The Black Blogger's Manifesto

Accepting the fact that web logs (e.g. blogz) are not a passing fad but a viable medium for the exchange of ideas, where does the element of race or ethnicity play in these exchanges?

Ever since the early 1800s, the black press has been portraying alternative images of African American life, setting the issues of African Americans on the public's agenda and operating as a catalyst for change. These news outlets were the medium of exchange of ideas.

Even as hundreds of these newspapers still play this role today, the World Wide Web is a 21st century medium of exchange of ideas. Free of charge and easy to launch, Web logs have become one of the most democratic means of exchange on the World WIde Web.

Often these exchanges are over ideas that directly involve, impact or influence African-Americans. What, then, does the African-American participant in these exchanges offer that is DIFFERENT from what might be found elsewhere.

I suggest TEN (10) such things that black bloggers can and should bring to the table in their involvement in the blogosphere:


1. Black Bloggers bring a perspective colored by their own experience as a member of a historically under-represented group.


2. Black Bloggers challenge the stereotypes about the "black" point of view.


3. Black Bloggers set the stage for a rational exchange of ideas.


4. Black Bloggers promote the under-promoted within our communities.

5. Black Bloggers position the issues of the day in the context of history and offer depth where it might not otherwise exist.

6. Black Bloggers strive for the utmost in accuracy in anything they post.

7. Black Bloggers reflect the fairness of those who acknowledge multiple sides of an issue or experience while championing their own posittion.


8. Black Bloggers exercise restraint when passing along information not properly vetted or verified for its legitimacy.

9. Black Bloggers carry the spirit of black Press whenever they post.

10. Black Bloggers see the educational role they play as paramount to their practice.

DEVELOPED by Dr. George L. Daniels
July 5, 2008

Premature Panic on Minority Jobs?

This week the National Association of Black Journalists, of which I am a member, issued a strongly worded statement -- an open letter to those in the newspaper industry.

"Let this serve as an open letter to the entire industry: NABJ will hold you accountable if you do not consider diversity in your hiring and, particularly, firing practices," the statement read.

Issued the day before the 4th of July holiday, the statement probably has yet to be read by many who have been away for the holiday.

But, will it make a REAL difference? So what the NABJ will hold you accountable.

What about my fellow colleagues in the electronic media? Any day now, the Radio-Television News Directors Association will release its annual diversity census.

A year ago, that census showed overall minority employment in radio and television newsrooms had dropped back to 21.5 percent (from 22.2 percent the year before).

But, the number of black journalists in radio and TV increased.

Will we see the same thing this year? Is the crisis just far worse for newspapers and that's why the NABJ hit the panic button, sounded the alarm or whatever other cliche we want to use?

It seems to me that the NABJ and other sister organizations in the UNITY group-- NAHJ, AAJA and NAJA-- should get a fuller picture of the industry before sounding such an alarm. The strategies used to get the attention of those at the nation's newspapers may have to change. Perhaps this is a topic that will be discussed at the upcomign UNITY Journalists Quadrennial convention in Chicago.

Perhaps it's the organizations' memberships that will have to change. Maybe more of the newspaper/print journalists will have re-tool or re-make themselves to be more multimedia in this multimedia age. I realize this is an ongoing discussion. But, I just have to believe that change from WITHIN may be just as important as change outside of minority journalism groups.

It's a different day, a different time. The tools we use to diversify the media industry have to be different as well.

The Four Pillars of the NAACP

I thought the way the president-elect of the NAACP articulated the organization was particularly interesting.

He says the NAACP is a house with FOUR Pillars-- the Black Church, the Black Press, the Black businss community and the membership of the civil rights group itself.

Himself a black journalist who once headed the National Newspaper Publishers Association, Benjamin Jealous, presented this picture of the NAACP at last month's NNPA Merit Awards dinner in Louisville, KY.

It seems to me that if the Black press are, in fact, collectively acting as a pillar of the NAACP, then these mostly weekly newspapers, radio stations, and a handful of television stations and cable networks won't be going away any time soon.

Can we define "press" as multimedia in 2008? We should. But, I'm sure there are some who see the "black press" as exclusively newspapers, just as it has been in historical terms.

Increasingly, the online dialogue in places like BlackAmericaUSA.com, blackpressusa, blackplanet.com is really an extension of the Black Press.

