The power of public broadcasting abroad- blog by Jeff Cohen

Link to blog: http://indyf16.blogspot.com/2016/11/why-cant-we-have-public-broadcasting.html

A video we watched in class, showed an interview done by the BBC in which everyday British citizens, skeptical and highly critical of Prime Minister Tony Blair's reasoning in supporting the US invasion of Iraq, in search of non existent weapons of mass destruction.

The citizens are able to question and criticize the Prime Minister to his face asking him how he feels it is legally and morally acceptable to do what led to the 2003 invasion. Such cross examination and public criticism of the Prime Minister by citizens on national television is something simply unheard of in America.

I was amazed to see students in my class question how this was possible when I believe the very embodiment of government is to be scrutinized, analyzed, and discussed by citizens who are responsible for the government to be in power in the first place. Such interviews are common on Indian television as well, on commercial networks such as NDTV and Times Now.

When, if ever, such an interview was conducted in America with the President made to face the question of the public, that may not always agree with his/her views will be the time when independent media outlets such as Democracy Now! will be able to get conservative government officials to answer on television for their wrong doings and failed political actions. 

Is U.S media system failing to inform?- blog by Jeff Cohen

Link to blog: http://indyf16.blogspot.com/2016/11/is-us-media-system-failing-to-inform.html

"Common sense is very uncommon" is a quote many people may have heard before. Considering the results of the recently concluded elections, this seems rather true.

Public knowledge about current events in America is found at much lower levels than other countries across the world.

A 2008 study linked here from the blog above showed that countries having strong and free TV/Radio dominated by public broadcasting had the most well informed public.

A corporate and commercial media in America, leads to polls showing very low numbers of informed public, when it comes to public knowledge regarding hot topics in the country.

Only when public broadcasting and independent media are able to reach the majority of the country through national television and radio, will unbiased opinion free from commercial and corporate networks, thrive to help increase the number of people versed in public knowledge and common sense. 

Net neutrality: Soon to be a past dream?

Link to article: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/gonzalez-fcc-flip-flop-net-loss-article-1.1768404

The FCC could potentially make the Internet a playground for the rich and corporate, leaving the common man stuck in the middle, or the bottom.

A proposal announced by the FCC, could cause huge damage to how the Internet is used and available to people.

Former FCC Commissioner Michael Copps warns, "This portends a future where the 1% get to drive on the fast lane and the 99% are left in the slow lane."

Under the Trump presidency, it is scary to think that such a proposal may indeed be passed in the near future.

I believe this would only increase the monopoly already shared by major telecommunications networks and companies, through which multi-billion dollar companies will be able to have faster internet speeds for their internet content, leaving the vast majority of the internet without equal connection. 

American Internet: Why is it so slow?

Link to article: http://theweek.com/articles/449919/why-american-internet-slow

I was actually not surprised by this during class as much as students around me seemed to be. It is easy to imagine that the country that invented the Internet, which also happens to be home to almost every major technology and communications company in the world; would be number 1 in terms of download speeds and reliability.

In India, we study and see how various telecommunication companies and mobile service providers fight each other through court battles and advertisements attacking one another to try and get more customers. They constantly provide better deals and lower rates to gain more revenue. This increases their investment in making their brand, and the internet better for the people.

In America, as explained in the article; a monopoly between "huge telecommunication companies have divided up the market and put themselves in a position where they're subject to no competition."

From my understanding of the article, it is only when there is strong competition in the market will telecommunication companies have the desire, or rather desperate need, to invest in better internet infrastructure in the country.

With TimeWarner cable and Verizon seeming to sweep away all competition in the country, it is unlikely that America will rise up in the charts of internet download speed rankings anytime soon. 

Entrepreneurial lessons by Jeff Jarvis

Link to blog: http://buzzmachine.com/2007/12/10/entrepreneurial-lessons/

The tips of how to pitch and form an entrepreneurial idea as a journalist was very helpful when coming up with a pitch for our final project in the class.

I found the 17 word theory very interesting. I always felt the more you say and the more clear you are, regardless of a word count is the best way to pitch an idea, but I learned that it is not the quantity of words necessary, just the quality of what is said.

In the ever growing business and corporate world we see today, journalism will have to evolve into a business model, and a profitable one, if it is to survive in the 21st century and beyond.

Jeff Jarvis, who wrote the blog, stressed the need to market oneself and how advertising your brand or business is key. This helped me think of ways in which I can use advertisements not only for revenue, but as a means of showcasing my idea as well. 

Bill Clinton: Purdum a "Sleazy", "Slimy", "Scumbag"

Link to article: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/mayhill-fowler/bill-clinton-purdhum-a-sl_b_104771.html

The article explains how Bill Clinton made scathing remarks to describe Todd Purdum; who was a writer at Vanity Fair, where Clinton describes him as "Sleazy", "Slimy", and "Scumbag".

