Patricia Thomas
I. In her new job at the U. of Georgia, was asked to address the gap of knowledge in the South in three ways
1. work with the ethnic press
2. keep up with research
3. charged with starting a new masters concentration in health and medical
journalism with a focus on the SE.
Ellen Ruppel Shaw
I.Why Science Journalism?
-co-director of science journalism program at BU
II. Have you been assigned to write about science?
-science has been lumped into the “big categories/beats.” Even if you have an
expert on the other line…When speaking with a scientist keep the antenna up and
don’t take all statements for granted. Don’t let the “Dr” phase you.
,
Sunday, September 7, 2008
Science Panel: Live-Blogging with Laura Chang
Good Morning. We are here at JAWS 2008 in Bartlett, NH. Here is the latest from the Science Panel.
Our Panelists are:
Laura Change (NY Times)
K.C. Cole (USC)
Ellen Ruppell Shell (BU)
Patricia Thomas (University of Georgia)
Laura Chang (NY Times)
I. Why Science Journalism?
-enthusiastic about science since an early age
-an expert on nothing which makes her a great editor
-bringing a generalist’s view to the Times
II. Couple of principles to keep in mind
-remember the people, remember to speak about science for the people, make their life better through science
-remember that people are creating the science, people with various ambitions, motivations, and flaws.
-don’t dumb it down too much; it is indeed vigorous
Our Panelists are:
Laura Change (NY Times)
K.C. Cole (USC)
Ellen Ruppell Shell (BU)
Patricia Thomas (University of Georgia)
Laura Chang (NY Times)
I. Why Science Journalism?
-enthusiastic about science since an early age
-an expert on nothing which makes her a great editor
-bringing a generalist’s view to the Times
II. Couple of principles to keep in mind
-remember the people, remember to speak about science for the people, make their life better through science
-remember that people are creating the science, people with various ambitions, motivations, and flaws.
-don’t dumb it down too much; it is indeed vigorous
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Election Roundtable: Q&A
A few questions and answers from the session....
Is who makes the most money really the best way to choose how you'll spread coverage around?
-- Sweet: Obama is a hometown guy; some candidates got more coverage than they deserved because they were interesting, etc.
There's not enough decoding of what is actually meant (should be done by reporters). There are not enough voices of color giving analysis or commenting (to give context like this).
The majority of top reporters covering politics at news outlets are white men over 50, says Jodi.
What do you read, watch, listen to, or not?
Felice: Loves Maureen Dowd, the Politico
Lynn: Mike Allen's Playbook at Politico, The Page (an aggregated site that looks at what moves the day), CBS/ABC aggregates, NYT, Wash Post, Chicago Sun-Times, and the links on her blog. She doesn't pay attention to one on one interviews. She needs places giving lots of information synthesized.
Beth: Mike Allen's Playbook, CNN, NYT for general coverage and Slate's XX Factor
Ann: Michele Cotta from the Republic, Rebecca Traister at Salon
Can the Obama campaign sustain the interest and energy?
Yes, they can sustain the energy, but will the young people who have mobilized for him really vote?? That's the question, said Beth. Lynn Sweet: Term Obama uses is "intensity gap" -- they say they're ahead of McCain. Palin revs up Repubs the way Obama has done for the Dems.
Places like the Politico don't have the same resource base as the old media institutions -- are there going to be journos covering political campaigns in a new media world? What's our strategy to keep the journalism in the campaign?
Beth said they're doing partnerships with papers like St. Paul Pioneer Press and Denver Post. Also launching Politico network -- content and ad revenue sharing program that will launch on Tuesday. It all has to do with marketing and advertising. Can't see advertising is our enemy.
Is who makes the most money really the best way to choose how you'll spread coverage around?
-- Sweet: Obama is a hometown guy; some candidates got more coverage than they deserved because they were interesting, etc.
There's not enough decoding of what is actually meant (should be done by reporters). There are not enough voices of color giving analysis or commenting (to give context like this).
The majority of top reporters covering politics at news outlets are white men over 50, says Jodi.
What do you read, watch, listen to, or not?
Felice: Loves Maureen Dowd, the Politico
Lynn: Mike Allen's Playbook at Politico, The Page (an aggregated site that looks at what moves the day), CBS/ABC aggregates, NYT, Wash Post, Chicago Sun-Times, and the links on her blog. She doesn't pay attention to one on one interviews. She needs places giving lots of information synthesized.
