Fly-out-the-door assignments

by Marc DeRoberts

I have now completed two "fly-out-the-door assignments." What are they?

The assignment:

• You are given a topic
• You must interview members of the Elon community, at least one must not be a student or Elon University employee (this number has varied from three to five people)
• You must include three to five soundbites
• Write at a 350 word article
  
• Video and still images shot with a Flip camera must be incorporated into the article
• You have an hour

My professor will be the first to admit, it's a lot of work in a little amount of time. To be honest, I have yet to do all of this in an hour....but, I am improving. Along the way I have gained excellent experience from each to take into the working world. That's what counts.

My first assignment regarded a Wisconsin Judge's ruling, deeming National Day of Prayer Unconstitutional (article). The second was to seek the community's response to the legalization of marijuana (article).

Both were controversial topics. Asking people to talk on camera about religion and politics or their stance on drugs is no easy task. Here are some things that I learned during each of these assignments:

1. Be prepared and do your research.

It's very easy to become excited in trying to meet your deadline, but you cannot walk out the door without doing some preliminary reading about your subject matter. Not only does this help you develop your questions and sound educated, but your interviewee may not be familiar with the topic and request more information. Providing some facts helps build their comfort and confidence within you and themselves, leading to the best answers possible.

2. Hustle, but don't be in a panic.

If you are planning on staking out a location or seeking an expert interview in two different places, you need to move it as though your job depends on it. That being said, when you are approaching people to interview, explain that you are working on an assignment with a pressing deadline, but remain calm and relaxed. People will already be taken off guard when you approach them with a camera and ask a question out-of-the-blue, don't make it worse for them or yourself.

3. Plan ahead.

Whether you are familiar with the area or not. In the example of the National Day of Prayer video, after doing my research and selected who I intended to interview, I was planning shots for b-roll (the cutaway shots from the interviewee) along the way. Knowledge of the area helped.

4. Always be respectful.

In both cases I have approached people pleasantly, but received not-so-pleasant responses. Smile. Say thank you. Move along. Keep in mind you are a stranger with a camera...on a deadline.

5. Be adaptable.

Sometimes the places you expected to be a gold mine for interviews don't pan out. In the case of the marijuana story, I thought that going to the nearby gas station, which is a watering hole for students and community members, was a brilliant idea. There were lots of people there both affiliated and unaffiliated with the school...nobody wanted to talk to me. All of my interviews came from random passer-bys.

6. Be flexible.

This one is merely an extension of my previous lesson. If you have to interview five people, plan on asking at least 15-20 people. Ten to fifteen of them will likely say no. Don't take it personally.

These assignments have been of great value to me because they are practical and excellent experience. There will be more to come.

That hour deadline is mine.

What’s the big deal about broadband?

by Jaqueta Abbey


So what is the big deal about broadband? The word is being flung around all over the place these days, and now the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has even created a National Broadband Plan.

The term “broadband Internet” is normally used as a synonym for “high-speed connection.” The number of Americans who have broadband at home has grown from eight million in the year 2000 to nearly 200 million as of last year. Approximately 100 million Americans do not have broadband at home.

Why is broadband important?

• Health Care – Broadband can help improve the quality and lower the cost of health care through health IT and improved data capture and use. This would enable clearer understanding of the most effective treatments and processes.
• Education – Broadband can enable improvements through e-learning and online content, providing more personalized learning opportunities for students. Broadband will also help facilitate the flow of information between parents, teachers, schools, and other organizations.
• Energy & the Environment – Broadband can help lead to a transition toward a clean energy economy. Carbon pollution could be reduced, energy efficiency could be improved, and we could lessen our dependency on foreign oil.
• Economic Opportunity – There can be expanded access to jobs and training, as well as more support for entrepreneurship and growth of small businesses.
• Government Performance & Civic Engagement – Broadband can drive greater efficiency and effectiveness in delivery of services and internal operations. It can also improve the quality and quantity of civic engagement by providing a platform where representatives and agencies can engage.
• Public Safety & Homeland Security – Efforts to improve public safety and homeland security can be bolstered by allowing first responders to send and receive video and data. This will ensure that all Americans can access emergency services, and will improve the way Americans are notified about emergencies.

Ways the government can influence the broadband system
The FCC has established four ways the government can influence the broadband system. To read about them in detail, visit the link to the entire report at the end of this article.

1. Establishing competition policies that will foster robust competition across the board.
2. Ensuring efficient allocation and use of government-owned and government-influenced assets (i.e. working on repurposing the spectrum and making the new infrastructure efficient).
   
3. Creating incentives for universal availability and adoption of broadband.
4. Updating policies, setting standards and aligning incentives to maximize use for national priorities.
   