Purdum's piece for Vanity Fair criticized former President Clinton for, "bringing negative attention to Hillary Clinton’s candidacy and for surrounding himself with friends who might discredit her campaign" as quoted in the article. 

I think Bill Clinton had no need to say such remarks about Purdum, even though Purdum criticizes Clinton in his article. 

While the statements used by Clinton are debatable as to whether they are justified or not, he goes on to say that Purdum cannot be trusted and that his work is false by stating, "“Anytime you read a story that slimes a public figure with anonymous quotes, it oughta make the bells go off in your head. Because anytime somebody uses those things— he wrote the story in his head in advance, and he just goes around and tries to find some coward to say whatever they want to say, hoping to get some benefit out of it. It didn’t bother me. It shouldn’t bother you.”

It is obviously evident that the article by Purdum has bothered Clinton very much, further creating a negative perception of himself. 

Citizen Journalism: Mayhill Fowler

Link to article: http://articles.latimes.com/print/2008/apr/15/nation/na-bitter15

The article explains how a citizen journalist named Mayhill Fowler; writing for the Huffington Post at the time, wrote an article about Barack Obama in which he makes a comment on Midwesterners and how they are dissatisfied by the government's work.

Obama's quote is as follows, "And it's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations." as part of a lengthy response. 

The story was used by right wing media and supporters to denounce Obama by calling him elitist and and condescending towards middle class Westerners and small town people. The article explains how this report brought a lot of backlash towards Obama and towards citizen journalists such as Mayhill Fowler. 

A big question that can be asked is, whether something said in a 'closed press' event, that Fowler managed to attend with help from an Obama official she knew by asking for an invitation, should be considered information that can be used by her even though she is not a journalist. 

In similar terms, the audio clip that surfaced recently in which Trump can be heard saying very disgraceful and sexist remarks against women was also made in a private location. I believe that anything said by a celebrity or politician (especially during election period) can and should be used to inform the public because a candidate such as Trump may present himself as something publicly and be different when seen or heard behind closed doors. 

Such information must be made public so that voters can have a better understanding of the candidate they hope to vote for and elect. 

Jim Gilliam: The Internet is my Religion

Link to youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4WKle-GQwk

We watched an incredibly inspiring video in class about Jim Gilliam, who gave a talk speaking about how the Internet helped his life; literally, by helping him battle cancer and receiving a lung transplant through the power and connectivity.

It was amazing to see how a man, born as a White male Christian could say that random people whom he never met, through the Internet helped save his life. One sentence that struck me a lot in his talk was, "We are the creators."

It was easy to see that he believed in people and what people can accomplish through the Internet more than religion, and that instead of thanking God, he owes his life to those that gave him the second chance at life. Near the end, he stated that, "We are the leaders of this new religion." I believe that the Internet can be an incredible source that provides answers to millions where religion may not. 

Legal Insurrection, review of conservative website that started as a blog

Link to blog: http://legalinsurrection.com

I reviewed a conservative blog started by William Jacobson in 2008, a professor of law at Cornell University.

I do not agree with any of the viewpoints and opinions expressed in this blog and was very angry at the type of content that was posted in its articles.

As Halloween is fast approaching, one of the articles on the blog, now turned website was critical of the authorities at Tufts University, who sent out a warning to its students to choose and be careful of what hey wear this Halloween, in an attempt to stop the wearing of culturally inappropriate costumes during this festival.

The article also features images done by a cartoonist who works for the site which focus mainly on showing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama in negative situations, highlighting them as bad guys.

The website also features a Post of the Day and a Blog of the Day section that link to other blogposts and websites that have similar and agreeing opinions to those at Legal Insurrection. This is done to promote other bloggers and increase online traffic.

The website has advertisements along its main page as a main source of income as well.

William Jacobson; Legal Insurrection

Link to blog: http://legalinsurrection.com

Our class speaker on Tuesday, October 25th was William Jacobson, who is a professor of law at Cornell. He started a conservative blog called Legal Insurrection in 2008.

I do not agree with any of the views and articles posted on the site, but it was very interesting to hear how he started the blog, and how he has kept it running in terms of revenue.

He explained that he started a political discussion with a Democratic friend, who encouraged him to start a blog as he felt he spoke about his views and opinions in a clear way.

Jacobson also mentioned that it was all his own work in the beginning, and that good content, especially if it is about a topic that has a potentially large market related to it, is the key to creating a following of readers. Once a following is established, 'true fans', as discussed in class will help to share your name and increase your fame online.

He also explained that the comments section is important to allow him to connect and create a relationship with his readers. His main source of revenue, as he showed was through advertisements on his site. "Images do really well on the Internet" is also a side note he gave.

One of the things I agreed upon with him was that he explained blogging must be done regularly because 3-4 days without updated and new content can cause a drop of readers that may take 3-4 weeks to regain.

