The Facebook Story

Last night Randi Zuckerberg came to Ithaca College to speak to an overflowing room of eager students. For those of you who don't recognize the last name, Zuckerberg is the sister of Mark Zuckrerberg, aka the founder of Facebook.

Randi Zuckerberg was the marketing director for Facebook for six years before leaving to start her own media company, R to Z Media. I wonder how her new independent company will fair in the corporate dominated world?

In Zuckerberg's speech she focused on social media and had more than a firm grasp on how to utilize it for the maximum business advantage. Hearing her take on how corporations successfully use social media was both informative and inspiring.

Although she focused on large corporations and mainstream media, independent media could easily steal their tactics. Social media is arguably more beneficial to independent media sites because its free and reaches as many people as their 'friends' and 'followers'. Independent media could stand to learn a few things from the marketing genius Zuckerberg proved herself to be. I realize that their resources and audience are on a much smaller scale, but the whole business of independent media relies on the successful use of social media.

I Report

As my own graduation date slowly approaches and I begin to think about what I want or am going to be able to do after college, stories like this are what scare me.

CNN layed off employees, including photographers and staffers in offices across the country. Roughly 50 staffers, many longtime employees of CNN, were given notice on Black Friday. In Stephen Colbert's report, he cites CNN's citizen journalist sector, iReport, as one of the reasons behind the layoffs.

Are citizen journalists slowly taking the place of trained journalists? I hope not. Citizen journalism has its positive aspects, but should stay in its place, as an asset to traditional journalism.

If one of the top news agencies in the United States are laying off longtime staffers, what does that mean for the up and coming, entry level crowd? Should college start to push jobs in independent media more and more, so as to increase the chances of their recent graduates to get jobs? Hopefully with the rise of social media and independent media there is hope for us all.

Small Business Saturday

With the holiday season creeping up on us, sales and clearances can be found everywhere. Black Friday and Cyber Monday have become holidays of their own, especially for the saavy shopper. However, Small Business Saturday promotes shoppers to support their local small businesses. This smaller and lesser known 'holiday' is celebrated by those in the know the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Black Friday promotes the big department and chain stores found in malls across the country. Everyone knows about it and it is advertised for weeks leading up to it.

This reminds me of mainstream media versus independent media. Those in the know are aware of the independent media that supports their niche, but everyone know about the major networks and newspapers.  Black Friday is before Small Business Saturday and was established earlier.

However, the creation of Small Business Saturday is gaining awareness. I saw multiple tweets and retweets of small business offers and promotions on Saturday. Like independent outlets, their niche populations are keeping them alive and they will hopefully continue to grow with the added awareness.

Act Independently

Conflict of interest: something all journalists should have in the back of their minds at all times.

The SPJ Code of Ethics states that journalists should, "avoid conflict of interest, real or perceived," and "remain free of associations and activities that may compromise integrity or damage credibility."

Journalists frequently change beats or refrain from reporting on a subject due to conflict of interest. Ken Krayeske announced in 2009 that he would no longer report on the city of Hartford and the Mayor because of his girlfriend's position in the mayor's office. He opted for true objectivity instead of attempting objectivity. I find this admirable, because ethically journalists should not have any bias and having a close relation affiliated with a story can jeopardize that.

Other examples have popped up recently. NPR's Michele Norris stepped down for "All Things Considered" because of her husband's position in the Obama re-election campaign earlier this month.

However, columnist George Will decided not to step down after disclosing that his wife works on Rick Perry's policial campaign. How is that any different from Norris's situation? Should Will step down for purely journalist purposes?

Journalists have a duty to the public to "seek truth and report it" but how true can a story be with an built-in bias?

Pattern, Con't

As I blogged early, the Occupy protests have become the go-to place for journalists to be arrested. The pattern was not only seen in the Occupy protests, but any type of uprising.

