ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas.” This was just days before the Iraq invasion.

Even fans reacted poorly. Bossier City, outside Barksdale Air Force Base, a tractor sales company and radio station combined efforts to hold a “Chicks Bash” rally where they ran over the group’s CDs with a tractor.

It seemed the Chicks were getting no airtime and no fan support just because they had opposing views in a time of war. And that's exactly what happened. They were put on the list of anti-war songs not to be played on air because it did not reinforce the message of unity and allegiance the country was trying to portray.  And they are not the only musicians that suffered for being anti-patriotic. Every Rage Against the Machine song was on this list of music not to play. And that was just the horrifying start.

When the Dixie Chicks finally got back on their feet again and made their comeback, they produced the song "Not Ready To Make Nice" and a highly political music video to go along with it.

Check it out here.

Natalie Maines made about President George W. Bush during a recent performance in London.
Maines told the audience earlier this week, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81093,00.html#ixzz2DT9GL0IQ

Natalie Maines made about President George W. Bush during a recent performance in London.
Maines told the audience earlier this week, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81093,00.html#ixzz2DT9GL0IQ

Natalie Maines made about President George W. Bush during a recent performance in London.
Maines told the audience earlier this week, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81093,00.html#ixzz2DT9GL0IQ

Natalie Maines made about President George W. Bush during a recent performance in London.
Maines told the audience earlier this week, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81093,00.html#ixzz2DT9GL0IQ

Natalie Maines made about President George W. Bush during a recent performance in London.
Maines told the audience earlier this week, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81093,00.html#ixzz2DT97Ty1x

Natalie Maines made about President George W. Bush during a recent performance in London.
Maines told the audience earlier this week, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81093,00.html#ixzz2DT97Ty1x

Natalie Maines made about President George W. Bush during a recent performance in London.
Maines told the audience earlier this week, "Just so you know, we're ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas."


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,81093,00.html#ixzz2DT97Ty1x

Silencing An African Voice: Part Two

 

Nollywood does not only face categorical challenges but also economic-- a similar challenge for many alternative and/or independent media outlets. It can be difficult for Nollywood and African films to earn a place in the global marketplace because the leading powers in film distribution are primarily from the west. According to Ukadike from the text Conversations With Filmmakers, “If you look at the African American experience, all of their music; their creative and intellectual property, is owned, patented, and copyrighted by white people.”

Africa does not have distribution policy or right in its own countries. In reality, the U.S. has a false distribution arrangement where African films can be checked out of libraries and watched for free, rather than paid for. African intellectual property is not given any value. For example, California Newsreel is a token organization that prevents African films for free. Most of the filmmakers are not rewarded with any distribution payment. Even worse, when looking at the types of films this organization acquires for distribution it is clear they interfere with the production process, selectively deciding the types of films that are to be made if the filmmaker wants to be distributed internationally. It is because of this process African filmmakers are torn between striving to accommodate their films to this discourse and the need to sell their films to paying audiences, and the quite different expectations of what a good film should be. African film is not given any value in the global market or disseminating process because any type of idea or voice from Africa is not valued in a world frozen in a colonial mindset.

  

Many independent media outlets face similar economic problems. Even some of the most successful outlets like Huffington Post have joined more mainstream outlets, like AOL, for the money. If they can't resist the temptation then how are smaller outlets? Many independent media outlets get funds through memberships and subscriptions, or donations. Many Nollywood films get funding through donations, however without distribution payment and with expensive and limited equipment needed, Nollywood films are not as numerous as they could be-- meaning the African voice is not as loud as it could be due to economic restrictions and limitations.

A Westernized African Voice

In the world of cinematography, the type of lens a filmmaker uses can change how the viewer visualizes the story being told. A lens can be colored, distorted, clarified, magnified. These visual perspectives then shape the way we look at the image and interpret it. But one does not need to be a filmmaker to use lenses as a way to visualize the world. Everyone has a perspective; everyone views the world through a different metaphorical lens. Every time we write an article, we must acknowledge it is from a particular lens, or point of view. As Roy Richard Grinker and Christopher B. Steiner point out, “when we look at something we always, necessarily, look from somewhere else.”

Unfortunately, the lens the west uses to view Africa has an effect on the country’s representation globally. Africa is seen by many through the distorting lens of colonialism. The concepts of family, kingship, tribes, civilization, culture, and savageness are all derived from this time of colonialism. This historic language is constantly reinforced today, especially in film and media, by western civilization. However, when we view film and Africa only through this colonial lens, we are undermining the emergence of the African film industry as a mode of self-retrieval and resistance, a mode of finding a voice and reclaiming history, as well its future. 

