Welcome
Welcome to the MURLbuildingblocks blog and the launch of our "Building Blocks" initiative.
The Multimedia Urban Reporting Lab (MURL) is the cornerstone of Temple University's Journalism Department and its mission to better tell stories in the under-covered and under-served neighborhoods of Philadelphia.
Central to the MURL mission is exploring ways to better tell stories in our under-served and under-covered urban neighborhoods. And, in the process, give some voice to those working to make their neighborhoods a more livable place. But to do it – “give voice to voiceless” - assumes the neighborhoods have a certain ease of access to technology and the means to pull-in multimedia content, “news.” We don’t make that assumption. Gut instinct and observation tells us something different. People are focused on survival; generated a decent income; and maintaining some balance in their world and with neighbors along the block.
This year in our MURL capstone class, and in partnership with WHYY-TV, we'll experiment with some relatively new technology - "datacasting" - to deliver hyper-local news content back into targeted Philadelphia neighborhoods. Our efforts are supported by a "New Voices" grant from the J-Lab at the University of Maryland. The J-lab projects are supported with grants from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and the Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation.
Over the next year, we'll select two neighborhood locations along Philadelphia’s “golden block.” In partnership with WHYY-TV and using the station’s “datacasting” system, MURL students will send out a hyper-local neighborhood newscast/program/stories targeted to that community. The “datacasting” technology will enable us to send the content directly over the air to rooftop receiving antennaes and down to desktop computer(s) located at the community centers. The program built by Temple University Journalism students - MURL students – will be a mix of multimedia stories and “service news” produced by students and neighborhood “news” stories as seen through the eyes of the residents themselves. Neighborhood residents will use a combination of disposable digital still and video cameras as well as low-end digital audio recorders to tell the multimedia stories of their neighborhood and their “block.” All of this will contribute to building a 360 degree media view of the neighborhood
This MURL brand of news provides a form of hyper-local coverage missing from our urban communities. In an environment of where Journalists are mistrusted and a media that sees the dark side of their neighborhood, a level of transparency is created by this project - we hope.
There it is. This is our start and a place to begin building blocks in the neighborhoods.
posted by Professor TP @ 9:52 AM
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48 Comments:
Where do we begin MURL and the “building blocks” effort?
As I thought about a beginning, I thought about an email I received a few months back. I think it’s the perfect beginning. The individual somehow tripped over our MURL website and read our Reading Viaduct story. I’ve saved the email…but I’m not sure why. In many ways it reflects the opinions of those who have given up on our neighborhoods. Here it is…what do you think?
Professor TP
Dear Tom,
I just came across your website and recommendations to solicit contributions to refurbish the Reading Viaduct for the benefit of Philadelphia and its immediate neighborhoods. The article peaked my interest as I worked in Philadelphia for 24 of my 38 years with the 'telephone company'.
I vividly remember (in 1970) the forced introduction of the 'city wage tax' which we paid for the privilege of working in the 'city'. It was supposed to guarantee us 'police protection', but - in reality - was just another way to help shore up the decaying infrastructure of a crime ridden city on its way out.
I also remember Wilson Goode's Osage Avenue incident, the scandalous rebuilding of the homes that his 'non incendiary' device destroyed and the lawsuit successfully brought by (I believe) Romona Africa, all of which was at least partially funded by the infamous city wage tax.
Take a look at the 'projects' built for the inhabitants (at the expense of the contributing taxpayers) and you'll see decay, neglect, drugs, crime and graffitti.
You could argue that this is a very pessimistic view, and you might be right. However, it is one shared my many of us who worked in Philadelphia and who found the best thing in Philadelphia was leaving it behind us on the Reading for the relative peace and quiet of the suburbs.
It wasn't long, however, before some of the ubiquitous signs of city life regrettably began to appear in the suburban train stations that city residents apparently used to commute to jobs in my neighborhood - such as King Kool on the wall and urine in the corners.
Until the residents of Philadelphia learn to appreciate any help given them by maintaining their neighborhoods, you are - in my opinion - just wasting time, money and resources.
Interesting e-mail...It is easily understood why this person is experiencing such frustrations. He is being exposed to this decay on a daily basis. And because the individual has lived in the city for such a long period of time, he is constantly aware of the deteriorating state of the neighborhood(s).
However, the individual takes an extremely negative viewpoint. Although the viewpoint might be realistic, his closing statement reveals that he believes there is no hope for these "lost" neighborhoods.
