The Marlboro Marine

I'm writing today about something that should have been written about before, but I got a little busy. In Rolling Stone's April 3, 2008, issue (Issue 1049), they wrote a story on the Marlboro Marine. I'm guessing that you saw the photo above sometime, and that's the one that spurred the story. The story came about when Los Angeles Times photojournalist Luis Sinco took the shot in November 2004 in Fallujah, Iraq. The photo instantly spread across the world as the face of the War in Iraq.

Sinco put together a piece for the story for the news website MediaStorm, and I encourage everyone to take a look. I'll add the site to the links list for easy access. Sinco made a video with lots of photos he took of Blake Miller, the marine, and it's an extremely touching piece. It tells the story of the photo, Sinco's time with the troops and the unbelievable bond Sinco formed with Miller while back in the U.S. They are now good friends, and Sinco even drove from California to Miller's home in Kentucky to take him to a doctor in Connecticut so Miller could get treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. I encourage you to check out both stories, but they are slightly different. The MediaStorm version is harder-hitting because of all the visuals and the audio with it. The Rolling Stone version tells more about Miller himself, while the MediaStorm version tells about Miller, Sinco, their time in Iraq and in the U.S., their relationship and gives more commentary about the war in general. It sounds one-sided, but you can do a lot more with 16 minutes of video than you can in four pages of print.

In addition to the Marlboro Marine story, it's a great idea to check out MediaStorm anyway. They have a collection of 22 stories that cover a wide range of topics. Another good video is "New York Reacts," which is a feature of New Yorkers and their responses to 9/11. Robert Browman, one of the heads of MediaStorm, gave a lecture to my class at Syracuse University about their style of journalism, and gave insights into their method of bringing news. Sponsored by the Washington Post, they bring interesting, informative and important issues to the news world. And, maybe most importantly, they do a great job with it. All of the stories are interesting and give a first-hand account. So check out MediaStorm and feel free to discuss any stories you like.

Who doesn't need more Google in their life?

Google has once again found ways to help people. There are two things to discuss here, so I'll start with the more humanitarian of the two. Thanks to the site iConflict.com that was discussed below, Google has launched a maps program that charts refugees around the world. All you need to do is download some software, which apparently 350 million people have done so far, and you're able to see where the world's refugees are located. You can even zoom in close enough to see individual tents. Once you've selected a specific location to view, you can see pictures and get information about that location. Google has teamed up with the U.N. for this project, and they hope to alert more people to growing problems around the world. I can't think of a more nobler way than this to try to make an impact on the world, and hopefully more efforts can be made because of this.

Now to the more utilitarian creation. Google has teamed up with the Chicago Transit Authority (no, not the band) to create yet another aspect to their already dynamic maps program. This program allows people to search the best routes to get around the city on the "L," Chicago's equivalent of the subway system. It does not link with Metra, the suburban train system, or Pace, the suburban and city bus system, because apparently the Regional Transportation Authority is working on its own rival site. But it is still amazing. For first-time users there is a tutorial video to guide you around the site. Once you're past that, it gets better and better. You can manually view a map of Chicago to find stations near you, and once you're there you can get basic information, like the line the station belongs to, and get a schedule for that station. If you want directions from the beginning, you can enter your destination and step-by-step directions for your trip are delivered. And if you want to make sure you don't want to drive, click the "Drive There" tab and you are instantly given driving directions side-by-side.

And things can only get better. You can set the time and date you want to travel as well, and you get new directions customized for your travel arrangements. Other options such as Street View allow you to see pictures of your destination, in case you're more of a visual person. Oh yeah, they even give you the fair you'd have to pay if you used public transportation. This is an absolutely wonderful invention for those who are unsure of traveling publicly or for travelers to a new city. It can only get better if Metra and Pace team up with Google. This service is available in other cities too, so check it out before you travel to a new city for business or leisure. Check out the links below for the story and to see it for yourself. Where would we be without Google?
http://www.chicagotribune.com/technology/chi-cta-google-webapr09,0,3820867.story
http://www.iconflict.com/

Bringing more news to more people....from more people

Another news site was created to bring news to the world, only it could be from anyone around the world. The site iConflict.com was created about 10 days ago as a way for the average citizen to post stories as they please. The goal of the site is to bring more stories to people's attention, often first-hand accounts, about issues that would or would not normally be noticed, according to co-founder Jason Haber (information based on story in The Daily Orange).

I have always been leery about user-generated material, especially if it is news related. Wikipedia sometimes scares me, but it is good for a quick bit of information you might be looking for on something fairly common. But I've always held the view to leave the news reporting to the actual reporters. You never know who is reporting the story, and if they are telling the truth, because they might not follow the same ethical standards journalists must. So far, however, I'm impressed by the reporting on the site. Most of the posts to this point have been by Jason himself, but now some new users are submitting entries. The manner is very professional and functions like a site solely for news. It is easy to navigate as well, with the newest stories on the opening page and a list of hot spots right to its side. And if you want to see it visually, the hot spot map highlights countries that have been in the most stories recently.

One aspect Haber notes that I think is wonderful is to get stories heard that might not make the news otherwise. As gatekeepers, we sometimes don't let some stories through for whatever reason. This is a great way to get all stories heard. It will also be interesting to see how the site progresses. As it grows, will the integrity of the reporting change? Also, almost all of the videos on the site now are links to YouTube. For this site to really take off as a news provider, I believe that videos from reporters will be necessary. As great as it is, YouTube can't be used for everything. This is a great way to bring worldwide news to everyone, from people who were closer to the story than most, but how effective will it really be?
http://www.iconflict.com/

More Casualties, Different Medium

On Monday WBBM-Channel 2, Chicago's CBS affiliate, followed the trend in media today by downsizing. We've all heard this story before, but this one is different because it involved some of the station's top anchors. Diann Burns, the highest paid anchor in Chicago, along with lead sportscaster Mark Malone, longtime anchor and correspondent Mary Ann Childers, reporter Katie McCall and 14 others all lost their jobs. It seems that downsizing broadcasting outlets will now join print publications.

This is a real shame. What is striking about this is that some of the more recognizable names lost their jobs, as opposed to newspapers, where the longtime staff members retain employment. It's easy to see why these journalists lost their jobs, as they were probably making more money than others at the station. It is easier to let Burns go, as her contract expires, and hire someone else who would not be earning the same $2 million that she was. Financially it makes sense, but is it worth it to let such valuable journalists go?

The newspaper business has been cutting people for some time now. The New York Times let several members of their team go last year, as did the Chicago Sun-Times, and the Tribune Company has made many large changes in the last few years. New ownership has brought the future of the company into question, which holds many media outlets, including WGN radio and TV. But the Tribune Company received the most attention when it greatly downsized the Los Angeles Times newsroom about two years ago.

Everyone within the journalism field knows what is going on and not how to fix it. Ron Magers, anchor for Chicago's ABC affiliate WLS-Channel 7, sees the issue and has a positive vision.

"The hope I hold onto is that we will all be reporting something somewhere somehow. We just don't know what platform," Magers said.

I think he's right, and that's what we need to think about. People will always need the news and the people who bring it to them, no matter the medium. The news doesn't necessarily need to be delivered by paper, or broadcasted, but the news needs to be delivered.

Story: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tue_childers-burns-out-apr01,0,3450734.story