Podcasting is an innovative concept that allows every day people to broadcast themselves for a small fee.  Podcasting can stand for a number of things including Personal On Demand Casting and Portable On Demand Casting. People who are interested in what they are talking about can subscribe to these pod casts and tune in to them as they please.

In my opinion, this is yet another example of a type of citizen journalism because people can use this mode of communication in order to share what they know or think about relevant topics in today’s society. However, using this medium or communication also allows for them to talk about things that aren’t news related at all. They can also just talk about random things that they find interesting in their day-to-day life. I think that this is a great idea because it allows people to learn more about topics and hobbies that they are interested in, as well as allowing them to make friends and connect with others who have things in common.

The first media group has broken cover and started to charge for online access – many newspapers will be looking to see if this works. However, it will take a concerted effort by a range of media groups if this kind of strategy is really going to work. News Corp have announced similar plans. If one group doesn’t start charging, it will likely see an increase in readership online and thus greater ad revenues – so the economics of the mass media may yet have an impact.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8385342.stm

BUYcott Israel Alert: Shop MEC Nov. 29
Date:
Sunday, November 29, 2009

Time:
12:00pm - 4:00pm

Location:
ALL MEC Stores in Canada

Description
Anti-Israel organizations are once again trying to politicize MECs sale of Israeli goods, and are attempting to overturn MECs rigorous sourcing policy.

These groups will be picketing many MEC stores on Saturday, November 28th.

Show your support for MECs ethical sourcing policy and opposition to boycott by participating in a national BUYcott of Israeli goods at MEC on Sunday, November 29th, between noon and 4pm (local time in all Canadian time zones).

Help us to defeat the propaganda war against Israel.

Become a MEC member by shopping with us on November 29th or on line before December 19th, 2009 by visiting the Mountain Equipment Co-op website.

Help us defeat this overt attempt to politicize one of Canadas most ethical retailers.

For a list of Israeli-sourced MEC products:http://www.mec.ca/Main/home.jsp?bmFor…

For MEC’s fantastic Ethical Sourcing Policy:http://blog.mec.ca/ethical-sourcing.html

To see the call to action to BOYCOTT MEC on November 28th:http://boycottisraeliapartheid.org/no…

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Do you support Israel? Are you fed up with calls to boycott Israeli goods and services?

Want to do something about it? Now you can!

Join BUYCOTT ISRAEL on Facebook today!

We’ll alert you when a boycott initiative needs to be countered, and we’ll let you know the results of every BUYCOTT action.

Visit us on the web and sign up for BUYCOTT Alerts at: http://www.buycottisrael.ca

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In this photo and video, Dan Schloss speaks about MECs ethical sourcing policy and opposition to boycott Israel

Daniel Schloss

Pacific Region Manager, Advocacy

Canada-Israel Committee – Pacific Region

Suite 801 – 1166 Alberni Street

Vancouver, BC V6E 3Z3

Web: www.cicweb.ca

This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N77 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith Twitter.com/AprilFilms or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

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In this photo and video, Johnathon Narvey supports MECs ethical sourcing policy and opposition to boycott Israel

This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith Twitter.com/AprilFilms or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

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In these photos and video, Jonathon Narvey supports MECs ethical sourcing policy and opposition to boycott Israel by buying a MEC membership

This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith Twitter.com/AprilFilms or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

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In these photos and video, people are signing for MECs ethical sourcing policy and opposition to boycott Israel

This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N77 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith Twitter.com/AprilFilms or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

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In this video and photo, Support for MECs ethical sourcing policy and Showing Made in Israel T-Shirt purchased from MEC.

This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N77 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith Twitter.com/AprilFilms or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

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In response to “Food Prices Scale High at 15.58%” in DC on 27-November-2009 (full article after the fold), I wanted to do something but Subhani beat me to it through this nice cartoon depicting the situation of a poor family sitting for a meal…

Food prices kept their upward trend hitting the common man hard. Food inflation rose to 15.58% for the second week of November with potato prices rising by 111% As compared to last year the prices of pulses were up by 35.60%, wheat by 12.53%, cereals by 13.04% and rice by 11.89%. Also prices of vegetables moved up by 11.96%, onions by 27.33%, fruits by 10.97% and milk by 11.36%. On a weekly basis, products which saw a rise in their prices are urad and poultry chicken (15% each), eggs (8%), moong (6%), arhar (5%), fruits and vegetables (3%) and milk and wheat (1% each). However, the prices of barley (2%) declined. The increase in food prices is due to shortages caused partly by a weak monsoon and partly by floods in some parts of the country. Said Mr Trehan and Mrs Mathur respectively -

In a country where even a simple vegetable like potato has become so expensive, how can one expect to have three meals a day. Survival has become really tough. How frugal can one become?

One has to think twice even for grocery shopping. Everything has become out of reach. Be it milk, vegetables or pulses. And worst, public transport has also gone so expensive. How can we honestly manage?

Inflation for all commodities more than doubled to 1.34% for the month of October from 0.50% in September due to costlier minerals and fuels, as per data released earlier. The finance minister, Pranab Mukherjee, said on Thursday that government is very deeply concerned about rising prices and will take all fiscal and monetary measures to contain it. Arjun Sengupta in his “Fair Food Deal for All” in DC on 30-November-2009 comments that it is high time that the government initiates a universal public distribution system (PDS) covering at least the essential commodities because the bulk of the population, about 70%, remains poor with their dire struggle for minimal livelihood -

About 350-million people remain below poverty line (BPL). The prices of essential commodities have been rising at an unprecedented rate. Not only foodgrains but vegetables like onions and potatoes are becoming costlier day by day. These affect all Indians but for the poor they are devastating as all their meagre incomes get exhausted, not meeting even a portion of the necessities. Prices of these products are no doubt largely due to shortfall in production but there are clear signs of market cornering, hoarding and price fixing. It is, however, very difficult to control speculatory tendencies by physical measures because the players are too many in the country and not just big traders and producers, even the common rehriwalla is hoarding. Unless those expectations are dampened they cannot bring down the speculation. The only way to do that is to increase supplies, if not through temporary production increase measures, then through additional imports.

