Comments on: Digital + Diversity: What does your newsroom reflect?

By: 98.26.161.14

98.26.161.14 — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 15:04:27 +0000

Robert,
Would love your involvement and support for Journalism That Matters Create or Die 2, June 2-5, 2011 in Greensboro, NC.

You can reach me at mferrier(at)elon.edu and let’s set up a time to chat!

Michelle Ferrier

By: Peggy Holman

Peggy Holman — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 17:42:57 +0000

Robert,

You asked for a link to the Journalism That Matters event mentioned in a comment by Michelle Ferrier. Please visit http://journalismthatmatters.org/detroit/. You’ll find a list of who was there as well as notes from the sessions.

And we’d love to have your involvement as we prepare for the upcoming conference in North Carolina. Contact Michelle or me.

appreciatively,
Peggy Holman
co-founder, Journalism That Matters

By: 108.28.224.202

108.28.224.202 — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 16:38:15 +0000

Hermano:
On point as always but one nitpick. I wish we could talk about the use of representative viewpoints and life experiences in story telling without using the term “political correctness.” It’s a negative term meant to devalue discussions and actions surrounding inclusiveness.
Hopefully that term will go the way of “I can dig it?” Hmmm, I still use that one….

By: 67.243.21.141

67.243.21.141 — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 15:25:37 +0000

What about the community of 3 billion people in the developing word whose real-life stories have NEVER been covered in any semblance of mainstream media– unless they’re perceived as threats or victims?

Here’s a new model to address that– MiWorld.com http://www.miworld.com/.

We’ve been in the 2009 Clinton Global Initiative, Kiplinger http://miworld.com/press/Kiplinger_4-10.html, etc.

New models are possible.

By: 74.115.80.1

74.115.80.1 — Tue, 11 Jan 2011 13:41:47 +0000

Robert,
I also believe part of the solution is training traditional journalists for the technology and web-based jobs. A solid foundation in journalism used to be enough and now it can be the foundation for more. I’ve talked with numerous journos who contemplate how to make the leap, where to get the experience, or work in training while keeping the paying job you have. Working journalists need the skills to stay relevent. But it’s not easy to just up and go back to school. Journalists want to stay journalist, many do not care about the platform but in a mainstream newsroom there is a divide between editorial and online. So I ask what can we do, what can we change to update a working journalists skills, to prepare them for work in an online world?

Sincerely,
Tricia Schwennesen

By: Robert Hernandez

Robert Hernandez — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 23:12:53 +0000

@Michelle, that sounds like an amazing event. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help! Also, I’d love to see who attended the previous summit and what outcomes came form it. Do you have a link?

By: 174.111.110.235

174.111.110.235 — Wed, 05 Jan 2011 18:31:57 +0000

Robert,

The lack of diversity in newsrooms isn’t new, but as you suggest, the secret to growth in content, audience and new media may come from those diverse journalists and communities.

Last year, Journalism That Matters (www.journalismthatmatters.org) hosted a gathering in Detroit — a mashup for journalists, technologists, educators and others of color — to discuss the new “news ecology.” These innovators challenged traditional content and dissemination by inventing their own networks, content niches and ethnic media projects. They also used their diverse perspectives to serve the general population with products and services.

We’ll be hosting part two of Journalism That Matters “Create or Die II” in North Carolina this June 2-5 at the University of North Carolina in Greensboro where we will once again create new avenues for serving our communities with innovation and style using mobile, mashups, online communities and other platforms our communities are embracing.

I don’t deny the importance of being inside legacy media (I’ve been in the newsroom and could tell my own stories), but we cannot ignore the contributions of those working outside of traditional media. This gathering honors those innovating both inside and out of traditional media channels.

We hope you and our readership will join us.

Dr. Michelle Ferrier
School of Communications
Elon University, Elon, NC
Twitter: mediaghosts