mapjd@lcc

Collaboration the Key to Future of Investigative Journalism Mark Glaser by Mark Glaser, April 5, 2009 Tagged: future, investigative reporting, logan symposium, public media, uc berkeley BERKELEY -- The second day of the Logan Symposium at UC Berkeley is more of a half-day with one panel devoted to the future of investigative journalism and a brunch at the Frontline World offices near campus. Just like last year, I had trouble getting an Internet connection in the journalism school library so had to live-Twitter the panel and put up this blog post later. (You can see the earlier report on yesterday's sessions here.) The panel was lively, and included a lot of optimism for the future of investigative journalism despite the business cratering for newspapers and their investigative journos. The panel was moderated by Lowell Bergman, and included David Fanning of PBS Frontline, Esther Kaplan of the Nation Institute, Bill Keller of the NY Times, Chuck Lewis at American University, Robert Rosenthan of the Center for Investigative Reporting, and Buzz Woolley, chairman of the board and primary funder of Voice of San Diego. The following are my notes from the panel.

Landmark moments in citizen journalism Monday, March 30, 2009 Depending on whom you ask, citizen journalism is either pushing journalism forward or is unaccountable vigilantism. Either way, it is shaping the way we consume our news. Surely ordinary citizens were documenting and discussing news events before the advent of the internet but what separates citizen journalism from pure observation is the use of the net as an avenue to either aid or circumvent traditional media outlets and spread the news independently. Average Joes can take their own photos, record their own video and recount a story through blogs or other social media, often more quickly than a media organization can begin to report and in a more organic way than is usually presented by mainstream media. The following is a timeline of events in which ordinary citizens shaped the news, followed by an analog description of each landmark moment.

forwardthinkingelevatorThe Forward Thinking Museum is an entertaining little online museum with good photography (here). No, it doesn't replace real museums with real prints, but some of us drive desks all day and a little side entertainment is needed once in awhile. It was created by Joy of Giving Something, Inc. a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to encouraging aesthetic reflection about present realities and future possibilities and contains material

What I guess goes through my mind when I'm taking a picture is I'm thinking wordlessly about how all these elements relate to each other and I'm thinking again wordlessly about finding a balance that I look for a point that seems central to the picture and when I find that point that tells me where to stand and where exactly to aim the camera. - Stephen Shore

Eggleston talks about his father. "He didn't mean for any of his pictures to make any kind of statement. They just are what they are and how he'd like them to look I guess." - Winston Eggleston

INTERVIEW: "Frank Horvat with Joseph Koudelka"

It's easy to mope and groan about the economy, our industry, and the inevitable changes that are taking place. But, let's look at the glass half full and get inspired to make the most of the situation, eh? Listed below are 15 inspirational packages and sites for you to peruse. I have featured many of them in the past, but hopefully this collection will motivate you to get excited about your potential and what lies ahead …

Alfredo Jaar by Phong Bui, Dore Ashton, and David Levi Strauss On the occasion of the artist's current exhibition The Sound of Silence, which will be on view at Galerie Lelong until May 2nd, Alfredo Jaar paid a visit to the Rail's Headquarters to discuss some aspects of his life and work with Publisher Phong Bui, Consulting Editors Dore Ashton and David Levi Strauss, and a group of graduate students in the Art Criticism & Writing program at the School of Visual Arts.

Terrorist Bombings: From Stopped Time to Still Life Posted by Hariman in visualizing war Representation in any public art today has to include using old forms to capture what is distinctive about our time. Eventually new forms emerge, and we should ask what might become the artistic conventions of a "catastophile" society in which disaster and violence are fatal attractions and spectacular sources of energy. One image that might be on the cusp of old and new is this screen shot of a bombing in Sri Lanka:

Free online video and multimedia courses By Angela Grant Don't have the cash to go to fancy multimedia workshops? Join the club. Maybe this will help. Online Degree World published a list of free online courses that cover a variety of topics in online media. Go check it out - There are some interesting courses not related to journalism. But here are some online journalism courses you may find interesting.

Rare video of Ansel Adams explaining "visualization" in photography

Geo-mapping how much we value photographs as tokens of "buzz" The proliferation of online photography and geo-tagging allows researchers to visualize and define a "geography of buzz". A new study of time-stamped, geo-tagged photos uploaded to the internet equates quantities and clusters of images as photographic tokens of cultural value. How will urban developers and event marketers tap into these power centers highlighted by stock photo agencies and citizen photographers uploading images to Flickr and Twitter? Very interesting reading in the New York Times, and the original research paper.

For two hectic weeks between the US presidential election and the inauguration, one photographer was invited to make portraits of every member of Obama's new incoming administration. The result is a series of 52 unlikely semi-formal portraits that reveal a refreshingly diverse, young, energetic group of the people who will be key to helping forward Obama's agenda. This series of portraits originally appeared in The New York Times Magazine, in print and online. Now, for the first time anywhere, an exhibition of life-size prints of these images will go on display (not in America) but in Birmingham, UK. UK-based photographer Nadav Kander talks with Jim Casper of Lens Culture about how this daunting project came into being, and provides some very interesting personal observations about his brief encounters with the new power-brokers of America. See some of the images, and listen to the interview, here in Lens Culture.

