Michael Jackson Death Coverage NOT a New Media Triumph

Every major breaking story nowadays comes with a seemingly instant meta-analysis of how new media have fared while impacting the story’s coverage. Case in point: a CNN piece about the Michael Jackson death gossip-mongering news coverage.

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My take: This is NOT a story that symbolizes new media’s shining greatness. In fact, they are hardly helping matters at all.  Now, in fairness, there are some positives.  Some of the more visual career timelines and discographies have caught my eye and are serving as stellar complements to the basic news pieces, especially impressive given how little lead time there was to put them together. The endless videos available of every Jackson utterance, moonwalk, and nose alteration have also been helpful at times for context and in quiet moments simply for entertainment/remembrance sake.  And obviously, the Internet proved useful for the newsibodies and Jackson fans to commiserate and find out the first death details as they spilled out.

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But that’s it.  So the story broke on TMZ, and many people followed it there and on PerezHilton.com.  Who cares? Those two sites are part of the media establishment now anyway (whether the oldies like it or not).  TMZ had the story a few minutes before everyone else, but this is NOT a story in which that sort of scoop really matters at all.  I mean, c’mon, do people other than TMZ junkies and media watchers even know or care that it was the site that first broke the story?

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Otherwise, TMZ has basically been doing one-source reporting updates on everything from Madonna’s reaction to the initial autopsy announcement.  (And, if you notice, Perez Hilton is basically parroting TMZ with the same news updates and with only an implicit shout-out to TMZ for doing the actual ‘reporting’ via a link to its updates in his posts.)  First, TMZ is the ONLY non-mainstream news outlet providing any credible, worthwhile details, making any citizen journalist, all-atwitter-over-Twitter or blogosphere-for-President arguments moot.  TMZ may not be the BIG media of yesteryear, but now, with its success, it has come to embody the same one-to-many media model we were raised on i.e. OLD not new.

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And while, OK, it’s kind of cool that TMZ is doing some solid scoop reporting in real time, as it happens, as I go through the content (like most people) once or twice a day, I can’t help but feel like an old-style news summary would save me a lot of trouble scrolling and putting together the pieces into a coherent larger picture.

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The problem with the Jackson story for new media: It’s NOT a continuing saga, unlike the Iran controversy or even something like Jon & Kate’s drama. It’s essentially one story (umm, he’s dead) with new (and old) media outlets attempting to spotlight a TON of fairly minor side stories around it to keep our interest (and keep up their Web traffic).

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I’ve got new media coursing through my veins but, yes, I’m saying it: Give me a once-a-day update on all-things-Jackson in the style of an old-world newspaper report!  Why?  Because at this point, I’m already (ALREADY?!) sick of the endless updates.  And this is another ill effect of new media’s obsessive coverage: the instant overexposure, and subsequent way-too-soon public weariness, of whatever the new media outlets and blogosphere set their common sights upon.

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The real-time updating is also causing problems, most horrifically the false autopsy report about Jackson being bald and speckled with drug needles (a story that I only just minutes ago corrected someone about and probably others still believe is true).  Some Internet prankster got it going, it hit TMZ and others, and boom, it was fact.  CNN mentioned other rumors that ran rampant immediately after his death, including that he was murdered and that Jeff Goldblum and Harrison Ford had also perished.

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Fortunately, both stars are OK, and new media of course are also here to stay. My instant analysis of their Jackson death coverage: a tiny bit of “Thriller” with some definite “Bad” and “Smooth Criminal” activities thrown into the mix.

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Alternative Student Press Strong, Growing, Especially Online

A  great new piece by Kate Maternowski in the most recent Student Press Law Center Report documents the continued strength of alternative student publications at campuses across the U.S.  (Full disclosure: I’m quoted in the piece.)

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In her words: “As mainstream student media across the country fight censorship battles with their school administrations, alternative publications are popping up in steady numbers in response to their own disfavored symbols of authority— official student newspapers. Often utilizing the newest and most innovative means to broadcast their views, student journalists at alternative campus publications are finding a fertile landscape of both resources and audiences.”

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She touches on two of the latest and greatest entrants into the indy game: NYU Local (previous post of mine here) and Student Newspaper at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (previous post of mine here).  (Also check out the CMM Student Journalist Spotlight for Q&As with editors of both outlets.)  Additionally, Maternowski rightly mentions the two main political organizations acting as backers for liberal and conservative pubs: Campus Progress and The Collegiate Network (see screenshots of the homepages for both orgs below).

