RIP Net Neutrality

Net Neutrality is pretty self explanatory. A somewhat even spread of power across the internet. There will be no one person who may own hundreds or thousands of sites on the internet. Neutrality amongst the net is a thing of the past. I guess it's like capitalism, it's goal is basically to destroy itself. The individual must gain and continue to gain, but where does that leave those who have not gained? The bottom. Those who "fail" capitalism are less likely to get up because those who have "succeeded" aren't about to give up their power. The rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.

The same concept can be applied to net neutrality. The internet tycoons who have built web empires are not about to move over for the guy who started a blog three months ago, they keep the power for themselves. And if you are lucky enough to attract enough traffic, you may grab the attention of those web tycoons. Here's the catch, once you are picked up by Mr. Web Tycoon, you belong to him. Sure, he chased you down and told you how much he loved your work, but now he wants it and once he has it, you have lost your ability to report independently. If you decide that you are above the influence of corporate media and internet, then you are in the minority, you will also most likely be broke if you continue writing for that small blog.

The internet is a great symbol for what our country has become: a monopoly run by the selfish elites.

The Boston Marathon Media and Independent Media

The April 15th bombings during the Boston marathon devastated a city and our country. The way this story is reported will be the guiding factor which the people shape their opinions on the tragedy. This is where Independent journalists must come to the forefront and report the proper facts. Mainstream journalists will be too busy trying to write what their boss tells them to write. Having an agenda during a situation can lead to travesty within the masses. Reporting rumors of who may have been behind the bombing and throwing a total casualty number so soon after the incident when details are not sorted out are not ethical, but that hasn't stopped the mainstream media before.

Independent journalists can provide a non-biased and factual report on the event because they aren't dealing with a deadline and they aren't answering to anyone about their work except themselves.

The period between the incident and when the real facts are released is another important period within this story. The time right after the bombing is the most journalistically dangerous period because it is when journalists come up with conspiracy theories and dig for the details way before they have come out. Being the one who wants to break the details right away can get reporters into loads of trouble.

While realizing and appreciating those in your life you deeply care for, remembering those who were lost in the bombing and praying for those injured, independent journalists should use this opportunity to gain more credibility for the field of independent media.

Media's Impact on NFL Draft

Considering the NFL Draft is happening next week, I thought I'd delve into the impact the media, both independent and mainstream, has on the draft. I believe the most interesting part of the draft is the time period between the National Championship and the actual day of the draft. The period starts in the beginning of January and runs through the end of April. Keep in mind, during this time no players are actually playing in games or showcasing their in-game talent. They are put through a series of tests, both physical and mental. The way these tests are interpreted by the media can cost these young men, ages 20-22, millions of dollars.

Most everyone is familiar with the Manti Te'o "catfish" scandal. This happened a few weeks after the national championship game, which Te'o played poorly in. His poor performance in the national championship is a deserving reason for his draft stock to drop. The part which the media so grossly dramatized was the impact of the catfish scandal had on Te'o's draft stock. They thought that because he was fooled into dating a woman that didn't exist, he would have poor judgement on the football field, as if the two are so closely related.

In this case, I believe the media has too much impact. The agenda of one journalist, independent or mainstream could alter the life of a young man forever. It's unfortunate what some people feel is necessary to get "even" with athletes who may have snubbed them for an interview or played for an opposing team the reporter did not care for.

Williams vs. Clinton-1999

In a 1999 article, Drudge Report reported that a woman by the name of Bobbie Ann Williams fathered Bill Clinton's child 13 years prior to this article being published. She claimed Clinton was "very good to her and gave her money." 

This is one of the earlier examples of independent media reporting such a colossal story such as this. A story on "the most powerful man in the world," as the article states, fathering a child out of wedlock is a story that every reporter, both mainstream and independent, hopes for there whole career. The article was written by Matt Drudge, the creator of the site. The story that could have possibly brought down the president of the United States was published on a page that looked like it could have been created by a high schooler in computers 101. It shows how far independent media, as well as technology, in the last 10-20 years. 

The Drudge Report is now one of the most respected independent outlets on the web. The page is still not the most aesthetically pleasing on the web, but the material keeps readers coming back with great reporting. Small advertisements on the page are surrounded by many links to articles, the page is run the right way. No constant pop-up ads like you find on other pages. Another example of a great independent outlet making a difference in the industry.

Kate Sheppard

Kate Sheppard of Mother Jones recently visited Ithaca College and will be there once again next week on behalf of Mother Jones to accept the Park School's Izzy Award for their achievements in Independent media. Sheppard is the model for the ideal career of today's journalism grad. With the mainstream media constantly making cuts to their staff, independent media is becoming the way to go for young journalists. Truth be told, schooling isn't necessary to become a journalist anymore. All you need is a blog and one groundbreaking post to grab the attention of readers, then it becomes the journalist's job to keep those fans coming back with entertaining/factual/non biased reporting. 