To mitigate this problem, the universal PDS would be the first important step beginning with the BPL population by supplying them with the essential commodities at cheap and affordable prices. If PDS is targeted to a limited BPL population it may also be possible to increase their supplies through market purchase of these products and sell them at subsidised prices. This would push up the open market prices somewhat further. But targeted PDS can be sustained if the government is willing to subsidise the difference between market price and issue price of commodities. Hopefully increased prices, supported by planned increase in production incentives, will raise output in a short period reducing the supplies bottleneck. But in the immediate future, the government has to be ready to bear the cost of maintaining the PDS. However, the most important requirement is organisation of the system. That cannot be achieved by market incentives or subsidies. The government has to build up a huge and efficient structure of distribution throughout the country. It has to procure, purchase or import products and reach them to different destinations of the PDS. This can be done only with the help of state governments, first to identify the BPL beneficiaries and then to have fair-price shops supply the products efficiently. National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India Limited (NACMFoI) or similar organisations can be created for vegetable and other such products. They should build up storages and have contract farming both at home and abroad. The time has now come for all kinds of out-of-the-box thinking to meet a serious problem of economic management in the country. Indian development, if it has to follow an inclusive path, must reinvent itself so that the poor develop an equal stake in our growth process.

Well, I agree in moral principle to Dr Sengupta (a Member of Parliament and former Economic Adviser to assassinated-good-riddance Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) but does this universal PDS not sound too communist? Why should the poor be further subsidized when already famers markets, ration shops and pink/white cards etc. exist? Are not the high prices a result of supply-demand and greed (read, free-market capitalism) and therefore, market-based solutions are needed? Let missionaries, NGOs, social enterprises and fortune-at-BoP marketing gurus deal with solving something tangible like hunger for a change other than human rights, empowerment or whatever cause. Oh wait, they tried. And failed. And chickened out.

cworks sriks6711, food prices, wholesale price index, public distribution system, vegetable balloons, poor family, below poverty line, primary articles, fuel power, inflation double, graph chart, pranab mukherjee, fair food, production shortfall, market cornering, price fixing, trader hoarding, grains import, contract farming, out of box, communist policy, articles subsidy, good riddance, indira gandhi, farmers markets, ration shops, pink cards, market-based solutions, fortune at BoP, NGO missionary, empowerment causes, hunger gurus, tangible problems, human rights, DC subhani, arjun sengupta, 27 November 2009, 30 November 2009

Excerpt: Growing up at the height of the Civil Rights Movement inspired Syd Beane, 68, to become a community organizer/community developer and fight for Native Americans. For nearly 40 years he traversed the country advocating for Indians and others invisible to those in power. In 1993, Beane moved to Minnesota, ending an exile imposed on the Dakota 150 years ago. From his charming, rustic home in Plymouth, MN, Beane talked about his career, his beliefs and the struggles Native Americans face.

Continue reading by following the link here

for the 5 th installment of this series for 16 days of activism…..

we’re using werd on the ground to re-examine the necessity of safe spaces,

and the particular responsibility that allies bear in creating and maintaining positive space….

like the kptj listserv for example, one of those where I maintain a dubious silence.

I’ve only ever posted one piece on that listserv, and the backlash I got was silent and pervasive,

but at least there were a few that voiced their support for the issues we were advocating for….then,

still many more remained silent, and, reiterated their solidarity in our ‘private’ conversations,

it is always ‘u people’ or them that’s the problem……

that was then…

now, with recent events, more are voicing the shift in the boundaries to be drawn,

it’s the ripple effect in the story of that butterfly that flapped it’s wings, and like a bill that was drawn by bahati,

it seems the winds are changing,

even though this statement is from one of our strongest allies in Kenya, and thankfully, to be expected, it’s posting needs to be examined in the context within which our rights are being re-shaped….there has been much more public debate on sexuality,and unfortunately, on the ground, it’s still being led by homophobes & well-meaning ignorant folk…..so everytime our rights are re-asserted in a simple & direct way, it’s something to acknolwedge and respect.

Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) Position on Rights related to Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation
 
 
The KHRC is concerned by ongoing expressions of prejudice about and stereotyping of Kenyans due to their gender identity or sexual orientation. Prejudice and stereotyping, when not consciously addressed, feed the discrimination, harassment and violence experienced by Kenyans because of their gender identity or sexual orientation.
 
Some sections of Kenyan media, particularly uninformed radio presenters, have led this frenzy of disinformation and hate speech. Being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual or intersex is not ‘un-African’—Africa’s history is replete with examples of how those of different gender identities and sexual orientations were named and addressed by various communities. Even if it were not, the fact that some Kenyans now identify as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual or intersex openly makes being so African.
 
Being lesbian, gay or bisexual is simply the sexual orientation of some Kenyans—nothing more than where some Kenyans happen to be on the continuum of human sexuality. Being transsexual or intersex is simply the gender orientation of some Kenyans—nothing more than the fact that some Kenyans find themselves at odds with the biological binary of being ‘male’ or ‘female’. Kenyans who happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual or intersex continue to be, as all Kenyans are, subjects of legal protections provided by our Constitution and African and international human rights standards we are signatory too.
 
All Kenyans are entitled to equality under the law—and to be free from discrimination in education, in employment, in health care provision, in housing and so on. All Kenyans are entitled to security of the person—and to be free from violence. All Kenyans are entitled to privacy—and to be free from arbitrary and illegal intrusions on this privacy. Regardless of what prejudices and stereotypes persist about Kenyans who happen to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual or intersex, these entitlements stand.
 
Yet some sections of the media—supported by some conservative religious organisations—continue to bombard the Kenyan public with messages implying that those entitlements exist only for some Kenyans. In declaring themselves defenders of “authentic” (though often invented) African cultural traditions, they pit “culture/African family values/morality” against human rights and attempt to subject sexuality to restrictive state control.
 
The KHRC strongly opposes efforts to reduce this debate to one of “culture, family values or morality.” It is a debate about human rights—freedom of expression, equality, security of the person and privacy in particular. The KHRC strongly opposes discrimination against, harassment of, violence against or prosecution and punishment of all Kenyans, including on the grounds of gender identity and sexual orientation.
 
Kenya is at a critical moment in our construction of a democracy inclusive of diversity and based on respect for human rights. We urge all involved in drafting the new Constitution to take all the necessary measures to ensure all Kenyans full citizenship and protection from non-discrimination—by including gender identity and sexual orientation as protected grounds in the equality rights section. We urge all public service providers, the police and the judiciary to act with respect for the Constitution to protect gender and sexual minorities from discrimination, harassment and violence.
 