This issue of imposing a western perspective on an African voice was evaluated through a slightly sarcastic article from Granta magazine. The magazine was founded in 1889 by students at Cambridge University as The Granta, a periodical of student politics, student badinage and student literary enterprise. Since its rebirth in 1979, "Granta has published many of the world’s finest writers tackling some of the world’s most important subjects, from intimate human experiences to the large public and political events that have shaped our lives." 

The article, How To Write About Africa by Binyavanga Wainaina, actually acts as a guideline of what not to do, mentioning the most common offenses amongst most journalists and media outlets. For example he writes, "In your text, treat Africa as if it were one country. It is hot and dusty with rolling grasslands and huge herds of animals and tall, thin people who are starving. Or it is hot and steamy with very short people who eat primates. Don’t get bogged down with precise descriptions." The work ends with my favorite line, "Always end your book with Nelson Mandela saying something about rainbows or renaissances. Because you care." 

I was so shocked and horrified by the truth of this article. This descriptions can be found in almost every mainstream media western media outlet. Take for example, National Geographic's special issue on Africa. The site's main stories include an African safari live web cam, a story on AIDS, a look at the Congo's Mbuti Pygmies tribe and a story on oil-- with pictures of strong African men bare chested. Not one of these stories help to further or work against these stereotypes and misrepresentation mentioned by Wainaina. Where is the African voice in media?

Nollywood can be considered an alternative form of media to the western perceptions of Africa. This localized film does not carrying the ever-present narrative that Africa needs to be saved or spoken for. According to Mahir Saul and Ralph Austen, “That narrativization is speech fashioned out of its locality and defined in the hybrid mobilization of the technology of video.” And Nollywood is actually the third largest film industry in the world. 

Is the African film industry of Nollywood technically independent media? No. But it is alternative media to the predominant westernized voice on African issues that dominates the global understanding of the continent.  And for that, I think the growth of Nollywood and African media is important to the growth of all independent and alternative media because it means the growth of reclamation of all silenced voices on a global level.

A Call to Divest

We all chose to come to Ithaca College for one reason or another, whether that was academic programs, gorgeous gorges or the No.1 college town. For some, they chose to come here for one of the college’s five main values: commitment to sustainability.

Yet, what good are the degrees we are earning in college if the world in which we could use them no longer exists due to global warming? This is the question many IC students involved with the Divest Campaign are asking to try to stir action amongst students and the college’s board of trustees. The group is actually a coalition between many clubs on campus, modeled after the GA’s from the Occupy movement.

The Divest For Our Future Campaign is a partnership between Better Future Project, Students for a Just and Stable Future and 350.org. According to Divest For Our Future, their main goal is to “have all college and university presidents and boards to immediately freeze any new investment in fossil fuel companies and divest from direct or indirect ownership of fossil fuel stocks and bonds within 5 years.”

There are 22 campus campaigns nationally, including at the IC and Cornell campuses. The IC Divest campaign has been directly directed toward the college’s board of trustees, calling upon them to divest.

“One of the elements of that fiduciary responsibility is that trustees have oversight of investing the endowment in a way that promises the best possible monetary returns so as to help subsidize high quality educational programs, provide student financial aid, and so forth,” Ithaca College President Tom Rochon said. “However, it also means investing the endowment in a way that is in alignment with the mission and values of the college.”

There are 200 publically traded companies that hold a majority of the world’s coal, oil and gas reserves. These are the companies the project hopes colleges and universities will divest from, instead investing in clean energy to build a strong, local, green economy. In a statement from the national campaign, “The mission of higher education is to provide individuals with the tools, resources, and knowledge to have an influence on the world around them. Our schools invest in our future. Yet at the same time, they are supporting corporations that are actively threatening the future of all life on earth.”

Fossil fuel companies are polluting the earth without paying for the damages they are causing directly to ecosystems and indirectly through sever weather caused by increased global climate change.

“You don’t think about investing where the money is,” IC Divest student leader Allison Currier said. “We think about green building and using compostable material and recycling and that all is really good and important but to make real change you need to make it from the inside out and you need to move money because we live in a capitalist system where money drives everything.”

With a $200 million endowment at stake, you would think this movement would be getting more attention by the college media, as well as the national mainstream media. However, there are virtually no news stories on this campaign. This is because news stations have become directly tied to huge corporations, many in the oil industry. For example, Exxon Mobil sponsored CNN’s election night coverage. And they were being transparent; many national news stations do not disclose their ties to major corporations like GM, BP and more.