Her career path is the model for independent journalists. Out of college she had a couple of what she called "glorified internships." Not the traditional summer internship an undergrad would take with either minimal or no pay. Her "internships" were at independent outlets that let her showcase her skills as well as learn new forms of media, such as video and other multimedia aspects of the industry. After her internships, she was hired as a Washington correspondent for Mother Jones. She doesn't only right about politics and government, she handles environmental topics as well. Her reason for being in Ithaca a week before she is scheduled to receive Mother Jones' Izzy Award is to handle an article regarding fracking, a popular topic of late in Ithaca and other parts of central New York. 

Sheppard should be every young, aspiring journalist's hero. Her story is inspiring and sheds light on an industry that has received heavy criticism in both the independent and mainstream sectors. 

Mike Rice Exposed

The recent scandal involving Rutgers University basketball coach, Mike Rice, has sparked conversation about ethics throughout division 1 collegiate athletics. He was caught berating players with homophobic slurs and physically abusing players during practice. Rice was fired in early April, news of his conduct was brought to the attention of former athletic director, Tim Pernetti in November 2012. Rice was not disciplined after Pernetti first saw the tape late last year. He was suspended for two games early in 2013 for his conduct during a game, an incident that was not related to any of his conduct during practice.

The entire situation regarding the Rutgers coach did not receive any public reaction until the news was released a couple weeks ago. The media played an important role in the way the public perceived Rice. Obvioulsy, anyone who saw his actions would believe that he was in the wrong. But perhaps Rice may not have been fired if the media were not there to expose him. After the news was first broken, Rice was only going to receive a lengthy suspension, but the relentless reporting that television, radio and print media put into the story pressured Pernetti and Rice to be fired. The influence the media has can be found in almost any scandal in sports. The New Orleans Saints bounty scandal and the Jerry Sandusky/Penn State ordeal are the two most recent cases of media influence.

Bill Clinton Vs. The Media

The reaction to Bill Clinton's comments about an article written by Vanity Fair's Todd Purdum have raised some pretty flaring reactions itself. Purdum wrote an article about Clinton's friends and advisors may be bringing negative attention to Hillary Clinton's campaign, Clinton reacted by calling Purdum "sleezy," "a scumbag" and "slimy." He claimed his reporting was dishonest and had no real factual base considering he cited no sources.

The reaction from readers on Huffington Post was pretty unanimous. With over 2,000 comments, most called Clinton a hypocrite. The former president obviously had his fair share of controversy while in the  White House and honesty may not have been considered his forte, which is most likely the reason he received the reaction that he did.

This is another instance of huge political figures finding something wrong with anything that isn't written in their favor. While Clinton is regarded as one of our great presidents in recent US history, even he shows the biased that most other political figures do when reacting to media that isn't in their favor. His reaction to attack to the media the way he did was unfortunate, but it is yet another obstacle in media that we all must deal with.

What Does It Take To Get Recognized?

After reading Will Bunch's article on the "future of journalism," I realized that mainly muckraking journalists have been rewarded for their work throughout the history of journalism. I guess it is the excitement of finding the bad in people is what really grabs people's attention. It's a shame that good, non-uckraking reporting is not recognized more often. Josh Marshall was honored with a Polk award in 2008, the first blogger to be honored with the award. It took his work that lost Senator Trent Lott a GOP Senate leadership position. Good reporting on wars, politics and sports should be rewarded no matter the outlet (or lack there of) the writer works for.

Though it is a shame that it takes "kicking up dirt" to get a little recognition as an independent journalist, it is a good tip for young journalists. Become skilled in the craft of interrogative journalism and don't worry about making friends in the industry, this kind of skill and drive will ultimately pay off for you in your career.

Transparency Is Everything

I never understood why transparency wasn't more of a staple in the media. I don't find any comfort in a mainstream journalist's word because it is most often not their own. The process of having an article published is so extensive that the words are so mangled by the time is ready to be published it is hardly the writer's work. Any mainstream media outlet with an agenda is hard to trust because it is always "big business" or a CEO's opinion that fuels the fire and controls the material released.

Transparency on the other hand allows for readers to carefully choose whose work they read and eventually they form an opinion after reading so much of a writer's work and they decided whether or not they are able to trust a writer. Sensationalism and unreliable writing are detectable after a while and if a reader chooses to continue reading such things, they may be better off believing what they are reading is factual (I meant that in the nicest way possible).