The KHRC firmly believes that dialogue is key to understanding gender identity and sexual orientation. We urge the Kenyan media to enable such dialogue while desisting from prejudicial and stereotypical hate speech. The dialogue is not about creating new human rights, but about acknowledging that all Kenyans have the same human rights, regardless of their gender identity and sexual orientation.
 
Makau Mutua
Chair
 
Board of Directors
Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC)
 
The KHRC works towards the observance, protection and support of all human rights for all people irrespective of sexual orientation, ethnicity, social origin, economic status, gender, political belief or because of their religious or other conscientiously held beliefs. 

and while we’re on the tip of acknowledging, how’s this for direct response from allies?

this piece is also taken from the kptj listserv

Dear Beatrice

The issue is not whether we agree or not. The list has always been open to the expression of diverse opinions.

But expressing diverse opinions is one thing. The expression of abuse, violent language, and other forms of attacks on people of other persuasions is not acceptable on this list. The right of Omtatah and others to express their views has to be assessed in relation to their call for the repression of those of different sexual preferences to organise and live without fear of aggression or calls for the suppression of their views.

I have no hesitation therefore in banning such antisocial behaviour from this list.

Firoze

Press Release
NGOS PARTNER TO CELEBRATE THE WORLD AIDS DAY IN LAGOS, NIGERIA
 
NGOs partner to celebrate the World AIDS Day in Lagos, Nigeria on December 1st, 2009. The Independent Project (TIP) for Equal Rights in collaboration with Youth Are Talking (YAT), Leaders with New Dimensions( LEND) and Gbagyi Child entertainment brings people from all walks to life to mark this day as it is tradition all the over the world on December 1st of every year.
 
The theme for this year’s celebration is Universal Access and Human Rights with a sub theme: Working together against HIV stigma and discrimination. It is apparent and a cross cutting phenomenon all over the world that HIV related stigma and discrimination is a problem that needs to be tackle in ensuring the achievement of Universal Access by 2010 and mitigating the impact of AIDS by 2015. People living with HIV and AIDS (PLWHA) have been victims of human rights violations on the grounds of their HIV status which is a battle yet to be totally conquered by Civil Society Organizations.

 A recent statement from the Executive Director of TIP- Joseph Sewedo Akoro “Stigma and Discrimination suffered by PLWHA is injustice and unconstitutional” goes a long way to call for a policy evolution- protecting and respecting the rights of all people regardless of ALL status or differences as enshrined in the Chapter IV of the 1999 Nigeria Constitution and echoed in Article 2, 3 and 28 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR).
 
On December 1st, 2009, TIP and its other partners opens the doors of Gbayi Child entertainment situated at Akin Adesola Street, Victoria Island. Lagos state, Nigeria to celebrate PLWHA and campaign against stigma and discrimination of PLWHA and other High Risk Groups (such as Men who have sex with Men, Female Sex Workers, Injection Drug Users and Young People) who are marginalized in HIV prevention programming. TIP catchphrase for the day shall be “Embrace Diversity, Stop Discrimination”.
 
TIP is a non-government organization that envisions a society that is free from discrimination of any sort and regardless of age, tribe, ethnic group, race, creed, religion and sex; including sexual orientation and gender identity/ expression. TIP works to achieve this through education, empowerment and policy advocacy.
 
For more information about the event, contact Olumide Makanjuola; Event and Capacity Building Coordinator through olumide.tip@gmail.com.
 
Submitted by:
Ohwerhi Efe Brown
Human rights program associate.
The Independent Project (TIP) for Equal rights-Nigeria
The Independent Project, Nigeria
Tel No: +234 805 481 4432, +23417485293
www.ysm-rightsorg.page.tl <http://www.ysm-rightsorg.page.tl/>

 
…………the pride of our being……….

Peter Davies of AHA MEDIA is very proud to be part of W2 Bladerunners Youth Media Arts Apprenticeship Program

Below is a photo of Peter Davies and Vancouver Canucks Legend Trevor Linden

Peter will be learning more about  mobile technology, locative media, web 2.0, social media, web sites, VJing, telepresence, live screens, radio, community TV, digital divide, and open source!

W2 Community Media Arts has been working for more than one year with ACCESS/Bladerunners developing a media arts apprenticeship program.

http://www.CreativeTechnology.org

The W2 Bladerunners Youth Media Arts Apprenticeship Program is well underway but below were some of the program details:

If you are between 19 and 30 years old, are eager to train and work hard, then this could be for you! Honorariums are paid to participants for 24 hours/week, daily lunch is provided. Aboriginal youth, women, and youth of colour from the inner-city are encouraged to apply. This is designed as an apprenticeship program for people who face systemic barriers to a creative technology career or practice.

When you get involved with our 5-month youth apprenticeship program you will play a central role in W2 as we get set to open 9000 sq ft at Woodward’s in January 2010, and emerge as a world-class crossmedia centre. It will be an exciting few months, and for young people wanting an awesome experience working collaboratively to create media art, events, installations, and live interactive experiences = this is it!!

Following this challenging five month apprenticeship program, participants will receive regular employment with W2 or our partner employers from the local digital media/ Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector.

We open at Woodwards in January 2010, but in the meantime we are actively developing and launching programs from our temporary space at 112 West Hastings.

Our innovative programs confront the digital divide with marginalized inner-city residents and artists accessing and using technology. Visiting artists-in-residence and mentors provide inspiration and support, and live events and projects give our crew the chance to test and showcase their skills and achievements.

Antoni Abad will be one of our mobile media mentors with Mobile*Native, during November 2009. Jon Cohrs/OMGIMON.TV will set up an analogue TV station. Other artists will work with us to build web sites, and we will produce major events, receptions, screenings, and parties.

The development of training, apprenticeship/employment placement programs for the digital media sector is being supported by governments, industry, and the community. Bladerunners is an internationally recognized, award winning employment program assisting multi-barrier and disadvantaged youth in gaining on the job construction training and apprenticeships. W2 is delivering Bladerunner’s first non-construction trade apprenticeship program, with funding by Bell and the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. W2 is also collaborating with Building Opportunities with Business Inner-City Society (BOB) new ICT Cluster, and this will be a connection point for participant’s employment in the local sector.

http://www.creativetechnology.org/profiles/blogs/update-w2-bladerunners-youth

Vorige week hebben we allemaal eens kunnen lachen omwille van de flater van Belga. Daar hadden ze op hun site Ihavenews.be Koningin Fabiola dood verklaard. Omdat een menselijke controle en technische  barrière onbrak, kwam het nieuws toen direct bij de verschillende redacties terecht. Dit Belga-initiatief sluit aan bij de sms-diensten van de nieuwsredacties zelf (zie bvb ook 4040 van VTM).

