Somebody thinks we deserve a BAILOUT!

With the news that the Los Angeles Times will be laying off another 300 employees as well as consolidating its metro and state section - California - into its A-section, one could say that the sky is now officially falling.

Venice Paper calls it a move that's akin to the L.A. Times cutting off its head.

But, at least we are not suffering in silence.

This guy, as well as many others, thinks the newspaper industry deserves a bailout. (This is obviously an idea that comes with a bunch of little devil's the in the details, but still, let's not think about all of that and just appreciate the suggestion, shall we?)

Calling newspapers essential to democracy, blogger Jim Gogek is urging everyone to start appreciating us and to help us merge into the digital age....because God knows we need help.

....awwww, see, somebody does care.

Gannett profits drop...but at least there's still a "profit"

Many, well, actually most, of my friends working in media are at Gannett newspapers.

They told me about the furloughs. Some were slightly panicked, while others saw the silver lining: "At least we're staving off layoffs."

But then today, I stumbled across this bit of news on Bloomberg.com which I'm sure I'll be getting phone calls and text messages about from my friends as the day goes on.

Gannett's profits have dropped by 36 percent as ad revenue continues to decline. I know, analysts know, but most of all my friends fear that this may be the final nail in the coffin.

This might be it. The layoffs might be coming. My friends tell me that that possibility is all they can think about when they walk into work. And that lingering fear really is taking its toll: One of my friends is drinking more than usual, the other has warned her parents that she may need to move back home, and yet another is on panic attack medication.

I pray for them, I lend a listening ear and I keep an eye out for employment opportunities for them --- as well as for myself because Heaven only knows if I'll be able to find a job when I get out of school.

If things go well (and this is where the digital media angle comes in), I may have a Website for them to work at in a few months in the event that they do get laid off.

My master's project is the creation of a Website that will track the school to prison pipeline of young black males. While a large part of the site will be aggregated content, the site will need skilled journalists to analyze statistics and write them into works of journalism.

I think sites like mine and others just may be the parachute that individual professionals need as they jump from the burning, crashing plane that is this industry.....was that metaphor too much?

New York Times' very own obit

A pessimistically sickening yet entertaining quick read, The Cornell Daily Sun's Katie Engellhart, gives us a down and dirty (literally and figuratively - she references a colleague who compares blogging to masturbation....) look at the Gray Lady's predicted demise via digital media.

Enjoy!

(lol)

If video killed the radio star...

...can the Internet really save newspapers?

Well, that's the claim coming from a Marketwire story just released today: The Internet will save newspapers and it will be happening when THE PRINTED BLOG, launches next Tuesday in San Francisco and Chicago.

And just what is THE PRINTED BLOG? Well, if you ask me, it could be convergence "in the flesh" so to speak, or, just a really bad idea.

According to the Marketwire story, "Founded in 2009 by Chicago native Joshua Karp, THE PRINTED BLOG has established a first-of-its-kind business by putting online content into newspaper form..."

Yep, you read that right.

Some of what makes THE PRINTED BLOG, such a one-of-a-kind idea is, according to the Marketwire pitch, its "affordable" and "hyper-local advertising" opportunities and the fact that it's a "revolutionary newspaper that reads and functions like an Internet news feed, yet can still be enjoyed on the train or spread across the breakfast table."

Hmmm.....hey, I've gotta give creator Joshua Karp a big pat on the back (or, as the kids would say these days, "big ups") for thinking outside of the proverbial box.

Karp's concept might be a terrible idea. Or, it might be the next big thing. Nonetheless, it is a touch of innovation, one of many things that the newspaper industry has been missing.

Print v. Broadcast: Obama picking favorites?

We all make mistakes, right?

As a journalist, I've had my share of corrections. It's never pretty.

And Chief Justice John Roberts found out just how unsexy --- and embarrassing --- corrections are yesterday during President Barack Obama's first day.

Roberts had to give Obama the oath again.

Perhaps the second-most interesting thing about this re-oathing (So nice, he did it twice! lol...I kid, I kid.) is that in Obama denied the major news stations access to the re-oathing.

Print reporters were allowed though.

Yesterday was supposed to be Obama's kick off to a "new era" of open democracy, where he's pledged to keep doors open and press access plentiful.

I honestly don't thing it's that big of a deal...but it does strike me as a bit odd.

The one question that's on my mind more so than "Why weren't news channels allowed?" is this: "Why were press representatives enough?"

I for one think it has a lot ot do with our new digital age.

Bloggers: Card-carrying members of the Press

I guess you could call this a victory for the metamorphosis of journalism as we know it.

It's slightly "old news", but still, it's new to me.

Long story short, a few bloggers in New York City sued the city after the NYPD denied them press credentials.

I guess you could also call this a further blurring of the lines or maybe a better demarkation of what 21st century journalism is.

...but with this "victory" will all bloggers now consider themselves "real journalists"?

Does this now make government entities more accessible to members of the public ( or "journalists") and open to more scrutiny? Is that a good thing or a bad thing? Will it help or hinder democracy?

