Waugaman's Media Storm

AP photographer dropped for Photoshopping

Wed, 13 Jul 2011 08:25:00 -0400

AP photographer dropped for Photoshopping:

Here is a link my friend Bradley Wilson shared today on Facebook about another photographer getting in trouble for ethics violations. He apparently photoshopped his shadow out of the foreground where these kids feet are. I am sure a lot of people wouldn’t think much about this. However I really feel strongly about this. There is no place for this kind of photo manipulation in journalism. He should have known where the sun was and set up the shot better.

Retro Future Ads For Facebook, YouTube & Skype

Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:53:49 -0400

Retro Future Ads For Facebook, YouTube & Skype:

On this Social Media Day I am making out my wish list. Is there a Social Media Day Santa? If there is one, will someone buy me one of these cool posters?

Amazing storytelling

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 17:30:11 -0400

So if you are looking for a great storytelling example look no further. This is a great website with multiple parts. Once again this proves that there are people with important stories to tell all around us. http://www.mercurynewsphoto.com/flicks/

The challenges of the adviser in scholastic jounralism.

Sun, 22 May 2011 11:50:26 -0400

The challenges of the adviser in scholastic jounralism.

Does Facebook help your friendships?

Thu, 19 May 2011 17:36:34 -0400

Does Facebook help your friendships?:

So I haven’t posted in a few weeks since my Social Media class finally finished but I saw this on the New York Times web page and I thought this was a great discussion item.

Does Facebook really help or does it hurt your relationships in the real world?

The idea of social media… One of my fellow Kent State...

Sun, 01 May 2011 18:05:13 -0400

The idea of social media…

One of my fellow Kent State classmate shared a link to an article this week by a man named Rohn Jay Miller. He suggests that we have been calling the use of Twitter and Facebook the wrong name for too long. Rather than saying “social media” we should be saying “social networking” to accurately describe what is going on.

Here is the article link so you can read for yourself: http://socialmediatoday.com/rohnjaymiller/287465/stop-its-not-social-media-its-social-networks

Miller has a point when he says that this form of communication is like no other media we have ever had. Therefore we should not be grouping it with other media like broadcast and online. Companies are rethinking their strategies with social networks and so should we. Many companies are still thinking it is a fad according to Miller. If they continue to keep thinking this way - they might miss out on opportunities just like those newspapers who refuse to adapt to new media forms.

ABC News and Diane Sawyer via Facebook

Sun, 24 Apr 2011 10:14:00 -0400

ABC News and Diane Sawyer via Facebook:

Click on title to go to the page…

Here is where I feel so adamant about the uses of social media. Throughout the last few weeks I have been following Diane Sawyer (side-note - who I think is one of the best) on facebook.

The first story that caught my eye was a post on her page that details how they brought one of the stories together on autism for that evening’s show.

Today she has posted a survey asking her viewers what they want to see on tonight’s show. This is the power of social media. Finding out what is important in people’s lives and following through with that research.

If you want to see how one news team comes together during the day to determine what are the top stories follow her page.

Needs for Well Informed Communities

Sat, 16 Apr 2011 17:18:00 -0400

This week one of the articles I am reading gives a top 10 list of what citizens and communities need in order to be well informed and act as citizen journalists.

The two that are most interesting are:

“People have convenient access to both civic and life-enhancing information, without regard to income or social status.”

and

“People have affordable high-speed Internet service wherever and whenever they want and need it.”

So if these are just two of the needs then we must ask ourselves how do we achieve this? Affordable high-speed internet for everyone? And was this idea of convenient access to life-enhancing information even a possibility before the internet?

http://news.discovery.com/tech/free-internet-for-all.html

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Here is my post for Week 11. The subject of the post is the use...

Thu, 24 Mar 2011 23:13:54 -0400

Here is my post for Week 11. The subject of the post is the use of Facebook by reporters and journalists.

So according to this Wired.com story the web is dying. Well that...

Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:24:50 -0400

So according to this Wired.com story the web is dying. Well that may be true if apps are now bigger than ever. Ironically the NYTimes just announced that it would be charging its online viewers for access to this dead media. Now of course NYTimes is no fool the subscription to their print paper will cover this cost and the cost of your iPhone app to the NYTimes. What this simply means is that there is yet another way to access information. What people need to consider is that this is nothing to be shocked about. If you compare the media industry with another other industry you can see similarities. Its just like that song now says “Internet killed the video star…” So what is going to kill the iPhone/iPad? … a direct feed to your neurons…

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_webrip/

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/the-times-announces-digital-subscription-plan/?scp=1&sq=subscribe%20to%20new%20york%20times&st=cse

Journalism that Protects its Citizens

Sat, 12 Mar 2011 18:15:32 -0500

In any community there are hazards that can be brought to light through sound journalistic practice. This applies directly to the school community for scholastic journalists.

One element about student life that is now something that can manifest itself into a dangerous situation is bullying. Journalists have the ability to bring light to this activity, which in some situations might be enough to save someone’s life.

Students need to understand the power they have in their schools to investigate harmful elements of the school environment. A watchdog must do more than just make sure the cafeteria fries are hot; they must make sure that the safe environment continues to be so for all students. If not you may have catastrophic events unfold.

Tough Financial Times

Sun, 06 Mar 2011 11:05:00 -0500

This seems like a cliche to post something with this title, but it addresses an issue that I believe is very relevant right now. How do we continue to produce solid journalism in tough financial times? This is a question that every professional newsroom is dealing with. Well I suggest that the professionals should read a chapter from the scholastic journalism handbook on this one, rather than ask their big-pocketed financial consultants to produce an answer.

