Courtney Anne Blogging

As one of the pioneers of computer-assisted reporting, Steve Doig has spent more than a quarter century discovering new ways to practice journalism. Computer technology enables reporters turn numbers into stories, which often underscore larger themes about society, institutions or the government.

In an interview with Scott Maier's Power Journalism class last week, Doig said some of the most helpful advances in computer technology in the last twenty years are satellite images, mapping programs, more content in critical reporting areas, like property tax rolls, and more user friendly software.

Although these tools advance journalists' abilities to expose issues like discrepancies in budget expenditures and projected damages of a storm, Doig reminded the class that obtaining the data is an important part of computer-assisted reporting. One hurdle journalists face in uncovering budget discrepancies, for example, is the willingness of city officials to hand over public records. They don't always comply.

"You have to fight 'em for it," Doig said.

He added that finding the data and using computer tools is an "empowering" process that gives the reporter the chance to create the news rather than simply report it.

Doig understands that statistics can't tell a story on their own. He advised using data when they demonstrate an extreme discovery and simply summarizing when numbers aren't important to the issue.

The media's coverage of Haiti's earthquake generated generous aid from institutions, governments, individuals and groups. The media's success in telling stories continues and without global news, Haiti's prospects for rebuilding would be more dire.

But the TV news stations are pulling correspondents from international posts like Haiti to save money, according to a The New York Times article this week. The good news is many newspapers still have reporters in the country, but as Andrew Kohut of the Pew Research Center said, many Americans know more about Haiti's plight through visual images.

The waning TV crews in global settings is an insight into the looming issue of journalism's economic woes. Newspapers have cut foreign correspondents by half in many cases, relying on fewer reporters to cover a growing world of stories. Are there options to learn about contemporary global issues other than traditional media?

The bloggers and freelance writers in foreign countries are helpful resources for learning about regions in- and outside of the media's reach. And foreign foreign correspondents, or locals employed by news agencies to send reports about their country, are good alternatives to sending the national media abroad. But finding professional reporters in unfamiliar territories with strong foreign language skills for

But what about areas that don't have an Internet connection? Such destinations require money for transportation, security, food, equipment, etc...

And why do we care about international stories like ethnic rioting between the Uighurs and Han Chinese last summer in Urumqi? Urmqi is the capital of the Xinjiang region in China and civil unrest caused the government to execute nine dissidents, citing crimes such as murder and robbery, according to the National Post.

We need to preserve journalism. No voices, no journalism. There seem few ways to keep the cameras rolling and pages turning as media coffers dwindle. As news bureaus close and reporters abandon global regions, journalism is becoming standardized by large, consolidated, mostly Western companies. Unless we want to rely on the few remaining media conglomerates (Disney, Reuters and CNN, among others), the public will need to pay. Human rights activists are no doubt among the parties wanting to know more about the executions. But interest groups aren't the only reasons global news is essential to humankind's livliehood.

Some of us like to live in the past more than others.

Welcome to the Stuck in the '80s blog. The site's author is the online editor for The St. Petersburg Times, Steve Spears.

A teen during the decade, Steve is obsessed with everything from Duran Duran to Journey, John Hughes to John Cusack, and parachute pants to Reaganomics.

The blog started in April 2009 and is updated daily. Blog visitors should read often if they want to hear about '80s events happening around Florida.

Eighties aficionados can also choose one of 30 '80s categories, including Books, Food and Drink and Trivia to learn more quirks surrounding the era's culture. And if you visit the Games link, you'll learn how to play tetras for free on the Internet.

In case you are tired of reading about the 80s, Stuck In The '80s produces weekly podcasts with Steve's commentary on subjects like baseball movies from the '80s, interviews with '80s musicians and guilty pleasures of the '80s.

Unfortunately, the site excludes non-Facebook users from discussions. Therefore, the blog doesn't build community unless everyone signs up for Facebook. I couldn't follow the discussion board because of this restriction. It seems anti-blog to send users to a Facebook page.

But the site is effective for linking '80s fans to bands, actors and other Web sites that praise the '80s era. I found out that Pat Benatar is on tour and Cyndi Lauper will be in Oregon in April!

Although Steve is the blog's only author, he picks diverse 80s memories, including press releases about popular icons like Molly Ringwald, Billy Joel and Van Halen. Did you know Billy Joel's "She's Got a Way" wasn't released until 11 years after it was recorded?

Steve chooses colorful examples of being stuck in the '80s:

• Where to buy custom Mario and Luigi rings
• Whiny lines from the TV Show Thirtysomething
• His interview with Deborah Foreman, the actress from Valley Girl, My Chauffeur, Real Genius and April Fool's Day
  

If you want to prove you are stuck in the '80s, there is an advertisement for buying mugs, buttons, stickers, t-shirts, baby body suits, hats and bibs. Could this be too much? Yes, but I'll probably by a shirt to wear to '80s night at John Henry's.

Media outlets are reducing the number of foreign correspondents they send across the globe because of economic setbacks, but they are also exploring new technologies to expand outreach efficiently.