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The alt/indy student press is a personal research passion of mine, something I’ve published, presented, and blogged about since 2007.  As I’m quoted in this piece: “The alternative student press is a spectacular complement to the mainstream student press. It is innovative. It is influential. It is an essential part of journalism’s reinvention. And it is here to stay.”

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Michigan Daily, Time to Step Up, Due to the (Lack of) Competition

The Ann Arbor News will cease being a daily newspaper starting in late July, according to a new Poynter report.  It will reemerge as a more svelte online-only operation publishing a print paper twice a week.  The reason this latest newspaper-bad-news headline stands out amid the predicted print reckoning is that it will leave Ann Arbor, Mich., home to the University of Michigan, as the first at least somewhat major metropolitan area in the states without a daily print newspaper.  Or does it?

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Cue The Michigan Daily, the student-produced newspaper in the university town, and soon to become the last shining beacon of daily print news hope in Ann Arbor.  Obviously, it is campus-centric first and of course summer and term breaks make the daily distinction at least a little smudged, but its print tradition, huge readership base, and newsstand reach (maybe something that should even be expanded when fall semester starts?) are not to be snickered at.

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Here’s what the Poynter piece had to say: “I don’t know the campus paper, The Michigan Daily, well, but I have observed in other university towns- Austin, Texas and Athens, Ga.- that a strong paper at a big school is formidable and often quite profitable. It provides enough news to satisfy most of the student population, just passing through for a few years.  Plus it sucks up restaurant and nightlife advertising and may be the first ad buy for youth-oriented shops.”

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Honestly, I’m not loving the backward compliments. The statement admits student papers can sustain mega-huge presences and profits and yet somehow they can only do that by offering just-quality-enough news that satisfies only the just-passing-through student crowd (what about faculty, staff, admins., the local Starbucks baristas, townies, trustees, parents, prospective students, high school teachers who bring them into classes, etc.) and acting as leaches “sucking” away advertising from the apparently more deserving (and in this case just about dead) professional daily.

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How about giving the student press some credit?  While The Ann Arbor News prepares to implode and admits financial failure, The Michigan Daily survives.  Formidable.  Profitable.  And still in print.

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(((The previous student press defense is rated S for snarkiness.)))

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J-Student Spotlight: Katelyn Polantz, Univ. of Pittsburgh, UWIRE 100

Katelyn Polantz once went on a liquid diet as a college freshman.  It lasted a week.  She fell in love with journalism as a sophomore.  It appears this love will last a lifetime.

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As editor in chief of The Pitt News over the past year, Polantz led a staff of roughly 120 student reporters and editors, oversaw the formation of a multimedia department for PittNews.com, and collected a ton of devotees.  For example, The Pitt News managing editor: “Katelyn has worked tirelessly to improve The Pitt News, both as a publication and an educational experience. . . . Thanks to her efforts, our online and multimedia presences have improved dramatically.”  And the pub’s news adviser: “Katelyn is the future of journalism: informed, passionate, driving, multi-talented.  She has been an outstanding leader of our daily student newspaper.”

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For her multi-talented passion and outstanding leadership, the Pitt alum (she graduated in April and is now at intern at Bloomberg News in NYC) recently joined the student media eliterati as a UWIRE 100 honoree.  Today, she basks in the virtual glow of the CMM Student Journalist Spotlight.

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Katelyn Polantz, former editor in chief, The Pitt News

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Write a six-word memoir of your student journalism experiences.

It’s a vocation, not a job.

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What is the best piece of journalism advice you’ve ever received or given?

“Get off your ass and knock on doors,” or Goyakod.  It’s become my personal mantra, one that I’m not afraid to yell in the newsroom when someone says “I can’t” about their reporting.  I think I heard it first at a lecture given by Ben Bradlee, the Washington Post executive editor who led the paper through Watergate.

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Memorable behind-the-scenes production moment.

Working on The Pitt News’ first ever sex issue this spring.  It’s when the staff became a team.  One night, a group of editors sat around a white board and deliberated story ideas for hours, debating whether to run a column on the sexile phenomenon vs. one about cockblocking.  It might have been the most professional synergy ever in our office, at the least likely time.