Consumenten hebben dus een extra kanaal om info te bezorgen aan de redacties. Een ietwat slimme internetgebruikerkan dit dus ook gebruiken als extra klaagmiddel over producten, als middel om ontslagen te delen met de media of om stakingen aan te kondigen aan de pers.

Niet dat consumenten de redacties nog nodig hebben om nieuws te laten verspreiden. Dat kunnen social media tools voor hen inderdaad ook verwezenlijken. De impact van de traditionele redacties is echter nog steeds groter.

Communicatieverantwoordelijken kunnen zich dus maar beter goed voorbereiden om van bij de start van een (crisis)verhaal hun kernpunten klaar te hebben!

Earle Peach http://www.earlepeach.com/

Vancouver Farmers Market  http://www.eatlocal.org/

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In photos and  video, Earle Peach sings at Vancouver Winter Farmers Market at Wise Hall on Saturday Nov 21 2009

This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone.For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith Twitter.com/AprilFilms or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

J-Hock of AHA MEDIA talks about Bill 18 – Assistance to Shelter Act in Vancouver Downtown Eastside

Read about Bill 18 – Assistance to Shelter Act – where the Homeless get picked up by Police to go into shelters!

http://www.leg.bc.ca/39th1st/1st_read/gov18-1.htm

According to

VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) - Opponents of the province’s new ‘Assistance to Shelter Act’ are holding a rally today in the Downtown Eastside, intensifying the fight over what to do about Vancouver’s homeless during the Olympic Games.

Opponents call it the “Olympic Kidnapping Act’, saying the act is unconstitutional.  The province maintains it is simply trying to help people who cant, or wont, help themselves.  Some claim the homeless are being chased out of the city altogether before February 2010.  A drop-in centre in Kelowna is reporting a 20 per cent increase in traffic, with many of the new clients saying they are from Vancouver.

http://www.news1130.com/news/local/more.jsp?content=20091125_142744_7224

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In this video, J-Hock of AHA MEDIA speaks on Bill 18 – Assistance to Shelter Act in Vancouver Downtown Eastside ( DTES )

This was filmed by April Smith of AHA MEDIA on a Nokia N95 mobile cameraphone. April is passionate and skilled in making Nokia films by exploring mobile media production through the camera lens of a cellphone.For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith Twitter.com/AprilFilms or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

Copenhagen is a beautiful city that I first had the chance to visit, and subsequently fell in love with, in Autumn 2008. The Danish spirit seems to be eminently sensible, open-minded and forward facing. My cousin married a Dane and is now happily living in Copenhagen, and I’m quite envious of their social situation as working parents of young children; the state makes their lives considerably easier than our equivalent in the UK.

And the gaze of the world’s media now focusses on Copenhagen with the UN Climate Summit less than 2 weeks away, my thoughts are drifting back towards social activism for the environment. I’ve just very recently been hearing about two very different cases, and in both thinking that digital storytelling would help spread the word. And I know that citizen journalism is not without problems, but what about the voices of the people who are affected in a very real way day to day by policy and decisions…

The first is the protests in 1993 of Clayoquot Sound, Vancouver Island when the British Columbia Government actioned the ‘Clayoquot Land Use Decision’ to permit mass logging of the temperate rainforest. The story I heard was from someone who was there; Aldo de Moor’s written notes and media collection offer that insight first hand. The Friends of Clayoquot Sound website shows one example of digital activism, and I guess facilitates making informed decisions on the part of the activists much easier. Sadly, the logging continues and battles are still being fought.

The other case I’ve been hearing about is a new, rural community development south of Copenhagen. The collaborative nature of the community and participatory design of a communal centre has been quite inspirational.

Digital storytelling can be such a powerful technique with the right mandate, and these types of project just inspire me to want to head off into the wider world and work. Back in the real world, I am starting to think about what I’d like to do after my PhD is over. Any work I do will undoubtedly remain in the realm of community informatics, but I wonder if environmental issues are going to play a more prominent part.

And now that Barak Obama is set to attend the UN Climate Summit, and both the USA and China are reviewing cuts in emissions, I feel perhaps the future of environmental campaigning might be slightly more positive.

UN Negotiator Dessima Williams reminds us why now is the time to act, and sums it up nicely when she says “We’re all on the road to Copenhagen” in this media clip.

Photo courtesy of Rob Warde, Flickr.com

Sumber : Sinar Harian

As a recent assignment required us to write about the future of journalism, I have had much time to consider the possibility that newsprint journalism might not always be about. By the time I have graduated, there may only be a few years left of newspaper’s existence, and all news may be spread through digital methods. With a decline in sales over recent years, even Rupert Murdoch is starting to think about ways to make money from journalism online.

Gillmor (2004 p13) says: “The printing press and broadcasting are a one-too-many medium. The Telephone is one-to-one. Now we had a medium that was anything we wanted it to be. One-on-one, one-to-many, and many-to-many. Just about anyone could own a digital printing press, and have worldwide distribution.”  He is saying that with newspapers and television, we can only communicate one way with many people, but not the other way with feedback. A telephone only allows two people to talk together at one time, but the internet offers so many different kinds of communication. For example, social networking sites allow whole communities to talk amongst each other and share information openly and publicly. Things like MSN messenger and Hotmail allow one on one communication or an open chat to people that you already previously know. Blogs allow opinions to be shared openly and be viewed by anyone who looks for the information given or accidentally stumbles upon it, and they usually offer the ability to comment and make suggestions which newspapers do not offer.

Citizen journalism has dramatically change the way journalism works in the future, with the internet providing novice writers with various ways to show work and photography without the need for newspapers publishing their stories. Being able to do so themselves makes citizen journalism more popular than ever, with blogs everywhere and people like me able to share views and news whenever they want. This provides the world with a wider variety of opinions and styles of writing that may not be available in the newspapers.

