Journalistic Poetry

Journalistic poetry or as the article, Poetry, and Journalism of the Spirit , in the Mantle refers  to  as  spiritual journalism   that has provided an alternative medium to express heavy content in  a new light and some may argue in a more impactful way than traditional journalism. The intersection of poetry and journalism has often been critiqued as separate spheres that should not intertwined. The late American poet  and journalist, Archibald MacLeish states, "What matters …is the truth of the feeling – the feel of the truth.” Therefore , is it not the duty of journalist  to seek the truth and report it?Traditional journalism often uses an objective form while poetry tends to have a more emotional significance but there is a common ground between journalism and poetry that brings a different perspective to events, especially events of crisis.
The Arab Spring influenced an increase of new poetry blogs. Many political bloggers reporting on the Arab Spring switched their existing blogs to poetry blogs in order to protect themselves from imprisonment, torture or censorship. It often difficult to convey emotions and critically engage an audience through traditional journalism but  poetry can bring in a more human aspect that not only informs the event but also gives the reader a deeper understanding of one’s position in this world. Although poetry may obscure facts and dates it still encompasses the overall mission of journalist to provide an accurate truthful account.  Spiritual journalism is a form of citizen journalism that empowers people and gives a voice to  those citizens who are directly part of the news story. Spiritual journalism can be used as a tool for citizens to tell their own account of their story without the risk of misrepresentation that traditional journalism often creates. Therefore, can poetry be recognized in the Journalism world?  or will it continue to be cast as only an art form? Libyan-American poet Khaled Mattawa’s poem on the aftermath of Muammar Gaddafi’s death 

Revamped Media in Libya

The Libyan media is no longer run by the former dictator, Mummar Gaddafi. Libya's media was controlled tightly for forty years. Mummar Gaddafi controlled the media outlets during his rule. The media were required to convey what Mummar Gaddafi approved of. There are many stories regarding his dealing with the Libyan media. Muhammad El-Huni a news anchor on Al-Libya TV shared a frightening situation with the former dicator Gaddafi. Muhammad El-Huni told Al Jazeera news channel, that Al-Libya TV aired a segment regarding a relationship between Egypt, and Hezbollah. After that segment aired, Mummar Gaddafi made a 2am trip to the news station, and interrogated everyone in the news room.

After the fall of Mummar Gaddafi, the media outlets in Libya became free. They no longer had to deal with stringent requirements for the news they presented. But, the media were in a uncomfortable environment. The Libyan media were instructed for forty years, and now they have absolutely no direction. Many Libyan people wants to participate in news stories. They are presenting different stories through facebook, and twitter. Surprisingly, the Libyan people are taking the news from these social media outlets. The Libyan people are believing people whose credentials are unknown.

Zapita whose a journalist, described the new direction of the Libyan media. "It was very frustrating being a writer in a state-owned, state-controlled publication. As soon as the revolution happened, I wanted to start my own newspaper, be my own boss." Zapita continues, "We're starting from a void... We're starting from zero- that is a challenge. There hasn't been a tradition of a free, independent press for, some would say, roughly 40 years. So we don't have that tradition, that culture. And that'ts not easy, building a tradition, a culture, overnight."

So how will the Libyan people receive their news? When will the media outlets in Libya recover from the fall of Mummar Gaddafi. Check Al-Jazeera news for the answers. 

Signal app for iPhone

The iPhone will soon be coming out with a new app that is specifically for citizen journalism. This app is coming from Lebanon from an entrepreneur named Mark Malkoun. He has explained that this app was designed specifically to get important news feeds out to people, locally, nationally, or internationally.


TNW explained that this app opens up many opportunities for citizen journalism, that Malkoun explains we cannot get anywhere else. Although there are many social networking sites that have been used as news feeds, they were not designed with journalism in mind. 


Malkoun explains that, "Traditional news is centralized and can be slow or biased...And existing social networks tend to be news about friends, people, or brands, and are not suitable for on-the-ground events. We needed an app that simply shows you the most important happenings in your country or the world and that’s how Signal was created.”