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What first sparked your passion for journalism?

My first semester reporting I unknowingly got sucked into working a beat.  I started reporting a typical fluff profile on a custodian in the Cathedral of Learning, Pitt’s academic skyscraper.  I realized there was a larger story about the disparity between the facilities managers and the workers, and pursued it.  After reporting for four months (much of which I did during the graveyard shift), I had a three-part story that dug into managements’ unreasonable requests of custodians.  All along, my editor at the time discouraged me from working on it.  The experience taught me a lot about doing solid investigative work and sticking with my instincts.  The payoff of seeing the story’s many pieces come together on the front page was what got me in the end.

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What are your predictions for the future of college journalism?

It’ll be around and strong, but the trend of consuming news online rather than in print will permeate campus audiences soon enough.  That’s why college editors need to push multimedia content and Web development now.  When their entire audience is carrying Kindles and laptops to class, college papers should be prepared to reach those eyeballs.

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The business operations of college papers aren’t feeling it that severely right now, but neither were the major metro dailies eight years ago.  Professional newspapers were behind when the shift to Internet news and aggregators hit, and they’re barely making it through now.  College papers don’t have the resources to withstand this type of change if they’re unprepared.  They need to get ahead now and stay ahead.

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What is one question we should all be asking much more often about the current state or future of journalism?

Are we allowing editorial content to be dictated by revenue?  The value of journalism is lost when it becomes a slave to the business world.  I know hundreds of college journalists who do solid work for free every day.  It’s important for papers to reinvent their economic models in order to save themselves, but it scares me to hear editors say current journalism is just as much a business as it is a public service.  It must be a public service, first and foremost, always.

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You wake up in ten years. Where are you and what are you doing?

I’m dressed in brightly colored and slightly wrinkled business clothes, boarding a presidential candidate’s campaign bus.  We’re in the middle of Iowa.  I’m carrying an online newsroom in my backpack, fully prepared to cover this campaign for the national media and crisscross the country until next November.

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Iran, Journalism Schools, and Social Media: Links for 22-06-2009

Example of Student Press Coverage of the Iranian Revolution: “UI Student Sees History Unfold in Iran”   (Daily Iowan, via UWire)

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“10 Ways Journalism Schools Are Teaching Social Media”   (Mashable)

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“Social Media: How Twitter, Facebook, and Others are- Surprise!- Strengthening Friendships”   (Boston Globe)

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“Everything I Need to Know About Twitter I Learned in J School”   (Mashable)

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“UNL Names Berens Interim Journalism Dean”   (Lincoln Journal Star)

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NYU Local Founder Cody Brown Tackles Batch vs. Real Time News Process and the New York Times

Let’s be honest: We’re all jealous of Cody Brown.  The guy oozes Kobe Bryant-Bono-Obama-level cool.  He founded and runs NYU Local, the raddest student media site in Manhattan.  He also has a laugh-out-loud awesome Flash mugshot of himself.  (The trick is to keep watching it for a bit…)  And he recently jumped into the real time versus batch news production debate.  It’s a long-running discussion (at least by new media standards), even tackled in the recent snarky, must-read No Time to Think by Rosenberg and Feldman.

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Batch vs. Real Time is basically this: Print news outlets deliver a batch of stories all at once after the fact and after careful vetting, while online outlets (or print outlets moving online) tend to report on especially important individual stories as they happen, normally without the time to fully vet.  (You see it on stories like actor David Carradine’s recent death in Thailand where real time online reports read like this: Carradine may be dead, Carradine is dead, Carradine committed suicide, Carradine suicide questionable, Carradine’s death still a mystery…)

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Brown’s write-up, headlined “Batch vs. Real Time Processing, Print vs. Online Journalism: Why the Best Web News Brands Will Never Look Like The New York Times,” makes some interesting points.  The most intriguing to me is the notion that established print outlets like the Times are at a disadvantage when going the real time Web route because what they report “has an immediate effect of seeming true,” owing to their stories-are-complete-and-that’s-the-way-it-is heritage.  In Brown’s words: “The messy, opinionated, incomplete, rumorladen, sh*t-show that is actual news production is hidden away” at these old school/old media outlets.