As students trying to preserve our future for our families, selves and world, we have a right to want the institutions we attend to divest from the companies that threaten that future, However, until the national media can also divest, there will be no fair coverage or pressure put on this institutions to want to make a change in this capitalistic system. And $200 million is a small endowment; imagine the change that could occur with divestment from larger colleges, universities and organizations.

I think the media has a responsibility to shed light on this campaign and the wants of the American youth, regardless of sponsorships or corporate affiliations.

Broadening Discussions (even after victory)

I was very excited to see President Tom Rochon rescinded the media policy this week. It was an unfair policy that seemed to be more for a corporation rather than a college. 

However, in our celebration I think we must also keep a skeptical eye on the top to bottom hierarchy this institution seems to be embracing in all areas of the college. Yes, we won the battle but not the war. We should not forget that the reason Rochon terminated the policy was because the Society of Professional Journalist’s panel members discussion with the president and the board. It was not because of faculty discontent. It was not because of student protests. 

We are in an institution that hears us but is not listening. Senior Rob Flaherty said it best in this week’s Ithacan article: “I don’t want the repeal to take away from broader discussions that need to happen on campus about the decision-making process here and the sort of perceived corporatization and centralization of campus.” 

Live Blogging: David Cay Johnston

Minute by minute coverage with David Cay Johnston during his visit to Ithaca College's Independent Media class.

2:40 p.m. "The only degree I have is night high school... but I never stayed at any college for more than 30 units."

• Has enough credits for a masters, went to 8 colleges, but never got a degree from any of them

2:45 p.m. "Before I came along, the LAPD was treated like a god like institution from the LA Times."

2:48 p.m. "I took the LA Times places where they never intended to go."

• referring to LAPD political spying and abuses
• the intelligence unit was not being controlled

2:57 p.m. "A few days after this blind date, I went to this police social function...No matter how mad Gates was he would always talk to me... because he wanted to know what I was doing and that what Henry Kissinger's way."

• Johnston's bind date was spyed on, tried to use intimidation factors on him
• that first date, blind date is now Johnston's wife

3:03 p.m. "I have to manage my editors and figure out how to get things into the paper"

• Editors jobs would be on the line so the LA Times did not want this story covered 

3:12 p.m. "You will have the same work, but not the same benefits and that's not all due to the economics facing all news organizations."

• IRE has gone down 16%, but journalists 30% decrease

3:14 p.m. Take law, public communications courses, learn numbers because you will be able to turn them into useful things

3:17 p.m. "My head is kind of a spreadsheet."

• this is a way Johnston makes numbers easy to understand for his readers

3:18 p.m. "The CIA Factbook is a trove of information."

3:20 p.m. "You'll have bad editors, you'll have good ones. You'll have bad producers and you'll have good ones. But you'll also have people who make you look better than you deserve."

3:22 p.m. "Editors: they have real power."

• They have the power to put a huge investigative piece on page 87 

3:24 p.m. "There are no rules in journalism they there are only judgement but because you sign your name to everything you write you have to live with those judgements." 

3:25 p.m.  "George W. Bush was sold to the American people as a product."

3:30 p.m. "Once you tell me what the bar is and I hit the bar you got to put it in the paper."

3:36 p.m. "Disclosure is the best disinfectant," Professor Jeff Cohen said.

3:35 p.m. "If you are just Joe-Schmo and I am interviewing you, I will give you a tremendous amount of leeway...If you are Bill Clinton I am not going to cut you any slack under and circumstances." 

David Cay Johnston's Coming To Town!

I am so thrilled that the IC chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists is hosting Pulitzer prize winner David Cay Johnston tomorrow night in Textor 101 at 7 p.m. Johnston is an incredible investigative reporter, mainly focusing on areas of taxes and economics that evaluates the idea of the 1 percent. Johnston also is the current president for Investigative Reporters and Editors. His third book, The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use "Plain English" to Rob You Blind, was just released and is becoming a big hit.

So why should we care about this speaker? Because investigative reporting, finding a story in the silences, defines independent media. This is exactly Johnston's message.

Interested in hearing more about his economic views and his new book? Check out his interview on Democracy Now here.

Interested in seeing him in person?! Stop by Textor 101 at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, November 13th.

The Horrors of Factory Farms

When Upton Sinclair published The Jungle in 1906 he blew the cover off of the hidden bad practices and corruption of the American meatpacking industry during the early 20th century. Now the book is  often interpreted as an account of the poor working conditions in the industry. Yet Sinclair would be tossing and turning in his grave if he could see the state of the factory farming business today-- specifically the meat industry.