He explained that when starting up a blog, it is important to market yourself on other blogs and media outlets/publications to help get your name out and then by providing a link to your blog, you can gain a few more readers.

He ended by saying the way to successfully run a blog, and gain regular readers is by showing consistency in content and building a sort of community with the readers that share the same passion or opinions about your blog. 

New Technology, New Voices, class handout

New age technology has changed the way citizens play their role in society today. Videos, pictures, Facebook Live, tweets, and blogs have revolutionized the term 'citizen journalist'.

As the article explained how videos of police brutality and blog posts exposing government crimes in Egypt helped bring about the 'Arab Spring' and also a new age of how people can use simple day to day technology to fight against the greatest powers in a country.

We can see a similar effect from new age technology in the US, in terms of body cameras on police and the use of taking mobile phone videos to record shootings, arrests, and accidents that occur. This has led to an uneasy relationship between a country's government and its citizens.

Such technology can and must be used by citizens to record anything they see happening in their world that may be ignored or suppressed by the mainstream media. This was the case seen in Egypt, as the government friendly media would not expose officials for human rights crimes they committed. It was the courageous work of journalists and citizens that brought to light the crimes happening in the country.

This of course, also leads to backlash by the government in forms of censorship, surveillance, and ban of networks and social media sites by governments fearful of the truths that can be exposed through them.

Digital revolutions such as those started in Egypt are seen all over the world. While these are essential to help bring about justice and democracy in the world, it can at times endanger the lives of those responsible for them.

While journalists gain training in how to work and stay safe in dangerous situations, the people who live in those places have no such training or help, which brings the question of what mainstream media of today can do to help protect the citizen journalists they encourage and support to share the news and truth from around the world.

I believe that citizen journalists are becoming more and more like independent journalists, because they record what is happening in front of them and expose the lies and crimes committed by people in power and authority. But this is journalism on a knifes edge, where manipulation, secrecy, and illegal methods can be used on citizen journalists.

The use of new age technology is essential in today's ever expanding and digitalized world, but at what cost to life is this method of journalism being used. 

All Governments Lie, private movie screening.

I was able to attend a private movie screening of a new film called All Governments Lie: Truth, Deception, and the Spirit of I.F. Stone.

The movie follows the stories of various investigative and independent journalists, who uncover and try to expose the truth about government lies, as did before them the man named I.F. Stone.

The movie was eye opening and expected in many ways. It was eye opening to see the incredible lengths that the journalists go to, in order to always report and find the truth. However, it was expected in the terms that I was not surprised at the deceptions and lies made by the US government that come to light throughout the film.

The journey of John Carlos Frey was incredible and worrying, to see the lack of effort and indeed care shown by US officials and law enforcement in Texas to do anything about the mass graves and burials being investigated by Frey.

I enjoyed seeing how powerhouse journalists in the independent media world like Amy Goodman, Glen Greenwald, and Matt Taibbi have used I.F. Stone and his methods as influence in their own work. The movie gave a backstage access pass to the lives of these independent journalists.

As the movie criticizes mainstream media and how commercial the press of today has become, I came to realize just how this affects an average college student who feels he is informed about what the government is doing.

During the film, they explained how in the aftermath of 9/11, when the entire US airspace was shut down and every single plane in the country was grounded, one plane was authorized to take off. The plane that had aboard it the extended family members of Osama Bin Laden. While this was not news to me, my friend next to me looked clueless at the screen.

I turned to ask him, in much shock, how he did not know this till now. He said this never came on the news and I never read about this online. I realized that even in such a connected world with the Internet, without having the mainstream media of the country cover and report the real issues that matter, many more millions of Americans like him can be left in the dark about the works and decisions made by the government. 

In Fact newsletter by George Seldes, class handout.

It is very easy to see that Seldes' main aim in the newsletter given to us in class is to show the harmful effects of cigarette smoking and how it is linked to cancer.

Headlines such as, "Tobacco Money Pays Press and Radio", "Cancer Cases Increase With Cigaret Sale", and "U.S Press Whitewashes Tobacco" highlight the dangerous effects of smoking and how the mainstream media at the time, which Seldes was very critical of, would not publish stories about this as their main sources of income came from the tobacco industry through advertisements in the newspapers.

Seldes used his newsletter to show the truth about political, social, and economic wrongdoings of the mainstream/commercial press and the government.

It was interesting to see that Seldes used his own published books as a source of income to continue printing and writing In Fact. At the back of the printed newsletter is the list of Seldes' work with prices quoted alongside each of them. He also advertised at the back that new subscribers can purchase In Fact starting at only $1 as a scheme to attract more subscribers to read his newsletter.

Seldes used In Fact to bring to the public's attention all the misguided, suppressed, and ignored truths and facts that people deserved to know. He believed in a free press, away from commercial connections and an unbiased towards the work of the government. In Fact provided just that.