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Obviously though, print news pubs cannot stay out of the Web’s real time reporting game.  So, according to Brown, it’s time for a rebranding.  Rosenberg and Feldman’s argument is more extremist: Slow down!  Don’t let the medium of the Web dictate the reporting of the message.  Or basically, in their view, many times getting a story right is more important than getting it out fast.  It’s idealistic, but I think it’s like asking a three-year-old to put down the shiny new toy.  Brown’s rebranding stance makes more practical sense to me.  What do you think???

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College Radio Making Most of Digital Transition

The turntables are still turning, new podcasts are humming, indie bands are still being discovered, and social networking is drawing in new listeners at college radio stations worldwide.  According to a new Chicago Daily Herald piece (a localized version of a December 2008 New York Times article), the student radio revolution of the 21st-century is a mix of old school and all-things-digital.

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Rev Moose, editor in chief of College Music Journal: “Instead of killing it, the Internet has just forced college radio to get more creative.  College DJs are producing some of the best music podcasts out there, for example.”

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Also, here’s a separate recent piece from Imprint Magazine by the talented Kelsey McArdle on making the most of the modern college radio experience.  I was humbled to be cited in the piece.  Here’s my take on student radio’s timeless appeal: “From those with whom I’ve spoken and observed, college radio holds a trifecta-sized mystique: on-the-job learning, an empowerment to rock the house the way you want and the opportunity to be surrounded in studio-sized confines with peers who think and behave the same way you do.”

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Should Indy Student Photographer Have Legal Protection?

A student unaffiliated with any campus or professional media outlet is arguing that the photos he took of a crime scene last April cannot be confiscated by police.  Why?  According to a report in the San Jose Mercury News, he says he was a freelance journalist while taking the photos.

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Hmmmm.  It is an interesting dilemma.  Are you a journalist the minute you pop out a camera and start taking shots?  If that’s the case, in this boundary blurring era, can’t EVERYONE basically claim the rights of a journalist, blogger, or news media maven of some kind?  It’s a question of ethics, certainly, and one speaking to larger media and cultural norms.  Now it will be one for the courts to decide.

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My two cents: No dice.  We need *some* level of separation between citizen and journalist, at least as recognized by law.  If the guy had done some journalism work, had published photos somewhere on a freelance basis, or even had a regular blog that went beyond ‘what I ate for dinner last night’ type entries, then maybe *maybe* there’s some credence to the claim.  Otherwise, it just comes across like a blind grab at a legal loophole, one that hopefully the California courts will clean up.

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J-Student Spotlight: Julie Steinberg, Univ. of Pennsylvania, UWIRE 100

Julie Steinberg digs former U.S. President Martin Van Buren.  “I think he is underrated and deserves credit for his sideburns,” she said.  “I have no idea what he did politically.”

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Van Buren was a chief architect of the Democratic Party and is one of only two individuals to serve as Secretary of State, Vice President, and President.  But he never interviewed Robert Pattinson.  Meet Steinberg, a recent graduate of the University of Pennsylvania who wrote an award-winning, ravenously read column for The Daily Pennsylvanian over the past year that touched on topics serious, random, and sideburn-free.  “Whether it be hard news pieces, opinion columns, magazine center spread features or film reviews, Julie writes with grace and wit,” one admiring j-student colleague notes.  Another shares: “She has a distinctive voice and style, which she works hard at, and even her most serious columns have an unexpected bite to them that’s undeniably ‘Julie.'”

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For her undeniable column-tastic awesomeness and her impressive work as film editor for 34th Street Magazine, the DP’s arts and culture magazine, the 21-year-old native of Canada recently landed on the UWIRE 100, a listing of college media’s tippity-top cream of the crop. She also now shares space with her idol Van Buren (undoubtedly the realization of a lifelong dream) as the latest recipient of a CMM Student Journalist Spotlight.

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Julie Steinberg is a former columnist for The Daily Pennsylvanian and a former film editor for 34th Street Magazine.

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Martin Van Buren is the eighth president of the U.S.

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Write a six-word memoir of your student journalism experiences.

I haven’t been sued yet.  Tomorrow?

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What is the best piece of journalism advice you’ve ever received or given?

It was a tough but important lesson.  No one, with the exception of your grandparents (hi Grandma June and Zaida), cares.  Grab your audience within the first sentence or you might as well end the piece there.