I think that MURL will create a partnership between the journalists and the citizens of the neighborhoods. By getting to know these people in a relaxed environment, we will be able to better tell their stories, with pictures, video and words. Although this might be an extremely optomistic idea on my part, the citizens might be resorting to crime out of frustration that they have been forgotten in the eyes of the media. Supplying the people of the neighborhood with cameras and keeping in close contact with them will reveal that we are passionate about conveying their stories. The MURL goals might not stop the "decay, neglect, drugs, crime and graffitti." But, it just might contribute to a new outlook its citizens and others have on the neighborhoods.
-M.Daly
Clearly, this man has been directly affected by the negatives of Philadelphia and hardly ever experienced any positives. I really do believe he's just angry about his less-than-stellar telephone company career and was unaware that positive programs such as MURL and Men For a Better Philadelphia do exist. In my opinion, the suburbs can have him because we have a future to look forward to in this city. I believe that MURL is a way to illuminate otherwise ignored and underrepresented communities. As we move about these neighborhoods as journalists, we will converse, relate, infer, question, and answer any and every piece of information collected. I'm very excited to get started becuase I think this experience will change my perspectives about the pros and cons of 'street beats' and how to handle them efficiently and in a timely manner. I thought it was interesting how Prof. Petner called MURL a 'voice of voices', because we as seniors get to have hands on field experience with citizens of this city who wouldn't be given even the slightest backward glance if not MURL. We are going to become their mouthpiece and relay their stories while looking at their surroundings, resources, and community. I am anticipating this joint venture and I hope the obviously misguided individual who wrote with such spitfire hate of this city reads every story we do. Reading this has empassioned me even more to take full advantage of this class to show him that Philadelphia is one of the most culturally enriched and diverse cities on the Eastern Seaboard and the only waste of resources going on here was the taxpayer funds that the city used to pay his salary.
Yeah, I think MURL will have an impct, but what the heck do you do wen you realize there's a ton of others out there who feel the same. Change the neighborhoods? Change the image perception?
If you drive up Girard and cut over towards Temple you see all those homes under construction...it looks like what some have described as "suburbs in the city." While the new homes are nice, somehow the "character" of the neighbor seems to get lost.
Well I must be honest I think I agree with the rest with regards to that email you received, TP. His points, somewhat valid offers a question of, "what are You going to do about it?" Obviously TP's answer was to create a program that created awareness among
1)The Students of Temple
2) The faculty of Temple
3) Media outlets in and outside of Philly
4)Hopefully reaching some within the city itself.
That answer isn't the same for everyone, Habitat for Humanity is a great cause, so is Red Cross so I just really feel like that guy is the problem, not the "urinator"
As far as changing the perception of Philadelphia with it's neighborhoods, I feel it's definitely a double-edged sword, in one hand you are completely destroying very valuable history in the city by tearing down these intimate places, but on the other hand the population itself has been declining for a mad dash to the suburbs, so regenerating neighborhoods, constructing loft apartments and condominiums is definitely part of the answer to combat that.
All in all it just comes down to changing one person at a time, you personally aren't going to change the world at once, but you as a person are able to change the world one at a time, at least that's the optimistic way to look at it....
I think that we should begin building blocks with the poeple of those blocks. i don't see any other logical way to start.
While this person made some articulate points I think it is somewhat pointless for him to express such negativity towards what MURL is trying to do. In my opinion this program can only help these neighborhoods that he claims aren't appreciating the help given to them. Maybe this help won't be extremely large and possibly not noticed right away, but help is help. I also believe that if this individual is right, maybe that could be seen as another story to tell. Can the media help struggling neighborhoods? or are they simply "just wasting time, money and resources." Perhaps this question will be answered this semester. I however belive there is a lot to tell about these neighborhoods, a lot of good that will come out of what MURL is doing and on the reverse side, those of us who are students of MURL will learn more than we can imagine about these neighborhoods and about telling stories.
What an unfortunate message. In the year I have been involved with MURL, I've seen students find stories about horse stables in Strawberry Mansion, women who started a grassroots campaign that has raised tens of thousands of dollars for breast cancer research, and various community centers that cater to a lot of very different people.
All of this was done in the name of education - not commercial journalism. What does this mean? Not only are students in MURL involved in an intense learning process, they're also providing media coverage to people, places and things that the mainstream media ignores.
I don't think that's a waste of resources.
Like Suhaliah, this e-mail has given me even more motivation to explore the innovative concepts of MURL. My level of frustration after reading this e-mail cannot be placed into words, but I will attempt.