The News 21 food and health reporting project by UC Berkeley School of Journalism recently released a video called Farms, Lies and Videotapes. The video investigates Iowa livestock facilities. According to News 21, "One former investigator goes public for the first time to offer a rare glimpse at how these videos are made, and what’s at stake for farmers, animals and consumers."

So why is the food industry so secretive? So why is the mainstream media not reporting on this animal cruelty. When an individual is cruel to animals they are condemned legally and socially. When a corporation does it we call it business.

For my Plants, People and Food Production class we did a 48 hour food journal. We then called all of the corporations to try to figure out where the food we ate is coming from. The thing is, it is a mystery. For proprietary reasons we are not allowed to even know the state our food is coming from, let alone the farm itself.

And why did News 21 need to sneak a video camera into some of these factory farms? Because the farm has changed from the picturesque family business we all grew up singing about to an unethical business needed to stay behind closed doors. The animals are seen as livestock (live- property, not living being with feelings and pain). What is even more unfortunate is that many of these farmers disagree with the way these animals are being treated, but are stuck under the thumb of big industry in order to make a living.

But if these moral reasons are not enough to stir the consciousness of media to report on this issue, then maybe the health reasons are. The conditions of these animals lead to disease and bacteria in the food we eat.

Then my question is, with so many reasons for these controversial factories to be reported on, why is this story still unheard?

Dooms Day or Election Day?

As the map of the United States gets painted in blue and red, I cannot help but think of previous election days, and the poor mainstream media coverage of them. Because the news world has turned into a 24 hour world, the focus of journalism has become who can get the news out first instead of who can be the most accurate in their reporting. This can have extremely negative repercussions. It is not like mainstream media hasn't called the winner wrong before, just for the sake of getting the "answer" out there first.

But what will be this year's main obstacles. ProPublica came up with a list of seven things that could go wrong this election day (or already have).

1. Confusion of voter ID laws.
2. Hurricane Sandy
3. Shortened early voting in Florida (and frusteration)
4. Newly drawn districts' voters going to wrong areas
5. Provisional ballots take a long time to count
6. Voter suppression and intimidation
7. Tie in the electoral college

To me, two of the greatest issues on this list have to do with voter id laws and intimidation tactics because this is discouraging and taking away people's right to vote and have their voice heard. In Florida, voters are waiting for 4-6 hours just to vote, and many potential voters are turning away because of the inconvenience. Many of these long lines or lack of voting machines are in areas near colleges or with a large minority community. Coincidence? I personally doubt that it is seeing as those are the communities most likely to vote for Obama. And in areas where voting machines are plenty, the process is still not running smoothly. Some touch screen voting systems have been caught altering votes.

But are we hearing this in mainstream media? No. I just watch a map of the United States change colors, and I listen to arbitrary numbers thrown around in discussions about polling. Mainstream media is all about voter sanctification, whereas alternative media like ProPublica is actually covering the voter suppression.  

This is such a tight election, and such an important one, that everyone should be able to have their vote count. Because this election is huge. So go and vote. Take an active role and make sure you are going to your correct districts voting area and that your ballot is filled out accurately. Pay attention to media's coverage of the election with a critical eye. Because if there was ever a time to have an opinion or be passionate about something, it is now and it is this. 

I cast my vote, and with my eyes and ears glued to the election coverage, I am left crossing my fingers.

Reaction: The Internet is My Religion

I have always struggled with my spirituality and moral beliefs, and the teaching of the Catholic church. I believe God loves and supports everyone, including gay people. I believe you do not have to go to church to be a good person. I believe bad things happening to good people is not a punishment from God, but an unfortunate reality. I define myself as spiritual but have a hard time identifying with a specific religion.

However, I cannot help but to agree with Jim Gilliam's PDF 2011 speech. "As a child I believed in creationism, that the universe was created in 6 days. Today, we are the creators," said Gilliam.

We are all connected. And now we literally are all connected through the internet. People connected can create a new world. "Each one of us is a creator, but together we are the  creator."

Gilliam went on to talk about passion in the sense we are all unique, having different interests, but because of this we can all bring something new to this world we are constantly creating and recreating.

"We serve God best when we do what we love for the greatest cause we can imagine."

A look into Indian Tribes Independent Media

Sitting in the Ithaca College pub, I was brainstorming with my friends about my next blog post. What would I talk about this week regarding independent media?

