Ch. 4) Fighting Evil: Terror, Community, and Networked Journalism

Charlie Beckett’s chapter Fighting Evil: Terror, Community, and Networked Journalism begins by laying out the general flow for his examination of the topics contained. His organization takes readers through terror, public security, and community cohesion. Beckett’s introduction, and his conclusion emphasize that the process of understanding terror requires more than knowledge of who the terrorists are and what motivates them. I really enjoy this direction because he humanizes journalism a bit in its exploration. Journalism is subject to the same morals as greater society. Beckett begins to establish that it is the media’s job to get the facts right, and when they fail to get the whole picture, they are failing the community they serve. Additionally, Beckett relates that terrorism has to take hold of the hearts and minds of members of the community it grows in. An attentive and well-informed media can curb the growth of extremist ideals by ensuring that reporting comes from both sides. Furthermore, by representing all of the diversity of a community in a fair, accurate, and thorough manner, journalism acts as a glue to hold communities together.

In talking about bias and ignorance, Beckett uses the example of Molly Campbell, or Misbah Rana, to make a point about how engrained opinions can condemn the accuracy of a report from the beginning. I think he is absolutely right, and that he cannot emphasize this point enough. So often in making judgments, or relating stories, people take a position without all of the facts. As Mona mentioned in her presentation, if you have a question about Islamic life, ask a Muslim. The papers failure to acknowledge the possibility that someone might choose to live in Pakistan over the UK is an example of an extreme failure to exercise the flexibility of worldview necessary to get things right in today’s media environment. Beckett also articulates rather eloquently that being an informed reporter is a big prerequisite to being a tough and responsible reporter. I love this statement because it reflects my feelings about good reporting to a T.

In talking a bit about community cohesion, Beckett pulls out his old discussion of fragmentation. That there is danger in people moving from the “daily-we” to the “daily-me” is undeniable. However, I do not think there is actually any risk in more and more specialized communities taking shape on the Internet. Information generation for a specialty depends on so much more than just the information within that particular specialty that there will always be a necessity, even for the most niche content providers, to collect information from other sources. An extremist website may condemn the content of a news report, but the mere mention of the news report drives my point home… they are consuming the other content as well. As long as the media can maintain a position of accuracy, fairness, and thoroughness on a diverse body of topics, there is no danger is the forming of niche markets that explore certain issues to their foundations. Media is already taking steps to ensure they maintain a position of accuracy by linking up with niche media organizations to get more specialized information on topics they may not have expertise in.

Beckett also raises the importance of news organizations needing to maintain a genuine interest in international affairs, and stresses the importance of maintaining a desire to understand those affairs as well. To deal with terrorism, Americans cannot just declare hatred against all terrorists and move on, the problem still exists. Additionally, the problem cannot be dealt with by military power alone. Americans need to gain an understanding of what terrorism is, why it exists, and what role the US plays in the wider world to even begin a thoughtful discussion. Just as condemnation of terrorism is not a solution for the people of the world, the media needs to recognize that reporting the mere existence of terrorists does little to help the world understand the reasons for their existence.

Beckett gives a pretty detailed treatment to the Danish cartoon happening. The Danish media was deliberately trying to be controversial, and extremists were deliberately trying to make an example out of them. The dilemma that Beckett discusses is not whether it was right to publish the cartoon in the first place, but whether or not to republish it for news about the events it sparked. This is a direct attack on freedom of expression; we don’t want to upset anyone now... In this case, I am okay with the fact that most organizations deigned to avoid the footage since it was widely available online, and the reaction the Muslim world had to the Danish cartoon could easily be foreseen; the comic was designed to be controversial after all. Beckett says, and I agree, that this respect given to the religion actually strengthens the media’s position should a situation arise when they must show something offensive. In an instance where the Islamic world is legitimately in the wrong, say one sect slaughters another because they worship idols, the media will be able to show a picture of the idol in controversy with their feet on firm, justifiable ground.

Finally, Beckett talks about misunderstanding Muslims. I boiled his points down to their simplest in this section. Muslims need to articulate themselves more, and the media needs to listen, learn, and relay. And, the media needs to stop trying to group the ungroup-able. Islam is not a line drawn in the sand; it is not even the sand itself; the diversities among Muslim populations are as numerous as the shapes of a snowflake, and as such, there is no way in hell anyone can make accurate generalizations about all of them.