Implementation
The plan is said to be currently and always in a beta stage. Just like the Internet, the plan will always be changing to adjust to new developments in technologies and markets, as well as evolving and working to overcome any obstacles that may arise or harnessing future unrealized opportunities.

How much is this going to cost?
Due to the fact that one of the plan’s goals is to free up 500 megahertz of spectrum, future wireless auctions mean the plan will overall be revenue neutral, if not revenue positive. Most of the plan’s recommendations do not require new government funding because they aim to drive improvement in government efficiency, streamline processes, and encourage private activity to promote consumer welfare and national priorities.

Long-term goals

1. At least 100 million U.S. homes should have affordable access to actual download speeds of at least 100 megabits/sec and actual upload speeds of at least 50 megabits/sec.
2. The United States should lead the world in mobile innovation, with the fastest and most extensive wireless networks of any nation.
3. Every American should have affordable access to robust broadband service, and the means and skills to subscribe if they so choose.
4. Every American should have affordable access to at least 1 gigabit/sec broadband service to anchor institutions like schools, hospitals, and government buildings.
5. To ensure the safety of the American people, every first responder should have access to a nationwide, wireless, interoperable broadband public safety network.
6. To ensure that America leads in the clean energy economy, every American should be able to use broadband to track and manage their real-time energy consumption.
   

If you would like to read the entire National Broadband Plan or learn more about it, click here. I leave you with this quote from CEO and Knight Foundation President Alberto Ibargüen:

“Broadband access for all is essential to meeting the information needs of communities in a democracy. Without it, we’ll end up with a new category of second-class citizens. With it, everyone will be able to harness the social and economic opportunities of the digital age.”

Legalize it?

by Marc DeRoberts

The legalization of marijuana has been a hot topic of debate for more than a decade. In 1996, California became the first of the now 14 states that allow marijuana to be used medicinally (full list here). Twenty-one have decriminalized it to some extent (Wikipedia article).

"I think it's fine," said Debbie Womack, a retired accountant, in response to her stance on the legalization of marijuana. "I personally feel that marijuana is less harmful and addictive than alcohol. It would be nice if the government could reap some taxation benefits from marijuana."

Although she said she never had smoked marijuana, Womack said that the legalization of all drugs would curb usage as well as crime. Womack said that a drug addict robbed her home last October in order to generate money to fuel his habit.

"I personally don't smoke," said Elon senior Max Harnett, " so it doesn't affect me all that much, but in terms of the financial aspects of it, I think it's a good idea. Anything that can help recover the debt that we have right now is worth a shot."

Three other members of the Elon community reacted similarly:



While many people across the country are opposed to the drug's legalization, Joe Klein published an article last year in Time magazine pointing out benefits beyond medicine in economically troubled times.

• A 10 percent tax on marijuana sales in California would yield an estimated $1.4 billion.
• An influx of new jobs pertaining to harvesting, packaging, marketing and advertising.
• Currently $68 billion is spent annually on corrections; one-third of inmates are serving time for non-violent crimes.
• $150 billion is spent on policing and courts. Nearly half of all drug arrests are marijuana-related.

Two hundred dollars is the cost of tuition at Oaksterdam University, which teaches people how to cultivate marijuana and its best uses to ease ailments. Ultimately students learn how to run a legal business and what the consequences are when breaking the law.



President Barack Obama has dismissed the notion of legalizing marijuana. Meanwhile, institutions like Oaksterdam University are springing up and states are amending laws to decriminalize or allow marijuana to be used medicinally.

Webcasting How-to Video

by Sean H. Smith

How-to video on how to make a live web-cast using a free web-casting host site, camcoder, and Macbook Pro.



Preface:
I urge all the manufacturers of camcorders and computers to please set standards in regards to the type of input/output ports found on computers and camcorders. I've spent 3 weeks trying to determine which camcorders and computers are compatible with each other. I found that each brand of camcorder and computer has its own set of cable ports which are not always compatible with each other. One camera will have a HDMI out port, while another brand will have a Digital Video (DV) port. Then one computer, like my new Macbook Pro has a 9-pin firewire which forced me to buy a new cable that converted the DV to Firewire. Then I came to find out that the 9-pin won't recognize the camera but the older Macbook Pro which has a 6-pin firewire will recognize it. Why the change?

All this is very frustrating for the user. I think if standards are put into place where all computers and all cameras use the same cables it will be much easier for users to utilize this technology to their best abilities.


1. Open and turn on your pre-2009 Macbook Pro. Connect to the Internet using a Wi-Fi card or if you don't need to be mobile, connect to the Internet using a ethernet cable.

