Online Journalism

Brad Kalbfeld

Brad Kalbfeld knows what it’s like to be a journalist. He has been doing it for more than 36 years.

Three weeks ago, on Tuesday, April 5, Kalbfeld joined students in Steve Klein’s COMM 361 Online Journalism class and spoke regarding the implications of the iPhone.

He brought with himself, a typewriter, a Telex machine, a bulky laptop and an iPhone.

“From typewriters to laptops, journalism has taken a drastic turn of events…for the best,” said Kalbfeld, a former international correspondent for the Associated Press.

Kalbfeld also helped in writing the 2006 AP Style Guidebook.

“I used this Telex machine where I would have to pay by the word,” Kalbfeld said.

Sound similar to something we used nowadays to save words? TWITTER.

As the discussion continued, Kalbfeld displayed a chart that showed the difference between the analog world and digital world.

“The analog world goes like this: event occurs, the reporter writes a story on it, the copy editor edits it, the section editor edits it, and the managing editor edits it until it goes to the reader.”

For Kalbfeld, they are all filters to the public.

“In the digital world, anyone can write a story and it goes straight to the audience, without any filters.”

This gives readers the power to decide what news is and what is not. However, there is one problem in citizen journalism for Kalbfeld.

“There is no balance. We take a picture and it only represents one side of the story. A lot of times, we fail to give the whole picture,” Kalbfeld said. “It is the citizen’s responsibility to be skeptical!”

Anita McBride

According to Anita McBride, no one will ever comprehend what the presidential family of the United States goes through on a daily basis.

“No one will ever understand what the president of the United States and the first lady face every day,” said McBride, chief-of-staff to First Lady Laura Bush. “However, it is possible for their children to lead a life of normalcy in the White House.”

McBride, assistant to President George W. Bush, has directed a wide range of issues under First Lady Laura Bush’s time at the White House. These issues include education, global literacy, youth development, women’s rights and health, historic preservation and conservation and more.

“I have a real desire to improve the lives of the Afghani women,” McBride said. “They are the most courageous women in the world. You just cannot imagine living in those conditions and surviving.”

According to McBride, who has worked in corporate philanthropy, Afghan women do not want to be seen as victims.

“These women are lawyers, judges, carpenters and teachers,” McBride said.

McBride, who is also a member of the U.S. Afghan Women Council, joined students participating from the George Mason University Video Studio along with Steve Scully, the political editor for the C-SPAN networks, and students from the University of Denver.

McBride has worked on wide range of philanthropy issues and discussed her take on various issues around the world.

“I admire how former First Lady Hillary Clinton shifted her focus from healthcare to a global landscape, despite taking many blows at first,” McBride said. “It really isn’t easy to have such a controversial agenda.”

Other students who attended the discussion had their own questions to ask McBride.

“If you could pick any First Lady in the White House to work for, who would it be?” asked Lexi Ramage, a junior majoring in communication.

“I would love to work for Dolly Madison,” McBride said. “It would be very interesting and also Abigail Adams, since she was an early abolitionist. She sacrificed for this country. She is an extraordinary character.”

The distance learning course, which is produced by C-SPAN, is a unique opportunity for students to interview guests via video conference. The course airs on C-SPAN3 on Fridays at 5 p.m. and also streams online.

Here is a list of the top blogs to use for journalism students, according to Bachelor’s Degree Online.  The list comes right from the website.  The blogs are from other students at various institutions, the media, photojournalism and investigative journalism.

Students

1. The Spectrum: This blog from NYU’s Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute Urban Journalism Workshop shares views from urban teems.
2. Journo Student: Thoughts and Exploits: Find a discussion of magazines and more in this journalism student’s blog.
3. Online Journalism Lab: This blog is written by students at Whitworth University studying the changing world of online journalism.
4. Innovation in College Media: Read this blog for a group discussion on the future of social media.
5. Online Journalism Review: Read this blog, the work of OJR readers and journalism students from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism.
6. Jschool Student Blog: This blog is maintained by journalism students at Jschool: Journalism Education & Training, Australia.