Everywhere you look there are dark signs for newspapers: bankruptcies, less print editions, the threat of closings in San Francisco and Boston, layoffs and pay cuts. But the journalism of newspapers will live on in digital form online. How will this after-life look? We brought together five people for the latest episode of 5Across who are working for newspapers -- or who have worked for them in the past and are now making their own independent forays online -- to discuss what's working now and what will work in the future. This was not a disussion about gloom and doom, but about things that these folks could see working at the ground level in their own experience. The informal talk ranged from business models to building site loyalty to how people can network online through "goodness" and not just trying to game the system. Here's the lineup of guests for this month's video show (who largely were beer drinkers):

Eye on Image-Making: Eight Tips for Aspiring Photographers By David WeintraubdavidweintraubcloseAuthor: David Weintraub See Author's Posts (37) Recent Posts * Eye on Image-Making: Eight Tips for Aspiring Photographers * Notes from the VisCom Classroom: Teaching Video * Eye on Image-Making: Five Ways to Tell if a Photographer Is Really in Business * Eye on Image-Making: Portraiture Now * Notes from the VisCom Classroom: Is It Better to Teach Full Time or Part Time? David Weintraub is a writer, editor, photographer, and educator based in Aiken, SC. He is the author of eight travel books and many articles for publications such as Photo District News, Outdoor Photographer, and Hemispheres. David has a master's degree in journalism and mass communications from the University of South Carolina, where he is a full-time instructor teaching visual communications and writing. in Business of Photography on April 7th, 2009 I almost don't recognize Shawna Simmons when she appears in my office doorway. A 2007 graduate, Shawna has returned to the University of South Carolina's School of Journalism and Mass Communication to give several presentations as part of the school's I-Comm Week, an annual exploration of the latest trends in mass media. While an undergraduate, Shawna majored in visual communications. She was my student in our two photography courses, Photovisual Communications and Advanced Photovisual Communications. Now here she is, dressed in a stylish outfit capped by a black leather jacket, having just flown in the night before from New York.

How to Teach Yourself About Social Media When J-Schools Fail Roland Legrand by Roland Legrand, April 14, 2009 Tagged: communities of practice, connectivism, journalism school, learning, networked learning, social media Journalism is changing rapidly due to social media, and these changes can be bewildering as people wonder how to keep up. I recently gave a social media workshop for journalism students, and I soon realized that many students were still unaware of social media other than Facebook. They were shocked to hear about feed readers, blogs, or micro-blogging and asked how they could learn about all those developments. It seems that we should rethink not only journalism, but also journalism education: Tomorrow's journalists will need to take the initiative to teach themselves about rapidly changing technology. To that end, here are some ways that students can become their own teachers in regards to social media. Bewilderment

A Gear Guide For Going Freelance By David McIntyredavid-mcintyrecloseAuthor: David McIntyre See Author's Posts (2) Recent Posts * Nine Essentials (Besides a Camera) You'll Need as a Freelance Photographer * A Gear Guide For Going Freelance David McIntyre is a photographer for Black Star based in China and Hong Kong since 1995. Prior to becoming a freelance photographer, he was a staff photographer for The Phoenix Gazette. He has also worked for UPI, the Associated Press, EPA, Asiaweek Magazine, the Far Eastern Economic Review, Baseball America, and the minor league baseball teams in Denver and Phoenix before they had Major League teams. Visit David's Web site. in Business of Photography on March 13th, 2009 I've read the articles and postings about newspaper layoffs, and I've gotten my share of e-mails from former staff photographers asking for guidance. As someone who's been freelancing for most of my career, what's the first advice I would give to those of you striking out on your own? Get the right equipment. A lot of corporate and editorial assignments require portrait work, for example - which requires lighting gear. But most new freelancers don't realize they will need more than their one shoe mount strobe. Others may have more or less gear than what I find works best. But here are my recommendations for the equipment you'll need to fulfill the majority of requests from potential clients.

Edward Hopper interview, 1959 June 17, Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution. Interview with Edward Hopper Conducted by John Morse June 17, 1959 The following oral history transcript is the result of a tape-recorded interview with Edward Hopper on June 17, 1959. The interview was conducted by John Morse for the Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.

THEORY - "Image and Artifact: The Photograph as Evidence in the Digital Age" Image and Artifact: The Photograph as Evidence in the Digital Age By Martha A. Sandweiss The brief essays in this round table collectively explore how photographs can be used to understand the past. Their broad mix of voices-from the archivist and the historian, the photographer and the photographic subject-makes it clear that there is no one way to understand an image. Even a quick reading reveals interpretive tensions: the photographers' intentions clash with the ambitions of the subjects, and both appear at odds with the needs of the viewers, who bring to the image their own experiences and interpretive concerns. Despite their differences, the essays taken together pose two critical questions. What does a historian need to know to interpret a photograph as a historical document? And how stable are images as records of the past?