"What about Indian tribes?" said Jason MacDermott, a junior anthropology major at IC. "If independent media is about voices being silenced my mainstream media than I think that's a perfect example."

I couldn't agree more. 

In mainstream media, the Indian tribe community and native Americans are largely ignored. In fact, they are largely ignored in history books as well (the story of Thanksgiving is not as friendly as elementary school made us think). However, because of this dark past, blogger Delvin Cree states that journalism is difficult for writers today who want to report news within reservation boundaries.

Let's look at the story of Bill Lawrence.

According to Cree, "Bill's effort in exposing the truth of what was happening on Minnesota reservations made someone mad enough to shoot bullets through his office windows in Bemidji. Even though an act of violence took place, he continued to be one one of the nation's most ferocious tribal government watchdogs."

He even won the Freedom of Information award in 2003 from the Society of Professional Journalists for his investigative reporting. But what is happening currently within this beat? I explored IndianCountryTodayMediaNetwork.com to find out.

The site covers world news, politics, business, veterans, the environment and more, all from the Indian perspective. This perspective is largely unheard, but this media organization is trying to give voice to this silenced population.


  

Look at me, I'm Sandra D.

That is, if "D" stood for destruction.

As funny as all the Grease spoofs have been during the coverage of Hurricane Sandy, it is a natural disaster that should not be talked about lightly. Ten people in NYC have already lost their lives. Nationally, over 20 people have been killed by Sandy. There are millions of dollars in damages and reconstructive costs.

In this recent coverage, we have heard plenty about damages, destruction and death. We have watched live radars of the storm. But what slipped mainstream media's news radar that directly affects those being rained upon by Sandy's unforgiving wrath? The fact that Governor Romney reportedly wants to eliminate funding to FEMA.

According to the Huffington Post, Governor Romney wants to allow states and private sector groups to take control of disaster relief as of a GOP primary debate last year. When asked recently what he would do and if he was going to go see some of the storm damage, Romney ignored the questions-- 14 times actually.

“Governor Romney believes that states should be in charge of emergency management in responding to storms and other natural disasters in their jurisdictions,” said campaign spokeswoman Amanda Henneberg in the Huffington Post article. “As the first responders, states are in the best position to aid affected individuals and communities and to direct resources and assistance to where they are needed most. This includes help from the federal government and FEMA.”

But how will this help the average American? If relief aid is privatized, isn't there a chance of an increase in price, which could be detrimental to a family who has just lost everything from a disaster?

And who are the people who usually stay or are living in the lower areas prone to flooding? People in poverty. But we don't talk about poverty in mainstream media, as pointed out in IC Senior Mariana Garces's article on Fair.org. So I guess it makes sense that we would not talk about how cutting FEMA would affect people in poverty because we don't address poverty in general. Yes, that is completely rational.

Sarcasm aside, this is a huge issue we need to address not only in election 2012, but also with news coverage in general. For now, I guess I will continue to go to independent news outlets like Huffington Post who will give me more of the whole story on Sandy and its greater implications.

An Undefinable Profession

Things are not always simple, not always black and white.

Media today has evolved from the naturalized and normalized way we think about journalists and news in general. This change is largely thanks to the internet. Now virtually anyone can contribute content and news stories, and then spread them to a global audience. However, many bloggers are facing opposition when seeking the same rights and access as other professional, mainstream media outlet journalists.


Mark Brunster of Laske Oswego is a blogger who understands this opposition greatly because he is currently facing it.

According to Oregonian: "As the author of political blog Loaded Orygun, Bunster insisted at a Lake Oswego City Council meeting that he was a member of the news media and therefore, under Oregon statute, allowed to sit in on executive session meetings. Lacking a clear policy on the issue, Lake Oswego city councilors asked Bunster to leave...Lake Oswego is considering adopting a policy that would define who qualifies as a member of the news media." 

Bloggers represent a myriad of local voices. They also do reporting and can sometimes get access into events that mainstream press cannot. Just because all bloggers may not be professional journalists, it doesn't mean they are not committing acts of journalism. Who are we to censor voices trying to get news out-- which by implementing this policy they would be legalizing the discrimination against bloggers and other smaller media outlets in their event coverage thereby censoring their content?

Look at one of the most influential political blogs today: Talking Points Memo. It started as a one man band, and was built to the huge success and large staff it has today. Would TPM have been able to succeed if a similar policy was in affect on a national level? Probably not.

People in support of Lake Oswego's policy have concerns about defining open and closed meeting sessions, City Attorney David Powell included.