2. Go to www.ustream.tv and sign up for an account using a username and password.














3. Once you sign up, click on the "Broadcast Now" button in the upper right had corner of the home page. This will take you to your dashboard where you can choose shows you want to follow, manage social stream feeds, set up notifications of upcoming events, create a variety of shows covering various topics, and manage your videos you've recorded.














Or if you want to start broadcasting right away just click on "Broadcast Now" and it will take you to the broadcasting interface.














4. Click on the "Allow" button letting ustream.tv to access your camera.

5. Now you need a cable that has one Digital Video (DV) end and the other end a 6-pin firewire. Connect the firewire into the port on the Macbook Pro and connect the DV end to the port on the Canon XL1/2. (See video)

6. Once you've allowed Ustream to access you camera, turn the camera on.

7. Click on the "Video Source" button to choose with source you want Ustream to use. For example if you want to use the video from the camcorder, choose "DV Video" from the list of choices. If you want to use the built-in webcam then choose the "USB Video Class Video". (You can even toggle between the two during broadcasting as demonstrated in the above video.







8. Now choose your audio source by clicking on the "Audio Source" button. For audio from the camcorder choose the "DV audio" from the list of options or if you want to use the built in microphone in your computer click on "Built-in Microphone" option.






9. Once you see the video in the viewer you are ready to broadcast. All you have to do is click the large green "Start Broadcast" button and you are broadcasting live to the world.



10. If you want to record your broadcast for future use, just click on the green "Start Record" button. To stop recording click on the same button which will now be read and save your video. The video is saved in an .FLV file format.



11. When done broadcasting, just click on the now red "Stop Broadcasting" button.

There you have it. It's as simple as that. I hope this helps with the broadcasting of participatory news stories of your own.

EPA says 'let your voice be heard'

By Cathy Freeman

Next time you are looking for a vlog topic, try giving President Obama an earful per request of regulations.gov, an online citizen engagement site.

The site recently announced that President Obama’s Environmental Protection Agency is accepting citizen videos that discuss the importance of federal regulations and encourage participation in the rulemaking process. According to the EPA, the purpose of the contest is to remind the public that federal regulation touches “almost every aspect” of their lives.

If you are interested in submitting an entry, keep in mind the following rules:

• Videos must be submitted to YouTube before May 17
• Submissions be no more than 60-90 seconds in length
• Each video is required to add the slogan “Let your voice be heard,” and redirect viewers to the government’s regulatory website

One lucky winner will get $2,500 of taxpayer’s money and have their video used to promote the federal government regulatory process.

Though the regulations website is commendable as a tool for citizen information gathering, I think the EPA video contest falls short in the category of citizen participation. It may have had good intentions, but it’s more like a thinly veiled attempt at finding free advertising within pre-defined parameters. The agency practically spoon-fed a script to potential entrants. I think this is a missed opportunity on the part of the federal government to engage the public in a discussion on federal rule-making.

Any suggestions for the EPA?

9 tips for sourcing stories on Twitter

by Steve Earley

By now most journalists have discovered that Twitter is good for more than just sharing what one ate for breakfast. The microblogging platform can be a great place to find stories and sources. Reporters and editors who leverage it correctly discover that stories and sources find them. The nine best practices in the graphic below are based on a five-page research paper I wrote on the topic.

Ethics in Citizen Journalism: It's a Must!

by Brynne Tuggle

Citizen Journalism is defined as “the act of citizens playing an active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information.” By nature, this insinuates being non-professional. But being non-professional doesn’t mean having a code of ethics and standards is not important. If citizen journalism is going to have a long-lasting impact on the world of legacy media, a discussion has to happen to ensure citizen journalists are held to standards that will make them a vital and required part of the journalistic process. A code of ethics and standards should be adopted for citizen journalists around the world so news organizations can employ these citizen journalists and expect the same kind of honest reporting from them that they get from their legacy journalists.

Citizen journalism provides anyone the opportunity to be involved in the gathering and reporting of news. It provides a way for everyone to utilize his or her first amendment right to freedom of expression. As production and publishing tools become more readily available to the general public through cheaper digital cameras or easy access blogs, citizen journalism will become a more widely accepted practice. But with this acceptance comes the need for more responsibility. Just like with traditional journalism, responsibility in reporting and disseminating the facts is very important. Whether someone is a member of the legacy media arena or an individual looking to make his or her mark on the world of journalism.
But the argument is there that citizen journalist can’t and shouldn’t contribute to the news process because standards and ethics are different.

But I truly believe there is a way for legacy media organizations to embrace these citizen journalists and provide training and information to better equip them as storytellers. In the article, Ethics Lessons From the Mainstream, (2008) author Kent Ninomiya says it best, “We can help the new journalists understand and value ethics, the importance of serving the public trust and professionalism. We can’t, and shouldn’t keep them out.”