Many of these black-oriented newspapers have yet to step full force into the World Wide Web. Yet, they are not reach an audience that goes online to debate, dialogue and get up-to-speed on what's happening to others who look like them.

So, we have to define "black press" more broadly-- and if we link that to Mr. Jealous' definition of the NAACP, these outlets are by definition integrated into the civil rights movement of 2008.

As an NAACP member, a black journalist and a Christian very involved in a predominantly black church, I stand on three of the four pillars.

This latest news from Mr. Jealous certainly further explicates a point he made and I commented on in an earlier posting on the day after his appointment to the top job at the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization.

We'll likely hear more from Mr. Jealous later this month as the NAACP starts its own convention in my old stomping ground, Cincinnati, Ohio.

Video embedding- YouTube Style

I've become an instant YouTube fan. In fact, I'm ashamed to admit that I've spent sometimes hours and hours watching one video after another on YouTube.

My most favorite types of videos-- clips of local newscasts around the country.

As we talk about embedding video (via MSNBC's site), YouTube has been promoting this for a while





I've done research and visited WHNT more than any other station in the Tennessee Valley. While not rated number-one in the Huntsville market, this station is one of the best in the state.

Video embedding- MSNBC-style

These days news Web sites-- whether extensions of newspapers or electronic media outlets are increasingly including video as a "MUST-HAVE" on their sites. I'm told by some who run these sites that the availability of video that viewers can click and watch dramatically enhances the viewer experience and increases the number of "hits" on a site. Visitors stay longer when they're watching video instead of just scanning text.

I'm a big ONLINE Video watcher. In fact, this summer, I've developed a habit of watching at least three daily news programs via podcast. Downloading NBC Nightly News, The Today Show, an ABC News Webcast is a routine that gives me about an hour's worth of network news content guaranteed. It's a useful evening supplement (NOT a replacement) to my reading the daily newspapers in the morning (I tend to read at least 3 every morning). And, if I'm home or able to get to a television at 5:30 p.m. Central Time, it allows me to focus on the over-the-air newscasts NOT available online.

Now, tonight during one of those web-only commercials during the Nightly News podcast, I saw the announcement about MSNBC's video embedding tool.

BAM! I'm there-- and here's my first video embedded on my blog. Like any easy tool-- there's a catch, MSNBC includes a quick advertisment for viewers to point BACK to its site at the end of the video. But, if you're not put off by that, the video is one to check out.





This is one of my favorite stories of the day because Wal-mart (A.P. Stylistically correct way to write it) is finally growing on me after all of these years. I've always been a Target (or as they say "Tar--ZAY") kind of guy, preferring the neat, "refined" orderly layout of the big RED DOT stores to the seemingly "zoo-like" atmosphere of a Wal-Mart (Have you ever been in there on the first day of the month?).

OK-- that was a little insensitive, I'll admit. My apologies.

But, on a recent trip, I made a food run from my hotel and Wal-mart was nearby. So, the nation's biggest retailer got my food money for the day-- and I came out with a frozen dinner, munchies and plenty of water with not a lot of money. I was pretty happy and I avoided the stop for unhealthy fast food, to which I often resort when traveling.

Now, the retailer is donning a new look. Will that bring George Daniels back to the store more often? Maybe, it's certainly got my attention.

Today's Decatur Big Photo

When it comes to front page layout, I like the way the editors made use of a really dominant photograph in today's front page layout. It's one example of

What Mark Lent Left Me To Think About

Veteran photojournalist Mark Lent gave a presentation on "Visual Journalism" this week that really made me think about the degree to which photojournalists work to get that perfect photo that we read in the newspaper or see in a magazine.

I thought I as a reporter was busy gathering all the facts and information for the text part of the story.

Looking at some of the photos that Mark Lent, a telecommunication and film student at the University of Alabama, shot, I have a whole new appreciation for the visual side of news gathering.

In checking out some of the Mark's writing on the Popular Photography Web site, I see one of those photos that left an impact.


Mark talked about the importance of capturing emotion. He also talked about the factor of timing. This photo would not have been possible if Mark had not had just the right timing.

In his article, he talks about the three key elements to getting photos like this: focus, exposure and timing.

But, the big thing he revealed is that he practiced. He didn't just accidentally stumble into this shot. He pratices shooting children playing -- a way to see if you get just the right shot.