In a world where almost every child has access to a computer, why would they feel the need to pay for a paper in the future containing information that they can receive on the internet? Philip Meyers book “the Vanishing Newspaper” predicts that 2043 is when we will see the end of the newspaper in America. Britons from age 15 – 24 are saying that they spend 30% less time reading national newspapers now that the news is available on the World Wide Web and as a student of 18 years of age I can agree that the internet is a far more popular place for teenagers to choose to receive their news that in a paper. Pierce Morgan, former editor of the daily Mirror, thinks that the internet is the way of the future: “Every newspaper has a great future online. End of story. Within five years every newspaper will be free and they’ll all be online. And if they’re not, they should be.” Although Morgan seems to be correct about the news becoming primarily internet related in the future, he may be wrong about the price side as news paper organisations have started already putting price walls on their services, which seem to be working. They offer things like email services which provide you with news in your inbox while it happens, as well as subscription services that allow you to receive your newspaper digitally  The only flaw to this plan is the BBC, as they make all their money from Television licensing, and so cannot charge for their news services. This can put a spanner in the works for all the other websites who are trying to charge for their services, as the BBC has a reputation for having quality, reliable news so why go elsewhere? This will provide the internet journalists with some serious competition.

The world is developing rapidly and this is not a bad thing. Although papers may become obsolete in the near future, is it any real surprise with children learning how to use the internet from a young age? It can easily be foreseen that the younger generation are going to gravitate towards the digital technology, and so hardcopy of news is just not going to make the cut. The internet is the way of the news sharing future.

The set of guidelines about user-generated content produced by industry body, the Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA), aims to help broadcasters get the most out of working with the audience.

The guidelines, available as a PDF, cover familiar ground on concerns about quality of the content and potential legal issues. It acknowledges that:

The most apparent benefit for broadcasters of using UGC is that it provides free access to material which they might not otherwise obtain. The most obvious examples are footage of breaking news stories. Recent high profile examples include the post election riots in Iran and the terrorist attacks in Mumbai.

But the guidelines also seek to broaden the way journalists think about UGC, and suggests that it is a way of promoting greater media democracy:

While encouraging ‘better quality’ UGC (however that may be defined) might appear a worthwhile aim, pursuing this goal alone could serve only to further amplify the voices of the better resourced members of the audience and further marginalise the poor and disempowered. The aim of these guidelines, therefore, is to provide guidance on how to encourage a greater diversity of material from a wider range of voices: material that serves both the public and commercial needs of broadcasters and the viewing and democratic needs of the widest possible audience.

The advice focuses not just on how to handle UGC, but also on the issue of media and information literacy. It argues that news organisations would benefit from promoting greater media literacy, by strengthening relationships with audiences and countering claims that UGC is just a way of getting free content.

This is an important part of the equation that is often ignored in the discussion of UGC. The people formerly known as the audience have the tools to report on events around them, but the media can play a part in helping people understand how to “seek, use and create media content”.

UNESCO defines media literacy as the ability to “interpret and make informed judgments as users of information and media, as well as to become skilful creators and producers of information and media messages in their own right”.

Journalism is considered as vital to a functioning democracy, by providing citizens with the news and information they need to make informed decisions. In a participatory media ecosystem, part of this role is providing citizens with the skills and competences to evaluate and create media.

I remembered I got my first mobile phone back when I was in primary five. It was a Nokia 3310, the chunky phone which made an irritating clicking sound whenever I typed on the keypad.

But at least both my current and previous phone was much better than the first phone that was invented. The first phone was the Motorola DynaTEC and it was huge! 793g and standing tall at 25cm high. And apparently, back then, size DID matter. Since the phone cost $8544!!! Even the priciest phones of today cost less than $2, 000.

And the phone I have now is a swanky Nokia 5800 which allows me to download millions of songs and it has a touchscreen! So no more irritating clicking sounds.

P.S I’m not advertising the phone for them! Though, Nokia, if you do happen to see this, you may consider contacting me. I have an awesome ad copy for the Nokia 5800.

Back to topic, the mobile revolution has brought about many benefits for society. One such thing would be how it has affected the social sector. Since many mobile phones now come equipped with the camera function, and it is also possible for phones to access the Internet, content can be transmitted immediately to the web, hence resulting in a rise in citizen journalism on platforms such as STOMP or on Facebook and Twitter. Calamities such as the 2004 Indian Ocean Earthquake and the 2005 London Bombings saw majority of the news footage being covered by citizen journalists. Even CNN News Executive Jonathan Klein predicts that mobile phone footage is valuable and that news organizations should capitalize on such a trend.

But, the downside to the advancements in handphone technology now means that it is easier for people to misuse such functions as the camera and video. And we all know what is meant by the term “misuse”. The other day, I was having a conversation with my friend and he was telling me about how there was a website solely dedicated to photos and videos of “up skirt” moments by random females of the population. I find such a website distasteful and a disgrace to women out there. And the small, slim phones which do not look like phones but which has a 10megapixel camera does not help these women much.

The mobile revolution has also resulted in greater openness for the creation of applications and devices. Previously, only mobile phone companies could come up with applications for their phones, however, now, companies like Apple are letting consumer innovators come up with new applications for the IPhone. One 9 year old Singaporean kid has even come up with an Iphone app called Doodle Kids which has already been launched in the Singapore market. And at 9 years of age, I was still running around the playground playing “catching”. Society has really evolved.

The evidence of this evolution is seen in the new smartphones of today which are starting to come equipped with augmented reality and location-based services. Tell me, how cool is that? It has already been introduced in the US (Singapore is just moving at a snail’s rate for technological gadget introduction) and judging from the reaction there, it is definitely gaining popularity quickly. What’s great is that if someone wants to find out more about the particular location he’s in, all he has to do is position the phone in front of him and the information will appear in the screen as layers. Places to eat, the rating of the food there, property locations etc. will all be shown on the screen.

But for now, I don’t want a phone with augmented reality services. In fact, I’ll settle for an iPhone (Psst.. it’s my birthday soon)

Finally, to end off, here’s a little piece of information.1  in 10 handphone users have a handphone that is kept secret from their family members. This was according to a survey conducted by Motorola. Apparently, these secret handphones are used for clandestine business dealings and extramarital affairs. Looks like as technology advances, people are still going to still have those same, “if you don’t want the world to know, let’s hide it” mentality when it comes to secrets.

Another incident on the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) hits YouTube, and the world is once again asking the question if BART Police are using too much force, the police acted appropriately, or if BART passengers simply recorded a snapshot in time that could be interpreted at a later date. In the past, to find out what happened during an incident such as the most recent BART scuffle, you would be dependent on a newspaper’s beat journalist to hang around a police station. He’d get a copy of the official police report, perhaps talk with one of his friends on the force, and transcribe what he gathered.

