Issues and the News

What countries are hot in different countries

2008-10-14T07:57:00.001-07:00

"The World according to newspapers" post shows how much attention media give to different countries in the world. It is interesting to see the pattern of "globalization going local." Media in most of the countries outlined in the post are inclined to cover their regions. Africa and China are pretty much at the bottom of the list of media coverage...

Study guide for Mid-Term exam

2008-10-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

I uploaded a short study guide to help you prepare for your Mid-Term exam. You can download it HERE or view it (without downloading) HERE.
I am happy to answer any questions you may have.
Good luck!

One way to evaluate news

2008-10-07T19:07:00.001-07:00

News objectivity (and reliability) is a hot issue nowadays. With the availability of all sorts of news online, it becomes vital to evaluate every piece of information we receive.

NewsTrust is a noble attempt to help the audience find a way in the ocean of (very often subjective and inaccurate) news. The Web site evaluates many sources of information (like Rolling Stones magazine, for example) and tells how biased the source is. But I wonder who would evaluate NewsTrust for objectivity...

Twitter and Presidential Debates

2008-09-27T18:02:00.001-07:00

Twitter is something that many journalists are still not sure about. Many wonder about possible implications of using the tool in their day-to-day media practice. As a former international correspondent, I very much regret that Twitter was not available 5 years ago. That would make transmitting wire stories from the sands of Central Asia much faster and easier.

I am happy that the new generation of young journalists are not afraid to adopt new technologies and ideas to enhance their reporting. My greatest respect to Current TV for so much needed innovations during the conventional presidential debates.

Current TV spiced up the debates by allowing people to comment on what they see and hear in real time. How? Almighty Twitter!

Social Bookmarking for everyone

2008-09-25T18:22:00.001-07:00

I mentioned social bookmarking services (reddit.com, digg.com) today in the class. In case you were wondering what on Earth social bookmarking is, here is a short and informative video on that topic. Now you can discuss the social bookmarking like a pro!

New Web and New Means

2008-09-25T18:15:00.001-07:00

OK, everybody is talking about the Semantic Web in the U.S. American Journalism Review published an article on Web 3.0 (I hate numbering the Web) and its implications for journalists. Check it out!

Climate change and media in developing countries

2008-09-23T20:23:00.001-07:00

Climate change is a hot issue in the U.S. It is often thought that American media do not pay enough attention to the topic and should provide even more coverage of the phenomenon. Interestingly enough, the U.S. and E.U. are so far ahead in the climate change coverage than most of the developing countries.

Here is an interesting article providing a nice outlook on the coverage of the issue in the rest of the world.

Great Web sites to help you follow the election

2008-09-21T17:44:00.001-07:00

Media and technology came a long way since the last election in the U.S. I know that the whole process of choosing the president in the country can be very confusing for a foreigner. Although I picked up those Web sites to help myself make sense of the election, I am sure you will also find them helpful and interesting.

http://www.perspctv.com/

I really like how the site integrates the latest developments in interactive technology and social media to construct a solid picture of the election process.

http://www.fivethirtyeight.com/

“Electoral Projections Done Right” is a motto of the site. Very visual and very easy to understand and follow. Great construction of the possible outcomes of the elections.

http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/

Great idea wonderfully implemented. Fact-checking made easy and presented visually. When do the candidates lie and when do they tell the truth? Check it out and find out for yourself!

Covering Kashmir in India and Pakistan

2008-09-21T16:34:00.001-07:00

The Kashmir conflict has been on in the spot of media attention for quite some time (not anymore). Here is an interview with Chindu Sreedharan, a journalist who extensively covered the conflict, with fascinating insights on how media in India and Pakistan covered the confrontation.

Russian market crashes. It doesn't get coveredby media!

2008-09-17T10:11:00.002-07:00
Maybe we are too preoccupied with financial troubles in the U.S. but I still think that the news about crashing market in Russia should be covered by the MSM!

We all know that Russia is booming and the country's economy is very strong but almost no one talks about economic consequences of the war in Georgia and its effect on Russian financial system (specifically, on foreign direct investments).

By the same token, the economic meltdown in the U.S. does have its (huge) influence on even authority-driven and almost-politically-isolated countries.

The rise of anti-American hysteria in Russia did not change the fact that we are in the same boat in global economy. Obviously, Moscow did not learn much from the global financial crisis that happened a decade ago.

Washingtonpost.com on media coverage of McCain and Obama

2008-09-17T10:11:00.000-07:00
Looks like everything you can find on media coverage in the U.S. these days is related to Obama and McCain.

So, here is another article published on Washingtonpost.com today. You can read the comments to the article. They are interesting and some are even funny. :-)))

C'mon, media are not that pro-Obama.

2008-09-16T17:28:00.000-07:00
A wonderful piece "The Myth of Pro-Obama Media" published by FAIR.org.

As we brought this point in one of our classes, an extensive media coverage doesn't mean positive media coverage. At the same time, this played well in McCain's case and, to some degree, pushed him at the top of the polls... Some of you said that people see the picture/image of a candidate all the time and don't always bother to see beyond this image... Definitely something to think about.

You can definitely talk about all that on September 18 when Jeff Cohen is going to be speaking in our class.

Political sexism?

2008-09-15T13:11:00.000-07:00
Great observation from Katie Couric at CBS on political sexism. I know that I am and probably will be writing too much about the U.S. Election 2008 coverage but I am just fascinated by the plurality of voices and opinions surrounding the event.

People in Venezuela, for example, have different issues and complains about the media coverage of the powerful...

Gallup Poll on the coverage of Sarah Palin

2008-09-15T12:59:00.000-07:00
The recent Gallup Poll showed the attitudes of Americans toward the media coverage of Sarah Palin. I cannot say I was surprised by the results but it is always interesting to look at the numbers.

ONA conference in D.C.

2008-09-14T19:33:00.000-07:00
The Online News Association conference in D.C. was really a lot of fun! The most engaging and entertaining session I attended was conducted by Amy Webb and it dealt with super-promising technologies that may revolutionize the way journalists work and think.

I am glad I am coming back to Ithaca with a full luggage of positive impressions. To bad I could not be at different sessions at the same time.((( The ONA staff promised to combine all sessions into one CD and make it easier for everyone to follow all discussions and talks that happened during those wonderful (and warm) three days.

P.S. I was really happy to see big media organizations like AP, AFP and Reuters at the conference. It looks like the media mammoths cannot ignore convergence anymore and try to be ahead of it. Although Reuters people seemed to be kinda out of the loop...

List of oyur blogs

2008-09-12T10:25:00.000-07:00
OK, I finally did it! I put your names and blogs together and I published them here for your convenience.

Jessica Bachiochi
Elizabeth Bell
Courtney Clemente
Lauren Cook
Kristin Cwalinski
Julia Ellison
Mara Engel
Karin Fleming
Erin Geismar
Wendy Halik
Lindsey Hollenbaugh
Ian Holliday
Kathleen Horlock-Milton
Kayla Klein
Kevin Krisak
Michael Lurie
Stephanie McCormick
Jennifer Nevins
Daniel Ophardt
Edon Ophir
Alice Pak
Oksana Romaniuk
Lee Small
Kathleen Tibbetts
Jenna Trojnacki