After the second day of class, I have a keen understanding and respect for MURL’s mission. As journalists and as human beings, it is our obligation, and should be our desire, to give everyone a voice. We were reminded today by Professor Washington that, as journalists, we are supposed to “tell the story of diversity and magnitude of the human experience boldly, even when it is unpopular to do so.” The gentleman in the e-mail represents, an unfortunate, but common societal viewpoint. He has given up on the less fortunate. He has given up on the people who help this society function in one aspect or another. Although some people in underserved neighborhoods cause societal ills, there are also people in the same neighborhoods who work nine-to-fives, raise families, and share similar passions as suburbanites. I understand the gentleman’s frustration, and sense of hopelessness, but I do not appreciate it. I grew up in the suburbs of Maryland, where there are just as many problems there as there are in Philadelphia. A major difference is that the media selects what others know, and most Americans are too consumed with their daily lives to discover other perspectives on their own.
Coming to a major city from a modest suburban neighborhood has exposed me to a variety of lifestyles and perspectives. As a journalism student, and as a member of the community, I believe that there is a cyclical problem. There are some people in the neighborhoods who are not concerned with the gentleman’s perspective; there are some who will believe his sentiments; there are some who take his sentiments and turn them into positive energy. Those people who accept that they are underserved have the potential to experience a downward spiral of events and prove this gentleman right. Simultaneously, there are community leaders who persist in the everlasting fight to survive. These figures need to be encouraged and discovered. I think that MURL gives the community a chance to realize there is still light in the dark tunnel of doubt and misrepresentation.
Professor TP, you asked, ‘what does one do when there are a ton of people who feel the same’? My response is that the character of the neighborhood gets lost. Members of the community want a sense of ownership, a sense of belonging. The average person wants to be helped, not pitied. I think MURL gives residents an opportunity to help themselves.
The gentleman ended with a pessimistic, hopeless, view. I say, “Until the American people learn to erase stereotypes and learn to genuinely help those in need, we are—in my opinion—just making the struggle more difficult and making unnecessary excuses for ourselves.”
This is unfortunate that this person who has worked in Philadelphia for more than 2 dacades feels this way. His view is, as he says, pessemistic, but has an accurete point.
It is true that the Philadelphia suburbs, such as Brynmaur, Glenside, Chestnuthill..etc have relatively safe, quiet and peaceful neighborhood, whereas the innercity has been left with problems with drugs, corruption and crime.
This e-mail also motivated me of working in the Philadelphia neighborhood, really get into it by interviewing the people and spending time with them. It will be challenging, but worth it.
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Although this man's opinions are very pessimistic, I can't help but relate to the issues he presents. Prolonged exposed to the negative aspects of city certainly opens one's eyes to the reality of life. Watching a homeless man urinate in a street corner, or reading about another late night murder in the "ghetto" leaves an unmistakable impression. What makes these situations even worse is that they continue to happen every day. Yes, the city is trying to clean up the streets and yes, neighborhood improvement programs are changing lives in the Philadelphia, but placing a band aid over a bullet wound doesn't exactly save a life. This man experienced the negative side of Philadelphia longer than I've been alive, so I can completely understand why he would want to get out. I hope I don't seem uncompassionate by rationalizing his frustrations. If you never see the progress with your own eyes it's hard to empathize. If you never come in contact with the people who are helped it's hard to understand.
But this is the very reason why I'm excited about MURL. The class allows us to get out there and meet some of those people who have seen positive change. Perhaps if this man would have met some of the people I'm sure we will come in contact with throughout the semester, his perceptions would be different. Acceptance comes from putting a face to a statistic, and I feel this class will do just that.
I think this man's letter speaks to those who are not willing to look at the bigger picture. We have endured terrible phases in our city and our country as a whole, but the pendulum inevitibly begins to swing the other way. But the pendulum needs help.
Huge organizations like the Red Cross and Habitat for humanity are great, but they are just the first step in the right direction. Giant dino-sized entities are extremely inefficient, and vast amounts of money and time get lost in the cogs of their massive beuracracies. But they generate awareness -- which I beleive is key to solving our problems in the underserved urban areas.
If the reality of those areas, was the reality we consume with our dinners on the six o'clock news, there may be more hope for these areas.
Maybe it's not as much about the shootings, as it is about the ethnic groups whose resources have been "headlined" away -- scared out of the community; creating the disparity and degredation that we see.
I think its a shame that he has that perspective and its probably the opinion of alot more people. In many ways, this man is right. The people in this city do not respect themselves or their environments enough to try to establish some sort of awareness or an outgoing idea to clean up and return to a level of respectability. Now, let me say before I'm attacked, IT IS NOT EVERYONE. But negativity is contagious. But so is a positive attitude. thats the beauty that MURL may bring out. Underserved? Underappreciated? Undercovered? Now is the time to put a stop to that. And we start from scratch with our apparently young and brilliant minds (I'm not speaking for myself, I feel old sometimes). Maybe we can find the better side of the city to bring out to the public eye and this will be something that can spread.