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Memorable behind-the-scenes reporting moment.

I was mugged at gunpoint in a fairly respectable Philly neighborhood while reporting.  I was with a DP photographer, who told the mugger that he would fork over cash but not credit cards.  I never knew you could barter with robbers.  After the guy ran off, an elderly couple strolled by and told us to stop loitering.  It reminded me of the time Akon performed at Spring Fling and told us we needed to be more motivated.

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What first sparked your passion for journalism?

When Dewey defeated Truman.

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What are your predictions for the future of college journalism?

@Dan, keeping articles to 140 characters or less.  This might necessitate abolishing prepositions.

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College newspapers in particular have been instrumental in facilitating the move from print to online content.  I think we’re going to see more blogs, more videos, more exploration of new media.  I’m in awe of the kids in our web design/tech department- they just know how to do everything.

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What is one question we should all be asking much more often about the current state or future of journalism?

How can I make Anderson Cooper realize I’m the one?

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You wake up in ten years. Where are you and what are you doing?

Standing in line for coffee and getting annoyed.  I have an appointment at 11.

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Report: Journalism Grad Students Getting Jobs . . . in Journalism

A new Daily Finance report confirms that a very healthy number of journalism students earning degrees from graduate programs at Columbia University and City University of New York are finding jobs in the j-field.  “As bad as things are in the media industry, j-school grads are, far more often than not, finding jobs,” the report states.  “And not as subway buskers or strip-club managers, but as reporters, editors and fact-checkers.”

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I promised good news soon, but I am hesitant to put this report in that category.  I’d define it instead as ‘at least it’s not sh*tty’ news.  Let’s face it: The data is only for two j-schools (two schools located in the world’s media hub), only focused on grad. programs, and is self-reported by reps from the schools themselves.  I’ve simply read and heard too many conflicting reports about the abysmal job prospects of fresh j-grads to really believe things are looking up overall.  Additionally, the report admits this minor uptick may simply be due to the temporary openings left by older, higher-paid journos who were bought out so their work could be done by those willing to toil for much less. 

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It does contain at least a hint of data though for an interesting follow-up question: Could grad school be the silver bullet for obtaining j-jobs in a bleak economy?  Someone needs to buttress this report with a sampling of the employment success rates of those enrolled in j-master’s programs worldwide!

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Richmond Paper’s Web Site an Online News Revolution

The online news revolution at The Collegian is built atop “Revolution News.” Beginning in summer 2008, staffers at the University of Richmond student newspaper tweaked, twiddled, and reconfigured the “Revolution News” WordPress template into an innovative, multimediated mix that recently won the Student Society for News Design’s best overall college newspaper Web site

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Along with beating out biggies such as PSU’s Daily Collegian and The Miami Hurricane, the most impressive part of the Collegian‘s award-winning Web work: Last year, the site didn’t exist.  “We were thrilled we rose to the top of the design competition so quickly,” said former online managing editor Kimberly Leonard.  “Prior to last summer The Collegian was only released weekly in print, and its digital companion was more of an ‘archive’ or RSS feed- where the stories from the paper were copied and pasted online.”

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Leonard led the Revolution with editor in chief Megan Wilson and online editor Dan Petty.  In a recent chat with CMM, she shared some thoughts on what makes the Collegian site stand out and offered a bit of advice for j-students interested in making a similarly fast-and-furious Web leap.

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What do you think made the online Collegian rise above the rest this year?

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As we put our Web site together last summer, we noted what other online media outlets had done to make their sites accessible to readers. We observed that the sites we liked less were too busy for users, leaving them feeling overwhelmed.  An online publication is competing with countless other sites for information, and we felt keeping or losing a reader would be based strongly on how they felt when they visited our front page. We wanted to make sure a user could clearly navigate around the site, and easily find what he or she needed. We kept the concepts of simplicity, order, and cleanliness in mind. We wanted to give readers enough options by regularly updating news, but we also did not want to crowd the reader’s mind with information. Providing a balance among text, multimedia, and photos was important.

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What specific Web features have been audience hits or journalistically successful?

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– Multimedia: Our photo slideshows have been popular with users. We didn’t have much multimedia at the beginning of the year, but soon built enough to be able to present it on the front page. We enjoyed covering major events, such as the University of Richmond’s football championship game, where we were able to present one story in several ways- by making use of photo slideshows, articles, and videos.

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– The main photo gallery on the homepage is also an important feature. It makes the site visually appealing, while highlighting the top stories. Our homepage images toward the bottom of the page encourage users to read stories, and keep that section from looking too crowded with text.

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– The “Most Popular” section of the page allows users to see which articles are most read, most commented upon, and most e-mailed.

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– Our Opinion section is also very popular, and the way the page is presented allows readers to follow their favorite columnists.  We also acknowledged readers’ preference for the Opinion section by placing it at the top of the homepage.

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What advice do you have for j-students looking to up their news outlets’ Web game?

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– Be willing to take a class in Web design or teach yourself Web coding. There is no way to bypass this if you want to have a site where you can easily manipulate the design.

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– Organize a team of editors and clearly define each person’s role in the project. Designing and managing a Web site is impossible for only one person, and you always want to communicate with team members to make sure everyone understands the direction of the project and how to keep the process running smoothly.

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– Cultivate a team of on-call reporters, editors and photographers who understand the importance of timely news. This keeps the content fresh.

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– Be consistent. Stories and photos should be presented in the same way on each post. Even small details- such as including a reporter’s name and e-mail address always in italics and at the bottom of a story- cannot be ignored. If visitors to your site cannot find what they need, you will lose them. Consistency of presentation is one way to avoid this.

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Student Newspaper Dropping to Twice a Week in Print

The Western Herald at Western Michigan University is cutting two days per week from its print publication schedule,  a cost-cutting, future-focused move I imagine I will be writing about a lot this summer. 

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As The Kalamazoo Gazette reports, the paper’s normal print run during the school year is Monday through Thursday.  Now, it will just be Monday AND Thursday.  Online content and innovation will increase, something student editors admit is necessary (the Web site basically parrots the print pub). 

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Part of the piece: “Ad revenue, virtually the paper’s only source of income because it is distributed free to most readers, hasn’t been as robust as it has been in the past.  At the same time, operating and printing expenses are on the rise.”

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My only problem with the article is its contradiction.  It mentions at one point a random ‘well, people say’ type statement that more young people are going online and journalism seems to be going there too, so it’s time for the newspaper to accept that.  This ignores the established fact that students still like reading their campus papers in print, something the piece itself acknowledges in a throwaway quote at the end.

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Here’s the quote, “‘People still like to pick up a newspaper and carry it around,’ said [a Western Mich. comm. professor], adding that advertisers also expressed interest in continuing to see their ads printed. ‘I still think there’s room in this country and in this world for a print newspaper.'”  (Tell Tuesday and Wednesday that!) :)

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College Radio Could Go Quiet if Royalty Bill Passes

College radio stations will be hurting- and some might even be forced to go quiet- with the passage of new legislation requiring non-commercial stations to pay music royalty fees and deliver regular music reports.

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As The Daily Texan dutifully reports, under the proposed bill, all stations (including student-run radio) would have to pay annual royalties of $500 to $1,000 and ante up for expensive new equipment to report what they’re playing.

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A snippet from the Texan piece: “[S]tations would have to build a system to account for every song they play, what time the song starts, how many times it is played and the number of people listening online. This would be a problem for disc jockeys at stations like KVRX [student station at UT-Austin], who often play songs from vinyls, CDs or iPods. The radio stations would be forced to devise new way to efficiently record this information. [A Radio Free Alliance spokeswoman says] ‘Stations would have to come up with the money to put these systems in place, taking away even more money in addition to the $500 to $1000 royalty fees. That would put a pinch on an already tight budget.’”

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Daily Collegian Editorial Board Publicly Supports Fired News Adviser

The editorial board of The Daily Collegian at Penn State University has published a statement of support for recently fired news adviser John Harvey.  As I wrote recently, Harvey was let go abruptly earlier this month, leaving many of his past and present j-student charges livid and astonished.

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Here’s a portion of the statement:

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‘The dual mission of Collegian Inc. is to publish a quality campus newspaper and to provide a rewarding educational experience for the student staff members.’

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Given that, it’s awfully tough to justify the abrupt firing of longtime Daily Collegian news adviser John Harvey.