Scholastic journalism staffs all around the country do what they can with little or no financial support. They learn with no textbooks by looking at examples on the web and in the coffee shop recycle bins. Yes one of the only reasons why I can justify buying a $1.50 coffee at my local Starbucks is that usually there is a stack of recycled $5 Sunday NYTimes still in the bin for me to take to school on Monday.

The student staff does a number of other things, such as share technology rather than buy new technology. They adapt their publication to the web using free resources and student know-how, rather than paying overpriced web designers. And all the while that this is going on, scholastic journalism continues to improve and innovate at surprising rates.

So in this manner the professionals need to look at the amateurs for some guidance.

This week our discussion concerned branding and how journalists...

Sat, 26 Feb 2011 17:29:00 -0500

This week our discussion concerned branding and how journalists use this element.

Poynter had an article that addressed this issue published at the end of January, where the writer mentions some very famous people, who have used branding successfully.

http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/career-development/ask-the-recruiter/116595/lessons-from-oprah-winfrey-glenn-beck-and-jimmy-buffett/

I think it is very important to realize people like Oprah have used their brands to bring multiple facets of their work together.

Apple has been able to do this very successfully. If Apple decided to come out with a car, people would give it a good look due to the success of their brand.

As scholastic journalists move more of their content from the print element to the web, and eventually to 1,000 forms of social media, they should keep these guidelines in mind.

Hierarchy of Sources

Sat, 19 Feb 2011 13:02:00 -0500

Hierarchy of Sources:

Click the title to read the article.

This is truly an important topic to convey to young journalists. Within this article there is the story of the New York Times covering the Lewinsky scandal many years ago.

The writer tells us that at the top of the ladder is information you can verify yourself. WIthin this framework is the information that a reporter gets third party witness. Information that you get from someone who got it from someone else. The Times decided to pull this story because they realized that they were calling the President a liar based on information they got from a third party witness.

Of course this was a good decision. I often hear from my student journalists that they heard from someone this or that. They say these statements with such conviction that most people would believe them. It is very important to discuss such information and how to verify facts better than quoting a third party.

http://www.journalism.org/node/1787 As we get closer to the...

Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:24:00 -0500

http://www.journalism.org/node/1787

As we get closer to the period of the school year where students begin to get more extreme in their actions due to the weather and other reasons. We think back to two of the most horrific events in history: Columbine and VA Tech.

From a journalistic standpoint this also brings about issues of how to cover such tragedy. In the case of Columbine H.S. the event took place at 11:19 AM but most of the public did not see footage until much later. At Tech however a student with a camera phone was on site sending video feeds to the local television stations as soon as it was happening.

We can no longer control coverage of such events. The process of deciding whether we should put something on television or stream it online now seems to be futile. Because by the time we have a chance to choose, someone else has decided already to post.

This doesn’t mean we should stop making sound decisions with regards to publishing. The media has a responsibility to still consider privacy and the rights of parents in these situations. There could also be safety concerns too. What if the shooter has access to information being published. Law enforcement may be hindered by the media. All of this needs to still be part of the process.

On the Lens blog at the NYTIMES.COM Cairo based freelancer Scott...

Thu, 03 Feb 2011 22:23:00 -0500

On the Lens blog at the NYTIMES.COM Cairo based freelancer Scott Nelson talks about what he is witnessing through the lens of his camera.

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/30/cairo-photographer-sees-hope-in-turmoil/

There are some very interesting remarks he makes especially about the cause for such turmoil. It seems as though this revolution’s purpose is to instill democracy, yet when I watched the ABC coverage of the event the protestors seemed adamantly against America. Although they are fighting for what we have, it seems as though they disapprove of what our freedom affords us. Revolutions are violent, confusing, and bloody. Unfortunately they make us turn our eyes towards the media. We can only hope that the media is responsible with its coverage. Because it would be very easy to simply use these events for an increase in viewership.

College Newspaper Adviser Quits, Staff Replaced

Thu, 27 Jan 2011 21:18:00 -0500

College Newspaper Adviser Quits, Staff Replaced:

Here is a key example of how college administrations can go beyond censorship to have their way. Rather than apply the strong arm in battling stories one at a time, the college decided to replace the staff. Unfortunately it seems like no one has a case against the college if they have no way of establishing why the policies were changed.

Click on the title to see the story.

It seems as though the college could not handle the criticism that the newspaper included in its stories about the university. The question to consider is whether or not there was merit to the stories. If the stories hold true then it is not the paper that should be dealt with but rather the university. This is a matter of a paper playing a key social role in its community possibly but losing its ability through a totalitarian administration. This is key case of a restricted press.

Just Checking How To Comment

Mon, 24 Jan 2011 20:57:16 -0500

This is to see if I can comment on the blog.

New York Times Blog: Media Coder

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 10:09:00 -0500

New York Times Blog: Media Coder:

Here is the second blog I will be following for the next few weeks. I guess Keith Olbermann and Jersey Shore Ratings caught my attention. I find it hard to believe that literally 8.9 million viewers tuned in to see MTV’s Jersey Shore on Thursday night. I think this brings up a lot of questions about our society and the role that reality TV (aka the NEWS) plays in our society.

http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/another-ratings-record-for-jersey-shore/

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/not-taking-thank-you-for...

Sun, 23 Jan 2011 10:05:58 -0500

http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/20/not-taking-thank-you-for-an-answer/

This is a story for all young photojournalists out there. When they tell you to stop… perhaps you can politely find a way to keep telling the story.

For young scholastic journalists it is very difficult for them to discovering the tenacity it takes to get to the truth. So many young people believe that they should follow authority and not question it. To do so would make them bad students, deviants, troublemakers. However this is the heart of becoming the metaphorical candle shining light on truth. To not investigate and probe would only allow students to be the mirror.