To wrap up, I sm s great admirer of the work of Tupac Shakur. He had one poem called "the Rose that Grew from Concrete" where he talks about a rose growing out of a crack in the ground and people look at it for all the negative things. "Look at its broken pedals." "Its a little crooked and leaning to its side." NO! Don't you see how beautiful this is!? A Rose just grew from the concrete. Despite all its flaws, it came up and out of an impossible environment and stands here in front of you. Admire it, dont ridicule it!
Since moving to Philadelphia a little over a year ago from Wisconsin I have been continually struck by the negitivity and self loathing most Philadelphians are prone to. When I tell Philadelphia natives that I really don't think the streets are that dirty or that SEPTA could be a lot worse, they look at me like I have two heads. Hell, Philadelphian don't even like santa! Furthermore, when tell people from here that Philadelphians are as nice to you as you are to them, I always feel like I get this, 'why would I be nice to someone for no reason?' vibe.
This cycle of self loathing ought to be broken. I think that in a lot of ways, most of our problems come from racial tensions rooted all the way back to when demographics began to change in neighborhoods in the 60s and 70s.
I agree with Chuck. I think everyone needs to completely clear their minds of residual feelings and attitudes about the neighborhoods you'll all be reporting on and simply report what you see.
Plenty of people may complain about these neighborhoods, but imagine what it must feel like to be the callus on Philadelphia's heel.
That guy sounds quite angry. Just leaving the urbvan neighborhoods be will only make things worse. Do I like the fact that I get bothered by vagabonds while waiting for the subway or in shady sections of the city? No. But does that mean I am to move out to the suburbs to keep distance from all of that? Heck no. I love being in the city and actually having phone things to do. This angry writer needs to get a life. Referring to events like MOVE that happened 20 years ago has no bearing on whether or not what we do in MURL or what any others trying to make a difference in unfortunate neighborhoods. Just a cheap way to drump a point across by merely pointing out some negatives. If he's so bitter about how city life keeps moving to the suburbs, tell him to purchase a farm in Idaho and pick potatoes with his free time rather than waste his time ranting about how his suburbia is going down.
I agree that there many aspects of Philadelphia and its neighborhoods that are positive, and that MURL can help highlight the "good" news. Moreover, we can also look directly at the tough issues - which are there, of course - and collaborate on solutions.
The email by the individual gave me a cue to begin MURL. Since moving to Philadelphia, I have encountered serious violence and dangerous situations. However, I still like to live in the city because I feel like I can be out of prejudice against someone's race through talking to people from different ethnic groups. I think prejudice makes the things worse in city so it is important to show real things to people by MURL to lessen prejudice. That would be first step that we could do for the city.
I disagree with the individual. I think everyone deserves a voice no matter what the neighborhood, demographic, or situation. As a journalist one should not neglect a neighborhood that seems "hopeless" or desolate. If everyone in the media shared the same attitude as this individual the business would be in serious trouble. Therefore, this is definitely not a waste of time or money.
Everyone has their own story, their own experiences, that affect how they view life. In a city like Philadelphia, there is no question that children growing up in the city have seen much more in life than students such as myself. But there is one thing that many human beings hold in common and that is everyone at some point wants their story told. It doesn’t matter the reason, but everyone loves to have someone listen to them. The mere comfort of knowing that someone else cares can make more of an impact than can ever be tangibly measured. That’s why the most captivating of stories on the news are those pieces that concentrate on an individual’s personal struggles and triumphs in life.
As students and journalists venturing into the under-served and under-covered areas on Philadelphia, we are not offering residents of this city the “gift” to relay their stories as I feel is some of the hesitation of Philadelphians suspicious of media motives. We must let them know that without their voices there is no story, and all hope of change is lost.
As Candice stated, we must not by wholly pessimistic if we venture into these under-covered areas. We need to face problems yes, but try to find the change that is possible. Change has to start in the homes, in the churches, and in the schools of Philadelphia, and the efforts of journalism is to bring these stories to the public, free from any judgment or any selfish motives.
The problem with having residents open up to the media and government though is that there is a huge element of distrust – and who is to blame them? You can’t really put a face to a government policy or a news team that only walks into a neighborhood when one of their young has been shot. What’s hard is that a lot of what needs to change cannot be fully aided by community organizations, Philadelphia police, the government, or the media; rather, problems run deeply in the hearts and minds of the individuals that make up these Philadelphia neighborhoods.