So, how do we do this? I think we have to train these citizen journalists about professionalism and ethics standards so they can become a part of the news process that traditional news organizations can’t afford to be without. I think the Code of Ethics by the Society of Professional Journalists is a great starting place for this new and uncertain future of citizen and participatory news. So, let’s examine this code and consider how they might be used to encourage ethical behavior by citizen journalists.

1. Seek Truth and Report it: Journalists should be honest, fair and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information.
One of the most important and foremost things a citizen journalist needs to consider is finding the truth and reporting it. One way to distinguish yourself as a reputable source for information is to develop a reputation of reporting the truth.

2. Minimize Harm: Ethical journalists treat sources, subjects and colleagues as human beings deserving of respect.
Citizen journalists must seek to care for the subjects of their stories. This means, one can’t berate a politician who won’t answer a question, or pester a family to answer questions after a loved one has just died. This might seem like common sense normal human behavior. But in the business of reporting the news, sometimes getting the answer you’re looking for might take over your desire to treat the people you’re talking to, with kindness and respect.

3. Act Independently: Journalists should be free of obligation to any interest other than the public's right to know.
This point refers to avoiding situations that could be considered conflicts of interest. Citizen journalists shouldn’t have associations or participate in activities that could compromise their integrity or damage credibility. Citizen journalists shouldn’t accept gifts, favors, or special treatment. They should also not be involved in political parties, hold a public office position or serve as a part of a community organization, if that involvement could be considered compromising to their journalistic integrity.

4. Be Accountable: Journalists are accountable to their readers, listeners, viewers and each other.
Even though citizen journalists might not always be working with a large news organization, doesn’t mean they can’t and shouldn’t be held accountable. If anything, it’s even more important for citizen journalists to remember the reader/viewer above all else. They might not have managers or fellow reporters checking up on their work or going back over a story that they’ve written, but they have readers following their work who they need to be accountable to.

So, see! It’s really not hard to maintain ethics standards in citizen journalism. There are not that many things you have to think about when it comes to maintaining a reputation of ethical reporting. Remember these few things, and you’re well on your way to creating a name for yourself as someone who people can turn to for the truth. What needs to happen now is conversation. We have to start talking about the role of citizen journalists, and how legacy media organizations can turn to them as reputable sources for contribution.

iMedia Showcase

Web-cast by Sean H. Smith

Live video by Ustream

Elon University's iMedia graduate students showcase their portfolio websites and interactive projects to potential employers and school faculty.

Advice from the Advisory Board

by Marc DeRoberts

Last Friday, Michael Radutzky and Stavros Hilaris, two members of Elon's School of Communications Advisory Board visited a classroom of undergraduates and iMedia students. Both spoke extensively about their professions and told students that they will be playing key roles in the future of media.

Their visit was shortly after the newly released iPad became available in stores. Since the iPad does not support the use of Flash-based applications, Hilaris, Chief Technology Officer at National Geographic Global Media, talked about how they have overcome this obstacle. "When a user lands on our page, first our site checks to see if they can support Flash," said Hilaris. "If not, it automatically generates content using Html5."

Radutzky, Senior Producer at "60 Minutes," encouraged students to pursue their career ambitions by whatever means necessary. He advised the audience on the importance of internships, but if you are still left job searching, "go out and do what you want to do," said Radutzky. "If you have the means to support yourself, seek out a project of interest that will build your portfolio and help you stand out."

The video below highlights key points from their talk.

Michael Radutzky was named Senior Producer at "60 Minutes" in 2005, where he has produced content earning seven Emmy awards since 1995. Stavros Hilaris is a digital media and production executive with technology, management and business expertise in new media, broadcast, cable, telecommunications, satellite communications, IT and e-commerce.

video edited by Marc DeRoberts and Sean Smith

10 free online tools for journalists

by Steve Earley

Today's journalists have little choice but to do more with less. Some free online tools would be pretty handy then, wouldn't they?

Below are 10 free tools journalists can use to gather, produce or deliver news. This list is by no means exhaustive and is not a top 10, but it provides an idea of all the cool, useful tools out there and of how to use familiar tools in potentially unfamiliar ways.

I expanded upon this list in a workshop I recently conducted with a high school journalism class, video of which I plan to post here over the coming week. The workshop was built around this blog post by newspaper chain Journal Register Company's new CEO John Paton. Paton's compiling his own list of free tools for his company's innovative Ben Franklin Project.

Full disclosure: I used to report for Journal Register Company property the Daily Freeman.

1. Twitter

What is it?