In conclusion, and as I mentioned before, Beckett stresses that we need to understand more. To me there is no beginning or end to understanding… it is a life process. I do not think that I will ever reach a point where I understand enough. However, I do think it is a good start that we all strive for accuracy, fairness, and thoroughness in making decisions and reporting information. Taken to their terminal degree, I think that each of those traits could lead us to a pretty good world.

Questions to ponder:
Do you think reporters can just be reporters now?
Do scholarly explorations have any place in understanding/reporting?
Is breaking news the only kind of news and is there room/time for a more participatory/comprehensive exploration of the topics involved?
Is fragmentation a danger to public security and community cohesion?
As new media provides a voice to so many more of the world's population, should the mainstream media take the position of listener?

How Obama Won

Response to "How Obama Won" I definitely agree that the Obama campaigns’ use of social media and social networking was one of the several reasons why he was able to win the election. In response to how this election differed from others is also mainly because of what Obama’s campaign stood for. He became a symbol for change, and his slogan was ‘yes we can.’ Everything about him from his age, to his race, to his background, and being a democrat in contrast to a large number of American’s tired of Bush’s conservative ways proved to be a golden opportunity for a new candidate in every sense of the word to step in. The smartest thing that the Obama campaign could do was not only to emphasize the fact that Obama represents change, but also reach out to a majority of his younger voters who seemed to be more interested in him for these very reasons. It is the younger voters who are more likely to fluently use and understand social networking sites such as YouTube, Facebook, and Myspace, and Obama’s campaign made it easy and fun to keep up with his campaign throughout the busy political year. The article talks about how other candidates such as Clinton and McCain failed to use these sites, but I think in these scenarios, especially in McCain’s case, it probably didn’t seem as important to them to delve into new media sites because most of their supporters tended to be older, and more conservative in terms of what websites they go to. As an example, I know many of my friends’ fathers who were McCain supporters did not really understand what social networking sites are, let alone how to begin using them. In response to the first question on why Meghan McCain’s ‘bloggette’ failed to attract a large number of supporters I think was because everything about it aimed to a very specific, and fairly small demographic. Quoting from the article on the blog, “the bloggette site features a silhouette of a fetching woman in red high-heeled shoes.” This site probably wouldn’t be so appealing to someone who is not a middle- to upper class female who tends to lean republican already, and regularly wears makeup and heels to work.

draft

Response to SuperMedia Chapter 2

In response to Chapter 2 of SuperMedia and Elizabeth’s post, it was clear that the focus was on the continual evolution taking place within journalism. This chapter and the post look at the larger context of journalism and the fact is has experienced major shifts throughout history, even from the “coffeehouse to the newsroom”. Now however, the shift is to networked journalism and citizen reporting, which the chapter quotes Jeff Jarvis as saying, “The more journalists behave like citizens, the stronger their journalism will be.”

The example of this occurring currently that immediately came to mind for me was the recently unveiled HuffPost College, connected to The Huffington Post, a blog that we frequently discuss and examine in class. HuffPost College will be, as Ariana Huffington writes in a blog posted yesterday: “HuffPost College features voices from colleges and universities all around the country and offers a real-time snapshot of what's going on in the lives of the nation's 19 million college students -- from coverage of the latest trends and sports happenings to more serious issues such as freedom of expression on campus and the rising cost of tuition.”

The innovative blog was launched with an article featuring different faces and signs of college kids that are in debt. This is an incredible example of the moving forward capabilities of journalism discussed in Elizabeth’s post and Chapter 2. This post integrates a look at various college students in debt, as well as the ability to post your own personal story of debt in college. This kind of citizen journalism is an example of how networked journalism is different from the past. Ariana recognizes that there are a myriad of college newspapers across the country, and on this section of the Huffington Post will bridge the gap between kids and what they are commonly experiencing on their campuses.

Lastly, the post and the chapter mention the issue of trust, and I believe HuffPost College has the potential to build up trust again in the area of college journalism. This trust comes from the constant refinement of news and shining light on issues where there is not just one source in control on the issues. HuffPost College will be an incredible avenue for college students to come together across the country on common issues, discussion, and journalism.

Digital Dictatorship: The Myth of Techno-Utopia

On Saturday The Wall Street Journal ran this article on how the Internet can be an effective tool in squashing freedom. It's relevant to several of your paper topics.