            
This app can potentially bring about great opportunities for citizen journalism. It has the qualities of Instagram, as reported by Mashable, combined with social networking as well as qualities of Witness. This app has essentially taken into account all of the key elements of popular media to provide the news we need and want right at our fingertips. This app is perhaps the citizen journalists dream come true with constant feed, up-to-date, no opinion or spam, with location relevance. This app will make it so we can see everything from the nearby car accident on the 5 freeway, to the protests in Russia, to the Hurricane or Earthquake disasters across the globe. The news feeds will be rated according to interest or relevance, and they will be done so in a “democratic” manner. 

This is the next step of citizen journalism, taking inspiration from Witness, where people can upload video and photographs to share injustices occurring across the globe. However, this new app takes it even further to sharing any relevant news in any area. We know this kind of news sharing was done through social media and other outlets during crisis times like Hurricane Katrina, but now there will be an app that is specifically designed for this sort of thing, instead of scrambling around all sorts of sites to find relevant news. This app may be able to save lives, it may be able to bring awareness to issues that are not reported in our local or national news outlets, it will allow worldwide sharing and coverage. Ultimately the news will be sitting in our pockets and we will be choosing what news is most relevant to us currently.

    
This however, brings into question what effects it may have on journalism now. As we know print journalism is fading away, it is struggling to keep up with the demand for instant news right at our fingertips. With a new app such as Signal we can see that print journalism may become obsolete, it will no longer be necessary to pick up a paper anymore because we have read all local, national, and international news on our Signal app as it happened. We could be interested in some follow-up information, but we can easily find that online without having to pay a penny. 


Because we will be receiving instant news updates, will we even need structured news agencies anymore? Their work will be done by the citizen journalists posting up-to-date information as it happens, all that will be left will be summaries and opinion, which we can find elsewhere online. Will apps like the Signal app push print news and even television news onto the sidelines? Will it render one or both obsolete? Time will only tell, but at the rate in which we are going, it seems that what the people want is facts, simple and short facts, that is what citizen journalists can provide and that is what news consumers will take. We want our news quick, we want it concise, and we want it up-to-date, Signal provides that with the convenience of a smartphone app, with a social networking and Instagram quality that we love. 

And don't worry Android users, a version of the Signal app will be coming out for you as well! 

Journalist... Can anyone do it?

                                      

The Daily Star reported on May 4^th, 2012 that a journalist dies every 12 days in the Levant region according to the Levanese media watchdog SKeye. Since the last World Press Freedom Day, designated as May 3^rd by the United Nations General Assembly to promote freedom of expression under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 29 journalists have been killed. The European Union’s office in Beirut has declared that they are going to serve justice by catching and punishing those responsible. Just not so long ago, a Lebanese cameraman Ali Shaaban was shot on Lebanese soil near the Syrian border while shooting a footage. On April 4^th, fellow photographers of AliShaaban held a ritual in remembering and honoring his death by laying down their cameras in front of his poster. 

Reflecting back to an article by Andrew Cohen, he asserts and then debunks that “becoming a journalist is easy; anyone can do it.” He first shows what it really means to be a journalist. Though the term may be subjective due to differences in individual opinions on eligibility, he compares a legendary journalist for NPR (National Public Radio) Daniel Shorr to an adventurer Amanda Lindhout to find a common feature: they both passionately advocate the public’s right to know.

One astonishing deed Daniel Shorr achieved was his stance on the Pike Committee Report. In 1970s, the Congress formed the Pike Committee chaired by Representative Otis Pike to conduct an investigation of the CIA’s operations. Mr. Pike pushed for the publication of his investigation, thus the Pike Committee Report, to public while Ford Administration strongly refused to do so. Eventually, it was leaked to the Village Voice, who Shorr was working for at the time, and the Congress summoned all the reporters and journalists of the Village Voice to ask for their sources.  Shorr strongly refused to reveal the sources of the Pike Committee Report though he was fully aware that his refusal could lead to times in jail. His stance was clear and firm: he found it his duty to preserve the mission of journalism and to advocate the public’s right to know.