• Share short messages (140 characters or fewer). "Follow" users (you don't need their permission) to get their "tweets" to appear in your stream.

What can it be used for?

• Gathering, distributing and discovering news.

Where can I learn more?

• General guide
• For journalists

2. Posterous

What is it?

• E-mail text, photos, videos or mp3s to post@posterous.com and Posterous formats them into professional-looking, permalinked blog-style posts and serializes them in a permalinked stream. No signup is required but creating a profile lets you edit or delete your posts.

What can it be used for?

• Quickly sharing information with colleagues, sources and audiences. Publishing content to multiple social media platforms in one fell swoop.

Where can I learn more?

• General guide

3. Audacity

What is it?

• Cross-platform audio editing and recording software (requires download). Trim, combine, rearrange, enhance and create audio clips and output them in popular formats including .mp3 and .wav.

What can it be used for?

• Preparing audio for podcasts, photo slideshows, videos, presentations and other multimedia.

Where can I learn more?

• General guide (pdf)

4. WordPress.com

What is it?

• Open source blogging platform. Ease of use, active community, hundreds of free themes, dozens of widgets, search-engine friendliness make WordPress a blogging powerbrand.

What can it be used for?

• Creating and hosting blogs and even full-fledged Web sites.

Where can I learn more?

• General guide (video)

5. YouTube

What is it?

• The world's largest video sharing Web site. View millions of online videos without signing up and publish an unlimited amount of videos after creating a free account.

What can it be used for?

• Sharing videos (both on YouTube, and, if you choose, in an embedded player on your site), discovering news content, spreading content beyond your traditional audience.

Where can I learn more?

• General guide
• For journalists

6. Splashup

What is it?

• Photo editing software — like a lite version of Photoshop. Import images from your hard drive or directly from Picasa, Flickr, Facebook or Photobucket.

What can it be used for?

• Simple photo edits and enhancements like cropping, resizing, adding text, adjusting brightness and contrast, basic filters.
  

Where can I learn more?

• Gen eral guide

7. Chartle.net

What is it?

• Input data, make some design choices and instantly publish professional-looking, embeddable interactive charts, graphs, maps and diagrams.

What can it be used for?

• Illustrating stories that involve data or complex relationships.
  

Where can I learn more?

• General guide

8. Flickr

What is it?

• Photography-minded picture sharing community. Powerful, intuitive interface simplifies management of large photo collections.

What can it be used for?

• Showcasing photojournalistic work, crowdsourcing photojournalistic coverage, connecting with other users, managing photos, finding Creative Commons licensed material for reuse.

Where can I learn more?

• General guide
• For journalists

9. Google Wave

What is it?

• Collaborative platform where users can share text, links, files, maps, simple polls and more in real time and playback all or part of the "conversation" later on (in preview, invite required).

What can it be used for?

• Virtual meetings, colloborating on projects including news stories, project management, crowdsourcing news coverage, community discussions.

Where can I learn more?

• General guide
• For journalists

10. CoveritLive

What is it?

• Full-service, plug-and-play live news coverage platform. Share text, pictures, polls, data and live video and moderate user responses in real time all in a self-contained viewer.

What can it be used for?

• Covering events and breaking news, conducting chats with colleagues or audience members, streaming live video.

Where can I learn more?

• General guide

National Day of Prayer prompts reactions in the Elon community

by Marc DeRoberts

Yesterday Wisonsin U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb deemed the National Day of Prayer as unconstitutional. Established by Congress in 1952, Americans are encouraged by the president to pray on the first Thursday of May (the official date determined in 1988).

"The establishment clause prevents the government from establishing standards on any form of religion," said Rudy Zarzar, Professor of Political Science at Elon University. "It's interesting that it (National Day of Prayer) was established so long ago, and is just now being addressed. I think that this issue is far from over because it carries different meaning in different parts of the country, like the Bible Belt of the South."

Elon student, Andrea McLean, said that in high school classmates frequently gathered around the flagpole to pray. "People of all faiths were invited," she said. "I would like to see the integration of more religion into classroom environments."

At the United Community Church of Elon, Lori Watson, financial advisor, heard about the ruling this morning. As a practicing Christian, Watson feels that it won't discourage herself and other people from praying, but finds it unfortunate that the Wisconsin judge took this day away from the community. While she recognizes a separation from church and state Watson too feels that it is unavoidable, "passages from the Bible are enscripted all over Washington D.C. It's even on our money."

Online participation: who, what, where and why

By Cathy Freeman

Online participation is a strategic key to your success -- whether you are a newsroom, non-profit, corporate brand or citizen journalist. Learn how to engage your online audience and you will see results in your sales, reach and global influence. Answering the following questions will help you better understand who is controlling your organization’s conversations and how you can share more information online.

