Right now, I have no words. What I mean is, I am so weary of discussing the "future of journalism" that I doubt I have anything interesting left to say about the topic.
I have gabbed about what makes a journalist, who shouldn't be a journalist, how to monetize Web space through advertising, whether we'll have jobs when we get out of here, and

bla                           bla                             bla

Why am I so cynical? Because I know that I do not and cannot know the answers to these things.

This reminds me of the time a breaking news story happened on a Friday morning and nobody knew the scoop. Oh, wait. That was this morning. A person allegedly fell from the top of Naismith and died. That is all we know, besides that it was a male. All of us are asking questions because that's what we do. We are journalists. We speculate, formulate, investigate. But do we really know what's going to happen? NO!

Don't get me wrong. There is great value in speculation and formulation and of course, investigation when possible. But there is no certainty, no solidity in our speculation. So, lately, I've been pretty tired of "the future." I don't know what job or internship offer I will have received (or not) in a year and I don't know what the next new thing will be.

Beyond speculating about the possibilities and making myself the best product for tomorrow, I am tired of the future for now. I am choosing, right now, to live in the present for the rest of the semester and this summer at my internship.

Tomorrow, my sentiments may change and I may be up for a lively conversation on digi-newspapers, Flitter, Clutter, and the next new thingy. But for now, I'm content not knowing. As they say, ignorance is bliss.

Brian Solis' article "Can the statusphere save journalism?" went awry in the second paragraph when Brian almost blindly accepted Walt's hypothesis that there are only a few papers worth saving.
If this were true, why are there hundreds of thousands of papers to begin with? Or maybe a more puzzling question would be "how are they making it?"

The perspective of both Solis and Walt is very idyllic and unrealistic in my opinion. They claim that skilled journalists can find a variety of routes through which to market themselves to the world.  This essentially ignores simple fact that people necessarily have to have successful careers, they have to have an income, benefits, and job security.

Sure, you can give the whole "market yourself independently" world a shot, and you can even join as many social networks as possible -- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, what have you. But none of these efforts are a guarantee of a career in which your work will be published, read and profitable. Plus, with the sheer volume of individuals hoping to strike it rich on these sites, it seems they are becoming less dependable for any realizable benefits.
 
How do you stand out in the wide, wide universe of Twitter profiles and Facebook pages? And if you do have the content and experience and background available there that would impress and move the world to read your stories, do they even go deep enough into your profile to discover any of it?

 Don't get me wrong, I'm an avid Facebooker and Tweeter. I love them both for different and various reasons. I just don't believe that Facebook or Twitter should be a journalist's resort to find a job or make a name for him or herself. And I don't believe it is EVER a good idea to consider that only a "few newspapers" are worth keeping and the whole lot of them should be done away with.
 
Abraham Lincoln said, "The basis of our governments being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."-Thomas Jefferson

Local newspapers are the basis of democracy! C'mon, Walt. Let's not be so vain as to think that only the conglomerates matter and that millions of people aren't reading local small-town papers.

During all the crazy Student Senate election happenings, a student has to have a haven, a hideaway, on campus. For me, Stauffer Flint Hall, home to the KU School of Journalism, is that place.
Although it's the hub of campus news and information, most of the people here are concerned with and committed to providing unbiased information to the student body. We aren't politicians. We're journalists.
That doesn't mean we don't have our own opinions. In fact, journalists often have some of the most rooted, firm and passionate opinions of anyone because they are "in the know" and stay abreast of the news. But it's not our job to tell you what we think or why you should think this or that way.
It's our job to inform, to be trusted sources of information and to keep our mouths shut. This is often a difficult task, and let's just be honest -- between journalists, we do discuss our opinions. But it's vital that we remain balanced in our reporting of the news.

This is why Stauffer Flint is my shelter from the wicked hatred (exaggeration) and Greeks v. Greeks, Greeks v. GDI, Greeks v. Everybody controversies (not an exaggeration).

The William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas has the reputation of being a top-notch journalism school, yet changes and updates are greatly needed.  

