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.