WHO: Depending on levels of online activity, online participants fall into the following categories:

• Creators – Write and publish content to be uploaded to sites
• Critics – Post ratings, reviews and comments
• Collectors – Gather information through blog rolls, RSS feeds or bookmarks
• Joiners – Create accounts or profiles on sites like Facebook
• Spectators- Consume without creating original content
• Inactives – May be online but have not committed to any site or activity

Naturally, some people are more motivated than others to participate online. The most active creators and critics are considered “influencers” over the remaining less vocal public. A recent survey from Meteor Solutions found that approximately 1% of a site’s audience generates 20% of all its traffic through online sharing. So, the big question is who is sharing information related to your site?

Who makes up your 1%? Companies like Radian6 are available to help us understand exactly what is being said and who is saying it. It delivers exact analysis of our online conversations, pinpointing influencers and brand evangelists.

WHAT: What are your users sharing? The chart below analyzes different participation categories and age brackets and shows what they are doing online. If you are interested in generating participation in a certain age group, enable them to get involved by studying what type of online activity they enjoy. Do they like to write their own content or simply aggregate what they find? Maybe they would rather be sitting on the couch with the remote and a sandwich?

WHERE: Knowledge is useless without the necessary tools. Finding out what your audience does online is the first step. Next, you need to find out where they do it. The chart below shows a breakdown of online sharing, with Facebook leading the way in content swapping.

WHY: Whether seeking a new friend or a self-administered pat on the back, people who participate online expect to receive something in return. Online participators are motivated by anything from anticipated reciprocity and recognition, to a sense of efficacy or a feeling of community. Any one or combination of these factors can drive someone to publish or communicate through the Internet.

Of course, one individual may qualify for more than one category. If a man is filming a video blog, or vlog, that he uploads to Wordpress, he is considered a creator. If he is also keeping track of other people’s blogs and commenting regularly on his favorite blog, he is considered a critic and collector as well.

TV Stations get the picture: Social Media on the rise

by Brynne Tuggle

Social Media is a powerful tool in the changing world of journalism. We all can say that we know it’s having a big impact now and will continue to have a big impact on both legacy media and the institution of citizen journalism. A new study of television, radio and online media by RTDNA and Hofstra University shows that the use of social media in Television newsrooms is on the rise. 77% of TV newsrooms are now using Twitter, 36% of which admit using the microblogging tool constantly. This is more evidence that the tools of citizen journalism are continually infiltrating the legacy media arena. Blogs, Facebook and Twitter are the citizen journalists greatest assets. But now, legacy media organizations are utilizing these tools in greater numbers to as to remain competitive in a world where everyone can contribute to the news process.

It is so common these days to see news outlets crowd sourcing pictures uploaded via Twitter to contribute to their own news coverage about an event, specifically in the case of natural disasters. Such is the case of the meteor shower in Wisconsin last night. WISC harnessed the power of its audience by using pictures its employees were finding on their Twitter feeds. They were posting both pictures and video and the TV station was then turning around and putting the content out through traditional media form (the TV) to its viewers. This is how social media should be used. It’s a tool that can serve to connect these two worlds. This is how digital natives and legacy media types can work together to make an even better product than each could produce himself.

TV stations are catching on. It’s taken a little bit longer for them to get the drift of the changing face of journalism. But slowly but surely, with the rise in the use of social media as this study suggests and with 90% of TV stations admitting they publish text, stills and video to their websites, a real change is coming. The first step is recognition. That’s what utilizing these tools is doing for the industry of broadcast news. Now, it’s about implementing these changes. I’m a firm believe that television will always play a role in distributing the news to the public, but I also believe these TV stations must embrace these new tools like social media to participate in the change that the digital age is bringing to legacy media.

Buster Olney at Elon University

Broadcasting Live with Ustream.TV

Buster Olney speaks to Elon University students about media and the importance of good story telling in news reporting, even in sports.

Podcast of Nicholas Kristof's Speech

On April 13th, 2010, students, faculty, staff and guests of Elon University had the privilege to hear two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times journalist Nicholas Kristof speak at Elon's Spring Convocation. In a speech titled "A Call to Action: Encouraging Young People to Join the 'World's Fight' and Take on a Cause Larger than Themselves", Kristof urged students to get involved in the global community and make a difference.

To listen to the podcast, subscribe to News rEvolution with your RSS feeder! You can also listen to and download the podcast(right-click and download linked file) from this link: Apr. 13, 2010-Nicholas Kristof at Elon.