As students, I don’t know if we will have any more luck, but it would be a sad thing if every effort to make a difference in this world were only pursued with the promise of success. Is it a waste of time if there is no physical evidence of change? I venture to say no. Someone’s exterior impressions can show one thing, but what is going on inside is another. There is an element of self-loathing in Philadelphia residents as Carrie mentioned, but while interviewing residents in Philadelphia, I have also found deep roots of pride in areas you would find most unlikely – perhaps these are the stories missing from the news.
I wonder after being in the community yesterday, what the people we interviewed thought of us.
I beleive they understood what we were doing, but not why. I don't think they felt that their situations were newsworthy. The irony is that it may be the most newsworthy story in the whole nation.
The events that unfold overseas and the suffering and neglect that occurs in other places is important to note--but this is happening right here!
Somehow the people living in Hantranft and other communities in the Golden Block, seem surprised to see us. It seems less like, "of course you are here" and more like, "why would you care about us?"
But they ARE us, and somehow that seems lost on the mainstream media. They are as much US as anyone else in this country, and that facet of US needs to be explained and explored as much as any other.
This will be a good chance to know under-coverd areas for me becasue I have lived in Philadelphia suburbs for 4 years. I have seen Philadelphia for 4years, but I never had a chance to try to look at these areas. When I drive to Temple main campus, I see a lot of vacant houses with wingow broken, toilet tanks on the street.... I feel bad and sad when I am driving those nighborhood, so it might be interesting to search why it is that way and how people live there. It is a big problem that diversity of under-cover areas, center-city, and suburbs including city wage tax and safety. I think we can focus on people and community at under-coverd areas.
Hi folks, I've been impressed with many of your postings, but I also think people are either holding back, or saying things that are very PC...."under-covered...under served" and all that.
I was thinking about a few things I've spotted over the past 24-hours. Pappas Television has launched something they call "community coorespondents" at many of their television stations and within their news operaions. hey just added a few more stations to the project. Average folks can publish material, write scripts, do all the things that a 'journalist' would do...they say it's their effort at "citizen journalism." Do a little research on it. I'd be curious whether it's a worthwhile effort. Do you think something like this will engage people? WCAU locally has something simlar going. I believe the Cox stations have also started something.
Did any of you watch the Couric debut, or second night? I was struck by something Professor Harper found in his class and frankly something I've seen in mine...many of you don't watch TV or network news. True? What does that mean for news?
Back to the urban issues and the Philadelphia neighborhoods. I saw a statistic about the homicide rate about the same as last year, maybe a little lower. What the heck is going on? It's still high. And when you turn on the news, it's the violence in the neighborhoods that stands out. Is it my perception? I think this goes to a post...Carrie I think...where we seem to have this lousy self-image in the City? Ya'think?
BTW, on the Couric debut, I thought it was telling that one of the post on the CBS News web site was from a viewer who gave Couric heck for "wearing white after Labor Day." It's pretty bad when news is reduced to what someone wears. As a former news director, it was disheartening running a newsroom and rather than people applaud or pick on your jounalism, they would comment on the anchor's clothes or hair.
I think the idea of citizen journalism is unfortunate for the listening public. I guess it is just a ashame that journalists today just don't have the guts to go cover in the neighborhood stories, at least that is what it will look like to me. It just show laziness on the part of the tv studio and I think a lack of professionalism. This is a job for people, not a hobby so let's treat it as such.
I guess this just opens up a controversial point. Using the mind of a salesman, which is all I do anymore, it's just plain bad business for tv studios to cover stories in these hidden and eroding neighborhoods. The suburbs are the most important, that is where the dollars are. Major networks shouldn't focus on these small neighborhoods, I feel like that is the job for more local papers such as Philly Metro or smaller more localized TV studios.
As for Couric, I did watch her inaugural broadcast for support. But I will say that the whole countdown to the news was without question "cheesy". That being said, I rarely watch network news, I feel like I get a good quality of news from reading the Inquirer, Daily News and two other local papers, which I try to read every day. I don't really see the necessity because of the fact of where we can get everything pretty much in any other medium
Wow, Tim. Just wow. Has the spirit in which our fore fathers granted us freedom of speech and the right to keep tabs on our government and society completely escaped you? I'm surprised--that I have found that theme to be constantly repeated here at Temple.
On those ground I do have to disagree. I believe that giving citizens the access to media that they can use to show people in the suburbs what is going on in these neighborhoods is vital to news. If anything I think that the dollar-ready demographic will stay tuned if only to appease the voyeur in them.
I say we give this citizen journalism a whirl and see what kind of new innovations it may lead the news world to...