Lindhout made the same decision for the public’s right for information. She was fully aware of the dangers and obstacles she would face in Somalia but these difficulties did not stop her from telling the world the truth of what is happening inside the conflict. Shorr and Lindhout show, also in conjunction with Shaaban who demonstrated recently, how many journalists have a sense of duty in reporting the news, and how they take serious risks to seek out “desperate” places and face difficulties to discover the truth. They do so at much risk because their actions may bring out awareness and information that may change the world and because everyone has a right to know the truth. For these reasons, I am in complete agreement with Cohen that it may seem easy to be a journalist yet so hard.

Journalism is considered to be the Fourth Branch of the government, a medium employed to inform the public with truths.  The field of journalism has taken drastic turns in the recent century with the rise of internet social media. With the development of technology and growing accessibility, everyone was given the power to be a journalist. Research could be done easily on-line, and their opinions can be expressed in minutes on their blog. In this environment, it is unfair to say that all journalists must have a journalist education background. Amanda Lindhout is an example of one. However, this does not necessarily mean that anybody can do it. Journalism isn’t as simple as having an opinion. There is still a “definition” of what it means to be a true journalist, and it will always hold true.

Media Communication as a Tool for Terrorism

            Al-Qaida posted a video on militant websites yesterday of Warren Weinstein, a 70-year old American contractor working in Pakistan for the American aid program. Weinstein has been missing since gunmen tricked his guards and kidnapped him from his Lahore home last August. In the video, Weinstein claims that al-Qaida will murder him if President Barack Obama does not give in to the group’s demands. 

            These demands were outlined in a video al-Qaida released last December and included the end of any strikes by America and its allies on Pakistan, Afghanistan, Yemen, Somalia and Gaza and the release of prisoners held by the Unites States on suspicion of involvement with terrorist groups. In the most recent video, Weinstein asks Obama to act quickly, as delays would make things worse for the prisoner.

            In the video, Weinstein is seated in front of a platter of food and eats several bites as he speaks. He alleviates some of the initial worries raised after his kidnapping by addressing his wife, Elaine, and informing her that he is receiving all the required medications for his heart problems and other health issues. Though it’s difficult to tell through the poor recording quality whether Weinstein is truly in good health, all signs point to his general wellbeing. Nevertheless, it’s questionable whether releasing this video to an American audience is ethical. On one hand, the public has a right to the truth, but on the other, broadcasting this video exposes the desperation of an American citizen begging for his life.

           Though we generally consider media communication a positive tool that inspires understanding and information exchange between different countries, classes and people, it is important to recognize that such tools are not inherently good. The meanings they create depend on the individuals wielding them. In this case, a terrorist group utilized online forums and video technology to facilitate a tragic ransom. 

Syria: Unexpected Protest in Unknown City

The Syrian people have led peaceful anti-government protest, since March 2011. It was inspired by the first Arab protest in Tunisia. That protest led to many countries in the Middle East such as Egypt, Jordan, and Libya to protest against their governments. The results of the protest have led for three dictatorships rule to end. Tunisia's former president Zine El Abidine Bin Ali 23 year reign collapsed, Egypt's former president Hosni Mubarak's reign of more than 29 years have came to an end, and Libya's former leader Mummar Gaddafi's 41 year rule came to an end, as well as his life. But, the Syrian people have not met the success as it's neighboring country has. The Syrian government have killed over 9,000 people in its crackdown.
               There have been protest throughout the country. But, the Syrian regime are facing a protest from an unlikely city. The city of Aleppo, Syria, people have started to form protest at the University. The result have led to four people dying, and over two hundred arrested. Check this article out, and learn about the situation in Syria.

Did Facebook start a Revolution?

After the revolutions in Egypt and Tunisia many people have argued that Facebook was responsible for these revolutions. It is important to value and critically analyze how the role of social media has been use as a political tool to bring change but without undermining the people who sacrificed their time, lives and families to bring about this change.  A more in depth and research essay, Streetbook: How Egyptian and Tunisian youth hacked the Arab Springby John Polluck in Technolgy Review, traces when Tunisian activists first started organizing online.