Now news and media are real time. You can get Twitter tweets and video feeds from mobile phones, laptop computers, and reporters on the scene with CNN (or other international news sources). In many cases even established news outlets are starting to heavily rely on “stringers,” or freelancers to provide on-scene raw video for later interpretation by news readers. Nearly every news outlet today asks for viewers to send their “i-Reports” and videos to supplement news reports, and to reduce the amount of time from incident to broadcast.

A very different world from the days of Walter Cronkite, when the evening news would be a well-edited account from a distant reporter, formatted for the time allotted by network news, and face news competition by only a couple other networks (in the United States that would include CBS, NBC, ABC, and PBS).

The Biased Media

Media outlets have changed as well, moving from being a 5WH (who, why, what, when, where, how) style of reporting to networks such as Fox, openly stating they present a “conservative” point of view (Huckabee, Hannity, Beck, etc). This means in many cases viewers who prefer a certain point of view will be presented with interpretation of news events which support their beliefs.

It is also becoming more difficult to determine whether a news story is actually a press release or advertisement, rather than hard news. Even when a government organization or company is interviewed following some event or incident, the person interviewed is generally a professional public relations specialist, who may not find presentation of fact as a desired outcome of the interview.

Citizen Journalism Tends to be Pure

In most cases, when a freelancer or citizen records an event, they provide that record of the even in its raw, or pure state. If you see a home video of a tornado on CNN, then most likely the person providing that video is not providing commentary, only the video. When we were receiving near real-time cell phone video from Tehran during the recent violence following elections, most of the video received came out as quickly as possible, and was then processed in its raw form through venues such as YouTube.

All we really ask from the citizen journalist, to give their story or record of an event credibility, is:

• An unedited record or account of the event
• A reference of the event recording’s origin
• A factual context of the event (who, when, where)

We do not always need a deep analysis of an event by a reporter or analyst who’s motivation may be based on how sensational they can make the event, which political or religious ideology they should promote when presenting an event, or their own personal opinion. The main thing we need is context, and enough information to allow us to respond to the news if needed (such as during an emergency or other condition).

Media Changes

David Sasaki, in a recent PBS IdeaLab article walked through the changes in media over the past 550 years. Starting with transcribing bibles for the Catholic Church and aristocracy, and walking through the social changes driven by innovations such as the Gutenberg press, radio, television, and newspapers, Sasaki presents a very compelling argument for embracing change. Whether it be eliminating unnecessary reporters and editors, or better understanding the impact of social media and “publics” created through a global-connected community, we need to understand the dynamics of media change to develop a vision of how news media and information transfer may evolve.

In the 1960s you would watch even local news stations for the “Evening News,” and you would get a solid 30 minutes of reporting on national, international, and local news. Today, if you watch news programs such as CNN’s Headline news, you might get 3 or 4 minutes of hard news, and then 25 minutes of human interest stories filling out the rest of a segment.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for us to interpret news from marketing, fact from advertising and public relations, or gaining access to raw news.

Chaos Theory and Media

Chaos Theory states that any system is vulnerable to changing conditions either within or encroaching on the system. If the current or historical media systems are an example, we can see innovation or technologies (such as the Gutenberg press, Internet, paper, radio) as a significant disruptor to the media “system.”

The Internet is currently a very disruptive element to traditional media, as it provides a platform for applications such as YouTube, Twitter, instant messaging, and other utilities to provide either real-time, or near real-time one-to-one, one-to-many, or many-to-many communications. On a global scale.

The other disruptor is the fact young people have internet-enabled technologies fully diffused into their education and life, allowing the new “Generation Z” visibility into new communication concepts that prior generations may not yet comprehend, or may never comprehend. What will come out of this diffusion of knowledge into Gen Z-ers? Impossible to know, but it will no doubt potentially be as huge an event as the Gutenberg press was to the world of the 1400s.

A generation where the people are the news, create the news, consume the news, and provide the news. There will be casualties as we re-organize media outlets which no longer adequately support the 21^st century, but the result will be really, really exciting.

Gen-Z youth are not mentally restrained by the technical limitations and legacy of existing broadcast and print media. With their diffused knowledge and operation of existing and emerging technologies, they have a “clean slate” to develop new models of media, news, social interaction, and global presence. As “baby boomers,” we need to continue creating the tools our fledgling Generation Z needs to envision ways to exploit our technology, and further build our global presence and instant access to that news and information they need to live in a wired world.

John Savageau, Long Beach

“Red Carpet”, ins Deutsche übersetzt “Roter Teppich” ist Event-Fotografie bei bestimmten, vorzugsweise von Promis besuchten Veranstaltungen. Charities, Filmpremieren, Bälle, Empfänge. Eben all das, wo die “Reichen und die Schönen” sich ein Stelldichein geben.

Stars & Sternchen, Showbiz, Film und TV, Material dazu nimmt die Regenbogenpresse ab, die Boulevardzeitungen, aber auch die Tagespresse. Es ist begehrt von Frauenzeitschriften, unterhaltenden Magazinen und auch als Einblendungen im TV. Durchaus also ein lukrativer Markt.

Marquess – © Foto Ralf Gosch / Pressebüro Roth

Nun bietet eine Microstock-Agentur (Shutterstock) ihren Fotografen an, sie für Red-Carpet-Events mit Presse-Status als Fotografen zu akkreditieren. Zielgruppe sind Hobby-Fotografen, die gerne an solchen Ereignissen teilnehmen und fotografieren würden.

Das hört sich erst mal interessant an, wird nun mancher denken. Tut es. Aber der Pferdefuß lauert: die Honorare sind Micro. Also wenig lukrativ. Den Medien wird im Gegenzug billiges Bildmaterial dafür angeboten. RF, micro, also beliebig oft verwendbar. Ohne Neu-Honorierung.

Für Microstock ist das der Versuch, in ein klassisches Segment der Pressefotografie mit großer Nachfrage vorzudringen. Nachdem bereits große Teile der klassischen Illustrationsfotografie auch in der Presse, in Rätselheften, Gartenzeitschriften, Programmzeitschriften u.v.m. von Microstocks bedient werden.

Microstock schickt sich an, ein neues Terrain zu betreten. Das Terrain von Action Press, von Teutopress, STAR-MEDIA oder Seeger Press und vielen anderen mehr, die Events covern und  ihr Bildmaterial rights managed vermarkten. Also mit MFM-üblicher Honorierung jeder einzelnen Verwendung.

Wer sich als Hobby-Fotograf auf dieses Angebot einläßt, geht zwar gedankenlos aber vorsätzlich professionellen Event-Fotografen und ihren Agenturen ans Portemonnaie und damit auch an die Existenzgrundlage!