I have to admit, I like the idea of citizen journalism a little bit. If someone walks into a certain area that they are unfamiliar with, then it might show in your story. You might say Ho-Ho-kus wrong or spell it different!
This idea of citizen journalism can be the same idea of MURL giving people disposable cameras and telling them to basically go get the story for us. Go show us the beauty that we might be missing. Remember the "Rose in the Concrete."
Anyway, the only issue people will have with citizen journalism is how professional it can be and whether or not it will take jobs away from "regular" journalists who might be willing to make the adventure into whatever neighborhood that needs coverage.
As far as Katie Curic...um, I don't know. I saw her in the metro and was like "ok, this deserves front page news? Instead of the news, we're worried about who is covering it?" Maybe Im just ignorant because I dont know who she is really and don't watch the news as much as I can. I barely get near the TV let alone turn it on during the fall. Over the summer, I got my news from the "Daily Show with Jon Stewart."
Now, I barely get to check channel 101 for the local weather. Maybe we should watch television IN CLASS! That would be a worthwhile experience...
Oh, and white on labor day? who follows those rules anymore. I'm sure we all have slipped up. although I think Professor Petner wore a pink or peach shirt to avoid it. Nicely done.
I also like the idea of community reporters because I feel like the viewer can get an accurate idea of what's going on in the specific neighborhood. I interned for Good Day Philadelphia this summer and we did a segment called "Nick's in the Neighborhood" Reporter Nick Smith would do light, mostly human interest stories but they would all showcase something cool going on in a neighborhood and in some cases negative things that needed attention. I really like the idea of having a reporter assigned to the neighborhoods so viewers and those who live in the neighborhoods can feel more connected and better covered. As for Katie Couric's debut, I think she's a fine journalist and her debut was going to get a lot of attention. If there's anything I've realized, viewers sometimes watch to see you mess up. They want to see you do something wrong and because her debut was so talked about everyone was watching for something...white after labor day??? come on that's just stupid, watch the news to get information not to see what color the anchor's pants are.
I think "citizen journalism" is important even though there is a side of 'business' for TV station and journalism. Reporting small or minor beighborhood is showing people in the suburbs what is happening in the area they've never lived and giving an idea of where tax they pay goes. It is a good chance to know problems they have and think about solutions.
I do watch local and network TV to get new usually, but when I find something interesting, I will go online to get deeper understanding. I did't watch the Couric debut, but it doesn't sound like news, and nobody cares.
I don’t know what great stories former classes have found and produced in the city, but I am sure some of them have been compelling enough to air at a professional market value. That’s not only saying something about the ability of student’s to do journalistic work, but it shows that great stories do in fact exist in areas.
To me at least, if students such as myself can go into areas we don’t know and find stories, I am even more confident in the ability of those people living in the neighborhoods to help.
In my opinion, a lot of the blog world has supported the efforts of citizen journalism. Like anything else, there is good and bad to it. The good: it is awesome that the power of storytelling can now be in the hands of everyday citizens who actually live and have experienced what news stations try to portray. And the fact that so many younger people turn to blogs (or Jon Stewart) for the news shows a lot about our lessening trust and interest in traditional news markets.
It isn’t a shock to me that college students, even those who are majoring in journalism, do not give much attention to broadcast news. Why you may ask? One, because of the sad fact that a monumental event - such as Katie Couric being the first woman to anchor network evening news - is overshadowed by the pitiful observation that she wore white after labor day.
Did I watch her debut? I’m going to be honest and say no. And I am going to be even more blunt in saying that while part of the reason was my disgust with how much ill-directed hype had gone into her debut, I was more importantly still eating dinner. I know that may put me in a bad light, but I think it’s interesting to note that while these networks try to draw the younger crowd in, they seem to forget that at 6:30 at night many of us are in great need of refueling.
The reason my generation is more likely to be clicking a mouse then a remote is because we have become so used to getting information at our own leisure. Yes, I will admit that this encouragement of a lazy and spoiled approach to caring about what’s going on in the world will probably end up biting us in the butt… which hits upon the “bad” of the blog world.
I’ve already noticed from myself and friends that we tend to only view the blogs that support our own view. With an average Joe sitting behind the computer, how are we to judge if their words are reliable? With the beauty of citizen journalism also comes the huge risk of trusting individuals to discern if what they are reading or seeing has been a true depiction of what is going on.
Commentary lurks everywhere, and I doubt this will change, as people love to share their own opinion. Hopefully, there is a positive way in which we can portray these opinions and combine the journalistic experience of reporters/writers/and producers with the life experiences of the common man.
