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.

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.