Wer sich auch als Amateur für diese Art der Fotografie interessiert, dem sei ein anderer Weg empfohlen:

Die Bildagentur Bildmaschine vermarktet Event-Fotografie rights managed zu den üblichen Konditionen. Diese Agentur ist eingebunden in das APIS-Network, Europas größte Recherche-Plattform für Bildverwender und besitzt zu vielen Medien den direkten FTP-Zugang. Diese Agentur akkreditiert auch für Veranstaltungen. Und das Geschäftsmodell ist “fair trade”.

Verwandte Artikel:

1. Fotografen-Alltag, der ganz normale Wahnsinn 
2. Microstock, ein Rotes Tuch oder …. ?
3. Zum Thema Honorare
4. Gericht setzt Regeln für angemessene Honorare fest (externer Link, Dirk Beumer, Industrie- und Werbe-Fotograf)
5. Der Beitrag dazu bei Freelens (über FREELENS)
6. Zur Urteilsbegründung bei Mediafon.net (über Mediafon)
7. Ein weiteres Urteil zur redlichen und angemessenen Vergütung (externer Link, Blog Bildjournalisten des DJV)

Empfehlungen:

Hobbyfotografen, die ein ernsthaftes Interesse haben, sich professionelles Wissen anzueignen, denen seien u.a. die Workshops meines Freundes und Kollegen Rainer Jörger, Freier Bildjournalist aus Villingen-Schwenningen empfohlen. Informationen dazu auf seiner Website: http://www.joerger-media.de/

Und auch wir werden voraussichtlich auch im nächsten Jahr wieder unsere Seminare anbieten. Behalten Sie dazu dieses Blog im Auge.

Social media gave journalists another reason to look up from the grind last week. In a field that changes pretty quickly these days, YouTube added another catalyst to the mix.

YouTube introduced technology for users to create their own CNN-type “iReports.” If you’re not familiar, iReports allow people to upload videos from their cell phones or cameras in order to get real time broadcasts from anyone with the means to create them… not to mention possess the desire to self-publish. This new way to find the news was integral to the world discovering the disastrous protests in Iran during the 2009 election.

How does it work?

YouTube Direct allows news organizations to put a “post video” link on their websites where citizen journalists could directly upload their news stories. Said videos would then be subject to an internal screening process. Once approved, the videos would be up and running on YouTube and on the news site.

Why is this SO exciting?

This is a great way for news organizations to experiment with social media. Not only does it enable them to move to a two-way street of communication without the technological hassle, but it also gives them the control to post only the legitimate content.

With budgets and profits simultaneously falling, traditional media needs a new way to get people out in the field to capture the news as it happens. This is a cheap way to experiment on the journey from 1.0 to 2.0.

Check out the instructions here:

Photo courtesy SXC.

I’ve finally read the synopsis of Leonard Downie Jr. and Michael Schudson’s report, “The Reconstruction of American Journalism, ” in the Columbia Journalism Review, as well as a number of reactions to it. I appreciate that CJR let the authors publish such a rich (30-page!) summary of their 100-page report.

Downie, a former executive editor for the Washington Post and currently a professor of journalism at Arizona State University, and Schudson, a professor of journalism at Columbia University, provide their take on what has led up to the current sad state of affairs at American newspapers, and to a lesser degree, at television and radio stations. They discuss the approaches of a number of new media operations (and are generous with links to the projects in question) and suggest several possible new business/nonprofit support models for the industry.

Whether you end up thinking the authors are offering sage advice to journalists, or are off in left field, you really should read the CJR synopsis or the report. It’s important that those of us working in the media have a say in what happens to our profession in the future, and the only way to do that is to be aware of where we’re at now and what people are doing NOW to adapt to the challenges and opportunities the Internet Era has brought us.

On the plus side

The report largely accepts that Web 2.0 and the other cultural factors that have disrupted American journalism are here to stay and cannot be magically “rolled back” by industry collusion (think simultaneous content firewalls on all major newspaper sites) or government mandate. I know this sounds mean, but this is a good sign!  I have been concerned about the number of journalists—including professors and veteran editors and writers—talking as if the Internet is something that must be, or even can be, “stopped.”

Downie and Schudson present a variety of options for fixing the current situation from across the business spectrum. They discuss multiple variations on publicly funded media, as well as foundation-endowed news projects and hybrid corporate/nonprofit news operations. By doing this, they are acknowledging that one model will not fit all in the future, and that journalists need to consider the context of their news operation or project when devising a funding plan.

The authors rightly identify local news coverage as one of the biggest casualties of the shifts in journalism over the past two decades, and do propose several ideas for reviving it. While local involvement and participation seems to generally be associated with our “bowling alone” culture, there are plenty of people who do care about it, and who now have fewer mainstream media resources for tapping into news about the community they live in.

On the minus side

I immediately noticed that there is almost NO discussion of the fate of the magazine industry, perhaps because that’s what my degree is in (magazine journalism) and because I have worked for nearly all my career as a journalist for magazines—either as a freelancer or a staff writer/editor. I believe that magazines had to face the decline of the so-called “mass media” far earlier than newspapers, after the death of “general interest” magazines such as Look, Collier’s and LIFE in the 1960s and 1970s.

By the time I was taking j-school classes in the 1980s, we were told that starting a magazine was much like starting a restaurant—if you know what you’re doing (business-wise) and can self-fund for part of the first five years in business, you have a good chance of making it. Notice that in that description there is no mention of whether the content (or the food) was any good, if competitors were using unfair tactics, or whether customers were reading (or going out for sit-down dinners) less and less. The focus was on establishing a niche and a business model first and foremost. Paying attention to the market, as well as knowing your craft well enough to produce a quality product, were also assumed parts of that model.

On a related note, Downie and Schuder make huge assumptions about the audience for news content and how they will, or should, behave. To be fair, this is something I’ve noticed over and over again when I read essays of this nature written by newspaper-based journalists. The report doesn’t focus much at all on what readers/viewers/listeners are telling journalists about how they’d like to receive their news, or what sorts of news they’d consider worthy of paying for online.

The authors even go so far as to proclaim that “American society must take some collective responsibility for supporting independent news reporting in this new environment,” and wonder out loud in another section whether journalism is a “significant public good whose diminution requires urgent attention.” These are important issues, but this mindset, coupled with a lack of curiosity or genuine connection to one’s audience, comes across as preachy and pedantic—not the sort of vibe one wants to project to attract supporters to an important cause!