According to the Oregonian, '"Does it mean that any individual can come into closed session?" asked Powell, who penned the policy based on one Columbia County uses. "It's not a closed session anymore. It's not saying individuals can't report on the news or City Council, but is that the individual the Legislature meant?"'

The Legislature defined the "individual" during a time when the Internet was not even a twinkle in technology's eye. I believe we should take a loose interpretation because of this change in times.

I am not sure if I would call bloggers or citizen journalists actual, professional journalists,  however if someone is willing to commit an act of journalism than government (big or small) has no ground to stop them. We need to stop trying to define everything and come to accept that with the emergence of the internet also came some confusing shades of gray.

Reflections from the Buzzcave

With production weekend for Buzzsaw Magazine approaching, I have been realizing how many connections from this Independent Media class can be made to my experience with this alternative magazine.

Buzzsaw Magazine is the premier alternative magazine on the Ithaca College Campus. It is independent from the Park School of Communications for funding, but instead goes through Campus Progress, an organization that trains and supports the next generation of young progressive leaders. We also get funding from the Student Government Association. This allows us to have a more critical eye of not only Ithaca College in general, but also our own communications department.

This is the main value of independent media, one that Buzzsaw Magazine also shares: to report on the silences and cover policies of the school with a more critical eye and through a different lens. Buzzsaw was formed by editors of IC's "mainstream" media outlet, the Ithacan, who did not like the way the outlet was run or how they reported stories. Not only does Buzzsaw still do critiques against mainstream media on campus, but it also covers topics and sparks discussions about topics that may not be in the forefront of most students minds. And we cover it extensively. Take the Militarization issue; not only did articles cover many interesting and varying aspects of militarization, but Buzzsaw also hosted a panel on the issue and other events on campus to spark discussion.

But in my opinion, our most important coverage within the past year has been on the Park School of Communications.

Last year, a Buzzsaw Asks Why column, on the subject Park thinking professionals in the field of communications also translates into professor, sparked a lot controversy. The column was an opinion piece, but things got heated when the Dean of the Park School of Communications started defensively commenting online on the piece as well. She ended up writing her own article in response to the column, which we posted on our website. However, it got the administration and students thinking about what constitutes a good professor and why students may be feeling this way.

This year, our coverage of the new media policy enacted by IC has taken center stage. It has been the focus of our newsletter, Haircut, which was distributed to the student body community. However, because we favor advocacy journalism and are independent from the school of communications, Buzzsaw was able to go one step further and formally take a stance on the media policy. There was an official call to repeal the policy signed by all the editors, as well as some staff writers and alumni. The mainstream outlet remained neutral in its official stance.

So as I mentally prepare to head to the Buzzcave (aka the basement of Bogart in a room with no windows) to edit, copy and print another great issue, I feel I have a new found appreciation for the alternative publication I love so dearly, as well as a greater understanding of its importance on the Ithaca College campus.

Can I has blog fans?

In 2007, Business Week put out a slideshow about the most financially successful blogs at the time. These blogs cover a wide range of topics, from politics to entertainment to design to funny cat photos. Yes, I am talking about the well known and loved, I Can Has Cheezburger?, the grammatically incorrect and adorably goofy cat memes that have taken hold of the blog world.

So how can blogs so different in audiences all be so successful? They have activated their community. The most important factor when building any blog is to build your fan base. The beauty of blogs is the conversations and the engagement fans can have with the site, making them feel like they are contributing to the content.

Or contributing to basically all of the content, in the case of I Can Has Cheezburger? This blog has a what could be considered a perfect business model. Advertisers fund the site, and their dedicated fan base constantly submit new memes that they then post. According to Business Week, a week of ads on Cheezburger, via Blogads, starts at $500 and tops out at $5,400 for a premium position.

It is silly to imagine Eric Nakagawa, blog creator, and staff running around filming this video of cats and lasers. The fan's devotedness and engagement with the blog saves the staff more time to focus on building the site and expanding the fan base further, rather than creating the actual cat pictures. Cheezburger has provided the space where its fans can come play, all the while providing content. Nakagawa said, "If you hit a niche and you can build a community, you might not have a $1 million idea, but you might have a $10,000 or a $100,000 idea." 

Cheezburger's success is truly thanks to its loyal fans. With every successful blog, it is important to have a concrete group of followers that will check your blog daily. The next challenge is to convert those devoted fans into promoters and educators to potential new fans, expanding your page views and your name recognition on a larger level. And fans keep emerging because they feel invested in Cheezburger and important to the blog's progress.