The pattern of unjustness continues, this time securely within the walls of the Occupy movement. The AP
tweeted early today that the "epicenter" of the movement has been disbanded. Police forced protesters out of what has been some people's home for the past month and a half. Zuccotti Park can no longer be used as a campground. Without this home base, what is the future of the movement? Communication, something the movement seems to have had trouble with especially in unifying their message, will become that much harder.

But on the other hand, can the movement now spread effectively? It may force leaders of the movement to step out of the minimalist comforts of Zuccotti Park and spread throughout the city. Not everyone has the luxury to take off of work to protest in a park for weeks on end, but people do have the time to attend meetings and lend their hand in a different way. This could attract people that believe in the movement, but have been waiting in the wings for an opportunity to make their voices heard, not just contribute to the massive voice heard echoing in Lower Manhattan.

What seems to be a roadblock may be a benefit to the Occupy movement.

Ethics are Everywhere

When discussing who should be allowed into "closed press" rooms and whether cell phones or video recording should be allowed I immediately thought of a recent Gossip Girl episode. It may just be that I have watched the show religiously since 2007 and want to find a connection to my own life.

Anyways, as a brief synopsis:

There was cause for worry that clothes debuted at an upcoming fashion show would be leaked via cell phone photos or videos to the masses before they could be released by the designer. The editor and chief of a new independent media tabloid suggested that all cellphones be relinquished at the door to avoid the problem all together. The phones were tagged and kept for safekeeping, but the editor decided to use this is a way to uncover secrets of the party attendees.

It is obvious that the snooping is unethical, but is it ethical to force people to give up their phones before entering? Would that fly in a press conference or "closed press" meeting? Cell phones have become a huge part of media, they allow us to always be in contact with our editors or sources and to photograph and record happenings with major equipment.

I understand that public figures want some things to be kept private, and everyone is entitled to their personal life. But don't public figures relinquish some of their privacy when they decide to step into the spotlight? It is a journalists duty to report to the public what everyone else isn't telling them. Journalists are supposed to ask the in depth question and uncover the truth.

While the Gossip Girl reference is purely fictional, it makes me think what would happen if that was really the norm, both personally and journalistically.

Legal Insurrection

William Jacobson, full-time professor and part-time blogger, imparted his start-up story to 17 pairs of eager ears. Jacobson writes a conservative blog called Legal Insurrection, somewhat contrasting to the largely liberal Ithaca community.

Nevertheless, despite his opinions and political views, his story is similar to many other bloggers worldwide. After deciding to start his blog and then setting up a Blogger account, Jacobson ran into his first problem. "How do I get people to come to my blog?" His is a niche blog, conservative views with a legal edge, so he had to reach out to that specific community. Once established, it's like a club. People will link to you, you will link back to them. It is the game of give and take in the blogosphere.

Jacobson quickly realized the importance of consistency in his postings. The news cycle nowadays is fast and ever-changing. In order to keep people interested, you have to give them something to read and it better be interesting and relative. That is the only way to get the repeat customers that will keep a blog alive.

After quite a bit of thought, and some encouragement from last semester's Independent Media class, Jacobson switched his layout. Legal Insurrection is now it's own URL, although you will be redirected from the blogspot.com site. This was one of Jacobson's most business saavy decisions. He constructed the layout, decided the features he wanted, all with ample room for ads. His strategically placed 'donate' button shows his softball approach.

He could find other higher paying ad companies or ask for larger donations. He could slip a donation plea into his posts. But Jacobson is about the content.

It's Becoming a Pattern

In class, we have discussed many occasions where independent journalists have been arrested unjustly. From Amy Goodman and her Democracy Now! team to writers to countless other examples. The police consistently use the same excuse, "they did not show their credentials."But aren't they strung around their necks in plain view?

Another example popped up on Wednesday out of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The Occupy protests seem to be a prime spot for independent journalists to be detained.

More Trouble for WikiLeaks?