Beth: Mike Allen's Playbook, CNN, NYT for general coverage and Slate's XX Factor
Ann: Michele Cotta from the Republic, Rebecca Traister at Salon
Can the Obama campaign sustain the interest and energy?
Yes, they can sustain the energy, but will the young people who have mobilized for him really vote?? That's the question, said Beth. Lynn Sweet: Term Obama uses is "intensity gap" -- they say they're ahead of McCain. Palin revs up Repubs the way Obama has done for the Dems.
Places like the Politico don't have the same resource base as the old media institutions -- are there going to be journos covering political campaigns in a new media world? What's our strategy to keep the journalism in the campaign?
Beth said they're doing partnerships with papers like St. Paul Pioneer Press and Denver Post. Also launching Politico network -- content and ad revenue sharing program that will launch on Tuesday. It all has to do with marketing and advertising. Can't see advertising is our enemy.
Quality Campaign Reporting?
Best predictor was the money collected in the first quarter of the election primary. Two Dems were ahead of everyone else: Obama and Clinton. That shaped coverage, said Sweet.
Is that how life should be?
Money chase meant two candidates could expand -- have local offices, etc. -- can't fault press for paying attention to who's getting paid (or donations). Plus, the Media found coverage could be a marketing decision: put Obama or Clinton on a cover and you'll sell issues.
There was no superstar Republican candidate.
Frerking:
She felt the sexism when she started covering the Hillary campaign. There were people on the bus who she had respect for that said they don't believe sentimental moments at all. People didn't believe the now-infamous teary eyed moment in the coffee shop during Clinton's campaign.
All political coverage is more complex than we think.
Ann Friedman:
Having women in the race has made a difference in getting a female voice onto larger platforms. That's important and points to the stats that say when women run, more women vote.
Is that how life should be?
Money chase meant two candidates could expand -- have local offices, etc. -- can't fault press for paying attention to who's getting paid (or donations). Plus, the Media found coverage could be a marketing decision: put Obama or Clinton on a cover and you'll sell issues.
There was no superstar Republican candidate.
Frerking:
She felt the sexism when she started covering the Hillary campaign. There were people on the bus who she had respect for that said they don't believe sentimental moments at all. People didn't believe the now-infamous teary eyed moment in the coffee shop during Clinton's campaign.
All political coverage is more complex than we think.
Ann Friedman:
Having women in the race has made a difference in getting a female voice onto larger platforms. That's important and points to the stats that say when women run, more women vote.
Beth Frerking: Speed is of the essence
It's huge, Frerking said.
Pace for The Politico is relentless. And is essential. Good thing is that with the bloggers, they are transparent. (Edwards deciding whether to stay in the race or not, a Politico blogger got a bogus tip. Read about it here. But the blogger, Ben, also was transparent about what he did wrong.)
Go behind the curtain. Tell us what's behind the curtain. Interesting convos about politics happen when reporters go to lunch and talk about what's REALLY happening on the campaign trail.
We should be telling those stories.
Pace for The Politico is relentless. And is essential. Good thing is that with the bloggers, they are transparent. (Edwards deciding whether to stay in the race or not, a Politico blogger got a bogus tip. Read about it here. But the blogger, Ben, also was transparent about what he did wrong.)
Go behind the curtain. Tell us what's behind the curtain. Interesting convos about politics happen when reporters go to lunch and talk about what's REALLY happening on the campaign trail.
We should be telling those stories.
Lynn Sweet
The travelling press often gets advance information for "planning purposes."
"There is nothing that happens at a fully blown national campaign that isn't done for their purpose."
A lot of what you see and hear on a daily basis from the campaign comes from pool reports. (Apparently, however, not Lynn. Yesterday, she was writing a story -- she's the primary Obama reporter -- as the rest of us were eating dinner.)
Candidate is not accessible every minute when you are traveling with them. Special service agents were all around Obama early on.
"There is nothing that happens at a fully blown national campaign that isn't done for their purpose."
A lot of what you see and hear on a daily basis from the campaign comes from pool reports. (Apparently, however, not Lynn. Yesterday, she was writing a story -- she's the primary Obama reporter -- as the rest of us were eating dinner.)
Candidate is not accessible every minute when you are traveling with them. Special service agents were all around Obama early on.