As a reporter and anchor for KUJH-TV, I am very disappointed in the outdated technology in both the control room and newsroom in Dole.  We need new lighting in the studio, a new set design and new software among numerous other things.  If the administration would look at our journalism schools competition, like on the local level, the University of Missouri or on a national level the University of Maryland or the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, they would see journalism programs that have surpassed our own with the integration of media across all platforms within their programs.  These journalism schools have grown and adapted to the daily changes in television media, unlike K.U.'s program.  Our television station could be just as successful as our competitors but people have to be willing to spend money and time to get it to that level and sadly I don't know if there are a lot of people who are that willing.

As I think about graduation in May and our looming economy, it forces me to consider graduate schools.  I would love more than anything to obtain my master's degree from the University of Kansas but I refuse to pay thousands of dollars to get my master's from a school that does not keep their television station's equipment, technology and learning up-to-date.  I have decided that when I do go back to school for my master's in a few years that I will more than likely attend the University of Maryland.  They have a top-notch program that has just been updated with new learning facilities that include a multi-media "news bubble" lab, four 18-seat news labs, three seminar rooms, a third-floor devoted to professional training centers and the Richard Eaton Broadcast Theater.  How can K.U.'s television station even begin to compete with the newly renovated journalism school at the University of Maryland when our station is so outdated?

I am not placing blame on anyone; instead I am trying to get the point across to students and administration that if we want to keep the William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications' reputation as a top-notch journalism school WE have to maintain it.  The fate of this journalism school rests in the hands of its students and administration.  I would love to see students and the administration show some passion and desire in maintaining that reputation through dedication of both time and money.  We have so much talent in our journalism school but maybe our program needs to set some goals, update our technologies and find students who are willing to commit themselves whole heartedly to helping the journalism school reach those goals.

 

It is amazing how quickly time flies. It feels like just yesterday "Uncle" Rick and I were tallying up the grades and getting ready for the winter holidays. There were some interesting developments over the fleeting moments of the winter break. Foremost among them was the addition to the newsroom of two Nokia N93 phones.

These phones are a mobile journalist's dream-come-true and could push us from the relatively-new world of "backpack" journalism into the new era of the "pocket" journalist. At least that is the buzz. We'll see what you, the bloggers (and you, the viewers!), have to say about that. You have all semester to write about that.

I am looking forward to hitting the ground running with this Nokia project and all the work that this semester will bring to the newsroom and our burgeoning online producers. What Nokia project, you say? All in good time.

I promise to try to keep the "buzz" in check with some folksie anachronisms along the way. Are you ready for it? You will hear more buzzwords than you can shake a stick at, but would you really have it any other way?

As my first semester as Multimedia Newsroom Coordinator comes to a close, I thought it a good time to point you, our loyal viewers, to a smattering of our blog posts that I will tentatively call our Best of Fall 2006. I say tentative because "best" is a nebulous term. Below, you will find some of the best writing, best blogging (not necessarily the same thing) and most contentious of our posts. Each story is linked to its original post, so feel free to comment there or on this post. Your feedback is always welcome.

We will not have any new content to publish until the end of January when classes resume. Until then, please peruse our archives and check out our sister-site, tv.ku.edu. Whether you enjoy the holiday season or shout "humbug" at the falling snow (fingers crossed!), meet us back here in January!

Without further ado,

The Best of Fall 2006

Bizarre postcards from Beirut

Posted by Stephen Lynn on August 24, 2006 6:13 PM | Permalink

The usual disappointment settled in when I first read about "Reutersgate."

"It was an honest mistake; I probably would have missed that, too," I thought. After I learned that the dark plumes of smoke hanging over Beirut were enhanced by Photoshop, I realized I was part of the problem, along with Reuters and the New York Times.

I haven't yet acquired enough technoknowledge to determine whether someone had doctored the photo. Sure, I know that Tom Cruise would die if he took the 20-foot plunge on a motorcycle like his character did in Mission Impossible. Anyone could tell that the film's producers used special effects. But the subtlety of the changes in the smoke photo required a trained eye.

Not to mention the blatant photo fabrications, which even casual readers pegged as fakes.

The problem goes deeper. The news media's excessive cost cutting has decreased the quality of journalism. How can these lapses in judgment occur when the industry boasts 20 percent profit margins? The news media certainly have the money to hire technologically savvy workers.