I think that allowing average people to contribute is a great idea, but it requires some critical timing and planning in order to get the average hard-working person to take time out of their busy work and family schedule to do so. It might mean planning some corresponding activity for childeren, on nights when layout for the project takes place (sort of like daycare). Just a thought.
I guess I don't rely on network news stations, mainly because I don't have time to download that information, via standing still and watching it. Sounds a little ADD no? But we live in an ADD society. I think you have to be a little ADD to survive. Follow-through and thoroughness are not always rewarded -- punctuality and a good bottom line are. The bottom line is I have to make it to class and work on time. So I focus on what means the most to me, in as fast a manner as possible. For me that means using the web to get my news. A printed newspaper is the runner-up.
I think that allowing average people to contribute is a great idea, but it requires some critical timing and planning in order to get the average hard-working person to take time out of their busy work and family schedule to do so. It might mean planning some corresponding activity for childeren, on nights when layout for the project takes place (sort of like daycare). Just a thought.
I guess I don't rely on network news stations, mainly because I don't have time to download that information, via standing still and watching it. Sounds a little ADD no? But we live in an ADD society. I think you have to be a little ADD to survive. Follow-through and thoroughness are not always rewarded -- punctuality and a good bottom line are. The bottom line is I have to make it to class and work on time. So I focus on what means the most to me, in as fast a manner as possible. For me that means using the web to get my news. A printed newspaper is the runner-up.
Any thoughts on our visit yesterday to WHYY-TV and what you heard from the kids at the E3Center?
I think the visit to WHYY was necessary. It helped me understand the collaboration with the station and the datacasting element. I appreciated the visual of a "brick", because I had no idea! I feel like the people involved in the project are passionate and knowledgable. This was evident throughout the presentation, especially during the video produced by the youth of the E3 center. I think it is an excellent representation of the obstacles Philadelphia youth endure. It puts life into perspective. Knowing that someone comes from a broken home allows others to connect the story. I hope the E3Center is just a starting point and that other areas will have the opportunity to experience our version of "citizen journalism".
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I thought that the WHYY-TV visit was very informative. Prior to the visit I did not know much about datacasting. I had a general idea of what it is but the people at WHYY-TV explained it in elaborate detail.
The kids from the E3 Center put together a great piece. In fact, I think their documentary was better than most documentaries I've seen by college educated people. It just goes to show the great things you can do when you have the resources. I also believe that E3 Center is a good example of how "citizen journalism" can be successful. It discussed difficult issues from the people who are currently going through those issues. Who better to tell the story than the people themselves? Needless to say I was impressed.
The presentation at WHYY was very thorough. When the whole idea of datacasting was explained during class, it sounded as if the information was going into the ground and then coming up in the homes of these people in this neighborhood. The whole time I'm thinking "what the hell kinda hook up do these people have thats gonna give them our pieces like this?"
But hey...a center where the information is pumped to. Now thats a better idea than what I thought. The best part is that there is general interest from the kids. Usually when people try to extend themselves upon certain people, the initial reaction will probably be surprise or even confusion and the feedback will not be as positive. But these kids see this as a way to reach out. You gotta respect that and it makes you feel even better about our situation with MURL.
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I enjoyed the visit to WHYY, although I wish it could have been longer. The guys there really did help clearify the whole notion of datacasting--I'm so not a techie so and their layman explanation of the process was really helpful. It was also cool seeing the kids' movie from the E3 center, I wanted to see more. It was sad because we all hear and know of kids in the "inner-city" and all of the problems associated with that, but seeing and hearing those kids, especially the girl who wished she had a different family, it hit a new nerve. All I could think about was what was going on at her home that would make her say that?
I think this idea of citizen journalism is an awesome one. People can't rely on "salesman" at network newstations to tell their stories, so they tell the stories theirselves. Its not journalistically (if thats a word!) responsible to dwell on stories that are lucrative as suggested by tim, whatever a "lucrative" story is. I think its pathetic that I turn on local news and have to hear about little league games in Tom's River as opposed to whats happening down the street from my house.
More than half the world is "hidden and eroding" so there's no getting around dealing with it.
An interseting thing that was pointed out at the WHYY session, is that data casting is not simply another way to provide the services we will be providing, but in some cases it is the ONLY way.
The fact that there are areas in this city, in the year 2006, where the internet is virtually non-existent, is almost unimaginable to me.
I wonder how well our program will be recieved by the people that make the decisions as to what energy and funding goes into these areas? Is this something that outsiders will perceive as celebrating these nighborhoods, or as trying to make a dig at defective legislators and city politicians?
Hopefully it will do a little of both -- because the situation is not what it should be, and at the same time these neighborhoods are not the unsalvagable hell-holes they are often portrayed as either.