Election Roundtable
Here's what we're supposed to be talking about:
"Hear election coverage stories from JAWS women on the front lines and back in the newsroom. What's it like to be on the road with the candidates? What have the media covered well/poorly? How does coverage of this campaign compare to that of campaigns past?"
Moderator: Jodi Enda, vet political reporter and freelance journalist/program planner, Knight Center for specialized journalism
Beth Frerking -- Asst. managing editor, Politico
Ann Friedman -- Deputy editor, The American Prospect
Felice Belman -- Editor, Concord Monitor
Lynn Sweet -- Washington Bureau Chief, Chicago Sun-Times
Felice is telling us about what it's like to be at the center of election coverage, here in New Hampshire. The editorial board was split for a long time, so they called Clinton in, then later Obama, and then Bill Clinton came in. Obama then called and said, "hey, do you want Michelle's cell phone number?"
Early on, there are also lots of missteps by the candidates. Denis Kucinich refused to eat any food from a vegan potluck because, as Felice said, "he was persnickety." This is what they do when they think no one is looking?
"Hear election coverage stories from JAWS women on the front lines and back in the newsroom. What's it like to be on the road with the candidates? What have the media covered well/poorly? How does coverage of this campaign compare to that of campaigns past?"
Moderator: Jodi Enda, vet political reporter and freelance journalist/program planner, Knight Center for specialized journalism
Beth Frerking -- Asst. managing editor, Politico
Ann Friedman -- Deputy editor, The American Prospect
Felice Belman -- Editor, Concord Monitor
Lynn Sweet -- Washington Bureau Chief, Chicago Sun-Times
Felice is telling us about what it's like to be at the center of election coverage, here in New Hampshire. The editorial board was split for a long time, so they called Clinton in, then later Obama, and then Bill Clinton came in. Obama then called and said, "hey, do you want Michelle's cell phone number?"
Early on, there are also lots of missteps by the candidates. Denis Kucinich refused to eat any food from a vegan potluck because, as Felice said, "he was persnickety." This is what they do when they think no one is looking?
Connie Schultz - live blog
Getting a late start here... She's recounting how she and her husband, Sherrod Brown, decided he would run for the U.S. Senate, putting her, as a journalist, in an awkward position.
"All i could think about is I'm giong to be the big fat moon ahead of your star. ... I did not feel pressured to have Sherrod run and I did not feel pressured to leave the Cleveland Plain Dealer when I did."
The decision to take a leave of absence was made easier by a book deal. But she wrote in her journal, "What will become of me?"
About the title of her book "And his lovely wife..." - came from the campaign trail. Many older men suggested she should have changed her last name, including one who mentioned it in introducing Sherrod Brown's lovely wife... That led her to tell the story of her recently deceased father, a blue-collar worker determined to give his children a better life. His last name was Schultz too.
"My parents were two nobodies but they raised two somebodies."
A line that inspired her: "What they call you is one thing, what you answer to is something else."
On political coverage: "I've learned some things from being on the receiving end of it."
So many large newspapers are quoting from staff-generated quotes and saying it came from the Congress member.
"Then I found out all these op-ed pieces are staff generated and have their name on them."
In one instance, someone else wrote a book review under a congressman's name for the WSJ. It misleads the readers not to ask who actually said/wrote these things.
"I looked up his voting record on gay rights and choice before I said yes to a first date."
"Overall I was pretty proud of the coverage during our Senate race" especially from larger media.
"I always knew I was going to return to my job."
One reason she's partial to Hillary Clinton is that she called to congratulate Brown on his election and asked him to tell Connie that she should return to her career. Her return was announced with a news story and it's always clear who she's married to.
"I couldn't be more transparent if I were Saran Wrap."
Recalls Leonard Pitts asking her how she could go back. She said she didn't really write the column - woke up, got an idea, asked her husband to write if for her, lots of time to go shopping. Ha ha.
Her response to some readers who complain about her link to a U.S. Senator
"Marriage does not suck the brains out of a woman and make her incapable of an independent thought."
What about Sarah Palin? She wrote a column last week.
"I am so disgusted by this notion that any skirt will do."
Also disappointed that it puts a pregnant 17-year-old in the limelight.
"If this had been a Democratic candidate leaving an infant at home... When you have an infant with Down syndrome and a pregnant teenager ... it does call into question your judgment, your values."
"I think it's a dishonest and disingenuous ploy by the McCain camp... We all have these moments when it's a chance of a lifetime" but family has to come first. She was a single mother who gave up opportunities out of consideration for her daughter.