After an earthquake hit Haiti last week, Internet communications jumped to show the world the stories from the disaster. News groups are sharing technology in order to expose more about Haiti’s current crisis. For example, The Guardian directs its readers to twitter sites started by The New York Times and The Los Angeles Times. All three news sites have blogs, videos, photos, and stories about Haiti’s earthquake on their front pages.

Inside The Guardian’s blog this week, the author posts the most recent TV footage from CNN and hourly observations of relief efforts on the ground.

Some news outlets don’t report disasters as dramatically as others, which might match their organization’s theme in general: either more business-oriented or not yet connected with twitter technologies. The Financial Times' front page, for example, displays one sidebar link about Haiti and photos. Al Jazeera also does not display Haiti’s disaster like other popular media. Its Web site distributes world news evenly among six world’s regions. But a site user can see recent video coverage and read daily disaster updates.

Local newspaper Web sites like The Register Guard and The Seattle Times display links for people to help donate to Haiti’s disaster through Internet contributions or local organizations. In exposing Web users to local opportunities that serve international tragedy, new media applications are bridging the gap between local and global philanthropy. New media is therefore a call to action for disaster relief.

It helps aid agencies also learn about ways to help must faster when reporters send them updates about the level of need as events unravel. The New York Times reported this week that Containers to Clinics is trying to build instant health care in Haiti. Without immediate news releases of the disaster, the Times reported, the group would have deployed to another location.

In the past, print, television and radio have educated people about disasters with their respective mediums of expertise. These mediums lacked the ability for citizens to interact with the stories. Not only will Internet users have the most recent coverage and discussions over disasters with new media, but they can now interact with the event as if they are witnessing or helping in person.

When I started a blog in 2007, I thought I was becoming a journalist. In fact, I simply read various pieces of the same story, summarized the issue and wrote about why it was important. I didn't create original reports but I educated others about international events and civil rights with links to studies, agencies, and yes, The New York Times, among other news sites.

As a blogger, I can write stories from my point of view, in my own words. I can say I think Sharia law destroys women's livelihood and Russians are encouraging over population by paying families to have more kids. I rarely use the word "should" because it doesn't fit my nature unless I am being paid to lobby a cause.

My blog for journalism class was different than my first blog. I reported on local governmental issues in Eugene. I felt like a reporter because I would have written the clips for a newspaper as I wrote them for the blog.

The difference between these two experiences showed me that audience is the most important distinction in whether or not one blogger is a blogger-journalist and another is a blogger-blogger. When I intend my audience for news-seeking locals, I write like a journalist. But when I want to both educate people and make my personal point on a subject, I write like a blogger.

Bloggers have a rough gig. They are seldom paid and are shunned by some journalists for not being real reporters. Are bloggers journalists?

Where journalists traditionally have more prestige and income from their stories than bloggers, bloggers compensate with freedom.

Bloggers are at liberty to write slanted articles with as many sources as they want, while agency guidelines and editors confine journalists. Steve Outing with Poynter Online, a Web site devoted to news and journalism research calls blogging “no restraint journalism.” (See “What Journalists Can Learn From Bloggers”)

He says a big difference between journalists and bloggers is the editor, who, in addition to fact-checking and correcting grammar, also protects against libel. (See “What Bloggers Can Learn From Journalists”)

“In the years ahead, I expect to see some solo bloggers get into trouble…when they lose libel lawsuits,” says Outing.

And there are blogs with noted editors listed on the main page. The Health Care Blog reports original material about the health care industry from many contributors and the Global News Blog aims to teach about international problems and issues.

Some news-based blogs demonstrate as much professionalism, research and quality of sources as a reputable news site. Outing notes bloggers can’t always access top executives or experts, but end up finding insiders who tell a unique story. This is important lesson for journalists who are trained on traditional reporting techniques. (See “What Journalists Can Learn From Bloggers.”)

Some Blogs are a combination of first-hand reports and linked news sources, like The Mexico Institute, which is heavy on linked sources and the more debonair The Gates of Vienna, .

These blogs can accomplish something the print media can't: speedy news. Many online newspapers like The New York Times and The Guardian recognized the technological advantage of reporter blogs, and sustain popular traditional printed editions.

But even speed doesn't offset inaccuracy. Jessi Hempel of Business Week says bloggers have a reputation for errors.

"Just as these sites have been touted as the new pillars of American democracy for their ability to ensure that any literate person can publish, they have also proven to be swirling rumor mills," she writes.

When Hempel wrote her article in 2005, most people probably still read newspapers to find current events. But five years later, blogs have catapulted into commonality for issues ranging from diaries and religious beliefs to legitimate, objective stories.

In November 2009, ProPublica posted an opening for a Reporter-Blogger:

"We don't pretend to have all the answers about how enterprising, aggressive journalism should best be married with the iterative model of blogging. So we'd like to hear about how you envision filling the role."

The future of blogging in journalism is therefore tenuous. Reporter-Bloggers might slowly gain status as reporters after making a professional display of sources and transparent investigation, or by linking with popular news sites like ProPublica.