"Shooting sports well means that you can regularly anticipate what's going to happen, " Lent wrote in an article from Popular Photography nearly two years ago.


If nothing else, I realize that to get really good with my digital camera, I had to be willing commit time to practice-- with the focus, exposure and timing in mind.

Scenes from Cedar Rapids

The experience of the people of Cedar Rapids, Iowa is almost unbelievable. The Des Moines Register captured the experience with many, many images.


In this photo, Des Moines Register photojournalist Harry Baumert Brandon Smith, 23, carries Bender, right, and Fry, his fiance's cats, this morning in southwest Cedar Rapids. His neighbor, Tyrone
Pierce, 49, follows. Smith said there was no flooding in sight when they
evacuated the neighborhood Wednesday afternoon.

While the neighbor appears in this image, the cats -- their unassuming nature -- ones that might otherwise be left behind-- really help tell the story.

My favorite news source

My favorite news Web site is CNN's new website.

New Day, New Leader for NAACP in New Era

The big news out of Baltimore today -- the selection of a new President and CEO for the NAACP, the nation's largest civil rights organization of which I am a subscribing life member.

I read about the announcement today on the NAACP's Web site and thought-- wow! Someone different. But, then I just read the Washington Post story and learned Benjamin Jealous is younger than I.

I'm like-- "wait a minute" the leader of the NAACP is only 35 years ago? Now that is a switch.

At 38, I feel like I can identify with the Gen-Xer who will lead the nation's largest civil rights organization starting September 1. Hey-- he's a journalist. And, not just any journalist-- a journalist who has worked for a black newspaper.

The Jackson Advocate in Jackson, Mississippi is among the organizations on Jealous' resume.

Jealous' hire is exactly the direction that we (since I'm a member I can say that) need to go as we look at the freedom fighters of the 21st century.

Apparently, he wasn't the only 30-something who was a finalist for the position. According to a report in today's Baltimore Sun, a 37-year-old adviser for former president Bill Clinton was also among the finalists.


Having worked in the NAACP as a youngster serving on the local and regional level of the NAACP Youth and College Division, I know what an interesting animal we have here-- in 99 years-- the organization has single-handedly opened doors for people who look like me.

I wouldn't have the great job I have today as a journalism professor were it not for the NAACP.

But at the same time, the NAACP has members who have worked for civil rights all their lives and local branches that are suffering from a lack of enthusiasm and younger leadership.

As its centennial celebration is less than a year away (Feb. 12, 2009), the NAACP sits as an interesting crossroads.

The organization today is choosing to go with younger leadership seasoned with the experience in advocating for black newspapers as head of the National Newspaper Publishers Association and, most recently, immigrants and working class families as head of the Rosenberg Foundation.

An interesting to know that Jealous is the product of interracial marriage where his white father and black mother both participated in the civil rights movement. The NAACP has never been just a black organization. It's future will be dependent on a realization that civil rights issues must be fought be those of all races, colors and creeds.

Jealous certainly can attest to this based on who he is and what his parents did even before he was born.

As I noted in a posting late last year, Freedom is Not Free, and that's something to which Jealous is committing himself at a level that his predecesoor apparently was not as succesful.

According to the Baltimore Sun report, Jealous said he will also focus on supporting the NAACP's nearly 2,000 local units across the country and on using technology more effectively to "pull people into this movement."

Now you're talking my language.

The strength of the NAACP is in its local branches. To the extent that those branches are supported, the organization is positioned for the next 100 years.

And, as someone who knows a little bit about technology, I second the motion to use it to attract more people to the fight for civil rights.

Communication Scholar Named New Howard President

This is the first day after the spring semester and I finally have time to update my blog with thoughts about one of the biggest stories of the week for me-- the appointment of a new president at Howard University.

It was announced yesterday that Dr. Sidney Ribeau, the president of Bowling Green State University in Ohio will become the 16th president of my beloved alma mater.

It was exciting to see this news, in particular, because Ribeau is a interpersonal communications scholar. While I'm not in communication studies, the field of journalism and mass communication is closely aligned with our brethren in rhetoric and communications.

Based on the the write-ups I've read, it looks as if his 13 years at the northwest Ohio school have been good ones.