Last month, WikiLeaks announced it was in financial trouble and could be shut down as early as the beginning of 2012.  They are scaling back their operations in the hopes of raising additional funds, despite Visa, MasterCard and others refusing to all cardholders to donate to the site.

With Julian Assange still in the midst of a legal battle overseas, where does this leave WikiLeaks? Assange was denied extradition today in a London High Court trial. The court is calling for a trail in Sweden for alleged sexual misconduct charges against Assange.

With all the bad press surrounding Assange, will readers want to donate to the struggling site? Although Assange's personal life and action don't correlate with the site, the mere connection could be enough to shy readers away.

If Assange is found guilty in Sweden, some years away, will WikiLeaks survive? Will it survive a possible Supreme Court appeal in Britian and a possible Swedish trial?

Despite their financial woes, the turmoil surrounding Assange can't be beneficial to the infamous whistle-blowing site.

"So I blogged about it"

Out of Jim Gilliam's 12 minute speech titled "The Internet is My Religion" the quote that struck me the most was "so I blogged about it." It encompassed everything we have learned in Independent Media to date.

If no one had ever felt the need to "blog about it" there is a large possibility that independent media would not be as powerful as it has grown to be.

Gilliam's speech really showed the strength a blog can have and how independent media is influential in society as a whole. His plea for a new pair of lungs and his frustration with the UCLA doctors was made public through his blog. The public outcry was what got Gilliam an appointment for a double lung transplant, and then saved his life.

The way Gilliam wove his lifelong love for the Internet with his personal battle with cancer was moving and thought provoking. How much can we use the Internet for before it becomes TOO much?

1,000 True Fans

Small donors have a big impact in the world of independent media. An outlets true fans are the ones most likely to donate money, whether it be $50 or $5. The concept of a 1,000 true fans is one that many independent outlets rely on. If 1,000 people donated $50 each an outlet would raise $50,000 by people that genuinely believe in them and their cause.

Sites like Kickstarter.com and Spot.us raise money for various independent media projects. Donors can choose their amount and if the target amount is not raised in a certain span of time, the donors get their money back.

Their is more competition in the big donor market. Non-profits are all vying for the same donors. But, this money comes with strings attached.  Non-profits will feel an obligation to cater to their big donors because of their monetary value.

In independent media, change can happen by talking about it, unlike corporations where there are spoken and unspoken biases.

The Influential Internet

The Internet has revolutionized how media is presented and opened up an entirely new independent media platform. The struggle for independent outlets throughout history was their distribution. The Internet rid outlets of that problem to the point where, without it, independent outlets would be back at square one. In class Tuesday, we discussed Democracy Now's reference to the viral video from Asmaa Mahfouz and the Egyptian revolution. Without Youtube, it can be argued that the revolution would not have happened or been half as powerful. The Internet has become the go-to medium for independent media because of its ease. Posts can go viral in minutes.

Monetizing the Internet has been a struggle for both mainstream and independent outlets. The traditional model of revenue does not apply to the Internet. We discussed the three models used by independent outlets: small donors, big donors, and advertisements. Indy outlets have to weigh the pros and cons of each and think with the business side of their brain, not just the journalist side.

Indy Media in the Media

While browsing Twitter this morning, as I do every morning to grab the headlines of the news and decide that I want to read further, a Retweet caught my eye. A story in the New York Times, "A Grass-Roots Newscast Gives Voice to Struggles," discussed Democracy Now! at length. Their personal struggle against corporate media, which Amy Goodman says "the views of a majority of Americans had been “silenced by the corporate media."' and an overview of their mission is all touched on in the article. I found it interesting that the NYT published such a positive article about an independent outlet and hope their support will help to broaden their readers minds.


http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/24/business/media/a-grass-roots-newscast-gives-a-voice-to-struggles.html?_r=1

"Princess of the Black Press"

After reading the chapter on Ida B. Wells, I commend her and her on-going fight to end lynching in the South. She was able to get her anti-lynching message out across multiple publications and platforms. Her articles appeared not only in independent publications, such as the New York Age, but mainstream publications picked them up as well.