Photojournalism

1. Multimedia Evangelist: In this blog, you’ll learn about changes in photography and photojournalism today.
2. Multimedia and Video Journalism: Find out what Robb Montgomery has to say about video journalism and multimedia.
3. Multimedia Shooter: Multimedia Shooter keeps track of important news for photojournalists so you don’t have to.
4. VideoJournalism: Cyndy Green’s blog asks you to think visually.
5. Photojournalism From a Student’s Eye: Learn about photojournalism by reading the blog of this photojournalism student.

Investigative Journalism

1. The Centre for Investigative Journalism News Blog: Get the latest in investigative journalism from this blog.
2. Depth Reporting: Mark Schaver writes about computer-assisted and investigative reporting on Depth Reporting.
3. The Scoop: In The Scoop, you’ll learn about investigative and computer-assisted reporting from Derek Willis.
4. Help Me Investigate: Follow this blog to learn more about investigative journalism.

To find out more blogs for journalism students including blogs from journalists, the new media, educators, the news and more, visit the Bachelor’s Degree Online website.

Former Chief of Staff for the Bush Administration, Andrew Card, shares stories and insight with those up-and-coming in the media industry. On Thursday, April 7, 2011, Card joined students from George Mason University and the University of Denver in a video conference to be aired on C-SPAN three the following day at five p.m.

Hosted by Steve Scully, political editor of the C-SPAN networks, the conference and interview session provided insight into Card’s political career, particularly his time spent with the Bush family, and how he got to where he was.

“I used to be a newspaper boy,” chuckles Card. Having been surrounded by media from a very young age, it’s no wonder Card’s most memorable moment was telling President George W. Bush that the Twin Towers had been hit on 9/11.

Card notes that as soon as he got word of a second tower being hit, he “knew it was Bin Ladin.” After recounting the morning’s events, it was clear that this memory stuck out to Card more than any other. Likewise, this event would be the primary moment that Card is remembered for in the media – he, of course, being the bearer of the worst possible news.

But of course, it’s all in the job description.

Being the Chief of Staff, Card’s job is to decide what is necessary to bring to the president’s attention. That being said, Card maintains that he was privy to terrifying information; now that he’s no longer in the limelight, however, he is more fearful of what he doesn’t know.

Speaking in terms of the Bush presidency as a whole, Card maintains that the Bush administration was “misunderstood”. Having approval ratings soar after 9/11 and plummet after the failure to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, there’s no denying the public’s fickle mindset regarding former president George W. Bush.

According to Card, however, this is typical of any political candidate.

“They’re love magnets when they run for office and lonely when they serve”, he states. It is this theory, in addition to his home state’s distaste for Bush that steered Card away from running for the late Ted Kennedy’s senatorial seat in Massachusetts, despite his opponents offer to step down should he decide to run.

“I would have had to run three campaigns, with the main one being ‘I am not George Bush’,” states Card.

“The Chief of Staff’s job is to help the president do the president’s job”, maintains Card. In this particular case, Card used a close personal relationship with the President to determine what was pertinent. Stating that he feels “comfortable telling the President almost anything”, it could be considered a challenge to maintain the boundary between friendship and professionalism. Card, however, seemed to have found the right balance.

The 2010-2011 NBA regular season has finally come to a close.  This is a happy time for those playoff teams of course, this group including the especially happy New York Knicks (Finally!).  However, one team is saying goodbye to their home city, as the Sacramento Kings could have played their final game in California’s capital.

Understandably, everyone in attendance Wednesday night was emotional.  Kings fans filled Arco Arena that night knowing that there was a good chance that their beloved Kings were heading to Orange County next season. Unfortunately for the fans, the Kings lost 116-108 to the Los Angeles Lakers, a familiar foe that has crushed the hearts of Kings fans on numerous occasions.

Fans in Sacramento are very attached to their team.  Their franchise had sold out tickets in 19 of their 26 seasons in Sacramento, as the city is experiencing a tough time.  The city of Sacramento also doesn’t have any other professional sports teams, so you feel for their potential loss.  I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to lose a team you are passionate about and grew up with rooting for them.

This video says it all, as the announcers say their final goodbye on the air in Sacramento.  Good luck in Anaheim, where there will be a new chapter for basketball in California.