Polluck follows two Tunisian leaders from the organization, Takriz, that helped mobilized thousands of people against Tunisia’s president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. He traces their use of internet since 1998. Waterman (real names are unknown) recalls “that the internet was the only viable option for organizers in 1998”. Since 1998, Pollock explains how more Tunisians entered the virtual world but the numbers were very limited due to Ben Ali’s censorship. By the year 2009, the numbers dramatically changed and more than 800,000 Tunisians had a Facebook.

Polluck emphasizes how Facebook and other social networks function as a medium to spread awareness and mobilize thousands of people into massive anti-government protest. Facebook enabled  people to see and share video and photos of police brutality and raised momentum for movements such as “We are all Khaled Said”. It also helped guide the protests by spreading events on the times and places where they were occurring.The strategies and media tools used by Tunisian activists greatly influenced and inspired Egyptian civilians to mobilize. Polluck describes how “Egyptian activists were following the events in Tunisia, learning from them, and even communicating with some of the leaders -- over Facebook, of course. When one of the Egyptian movement's leaders heard the news from Tunisia, he started texting: Ben Ali gone. Possibility”.

One cannot deny that Facebook and other social networking site were critical in mobilizing people and bringing political change but I find it problematic when the use of Facebook is overemphasized as solely responsible for the Arab Spring.  I feel that this statement perpetuates a Western perspective that technology is the only medium for progress and continues the misrepresentation of Arab people incapable of ruling their own countries, let alone overthrow their government. This statement creates a certain dependency between Arab countries and the Western world and it erases the power of the Arab people and competency to overthrow their government. How can we as conscious students begin to deconstruct the ways certain forms of media can belittle certain  communities?

http://www.technologyreview.com/web/38379/

News, Numbers, Infographs, and Syria

When an image can provide information and news faster, it becomes an effective form of data communication.  We have all heard of the deaths in Syria and the protests, but when transformed into an image, much like a photo, the impact is stronger.  In the realm of numbers and journalism, it can be difficult to convey data to an ADHD audience, numbers becomes exactly that, numbers.  Journalism becomes ineffective when it loses the ability to draw an audience in, and it essentially loses all value in information.  Inforgraphics have been on the rise as it is able to convey meaning, information, and if created with skill, can be impactful. 

It's clique to say that an image can be worth a thousand words, but infographics can do more than a thousand words can do in an article sometimes. Note how the above infograph does not give the actual number of deaths, which is currently estimated 9000.  The infograph does however, provide an image of 9000 men, women, and children, the children are in red.  This communicates the level of destruction done to the people of Syria far better than any numbers given in an article.  

The full image can be seen in detail here.

The Fate of Newspapers

The debate between digital journalism and traditional journalism continues to heat up. Everyone in the journalism world has been talking about the future of newspapers and traditional journalism. It seems to most people that new technology, especially with rise of digital journalism and social media, the newspaper is on its way to "extinction." Is this even a possibility?

Journalist ABDUL RAHMAN AL-RASHID from arabnews.com offers his opinion on the future of newspapers. In his article named Twitter will not kill Journalism, he argues that this kind of "apprehension" for the fate of newspaper is not reasonable. He points out that newspapers have existed since the 17th century and have yet to cease through some important technological evolutions. However, he does recognize the fact that newspaper may not remain in printed version forever. Looking at the bright side, we may end up having the kind of newspaper with live images like those appear in Harry Potter.

The author also comments on the impact social media have on journalism. He assures others that Twitter will not kill newspapers but instead become a helpful addition to newspapers. As he mentions in the article, "it [Twitter] has enabled interaction with the readers which is impossible in the print media". Twitter can be a platform for disseminating information faster. However, people are still going to refer to newspaper if they are desperate for more details. Because let's be real, how much can you really get out of a 140 letters tweet.

Like the article said, Twitter and digital journalism are not killing newspapers. Newspapers will always exist one way or another. So no fear to all journalists and potential journalists! 




An entry by Ashley Huang