And that is the common thread between all of the financially successful blogs Business Week highlighted in 2007. Whether the fans are producing the actual content, or engaged in discussion via comments, they are somehow involved in the process, in the discussion, about whatever subject is at hand. Depending on your interest, for some that involvement may be a lively debate about Romney's 47 percent video, for others it may be creating a silly cat picture that goes viral. Whatever it may be, its active and that's what counts.

We love Candy!

Candy Crowley, American news anchor currently employed as CNN's chief political correspondent, was the moderator for last night's presidential debate, town meeting style.

Following these debates, I am usually frustrated by the lack of difficult questions or follow up questions by the moderator. The candidates are never challenged, and as a result the viewers learn nothing new about the important subjects at hand. However, Candy was not as sickly sweet as her name would suggest when questioning these candidates-- a refreshing quality I really enjoyed. 

Not only did she ask great follow up questions, but she also kept the feisty candidates in line and within the time limits. She also caught falsities said in answers-- specifically during Governor Romney's response to the Libya question. This is what a good moderator should be doing. I was pleasantly surprised to see mainstream media stepping up to the plate and living up to its journalistic values for at least one night of good discussion about binders full of women and other domestic policies.

Is IC's New Media Policy Censorship?

I closed my laptop, dumbfounded at the email I had just read. Effective immediately, Ithaca College changed their media policy for student media on campus. A list of 84 faculty members now must be contacted via the media relations department, specifically David Maley, if a reporter would like an interview with them involving Ithaca College or their policies. In an email, President Tom Rochon said:

"Note that this policy is strictly limited to the administrators listed here AND to instances where you want to interview them about IC policies or college developments.  The procedure for speaking with all faculty, all students, all third parties and all staff not listed in this document is unchanged -- you simply contact them. The procedure for speaking with anyone on this list about any topic not related to IC policies or college developments is also unchanged -- simply contact us."

This is the first problem I have with this new policy. One of the reasonings for the change is to not distract faculty bombarded with requests from their work. Yet, they specify the type of requests that have to go through Media Relations and which ones do not. Journalists are supposed to be the watchdogs to their government. Bringing the scale down to the college level, shouldn't we student journalists then be acting as the watchdogs for the college and its administration?

This reminds me of the CNN/war general controversy we discussed in class. CNN boasted they spoke directly with the White House and got all of their sources for commentary on the war approved by the governemnt. CNN was under direct fire by many journalists, especially those in the independent media field, because the government could coach the sources on exactly the perspective on the war they wanted spread to the masses. Isn't this exactly what can happen now when sourcing must go through the media relations department? Why else would interviews involving IC policies be the only interviews they care about setting up? All other interview requests that do not have to do with Ithaca College policies can go directly to the administrator without the middle man. Is this a form of censorship?

President Rochon continued in the email to say this would not effect the quality of student reporting.

"It is explicitly NOT the intention of this policy to limit access to IC administrators, to prevent you from pursuing certain stories, or to cause an unwarranted time delay in completing your interviews. The practice of working through Media Relations is long established at IC for all independent media external to the college, and it works well.  In applying this policy also to media affiliated with IC (in the varying extent each of you are), we are simply applying a common professional standard and procedure on media access generally." 

Problem No.2: We are taught in all of our journalism classes that news is 24/7. Even in this Independent Media class, we are always talking about timeliness and the importence of putting news and spreading ideas on the internet-- the great part of the web being the instantanious aspect of it. But according to the policy, there must be at least 24 hours notice for any type of commentary. Doesn't this then inhibit our abilities to be professional journalists and thrive in an age of instant news?

To me, I see this policy as a setback for student journalists initiated by our school-- a school that is supposed to be extremely supportive of media and the fourth estate it represents. To me it seems that Ithaca College wants us to be critical reporters, just not critical of the college itself or its policies. 

Skyping with Mother Jones

The Society of Professional Journalists hosted a video chat with Mother Jones publisher Steve Katz and reporter Kate Sheppard, Monday night.

Students learned about the role Mother Jones played in releasing the controversial Mitt Romney 47 percent video released last week. They also learned about the advantages and disadvantages of working for independent media.

Katz started the discussion talking about the challenges and benefits of working for a non-profit magazine.Mother Jones is funded 40 percent by magazine subscriptions and advertising in print and online. Sixty percent of funding comes from individual donations. Katz stressed the importance for smaller publications of getting funding from multiple sources because they are not reliant on any advertisers or on the state of the economy. He said one of the most difficult aspects of being from a smaller independent media outlet is the fact they have to fight hard to gain exposure, which can give them trouble in increasing capital to attract investors in order to expand. However, Katz said the mission of the outlet over weighs any difficulties they may have along the way. Mother Jones goes after stories and reports issues that are more integrated with politics and corporations than other media outlets that do not feel comfortable following through with these controversial issues. 