On the evolving blog dynamic: "Bloggers are not doing it. Bloggers rely on us. They want all the access and none of the responsibility of the media."
She thinks the American public is beginning to understand why real journalists matter. But "newspapers have never been good at promoting themselves... How do we change that?"
"I don't trust polls right now, because most Americans aren't paying much attention right now."
What we've got to be responsible about: "Race is the issue in this campaign. And I say this coming from the Heartland." People in the working class love their family who are racist, so they avoid having the conversation with them. "Do you want anybody to win on the basis of race?"
It's not an issue with younger folks, but it is with the older generation. It's also an economic issue. Hillary Clinton voters: more of an identification with her, not necessarily on the issues.
"I'm embarrassed that race is an issue." Ignoring it only makes it worse. And the Obama campaign doesn't want the media to talk about it. But she says it's important to go out and talk with people in the community and tell the stories, force the conversation so many don't want to have.
"Aren't we the ones to challenge them and shake them up? Think about what you're saying right here."
Even the stories exposing those who are racist. "It's not hard to get them to say these things." National media are calling her up to ask where they should go and she makes suggestions. "I want the heat on. I don't have to be unbiased when it comes to racism."
"We got in this business not to make the money, we wanted to change the world. We've got to own why we got into it."
Asked about future elections as the country becomes more multi-ethnic.
"The undercurrent all along is fear. Race is about fear."
If you graduated after 1971, chances of going to an integrated high school is far greater. Eventually, the older generation that has that fear will be gone.
"My parting note... The very thought of more than 100 women committed to truth, which is what we do still, to storytelling ... was enough to get me here. Just in this discussion about politics, do you see how important it is that you exist, that you weigh in?"
Tells story of a friend watching a newsroom meeting, wondering why she hadn't been invited. Said she wasn't asking the right question.
"If we waited for the invitation, we still wouldn't have the right to vote."
JAWS 25th Anniversary Fund!
JAWS president Dawn Garcia is making a big announcement.
Journalism & Women Symposium has received another $50,000 grant from the Challenge Fund for Journalism! (We actually asked for $40,000...)That means we need to match this grant with private donations by Aug. 6, 2009, just in time for the 25th anniversary of our organization and the October camp in Snowbird, Utah.
The money raised will be used to keep cost of JAWS low, help pay for camp speakers and putting on more regional events.
We're asking for donations from members and we'll be looking for money from outside the organization to other women in journalism, family foundations and businesses.
If you're not here and want to donate, you may do so using Paypal through the Web site.
We'll also be posting more information about this on the Web site soon!
Journalism & Women Symposium has received another $50,000 grant from the Challenge Fund for Journalism! (We actually asked for $40,000...)That means we need to match this grant with private donations by Aug. 6, 2009, just in time for the 25th anniversary of our organization and the October camp in Snowbird, Utah.
The money raised will be used to keep cost of JAWS low, help pay for camp speakers and putting on more regional events.
We're asking for donations from members and we'll be looking for money from outside the organization to other women in journalism, family foundations and businesses.
If you're not here and want to donate, you may do so using Paypal through the Web site.
We'll also be posting more information about this on the Web site soon!
Multi-Media Training: Q&A
Tools and Toys:
1. Invest in a wireless mic if at all possible. Check out www.bhphotovideo.com for great deals.
2. Shotgun mics are more affordable (be careful...they are sensitive to hand-handling).
3. Transom.org and International Women in Media organization has great info on mics..also take a look at Storycorps. UC Berkeley has great tutorials online.
4. Digital phone recorders
5. Take a look at www.poynter.org
Want to make multi-media? What are the ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS TO KNOW?
1. Photoshop
2. Flash
3. IMovie or Windows MovieMaker
4. Look at Soundslides (www.soundslides.com)
1. Invest in a wireless mic if at all possible. Check out www.bhphotovideo.com for great deals.
2. Shotgun mics are more affordable (be careful...they are sensitive to hand-handling).
3. Transom.org and International Women in Media organization has great info on mics..also take a look at Storycorps. UC Berkeley has great tutorials online.
4. Digital phone recorders
5. Take a look at www.poynter.org
Want to make multi-media? What are the ESSENTIAL PROGRAMS TO KNOW?
1. Photoshop
2. Flash
3. IMovie or Windows MovieMaker
4. Look at Soundslides (www.soundslides.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)