Journalism and Motivating Change

After our Thursday discussion in class, I thought it might be worth talking through more of the issues we touched. I was surprised at a few of the sentiments. Namely, I got the sense that some of you believe what we do is worthy, but doesn't really motivate change.

If we don't tell these stories and motivate the change, who will? In a way, doesn't this bring us full-circle to where this blog started? And that was the email from the guy who wrote about walking away from the neighborhoods - to give it up. We wasting our time?

I'm also curious, why are so few of you not interested in journalism as a career? Is it as one person put, "I want to make money."

WHYY Studio Visit

Soooo, what did you all think about out visit to the WHYY studios? The datacasting presentation from Bill Weber, as always, helped me get a better fix on datacasting. And, believe it or not, I've heard the presentation several times. Each time I pick-up something new. Actually I thought your questions, and the responses from Bill and Ryan Dumont's made some things even clearer.
Any "take" on the video from the kids at the Congreso E3Center? Some tough situations.
On the templates...many of you had lots of great ideas.

Community Correspondents

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.