Photos of Kristof at convocation

by Marc DeRoberts

Why should we care: Kristof Shouts back

by Brynne Tuggle

Kristof asks us why we should care? He says, “If you’ve actually seen a 13 year old girl with her eye gouged out by a brothel owner? You don’t ask that question. But another way to answer that question is to look at how our efforts to engage in a larger cause affects ourselves. We’re learning more from the field of social psychology about what makes us happy. I think one of those things is that humans have a level of happiness and a lot of the things that we think will reshape our happiness level won’t!”
He says “Don’t just think that you’ll make a difference when you retire,” he challenges us to go out and make a difference now.

He left us with this, "We have all won the lottery of life, the question comes about how we will charge that responsibility. Seek to connect to whatever call affects your life. Together we can work to change the world."

I'm inspired, how about you?

Make a difference, it really does matter

by Brynne Tuggle

Kristof says, “One of the things that is truly striking about the world is that talent is universal but opportunity is not, and that’s something we can change to make a difference.” He recalls a story about a Zimbabwean friend of his who would not be allowed to learn by her father because of her gender. She was doing homework for her brother, because she was so brilliant, she wanted to learn. Soon, her brother’s teacher caught on and realized that this boy was turning in brilliant homework and was simply mediocre during his class participation. The teacher soon realized it was this girl who was helping her brother get along. She asked the girl’s father to let her go to school, and he did for awhile. But then, he married her off. Soon she was married, and her husband beat her regularly. She thought her dreams didn’t matter. But then this woman came into contact with Heifer International and someone told her that her dreams did matter. Now, this woman has come to the United States and gotten a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s Degree, and just this December, a P.h.D. Kristof says it’s stories like this one that encourage him to do what he does.

Nicholas Kristof Challenges the Elon family

by Brynne Tuggle

Elon University is lucky enough to have the opportunity to hear from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times Journalist Nicholas Kristof at this year’s Convocation. Kristof has built a reputation as an extraordinary thinker, human rights advocate and chronicler of humanity. Kristof embodies and lives out the Elon mission.

Pamela Kiser introduced Mr. Kristof by saying, “Through his writing, we see Nicholas Kristof as a kindred spirit. Through his travel, study and writing, he asks us (his readers) to grapple with some of the most challenging problems of our time. Former President Bill Clinton praises Kristof, saying there is no one like him for the work that he’s done by“hauling himself around the world to figure out what’s going on.”

Luce Q&A

Discussing the Financial Times in the U.S.



Question: The Collapse



Question: Paying for News



Integrity of 24 Hour and Cable News Sources



Media and Politics

— Marc DeRoberts

Edward Luce answers the call on India vs. China

Edward Luce discusses the differences in growth that we've seen in two of the world's biggest countries.

Edward Luce discusses the rise of the manufacturing sector as a powerhouse in India.

— BT

India rivals China: Luce provides prospective

Luce discussing the caste system in India and the evolution over time.

Luce discussing the changing face of democracy in India.

— Brynne Tuggle

Can you count to 1.2 billion?

Luce mentioned the U.S. Census. India's completing a census as well. Think the U.S. headcounters have a tough task? Here are what India's are up against:

• They're counting four times as many people as their U.S. counterparts.
• More so than in the U.S., illiteracy and homelessness complicate data gathering.
• Active insurgencies in the country make some areas extremely unsafe for anyone representing the government.

"The trick," a census official told the BBC, "is to get things right the first time. There is no question of a re-census."

The kicker, though, and something with more than mere logistical implications, is this: India is planning a biometric census. Every person over 15 is to be fingerprinted and photographed.

— SCE

Signing off — but more content to come

This marks the end of News rEvolution's live coverage. More photos and videos will be posted later, including video from Luce's question-and-answer session with students earlier in the day.

Periclean Scholars Class of 2012 communications chair Jack Dodson said Luce's remarks confirmed his classmate's earlier observation:

"With India, there's always new things you can learn," he said.

India's complexity makes coordinated change difficult, Dodson said. This is the great challenge for both the country's own leaders and those of other nations.

— SCE

The end of superpowers

Call India and other rising geopolitcal stars what you will. Juggernauts. Frenemies. But don't call them superpowers.

Superpower, Luce said, is a 20th century term, and a reflection of the West's historically over-simplified with-us-or-against-us thinking.

Countries can no longer be neatly divided into permanent camps, Luce said. India will be with you in areas it make sense for it to be and against you or indifferent when that makes sense, he said.

"India's going to be a very prickly, difficult, semi-ally with the United States," he said.

— SCE
— photo by Sean H. Smith

Indian-Americans' political clout

India's growing sway with America, and by extension with the rest of the world, is due in part to the 3 million Indian-Americans, many whose families immigrated to the U.S. during the Cold War.