Tim Rutten writes that a year ago, Reuters decided to save money by consolidating all three of its operations into one photo desk in Singapore. Washington D.C.-based Reuters employees refused to relocate to the Southeast Asian country, where they would have earned a fraction of their former salaries.

Recently, the freelancer sent the sham photos from his laptop in Lebanon to a Reuters' photo desk in Singapore where employees reviewed them and added cutlines before they were sent to news organizations throughout the world. Shareholders may be receiving sizable dividends, but at the expense of quality journalism.

And whatever happened to employee background checks? Problem is, it's harder to manage freelancers.

Reuters could have avoided the embarrassment if it had doled out the dough for some decent, fulltime correspondents. But I guess I'll have to deal with the news media's ineptitude until I'm willing to stare at photos in Singapore for $18,000 a year.

I may be lonely but at least I'm real

Posted by Heidi Fedak on September 21, 2006 8:41 AM | Permalink

I have a confession to make.

I don't have a Facebook page or MySpace account.

Yes, it's true: I am a social anomaly, a MySpace misfit, a Facebook-less freak. Feel free to take a moment (or more) to ponder the extent of my social isolation.

Better?

I could try to bombard you with excuses for why I've ignored an entire online genre (I'm too old; the users, too young; I don't have time; I don't know how).

But the truth of the matter is this: I've bought into blogs, perused plenty of podcasts, enrolled in the school of RSS. Yet Facebook, MySpace and others of their ilk have failed to garner my limited attention because those platforms not only exploit personal connections, they make it tough to tell fact from fiction.

I don't care about Lonelygirl15 or a blog written by a body spray.

I will not succumb to viral marketing disguised as social networking. I will not bow to "the man," especially if I can't tell whether he's made up or real (no offense, Mr. Murdoch).

Like many others, the real Rupert sees the value (and by value, I mean revenue) in social networking sites, such as MySpace, Buzz-Oven, Xanga and Facebook. And, as a one-time marketer, I see it, too.

I just don't want to be part of it … at least, not on the receiving end.

I like my advertising – and my friends – straight up. Word of mouth is one thing. Word of mouth by way of money, mystery and make believe is another.

Uncle Rick was right

Posted by Daniel Berk on October 19, 2006 9:08 AM | Permalink

I'm going to take a risk here. I'm admitting I may not have had the best intentions when I signed up for this class. I mean, I knew it would probably help me in the long run, but my main motivation was just to get my second advanced media done, and be able to graduate in December.

Well, after listening to Uncle Rick lecture week after week, I'm realizing more and more, that this was a solid class selection and could help put me over the top.

As Rick said last week, I drank the Kool-Aid. I'm realizing how big of a part the web, blogging and multimedia journalism in general is going to play in the future of journalism.

I'm a print guy, through and through. I've tried other areas of journalism, in front of the camera, behind the microphone on radio, but I've always been the most confident behind a computer typing my story on a strict deadline. In fact, my good friend Jimmy Chavez used to say, after a game there wasn't a better thing in the world than sitting in the press room and just listening to everyone type away and get there stories in. The sound of the writers pounding away on their computer was priceless.

Well, it is priceless, but it's not enough. I'm working now for the Topeka Capital Journal, and loving every minute of it. But, combined with the learning experiences from that newsroom combined with Uncle Rick's lessons, I know I need to expand. There's a lot of people out there like me. I like to think I'm special, and my mom has always told me I am, but I know I need something to seperate myself from the rest of the "special" sportswriters.

I think about the newspaper business and realize, especially in sports, If Terrell Ownens, a star player in the NFL, overdoses on pain killers at 7 a.m. in the morning. No newspaper in the country is going to have that story untill it's old news. All day long people will watch about it on television, or go to espn.com, but by the time the newspaper comes out 18-20 hours later, does anyone still care?

This is where I become "extra special." Not, all of those guys I'll be competing against have online producing skills. Not, all of those people have experience with the web. But, guess what, I drank the Kool Aid, and I like it. I'm seperating myself everyday.