Who is honestly "credentialed" enough to be considered a "journalist"?

What the hell is the definition of a "real" "journalist" these days anyway?

(Note: the excessive use of quotation marks isn't an attempt to be snarky. I'm doing air quotes with my fingers as I work through typing this out...seriously. lol)

*sigh*...I won't even try to answer these questions. But I welcome your answers.

Inaugural coverage to really "take you there"

I lived in Washington, D.C. for three and a half years as a student at Howard University.

I know D.C.

I love D.C.

But I also understand D.C.'s weaknesses when it comes to large crowds.

"Big" events that drew thousands such as Howard University's Homecoming and even the NBA All-Star game often meant crowded metro trains and stand-still traffic.

The Inauguration is expected to be beyond colossal. Ginormous even.

Logistically, will it work? That's to be seen.

But I for one can't wait for the tweets, Myspace and Facebook updates, blogs, videos, vlogs and online photos from my friends telling me all about it.

But for the folks who won't be there, new media is promising up-close and personal coverage like never before.

CNN and Facebook are partnering for online coverage.

NPR and Current.tv have established tags for citizen journalists to use when microblogging before and during the inauguration.

The Washington Post is promising the best coverage one will find anywhere.

And various mobile television devices are urging folks to tune in while on the move.

And President-Elect Barack Obama's staff is promising to make it the most "accessible" in U.S. history by partnering with YouTube and Twitter.

I don't know about you, but I'm excited about this super digital day....and the pessimist in me is waiting to see if any of it goes according to plan.

A late "Christmas" present

In the spirit of the holidays -- and in the depression of all the layoffs -- a few journalist friends of mine sent me the following remixed/remade Christmas classic.

I in turn forwarded it to many other journalist friends of mine who told me that they watched it and cried about it and maybe laughed through their tears.

It's a nifty little video and song: God Rest Ye Weary Journalists. Its creators say they believe in the ability of the Web to save journalism.

It's definitely an interesting position, not to mention, a perfect topic for this class blog.

Journalists of color weigh in on mainstream political, racial coverage

With President-Elect Barack Obama's Inauguration ceremony just a few days away, I thought I'd share what I consider to be a blog-worthy digital media note.

Along with UNITY, a national cohort of journalists of color, new kid on the Web theloop21.com is surveying journalists of color across the nation about how they feel mainstream media covered racial issues in the recent presidential election.

The two entities are planning a media blitz some time soon.

"If we get to work it out the way we want to it'll be juicy," said theloop21.com publisher Darrell L. Williams.

Williams and staff launched theloop21.com earlier this year with the aim of contextualizing economical, educational and political issues in the news for ordinary working folks --- especially black Americans.

I visit theloop21.com often, and am a semi-frequent contributor. So, yes, maybe I'm a bit biased in saying what I'm about to say, but theloop21.com is doing what mainstream media doesn't, or maybe what it "can't" or just "won't": bringing working people news they can use to empower themselves.

In these tough economic times, every little bit of information and analysis involving real life issues helps.

And excuse this shaky transition, but due to these tough economic times, as we all know, newsrooms and organizations are cutting back on staff and in the process, newsroom diversity is taking one hell of a hit...which I guess leads me back to theloop21.com and UNITY survey.

If you ask me, more diversity (race, age, gender, background, etc.) in the newsroom makes for better coverage, a better product. Anyhoo, here's a great column about the topic by The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz.

"Happy" New Year!

In looking for industry news regarding the fiscal crisis for newspapers and in addition to the news that Gannett is forcing its employees to take "furloughs", I stumbled across this little prediction.

Very discouraging.

But, depending on how you look at it, it's inspiring.

There's a lot of improvement to be made.

....Thinking Cap on....full steam ahead.

Reflections on Leadership and the Future of Reporting in the Digital Age: Day One

Can I be honest?

I'm not very optimistic about the future of journalism as we know it.

In the digital age, I feel as though newspapers --- which are my heart and were once my bread and butter --- missed the boat a very, very long time ago.

This means great changes and great disappointments, but also great opportunities.

So, yes, somewhere in this mess there is a silver lining to this heavy gray cloud of doom currently hanging over the industry.

In my Fundamentals of Entrepreneurship class in the Marshall School of Business at USC we are learning that because the economic situation is so bleak, now is the best time for the proliferation of new ideas. Entrepreneurship is a lot about finding solutions to problems. Well, the situation with the media and how it will or won't transition into the digital age is ripe with problems.

And like Professor Geoffrey Cowan said tonight, this Leadership and the Future of Reporting in the Digital Age class has possibilities for finding solutions...or, at least to create something useful for the industry and the strengthening of democracy as we know it.

The ideas that we'll throw around in enlightened discussions among our class of reporters, television personalities, bloggers, artists, scientists, financiers, world travelers, would-be educators, innovators and, dare I say, future entrepreneurs could possibly change the world....and, well, if we save newspapers in the process, that would be great too.