I visited there a couple of years ago and was impressed.

Right now, I'm excited about what's to come as Ribeau takes up where Dr. Swygert leaves off to lead the world's premiere HBCU.

Ribeau is described as a "facilitator of change" and "collegial leader." We'll see how that plays out as he takes the helm August 1.

Jeremiah Wright and Dangers of Soundbite Journalism

I've just finished watching the much-talked-about interview with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, the now retired pastor of United Church of Christ in Chicago.

For those who don't know him, Rev. Wright was Sen. Barack Obama's pastor before he retired. His controversial sermons prompted Obama to make a major speech

Not only did I learn that this renown minister is a fellow Howard University graduate, but that he also spent some time in my hometown of Richmond, Va. at Virginia Union University.

These connections aside, what the story involving Rev. Wright shows us is the dangers of using soundbites to tell a story.

As a television producer, I've written thousands of news stories (VO-SOTS of PACKAGES for those of you who know the TV news jargon) where snippets or soundbites were used to extend what was conveyed in the news copy.

Whenever we excerpt an interview or a speech with a soundbite, we always have to be concerned about what part is being left out.

Tonight, Bill Moyers provided the context needed for viewers to understand the Rev. Wright soundbites that have been circulated over and over and over via video Web sites such as YouTube and played on cable and broadcast news.

While the Web site even minutes after the hourlong broadcast ended already has dozens of comments from viewers, millions more didn't watch tonight's broadcast and will only judge Rev. Wright by those soundbites, either from his sermon or from news broadcasts that reported on his interview.

During the interview Rev. Wright addressed the motives of those who selected the sound bites that have been played this spring:

“When something is taken like a sound bite for a political purpose and put constantly over and over again, looped in the face of the public, that's not a failure to communicate. Those who are doing that are communicating exactly what they wanna do, which is to paint me as some sort of fanatic or as the learned journalist from the New York Times called me, a "wackadoodle".

It will be interesting to see what news reporters who write stories about Moyers' interview tonight decide to use as "quotes" in their reports.

We shall see. For now, there's a big lesson to be learned about soundbites in our journalism.

NAB Conference Web Sites

There are many Web Sites that relate to the recent gathering of the National Association of Broadcasters, which I attended in Las Vegas last week.

NAB Home Page
The the largest advocacy group for radio and television licensees of the Federal Communication Commission. The organization's Web site talks about what happens the other 51 weeks when this group is not meeting in Vegas.

RTNDA Home Page
Last week's gathering was not only the meeting of the National Association of Broadcasters, but also the largest group of electronic journalists, the Radio Television News Directors Association. RTNDA, of which I am a member, recently upgraded its Web site.

Las Vegas Convention Center Home Page
The home base for the tens of thousands of electronic technicians and managers was the Las Vegas Convention Center, which has three halls. This Web Site includes a number of floor plans and other resources to help visitors like myself negotiate the huge convention venue.

Las Vegas Monorail
Since my hotel was located on the opposite end of the famous Las Vegas Strip, I had to catch the Monorail to and from the Convention Center each day. This Web site gives you information on how to purchase tickets.

It's not about Palm Sunday, It's About God's Plan

Charlotte, NC-- It's Palm Sunday and we begin week two of this road trip in Charlotte, NC where I was fortunate enough to worship with the folks at New Birth Charlotte this morning.

It's hard to believe this church is already five years old. I remember visiting only three weeks after Pastor Terrell Murphy founded the church in 2003, right after I had moved from New Birth in Atlanta to Alabama.

I was eager to check out this first church that was planted outside of our Lithonia, Ga- based New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. I remember when Pastor Murphy was Elder Murphy and dynamically leading our college campus ministry. He's still as dynamic as ever and allowing God to use him in a mighty way.

He has the heart of our Bishop Eddie L. Long and it just flows right through the way that New Birth Charlotte has grown to several thousand members in the last half-decade.

Picked up a copy of Pastor Murphy's first book, It Had Already Happened. Can't wait to dive into it this week in between stops on this trip.

I was challenged today to remember that I am part of God's plan-- and everything I do should tie directly back to his larger plan.

The church has moved to a larger facility where it now holds three services at 7 am, 9:15am and noon. It started with services at a high school in Huntersville.