A couple weeks ago, I said who knows, maybe I'll be the next Sports Guy. Well, guess what, I am going to be the next Sports Guy. Except, it's a whole new generation of the Sports Guy. I'm going to be the multimedia Sports Guy. That's right, print columns, web producing, behind the mic yelling at sports fans in the morning, in front of the camera for live web updates.

I drank the Kool Aid and I want some more.

Podcasting is stupid.

Posted by Michael Phillips on November 7, 2006 3:40 PM | Permalink

While there are people that would like me to eat my words on podcasting, I'm not ready to concede defeat just yet.

Two years ago, when I was first introduced to the concept, I called it stupid, and said it would never catch on.

The principle is that people will download updated content, transfer it to their iPod, and then listen to it within a very short timeframe. I guess this a cool idea, but its no more than that, a toy in the window of a store that looks fun but is boring after about 15 minutes.

What problem does podcasting solve? What feature does it bring me that I find useful in my daily life? I just don't see it.

Now, it's taken off. Big time. But I can't see a long-term future in podcasting, and certainly not in podcasting-for-profit. The whole thing still has that appealing new-car smell to it, but in a few years, the audience will taper off and what's left of podcasting will return to normal mp3 files, like the rest of the world is using.

Another thing I find misleading is the projection that there is significant growth still to be found in the podcasting market. The statistic on the left shows that as the number of people using iPods increases, podcast listeners will grow with it. I think that podcasting is the sort of thing that only appeals to the early-adopter crowd, and when the late adopters come around on purchasing iPods, they will not become curious and check out podcasting.

Perhaps I'm just extremely cynical, but I see no future in podcasting. My iPod is now five years old, and I still find it useful without hooking it up to the latest podcast content.

It's so long and goodbye for me.

Ah the memories. Like our first go at a breaking news story with the robbery at Emprise Bank. Or the gruesome coverage of a squirrel who jumped to an untimely death and took out power for most of campus. Or the time that Adam, Jimmy, Rylan and I covered the Boardwalk fire in the wee hours of a Sunday morning. Good times, good times.

I will truly miss the Multimedia Newsroom and working with the students, faculty and staff. I learned a lot about journalism, new media, and myself in the three years I have been at the J-School.

I look forward to seeing where we go with new media. IMHO, this is an exciting time to be a journalist, the world is changing, technology is evolving and our jobs as communicators, data miners and information managers are more important than ever. As young journalists in 2006, we tend to forget where we came from, how hard journalists have struggled and how important the First Amendment is to democracy and our society. If you find yourself ever wondering why you want to be a journalists, stop and look at history.

This is my last post on eHub, but I will still be around, lurking...reading your posts. Goodbye and good luck.

Professor Rick Musser was honored with the John Katich Creativity Award on May 17 in the Stauffer Multimedia Newsroom.

Musser was recognized for his role in establishing the Stauffer Multimedia Newsroom, creating and teaching the Online Writing, Design and Production class, for speaking on convergence, chairing the News and Information track, obtaining a grant for his summer advanced media class, and other projects in which he has shown leadership and creativity.

Laura Katich, John Katich's wife attended the ceremony. John was on the faculty from 1986 until his death in October 2001. He was head of the radio-television sequence from 1990-1997, taught media sales and management, and was instrumental in creating KUJH-TV.

A plaque listing Musser and future recipients of the award has been displayed outside the Multimedia Newsroom.

It's Stop Day. The newsroom was mostly dead. Mostly. Except for the online producers who were in the training lab scrambling to put the finishing touches on their final projects.

Final projects are never easy; as the stress mounts, tempers fly and people's feelings can get hurt. In the end, this group of students proved they have what it takes, IMHO, to survive in a multimedia world.

I'm proud of the work they did. Proud of the way they learned to work together. I believe this class builds character. It inspires and motivates students. I like to think that when they finish this class, and graduate, they leave the J-School knowing just a little bit more than they did when they started.

Next week, the online producers will present their projects on promotions, blogging, user-submitted content and newsroom assets to the dean as well as fellow students, faculty and staff. Thanks to Katie L.'s great suggestions for project topics, I think we will see some exciting new changes in the newsroom and online. Check back for excerpts from the class presentation after May 17.