Lots of great comments. The visit did clear a few things up, and a pointed out, I was impressed with the kids....teenagers...who put that documentary together. It does make you wonder what goes on in their homes.
I'm probably overstating this, but I'm imprssed what you all have done so far in the neighborhoods. People seem to be really stepping out.
You can diagree, of course. How's everyone doing with the most recrnt assignment, the webography? Are you finding "that place" in your respective neihgborhoods?
I think I can speak for Candice and Chuck when I say this...but finding "that place" in the Hartranft neighborhood was a very easy task for us.
The three of us have been dedicating alot of time to MURL and spending time in the community. We were discussing the issue on Saturday, when we went out to the music store that we decided to focus upon for our webography...We are now at a point, where we walk down one of the main streets in Hartranft, and people actually recognize us. Of course, we still run into some strange situations (!) but for the most part, we are getting used to the people and the neighborhood.
By getting to know these people, they are becoming more comfortable with talking to us. In fact, a few of the owners of stores in the area have extended the offer for us to use their copiers, fax machines or computers.
Professor Petner mentioned "stepping out" into the community. It's one thing to do some research on the community regarding its demographics and crime statistics. But, you don't really know the area until you actually spend time there, and get to know its people. Because sometimes neighborhoods are different once you visit...
I agree with Meghan. We are stepping out, and as a result of that, we are making connections with people in the community. We spent three hours on Saturday documenting a community hotspot. The great part of the experience is meeting people; the difficult part is the technical difficulties. Post Production in Annenberg closes at 4:30. Of course, our group did not realize this until 4:15 when we were told it was closing soon. It's frustrating because we were doing so well working on the webography, and we had to stop. We went to the Tech Center that same evening and found that there are not a lot of staff members who can help with issues. After stumbling a few times, we would figure things out, but it is a headache to know you want to do work and have to stop because we do not know the settings on the computer. After speaking to several students, there has to be a change. We should have access to someone who is aware of Final Cut Pro in the evenings, because sometimes, that is the only time groups can meet. Besides the technical aspects, the Webography went well!
Ater visiting the RW Brown center and Congreso I was really impressed. It is nice to see that the community is picking up the struggle of building itself up, where the city has either left off or never started. We met a man at RW Brown, who is a counciler, van driver, day care assistant, you name it he does it there. He does not get big bucks to do it either.
Congreso, on Somerset Street, employs 46, some of them are volunteers.
A story on either of these places sort of writes itself. The people we met were enthusiastic about where they worked and for the most part wanted to share their stories (as were the people attending those prorgrams).
Last saturday, me, Meghan, and Candice all went to Centro Musical. Its just amazing to me to see how these people responded to us. I felt like I've known a few of these people before and we were just hanging out.
Story? What story?
Oh yeah...the whole reporting thing we gotta do...
People felt comfortable around the camera, I talked to almost everyone in the store, I played one of the instruments, drank a little moonshine (interesting experience) and had a really good time.
This didn't feel like work. It feels good that we're getting a grade for it.
I got close to 60 pictures that day too. Our digital camera's battery decided it didn't like us and died. But I used my camera phone and got good quality pictures. Im telling you, T-Mobile should sponser us. We're making them look good. Anyone know who I could contact about this?
But the whole tech center/annenberg issue is an issue! I don't know why Annenberg is closing their post-production so early? It is still posted that they close at 10 or something like that. Something needs to be done...
I was pretty pleased with the center that my group and I found for the webography. The people were diffcult and apprehensive at first but we were persistent which worked to our benefit. I don't think finding "that place" will be particularly hard in our neighborhoods. The majority of the activity that occurs in our neighborhoods happens to be in "that place" so things seem to jump out at you. I think the hard part is how you proceed once you find a place. People are concerned about being exploited and you have to explain to people that you are just as appreciative of their neighborhood as they are.
Since we did away with the personal blogs, I guess I will make this post a little more personal.
I think it is safe to say that our group was pleasantly surprised by the honest and helpful attitude we have encountered so far from the housing authority. Our interview on Friday went really well. The general manager of Design/Development, never flynched when we asked him serious questions, nor did he try to side-step us. This was an important lesson I think in not pre judging out interviewee(s) before we get to talk to him/her.
In response to the email you received, Prof TP, I'm shocked at the writer's boldness. I think a lot of people feel the way he does, but aren't honest enough to admit it. It's also a very negative way of thinking and a lazy excuse for not making an effort towards change. If everyone thought that way, we would be living in a sad world. I really believe in the mission of MURL and think it's a noble one.
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