"How Obama Really Did It"

"The social-networking strategy that took an obscure senator to the doors of the white house"

“How Obama Really Did It” is a relevant illustration of how journalism has shifted due to the emergence of network journalism. This article demonstrated the ability that social-networking strategies played within the 2008 election. The web site www.my.barakobama.com created in interactive network amongst the Obama supporters and created an online community that continued to expand throughout the election process. What I was able to draw from this article was the fact that the use of online tools such as, blogs, videos, and chats, dominated the election because, the Internet is now a medium used by a wide range of demographics.

I found it interesting that Obama begun to use the resources of the Internet early on during his campaign while his opponents had a difficult time catching up. Hilary Clinton and John McCain focused on the older generations and Obama targeted people of all ages and communicated with them based on their preferred communication channels. The article stated that “ the world is now caught up with the technology,” and Obama exhibited this by sending his supporters information by text messages, blogs, e-mails and other various resources. By doing this, it enabled many people to volunteer for his campaign that not only donated millions of dollars to the campaign, but also created viral support based on different communication channels. A clear demonstration of this is the viral YouTube video “Crush on Obama” by Obama Girl, that has been viewed almost 17 million times since the election. Obama girl received national attention and even has her own web site Obamagirl.com—therefore, drawing attention to Barrak Obama himself.

The article brought up an interesting idea when it spoke about Hilary Cliton’s role within social networks. Since Clinton did not take full advantage of online social networks, she relied on conventional campaign tactics, portraying the fact that she did not need online support and she could fund-raise money and support by herself. This is interesting because Cliton’s strategies play off of older media tactics, the idea of a one-way communication channel: Clinton spoke to her supporters and received a response through donations. On the other hand, Obama spoke to his supporters through different channels and the channels communicated to other people, creating a community. The community then helped raise support and donations for his campaign—no longer making it speaker and audience related, but more of a team effort. I believe that because Obama embraced online social networking, this was one of the main reasons he won the campaign. Communication outlets have shifted and during the 2008 election it was crucial that the candidates recognized this change and used it to their advantage.

After winning the campaign, www.my.barackobama.com focuses on current political topics with the help of blogs and videos. The supporters are able to express concern or praise for policies and this allows a more personal network for Obama and his supporters.

Link: Social Networking and the 2008 Election

Questions:

1.) The article states that McCain attempted to use network socializing through his daughter’s “bloggette” to attract younger supporters. Why was this not as successful as Obama’s online tools?

2.) In your opinion, what created the large number of interactive volunteers and supporters during the 2008 election and how did this election differ from past elections?

3.) The media has consistently focused on politician’s private issues rather than political. Blogs and online articles have enabled the public to gain a larger role within journalism; therefore, do you think the public has more knowledge of political issues today than what is framed by the media?

4.) How has MyBO had a negative effect on Obama? What are some examples?

Paper-writing: guiding questions

WHAT?: Is your main claim about your specific networked journalism product?

HOW?: Does your research support this claim or provide evidence for it?

WHY?: Is it important to make this claim? Why is your claim relevant?

Revised last few weeks

Here is a revised schedule for the rest of the quarter. I added a day of presentations so we won't be rushed. Also see the below post. We'll talk about fair use in class before then. I hope you all can make it. I PROMISE it will be more entertaining than the broadband panel I made you come to!

Week 8
Tuesday Feb 23 New New Media Landscape
Beckett Intro and Chapter 1
Review of Beckett
Leader Joshua
Respondent Alex

New New Media landscape cont.
Beckett Chapter 2
Leader Elizabeth
Respondent Bianca

Thursday Feb 25 Networked Journalism and Politics: How Obama Won
Beckett Chapter 3
David Talbot, How Obama Really Did It! (I'll email it to the class.)
Leader Alyssa
Respondent Jenna

Networked Journalism and the Political:The French Riots and Networked Global Media
Beckett Chapter 4
Leader Riley
Respondent Elizabeth

Week 9
Mar 2 The Future of News
Beckett Chapter 5
Leader Jenna
Respondent Alyssa
Shirky, Clay Thinking the Unthinkable
Leader Kacey
Respondent Nate


Mar 4 Presentations

Week 10
Mar 9 Presentations