Luce said he expects this year's U.S. Census to confirm Indian-Americans' status as the nation's richest ethnic group. With this, Luce said, comes tremendous lobbying clout.

"They're becoming very, very influential," Luce said, suggesting they could do for India what AIPAC does for Israel.

— SCE

Urbanization challenging caste system

Urbanization is challenging the economic function of India's caste system, which historically has limited people to occupations associated with their caste.

Within cities, people often still live close to other members of their castes and the caste system continues to influence marriages, Luce said, but professional advancement opportunities are much more open.

This jibes with two recent stories, from the BBC and Times of India, indicating the influence of India's caste system may be waning.

— SCE

India-China conflict not inevitable, but not inconceivable

More India-China links. International fear of China is rapidly changing India's geopolitical status, Luce said.

The Bush administration concluded that India was the only state in the region that can check a runaway Chinese nuclear buildup. Japan is becoming closer to India because of fear of China, so much so, Luce said, that it could become a closer partner with India than it is with the United States.

China itself, meanwhile, is building a system of military bases around India known as the "string of pearls."

Luce cautioned his audience not to conclude India and China are on a collision course. Armed conflict, he said, isn't inevitable, but it's not inconceivable either.

— SCE

Ready to pass China?

India's normally subdued financial minister was recently quoted by the Associated Press as saying India could soon surpass China's growth rates.

Luce suggested the minister, Pranab Mukherjee, might be right, as India enjoys several advantages over China. Chief among them: It has a thriving private sector not dependent on government support or debt.

"These are extremely well-managed companies," Luce said. "It's not a complete stretch of the imagination to see one of India's top IT companies taking over IBM."

— SCE

India the swing state

India's so big, it should stand on its own. But historically it's been associated with other states, Luce said. For the longest time, this was Pakistan. In Washington, Luce said, almost every reference to India used to be hyphenated: "India-Pakistan." And for no small reason. As Bill Clinton put it, the sub-continent was the "most dangerous nuclear flashpoint in the world."

Sub-continent tensions linger, of course, but since around the middle part of last decade, India has become more likely to be associated with China and the other BRIC countries (Brazil and Russia).

"That's an extraordinary shift in how India is perceived," Luce said.

Among the emerging economic superpowers, he added, India is the swing state.

"The way India swings will determine the outcome of this slow moving but actually rapidly developing geopolitical battle."

— SCE

Learning there's a lot to learn

The students organizing tonight's event, the Periclean Scholars Class of 2012, are themselves becoming India experts. But don't call them such.

Periclean Scholar Samantha King said the more she learns about India, the more she realizes she doesn't know.

"It's too complex to be classified as one India," she said.

King said she and her classmates invited Luce to campus after reading his book, "In Spite of the Gods, the Rise of Modern India" over the summer. Its comprehensive account of post-Gandhi India has framed their studies and helped them decide what projects to focus on.

So, if Luce's talk is anything like his book, expect to learn a lot, including that you have a lot to learn.

Late update: King's own account of Luce's talk.

— SCE
— photo by Sean H. Smith

India briefing

Before we get going, I'll point you to the BBC's and The New York Times India profiles. Each will quickly get you up to speed on the country's major history and current events. Some highlights:

• Home to more than 1 billion people, India is the world's second most populous country and the largest democracy.


• Some 428 million voters — almost one and a half times the size of the entire U.S. population — reaffirmed their support for the ruling Indian National Congress in the country's parliamentary elections last spring.


• While well known as the birthplace of Buddhism, India is religiously and culturally diverse, a fact reflected by its federal political system.

• India won its independence from Britain in 1947. The sub-continent's ensuing partition into India and Pakistan sowed the seeds for ongoing tension between the two eventual nuclear powers.


• Two decades into economic reforms lifting barriers to foreign investment and entrepreneurship, India is home to a burgeoning middle class. It's the "I" in the BRIC acronym, coined by Goldman Sachs, used as shorthand for four of the world's top emerging economic powers (Brazil, Russia and China are the other three). Rural poverty is a persistent issue, however.
  


• India's Bollywood is the world's most prolific film industry.

— SCE

Tonight: Live coverage of India expert's talk

When India expert Edward Luce shares his insights with the Elon University community this evening, News rEvolution will be there. Which means you can be, too.

Check in here around 7:25 tonight to read, watch and listen to what the Financial Times Washington bureau chief has to say about issues facing one of the world's fastest growing economies and largest democracy. This site will carry wall-to-wall coverage of Luce's speech, including blog posts, tweets and video.

Luce, author of "In Spite of the Gods, the Rise of Modern India," is on campus for the Periclean Scholars Class of 2012's India Week.

— Steve Earley