 Sheppard, an ‘06 journalism graduate of IC, gave advice to students about diversifying their education. She spoke about her career path that led her to independent media (she originally was an editor for Buzzsaw Magazine on campus) and her love of investigative journalism. It was amazing to see and get suggestions from a successful alumnus.

     

The moment during this conversation that meant the most to me was the description of the atmosphere of the newsroom after the release of the Romney video. Katz described a feeling of connection and pride that you can only get in this small, more intimate newsroom. Kate was on the road at the time and said she noticed the recognition of the name Mother Jones right away. The day before in interviews, people were asking if she wrote for a parenting magazine, and the next day they stood awestruck asking many questions about the unveiled video. It is nice to see Mother Jones finally getting the recognition they deserve for solid investigative journalism.

Society of Professional Journalists and Indy Media: My Time in the Sunshine State

Here in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the Society of Professional Journalists is having their annual national conference. Here, journalists of popular and independent media alike have come together to discuss the field of journalism and the ethics behind it. 

In preparation for the conference, I was so preoccupied with my campaign for student representative on the national board that I had not really given much thought to the type of media that would be represented through these programs. I am shocked at how well independent media is being represented here. 

The first program I went to, Crisis U, was about covering breaking news on a college campus. The editor for Penn State’s newspaper The Daily Collegian, Lexie Belulfine, spoke of the coverage of the Sandusky/Paterno controversy. One thing that really struck me was how she stressed being an independent paper from the university was extremely important to the coverage of this case. They had no restrictions or ties, enabling them to phenomenally cover the scandal. 

At my second program about following the money in political campaigns, we learned 5 tools and websites all reporters should know. Most of these tools were independent organizations, such as Propublica, who do in depth reporting. The question “where is your funding coming from?” is very familiar, and an important one to ask when covering politics or even when questioning media. 

The highlight of this conference for me, however, was meeting News 21 Media Editor Brandon Quester. The cantaloupe story in Guatemala? All him. It was fascinating discussing the ins and outs surrounding the interactive and in depth reporting that News 21, student reporters, produce.

Even the Society of Professional Journalists realizes the importance of independent media and its growing presence. It has been out of this world to meet and discuss these organizations with the top people in their field. Now I am off to enjoy the beach for the rest of my stay in the sunshine state!

Personification of News, Never War

After watching Amy Goodman speak in a brief documentary about mainstream media's coverage of war, I had a realization about the hypocrisy of popular news outlets. I know this is a harsh statement, especially for my first post, but let me explain.

We are in an age where story telling is key. People want to emotionally connect with a news story or identify with the person in order to stay fully engaged. But in some areas we are going too far.

Think election 2012. Popular media outlets will focus on a candidates sexual promiscuity, religious beliefs, family status and so on. What the audience is getting less and less of is actual information on policies-- the information that actually has an effect on our own lives. But that's okay because we voters are focusing on the candidates character rather than policy! No, it is not okay. Personification is dominating politics, a place it does not belong.

But is personification always bad? I don't believe so. Personification helped to end the Vietnam War. Famous pictures such as the naked girl running through the street with her flesh burning off or a monk on fire in protest are still etched in our minds as the horrors of war. It caused a uprising in the U.S. and it showed a desperate want of people to end the Vietnam war. We saw victims as people rather than numbers.

In the Iraq war, we have had no civilian victims. False. But you wouldn't know it based on the coverage by popular media. In fact, the media has done its best to keep personification out of wartime reporting, a place where it should be welcomed the most. War is not glamorous. People die, including civilians. If we are going to engage in war, U.S. citizens have a right to see the faces of war-- American or not.  A life lost is important no matter who you are or where you are from in my opinion. We see on television a bomb exploding, but we are distanced from the people the bomb just blew to pieces. We don't see their faces; we don't identify with the destruction; we see nothing wrong in our war for "freedom" and the "greater good."

If the government is supposed to represent the American people, then why hide certain aspects of war or stay in a war a growing majority do not approve? If media is supposed to act as a checks and balances system for government, is it ethical for them not to show the all sides (and victims) of war? How in the world are citizens supposed to get a full understanding of whats happening and who is dying at the hand of the U.S. all over the world?