The Opportunity
With the crisis in “old media” journalism so severe and the internet flourishing into a popular forum for citizen journalism, citizen media has become a more popular solution for newsgathering. To emphasize the importance of investigative journalism we are offering a limited time opportunity to “shadow” John Mattes, an award-winning journalist who has been an investigative reporter for MGM, USA Broadcasting, ABC World News and San Diego's FOX and Channel 6 news. Also, if you are interested to see how you can craft videos for online distribution, this is a great opportunity for you. John Mattes is investigating deceptive practices of phone and utility companies as well as car sellers and other consumer issues, at a time when private companies continue to ignore the public’s need for honest information.
How to do investigative reporting and craft online videos is a critical, lasting skill to have in a media environment that’s constantly changing.
Watch John's UCAN investigate report on cell phone kiosks that add large hidden fees to their additional contracts HERE
Contact us at studio@newmediarights.org or call us at 619-591-8870 to participate for FREE.
What's gone wrong with traditional media?
As an example of what's continuing to go wrong with traditional media companies, Megan Tady of Free Press wrote an article published this week named, “Consolidation Station: News ‘sharing’ erodes Journalism” which emphasizes why the business models of “old media” (TV, newspapers, radio) continue to mainly support profit-driven, under investigated news. “Shared service agreements” that many media channels are signing, including CBS, NBC and MyNetwork affiliates in Honolulu allow these entities to be housed in the same building, sharing reporters and editorial ideas while still appearing as separate entities to the public on-air. The “consolidated operation” in Honolulu is controlled by one of the country’s largest broadcasters, Raycom media. The Media Council of Hawaii has filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission citing the FCC local television ownership rules that prohibit a media company from controlling two top-four stations or more that two stations in the area. The Media Council’s legitimate complaint comes with a strong warning to those of us who feel that competition and viewpoint diversity must be protected in local markets & communities, “If the Commission does not act promptly to stop this…run around its ownership limits, stations all over the country that are experiencing financial difficulties will enter into similar arrangements.”
Shared agreements are becoming popular for media companies and sharing news stories will continue to damage journalistic integrity. Media companies disinterested in allocating funds towards investigations for press coverage are lacking a very important part of the story, the human element- the work on the ground.
How you can be part of the solution, using New Media as a speaker, citizen, and creator
“New Media” sources like the Internet, which provide openness and interactivity, continue to have rising percentage of people creating user-generated information. These new media tools as a serious opportunity to strengthen our communities understanding of the city, country and world we live in. “Shadowing” John Mattes is a great opportunity for anyone who feels that they want to learn the skill of good, investigative reporting and crafting videos for online distribution. To read more about John's extensive work please read his UCAN Staff Profile.
Those who are interested in exploring more about the opportunity please email Mera@newmediarights.org or studio@newmediarights.org.
“At its most basic sense, social media is a shift in how people discover, read and share news, information and content. It's a fusion of sociology and technology, transforming monologues (one to many) into dialogues (many to many) and is the democratization of information, transforming people from content readers into publishers. Social media has become extremely popular because it allows people to connect in the online world to form relationships for personal, political and business use.” - Wikipedia
You are the new competition, so get started today!
“Citizens of Canada” by Flikr user ItzaFineDay used under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 license