Having been back once since that initial visit, I was coming today for the first time to the facility in University Place-- but it definitely won't be my last. I'll have schedule a Sunday here in Charlotte again so that I can worship here another Sunday.

Reflections on a week in East Alabama

It's rare to spend six days away from campus and yet remain in Alabama. But, that's been the case this last week-- the first of two on the road. While three of those were spent on the road in Anniston-Jacksonville area, the last three were spent in Auburn.

On this Sunday-- as week two begins, it's worth pausing to reflect on the significance, the memorable moments of the road trip that registered several hundreds miles on my odometer.

Tuesday, March 11- Letterwriters Banquet, Anniston, Ala.

While I have written more extensively about this event on my other web log, the reunion with one of my former students, who now is in the Knight Fellows Program in Anniston was perhaps most memorable about this event at the Anniston Natural History Museum.

Wednesday, March 12- Ayers Lecture, Jacksonville, Ala.



Seeing my students all dressed up as they reported on New York Times Publisher Arthur Sulzberger's visit to Jacksonville State was definitely the highlight of this stop. I even got a chance to introduce them as I commented during a question-and-answer session. It's always exciting to visit the picturesque Jacksonville State campus.

Thursday, March 13- Dedication of the Cole Campbell Collection Anniston, Ala.

The late Cole Campbell, a former editor of the Virginian Pilot and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch was remembered as thousands of his books have made their way to Alabama from his most recent home in Reno, NV. Present and former deans of our College as well as present and former journalism department heads were on hand for the dedication of the Cole Campbell Collection. I certainly enjoyed speaking at this particular event.

Friday, March 14- Auburn University

The editor of the student newspaper at our cross-state rival institution-- Auburn University-- reflected on how well his staff handled the recent murder of a student near the campus. David Ingram,editor of the Auburn Plainsman, was quite clear in his belief that his staff was prepared as it found itself cast into the national spotlight with the murder of Lauren Burk.

Just hours after hearing from Ingram, I was able to catch up with one of my former students, who is covering the Burk murder for the Opelika-Auburn News. Katie Stallcup was always very outstanding. She's recently signed on the Media General-owned paper where she covers crime and courts.

Saturday, March 15- Meeting Editor of Auburn Magazine

Not only did my visit to the Auburn campus for the 2008 AEJMC Southeast Colloquium allow me to meet the editor of the Auburn Plainsman, but also the editor of the Auburn Magazine, the alumni publication which is similar to Alabama Alumni Magazine, on whose advisory board I served. It's exciting to hear that the editor is a journalism graduate from the University of Georgia.

Rivalries aside, the Auburn campus was certainly nice to visit and I look forward sharing with the folks there again soon.

PolitiBits Launches, Looks to be Top Political Site

First POLITICO.. now PolitiBits.

The Tuscaloosa News's new political blog went live this week, just in time for the hype and excitement surrounding the Alabama Presidential Primary, which is just a week away.


As the candidates make their last-minute swings through the state, we now have a place to vent, rant and reflect about what the locals are saying about the candidates.

The TNews folks there have high hopes for the site becoming a "one-stop-shopping website for political news in Alabama."

I'm looking forward to seeing the active conversation on Politics on the blog, which is under the direction of newly-appointed online editor Tommy Stevenson.

In case you didn't know what POLITICO was, it's the political newspaper that launched a year ago as the new Democratic-controlled Congress began its term and President Bush was preparing to make his State of the Union address.

Alabama has a new local newscast

For those like me who love to follow the happenings in the broadcast news world, you'll be excited to know that Huntsville is the latest Alabama market to add a local program.

You may have read my posting on the COM-J blog last year where I talked about Montgomery added a local newscast on its CW affiliate. The newscasts was actually produced by WAKA-TV, the CBS affiliate.

In a an earlier experiment that failed, WAAY produced a primetime product for WZDX. Now, the FOX affiliate is going on its own with an interesting relationship with Independent Network News(INN), which is based in Iowa.

The INN product used to air here in Tuscaloosa on our University-owned station, WVUA.

The story about WZDX's new 9pm news was first reported in The Huntsville Times last week.

This week, Huntsville became the latest market to add an early evening newscast with FOX affiliate WZDX-TV joining the news competition where WHNT, WAAY, and WAFF have been for years with a 10pm product.