Her voice was one to be reckoned with. Wells's crusade could not be stopped. When she was exiled from the South, she relocated to the North and continued to write and distribute her work in anyway she could. Wells was politically-saavy enough to realize that when offered a speaking tour in England, the British press had clout in the American South. Her anti-lynching campaign then went international.

Both before and after her trips abroad, Wells wrote pamphlets that advocated her cause, such as The Red Record. In 1895, when that pamphlet was published, Wells no longer needed support from another publisher. Wells was known nationally and internationally for her work against lynching.

Even after marriage and a short-lived retirement, Wells never abandoned her cause. After hearing wind of a particularly awful lynching in South Carolina, she was back at it. Wells went right to the White House and when that didn't work she began writing again. Fifty pages later, she had the booklet, Mob Rule in New Orleans.

Sadly, Wells never saw lynching disappear. Her crusade started a conversation but failed to finish it.

#occupywallstreet

What began in the lower Manhattan area of Wall Street has now spread to major cities across the country. Occupy Chicago, Occupy Boston and Occupy D.C were all on my radar this weekend.  Mainstream media drastically underplayed this movement, especially in the early days of the protest. The Huffington Post has a whole page dedicated to Occupy Wall Street and its counterparts. There are blog posts, videos, photos and stories that are relevant to the movement. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/occupy-wall-street

My favorite part of the movement is their own form of media, The Occupy Wall Street Journal. It is a genius play on words and immediately caught my attention when a fellow student pulled it out of her backpack. When college students start to take notice, you know that it is a topic worth looking at. Friends of mine drove overnight to New York City to participate in the protests and make it back for classes the next day. That takes dedication.


Even when 'Googled' today, Occupy Wall Street is a huge presence in the indy media world and decidedly less in the mainstream.

Eye Witness

The rise of citizen journalism has allowed readers, watchers and listeners to bear witness to event's happening around the world as if they were there, not thousands of miles away. They are the people with their camera phones snapping photos or shooting video. They don't have an agenda or a story assignment from an editor, they are merely documenting what is happening, the raw reality of the situation, and sharing it with the world. They are the eye witnesses, the real people with real ties to the community. Yes, they may not have a journalism education or any education at all, but you cannot argue with the facts.

Mainstream reporters can still get the story correct, they just don't have the same background and history with the place, people and problem that the locals do. After reading Arianna Huffington's story Bearing Eye Witness 2.0, I was surprised at the examples she gives on reporters that got their facts wrong, and didn't seem to care. It is true that the "eyewitness fallacy- the tendency for people to see, in eyewitness accounts, what they want to see" is a part of journalism. Bias is something that is constantly battled with in the journalism world. However, these journalists are giving eyewitness accounts that are far from accurate, when citizens are standing next to them with the means and motive to get the facts straight.

I hope, for journalism's sake, that what Huffingtion closed her article with is true. "New media is not replacing the need to "bear witness," it is spreading it beyond the elite few, and therefore making it harder for those elite few to get it as wrong as they've gotten it again and again -- from Stalin's Russia to Bush's Iraq."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/arianna-huffington/bearing-witness-20-you-ca_b_231096.html

News21

At first glance, the independent media website News21.com does not look student generated. The layout, photos and interactive aspect combine to make the site as worthy as any mainstream media outlet.  The content is contributed by several universities and colleges in the United States, and each school has their own link off of the main site. Different schools cover different topics, such as food, politics, education and more.

Each school's page has a different layout, allowing them complete control for how they want to represent themselves and their writing. I can't pit one against another because they are all so unique and accomplish different things. As a whole, the content is well-written and the photos are descriptive, each site is easy to navigate through. However, a larger variety of content and an expanded number of participating schools could heighten the site's success in the independent media market.