Finally, the report points out one of the largest challenges in journalism’s current crisis—we can’t seem to decide if we’re a profession best suited to entrepreneurial or philanthropic support. I like the fact that the authors include both for-profit and nonprofit approaches to new media, but the way in which they are presented serves to highlight the lack of business sense many of us in the field seem to exhibit. What is it that newspapers do? They’re businesses. Wait, no, maybe we should run them as nonprofits? Wait, maybe we can sell ads and get foundation grants, too?

Late in the CJR synopsis, Downie and Schuder use the term “independent news reporting” fairly specifically, and that’s really what they are concerned about, not so much journalism as an industry or business sector. As they note, “it may not be essential to save any particular news medium … What is paramount is preserving independent, original, credible reporting, whether or not it is popular or profitable, and regardless of the medium in which it appears.” (Emphasis in that passage is mine.)

It bothers me that so many of their suggestions rely on government intervention, although I share their opinion that stronger support for radio and televisions stations receiving money through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting would be a good thing. I am a huge fan of public media; however, I also believe that journalistic enterprises can be successful as for-profit businesses. It remains to be seen how that will happen in the future—my feeling is that the “large public” that the authors seek to have journalism’s best work presented to may have already been replaced by a series of balkanized niches, each one hungry for content, but only within a narrow spectrum of interest.

Please use the comment section below to chime in about your reaction to the report, or the state of American journalism in general.

So we’re back to the paywall debate, and Murdoch now wants to exclude Google and hook up with Microsoft Bing.

In the Independent, Mike Masnick of  Techdirt says: “If your business is focused on making life more difficult for a competitor, rather than adding more value to users, you’re doing the wrong thing.”

That really makes sense to me. “Adding more value” means collaboration, making life easier, and using technology to lower costs (or just be free).

Also, Google is a search engine. Search is the key word here. During a social media round-table debate TTG held in August, Immediate Future’s Niall O’Malley summed it up best when he said everything Google creates is just interference, search is what it really does.

Gateway
Google is acting as the gateway to all forms of content, and it probably doesn’t care which of its applications we use to get it. Gmail, Wave, Youtube – even that old fashioned website google.co.uk will do. Its news reader is just one aspect. It will still find the “news” – cached, on other websites, on aggregator blogs, the BBC, news agencies and so on. (Analysis, that’s a different story).

With these apps that Google’s built in its spare time, it’s done more than enough damage to its competitors and one way or another, we’ll all be using Google to access news. And yes, it will take all of the advertising money from associated links thank you very much.

Commenting
As the successful publication websites carry on developing interaction, collaboration and crowd-sourcing, commenting still remains a key factor, and allows the egos of writers to thrive (just look at the success of the Guardian).

But you have to write differently for the web. People want to be outraged, spurred on to comment, and have their say, amused… writers must give them what they want.

Meanwhile, in France, journalists at Le Monde are preparing a strike over increased workloads for the web – for the bilingual followers of this blog, read what’s happening here. Read the comments – funny how there’s a lot of love for the Guardian there.

So lets adapt, and of course at the same time look for new revenue models. Sophisticated interactive campaigns, microsites, buzz marketing… charging for news, as a commodity, is not going to work. The cracks in the paywall have just got bigger.

And just out of interest, if you’ve got this far reading this post, do you subscribe (as in pay) to any news websites? Would be interested to hear your thoughts…

 Peter Davies of AHA MEDIA films Mayor Gregor Robertson speaking at Uncovering Vision Art Show at Union Gospel Mission’s’s Maurice McElrea Place in Vancouver Downtown Eastside on Friday Nov 20 2009

What: Uncovering Vision: A Discovery of Art Forms by Men and Women on the Downtown East Side, sponsored by the East Side Culture Crawl. Opening will be attended by many of the featured artists, Mayor Gregor Robertson, Photographer Kevin Clark, Artist Pamela Masik, and others.

When: Opening Friday, November 20th at 4:00pm; show runs Friday, Nov. 20th 4pm-10pm, Saturday and Sunday 11am-6pm

Where: Maurice McElrea Place, 361 Heatley Ave, Vancouver.

The following photo and video is of Mayor Gregor Robertson speaking at Uncovering Vision Art Show at Union Gospel Mission’s Maurice McElrea Place

This was filmed by Peter Davies of AHA MEDIA on a New Media camera – Panasonic DMC-ZS3. AHA MEDIA is about exploring mobile media production through New Media cameras. For a better quality version of this video, please DM April Smith Twitter.com/AprilFilms or Facebook.com/AprilFilms

Please see 42 photos of the Uncovering Vision Event on our Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ahamedia/sets/72157622870449682/

The BBC’s technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones recently came to give a talk entitled: Typewriter to Twitter for Cardiff University journalism students. In the lecture he discussed how journalism has changed since he began his career in 1983, and what it looks like now  in 2009.

Rory explained how audiences back then were taken for granted by TV execs as people could only really choose between two stations – in addition to no internet, Sky or cable TV – so they were almost guaranteed a large audience. He discussed that audience members were also seen as mad with station staff not really taking any notice of them when they contacted the station. One thing that surprised me was his scepticism of any original journalism going on in the 1980s – he said staff read newspapers earlier in the day, then reported that news later in the morning.

A couple of decades later and things are quite different. No audiences are taken for granted anymore as there are too many channels and media platforms all fighting for their share. The way we consume news is different too. A lot of people read news via the internet, which they can currently do for free, and they have 24 hour access. In present times there is so much choice that competition pressure has raised the quality of the main broadcasters – but with the rise of citizen journalists it has led to questioning of their output too.

So the world of journalism has changed a great deal with one glaring difference between now and the 1980s being the audience is no longer taken for granted. In fact audiences now actively take part in stories by providing User Generated Content or blogging, tweeting about events when they occur  TV execs can no longer see as them as mad but perhaps more of a competition.

@ericbaillargeon shared that tip with me today, that instead of thinking about integrating a YouTube API, why don’t I think about something even more forward-thinking like integrating YouTube Direct.

I was totally unaware of the existence of this new version of YouTube for News enterprise. This is great thinking in terms of a user-generated content strategy and a social media integration strategy and tactics. It makes me think of the good ol’ days (a year ago) when I was working at Flickr.com… We used to talk in terms of “citizen journalism” via photos. Good catch Google!

This YouTube Direct demo explains it all: