journalism doesn't need to be saved by the FCC

this article brought out such strong opinions in myself, I had to share them with a short rant...

Is it really that difficult for newspapers and TV stations to “find its place in the digital age” that they have to bring someone into the FCC to do it? I simply cannot agree with anything this article has to say about saving journalism. It doesn’t need saving.
When Arianna Huffington came to speak at Ithaca College she stressed that the future of journalism is not dependent on the future of newspapers (or TV stations for that matter). As many other things in the world have developed with the expansion of the internet, so has journalism. Huffington spoke of a “hybrid future” that will combine old practices of media and pair them with new. I believe it is that easy.
Online newspapers such as The Huffington Post are successful because they are persistent and perhaps somewhat OCD. A story can be followed and updated from reports of shots being fired to the arrest of the gunman. This is where local news outlets must take advantage. A good, solid 6 o’clock newscast is still important, but an up-to-date (by minutes!) website is even more crucial.
Yes, newspapers will fold, TV stations will shut down, but there are new jobs opening up online for people with those skills. Audiences are now looking for information produced by more than their local media. And the Internet is a way to grab a larger audience than just in your area.
For example, if I am someday living in say, Dallas Texas and wonder what is going on in my hometown 2,000 miles away, all it takes is a few clicks. Or when my Aunt and Uncle’s house burned down outside of Syracuse, NY this past summer I didn’t turn on my television set, I went straight to WSYR’s website, and although the story was minimal (because it hadn’t been on the news broadcast yet) the information was there.
I think the last thing newspapers and TV stations need is to spend more money on some consultant to tell them how to use the internet. For a cheaper route, just hire a student fresh out of journalism college, I’m sure they’ll know how to update and revamp.

fashion industry growing online

Perhaps it was behind business or politics, but fashion is finally making it's mark on the web via social media. In the past few months I have bookmarked a handful of fashion blogs such as fashionista.com and fashionweekdaily.com
and have also started following an array of fashion people and businesses on twitter.
When fashion week was in full swing, I didn't have to wait until the magazines came out weeks later, I could just go online and watch the show in full.
It's no surprise the fashion world is utilizing the internet for it's business, but I am surprised it took so long.
The best part about fashion online? It eliminates the middle man. As a recent article in the New York Times discusses, now designers can take their product directly to the consumer with social media. And those consumers don't miss items filtered out by editors, photographers and journalists.
This new age of media is changing more than the function of journalism, it's affecting how every industry runs it's business.

Arianna Huffington on accuracy

I realize Arianna's visit was over a week ago, but I have just answered some questions for ICView on the subject, so she is fresh in my mind.
I was so happy to hear her talk about good reporting. Online journalism seems to get a lot of uncertainty as to how accurate it is, because it is so easy to post something online. A blogger doesn't have fact checkers and editors filtering through their material before it is published. But at the Huffington Post, Arianna explained how although they are an online newspaper with a lot of information coming from outsiders, they do have very strict guidelines. Such as if a mistake is made in a blog post, the writer has 24 hours to correct it or take it down. If not, their password as a Huffington blogger is revoked.
It makes a point that if there is a mistake on an online media outlet it is much easier to correct than a newspaper. If I make some editorial mistake in this blogpost I can go back and correct it minutes later. In a newspaper once it's printed, it's done. And the corrections have to wait until next issue. So who really is more accurate?

music is for sharing

I love the idea of artists selling their albums online and ask for "what you consider a fair price". Music is meant to be shared, it is meant to inspire, to influence. Today's mainstream artist's music seems to be more about how much profit they can get off of one single. And it's not the artist that is getting this money, they're lucky if they even get 5% off of one single album sale. Music is controlled enough with Clear Channel deciding what and what doesn't get played on the air. And that's how most top hits are generated - the radio. I'm glad that artists are taking matters into their own hands.
I went to a John Mayer concert a year ago and he is, like Radiohead, one of the few in the business that "gets it". He allows recording devices, cameras, etc. And he encourages the audience to share what they experience with friends and with the world (via internet).
The sales of that Radiohead album and John Mayer's record breaking songs, it just goes to show that if you respect your fans they will send it right back.
It goes back to the 1,000 true fans strong theory. A lot of people probably didn't pay more than $5 for that album, maybe it wasn't worth it to them. But those true fans, believe me, it was worth it. And they'll keep paying just so Radiohead will make more music.

internships from home!

So here I am sitting in my room on a Friday night thinking about my future. Again. With five weeks left in the semester, the end of my college career is looming over my head like a storm cloud. How will I be able to get a job? I have had zero experience in the fashion world - which is my ideal place to be post graduation. This is Ithaca, NY.The biggest fashion statements here are wearing Birkenstocks in the winter with socks.
To make things worse I am constantly reading posts on fashionista for job and internship opportunities IF you live in the New York area. Yeah, I live in New York, its only a 5+ hour commute.
But every storm cloud has its silver lining. As I was reading comments on a post to get an internship after graduation, someone had typed in a website titled dailyfashionjobs. Now that sounds promising. I click. I see a link for blogging and writing. Perfect. There is an internship opportunity to blog 3-5 times a week for a new fashion website. That sounds cool. WAIT. You can do it from anywhere! Thank you internet! Thank you Al Gore! I'm applying right now...fingers crossed!

"fair and balanced"

This made me think of our multiple discussions on Fox news and their hypocritical slogan.

liberal vs. conservative

After last class' discussion with conservative Mark Finkelstein, it got me to thinking about a personal subject I have revisited several times since I came to IC. Am I really a liberal? I grew up in the Rochester, NY area, known for being very conservative, sometimes to the extreme. I have neighbors who proudly display confederate flags on their houses and vehicles.
Luckily (or at least I think so) I grew up in a house where my parents didn't even talk about their political views in front of the kids. Every election I had no idea who they were supporting. So when I came to college it was time to figure that out. Perhaps I picked a town that wasn't very flexible in allowing me to have an objective political exploration experience. And as a college student, the majority tend to have more outspoken liberal views on the world. I have always thought I was a more open-minded person, that I knew before coming to school. But this open mindedness at times has me listening to the views of conservatives, and not disagreeing. It's not that I always agree, but I see their point, and they do have some good points.
For example, I believe that same-sex couples should have the same right as any other heterosexual. It is completely unfair that two people in love cannot be with each other because they are on different continents and cannot have the same immigration opportunities as a married couple. It's wrong that they can't have the same visiting rights in a hospital, or share medical insurance when they are as committed, if not more than a heterosexual married couple. Yet when someone says to me "a marriage is a religious union between a man and a woman..." I can't help but think they are correct. It is about the term "marriage". The bible constantly states this exact idea. It's a good point, and one I find difficult to argue with, even though I still believe that gay couples should have the same rights.
But I digress. I guess when Jeff Cohen drew that diagram on the board of the left and right wings, it gave me some clarity. I think I am a moderate liberal. Which, in wanting to be a member of the media, is a good place to be.
I think in the end I believe in the individual. We are all human, we all have our faults, but thanks to the country we live in we are all able to have our own views on the world. And I am always willing to listen to any ideas. Maybe it will change my mind, maybe my ideas will change yours. Oh, democracy.

PS - Thanks to my parents for letting me explore my own political path...you done good.