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With respect to providing an educational experience for students working at the Collegian, it’s impossible to assert that anyone could do a better job.  He ran the Collegian’s candidate training program — recognized by many as one of the best in the country.

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Officially, Harvey’s training program lasted a semester, but all staff members knew that he would continue to provide lessons throughout their Collegian careers.  He made himself extraordinarily accessible to all staffers, always ready to discuss the latest difficult journalistic questions. For the managing editor of content and editor in chief, he was on call at all times.  In terms of publishing a quality newspaper, Harvey was essential to the process.

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He followed staffers throughout their careers at the Collegian, so that he could better advise the editor in chief where each person belonged each semester. His intricate knowledge of newsroom positions and personnel, combined with his ability to judge journalistic talent, was an indispensable resource to those students tasked with running the Collegian.

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And for Harvey, the job went further. He was the Collegian’s de facto career counselor; in this difficult time for journalism, his willingness to discuss with staff members whether journalism was the proper career choice for them was invaluable.

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His ties in the industry helped countless Collegian alumni or staff members land jobs or internships. His loss inflicts real damage on the ability of current staff members to have those same opportunities.

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Harvey also inspired a sense of “family” at the Collegian, as evidenced by the incredible outpouring of support for him almost immediately after news of his dismissal.

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The backing he inspired, in an ironic twist, has turned to the detriment of the Collegian financially. The Collegian’s Alumni Interest Group (AIG) has suspended all fundraising activities on behalf of the Collegian until, according to an AIG statement, it is, “satisfied that Collegian Inc. is moving in a direction the AIG can support.”

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While the cause of the firing hasn’t been made public, it’s clear that the dismissal wasn’t a layoff, and it wasn’t motivated purely by financial winds.  The Board of Editors has seen no planning to transfer the institutional knowledge Harvey carried to another Collegian employee…”

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Student Newspaper at Oregon State Claims Limited Campus Distribution is Censorship

The Liberty, an independent student newspaper at Oregon State University, has plastered the word CENSORSHIP on the front page of its current issue.  The reason behind the latest use of the big C within collegemediatopia is interesting: Liberty editors are not complaining that their content is being curtailed, but their right to distribute it.

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Specifically, the paper is claiming aggrieved status because it is forced to distribute copies in only a few bins at certain spots on campus- a bum rap compared to the more comprehensive distribution rights bestowed upon The Daily Barometer.  According to a local TV news report, OSU admins say the Barometer is the only recognized student publication at the university and “therefore is the only newspaper allowed special distribution.  The Liberty says that’s censorship.”

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A top Liberty editor: “Basically, we just want to have a couple of square feet on campus where we can place our bins.”  In our new media age, what an old school request!  It’s like demanding an analog channel after televisions switch to digital.  But more seriously, the request does point to some intriguing questions and larger truths:

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– Print’s influence remains strong!  Students are still reading it, and apparently are still passionate about creating it.

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– The university is saying the Barometer‘s history and alignment with the student union gives it a special status not afforded other student pubs.  Judges’ ruling? Incomplete.  Admins of the 21st-century need to recognize that media are fragmenting, it is easier for others to break into the publishing game, and holding onto relationships based on history or the way things have always been done is out of touch at best and uggh-errific exclusionary at worst. 

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– The irony here is so wonderfully thick!  Think about it: A university having to fight a mini-PR battle for SUPPORTING its student newspaper.  It is tough to understand why the university would deny this request.  It’s bad press, any way you slice it.  I mean, honestly, are school officials worried about opening the floodgates for a ton of other student print outlets to demand bin space?  In this day and (new media) age, it’s not a reasonable concern.  We’re talking about a few more news racks for one publication and a recognition by the school that a single dominant media voice is never a good thing.  Competition in this case can only further raise student dialogue and increase the diversity of opinions shared and considered.  The Liberty wants a few square feet of campus space to help engender this dialogue and diversity.  OSU admins, take note: University property is at its best when it is used as intellectual property.

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– I’m also a bit concerned about all the talk of the Barometer being the “official student newspaper” of the university.  That makes it sound like the official soft drink of the school, not an editorially independent entity that ironically will probably denounce the school’s stance.

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I’ll be curious to read the Barometer‘s take on the situation.  I hope the paper does the right thing and supports what I’m calling the “Liberty for All Student Media Bin Expansion Program.”

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What do you think???

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