No doubt, with the Super Bowl in two weeks and American Idol starting, this was the perfect time to try a local news product.

It will be interesting to see if the station eventually adopts the "MY FOX" concept that has been happening at many affiliates-- even those not owned by the network.

I hope to check out the new broadcast in a few weeks when I'm up in the Tennessee Valley/Shoals area this winter.

CNN Documentary on MLK Papers Fascinating

It you have not seen it, CNN Soledad O'Brien's hourlong documentary on Dr. King's papers is worth an hour of your time.

CNN re-aired the program, "Martin Luther King: Words That Changed a Nation" tonight, two days before the 22nd observance of the King National Holiday.

When King's papers were purchased and brought back to Atlanta last year, CNN took a crew back to some of the places connected to the papers and made the writings of the Dr. King come alive.

Many of us have heard of the "Letter from the Birmingham Jail." But, to see Dr. King's actual handwriting and hear the stories surrounding that writing is a whole other thing.

CNN has created a companion Web site with teaching guides and PDF files of some of the documents referenced in the documentary.

Civil rights warriors like Andrew Young, Wyatt Tee Walker, Congressman John Lewis and Fred Gray all appear in the program.

There are very few documentary works on civil rights movement that can compare to the award-winning Eyes on the Prize series, which first aired more than 20 years ago.

But, this CNN special comes very close.

Snowman pictures carry the day

Perhaps my earlier critique of the Alabama media in "getting up" their coverage of the snowstorm on their Web sites was a bit premature. Almost everybody has updated their sites now with some elements from today's snowstorm.

Now that the storm has passed through the Atlanta market, we can see the breadth of the coverage across the Southeast-- in multiple markets. From the (Jackson, MS) Clarion-Ledger's online reporting to the "Snow is Falling, but not accumulating" coverage on Raleigh's WRAL-TV Web site, journalists across the region are making use of the World Web Wide as the medium to tell this story.

Ironically, The Tuscaloosa News, which was quick to post this morning has not yet updated -- other than a new picture-- its site throughout the afternoon.

The "serve it while it's hot" philosophy is clearly playing out on the Atlanta Journal Constitution's web site.

The splash page depicts at least ten elements including a main story, which NOW has shifted from the snowstorm to the icy roads expected with the extreme cold (for the south). Also there are links to numerous reader photos, a story about flight cancellations, tips for driving and links to places to monitor flight arrivals and departures. At the top of their coverage box, they include links to a listing of cancellations.


But, the art-- the reader-submitted photos are what carry this Web presentation

Even more user-generated content on the AJC's sister Cox Enterprises-owned TV station, WSB-TV, which has some 25 slideshows.
posted.

I could not help but check out what my former TV station, WXIA-TV does.

An "auto-start" clip from either their 6 p.m. newscast or a web-only visit for the NBC Weather Plus (can't tell from the video) provides an update from the Weather Anchor Paul Ossmann and meteorologists Chris Holcomb and Steve Adamson (both of whom I worked with more than seven years ago).

Like many NBC affiliates, which mostly all run the continuous digital weather feed, Weather Plus, the forecast maps and digital feed with video inserts can be brought front and center on the Web site. Crawls with National WEather Service alerts and links to closings are also on the home page. It's all under the banner: Winter Watch 2008.

Despite all of these elements on 11ALIve's site, they have a link to a web log that stopped being updated at 9:43 this morning. So, how useful is this link?

They have a Web story along with a TV package by my former co-worker Donna Lowry. This is a great example of how the TV newscast content could be repurposed for the Web.

Another piece-- Elaine Reyes' live report (And insert) from Piedmont Park, which she says was "the hottest spot" in Atlanta.


Back here in Alabama, the Montgomery Advertiser (another Gannett-owned property) also included some citizen-submitted photos. But, they also included citizen-generated videos.

Alvin Benn's story has a fresh lead advancing the story to focus on the freezing temperatures expected this evening and comments from the local emergency management officials and the Montgomery Mayor Bobby Bright.

The professional, news product is accompanied by the citizen-submitted content-- two short videos from citizens experiencing their first snows.

The youngster in one of the videos can't be more than three years ago. He asks his parents "what happened to our car?"

He clearly hasn't experienced snow. The fact is it's more than three years since Montgomery has had snow.

Alongside the citizen video, there was a video produced by the Montgomery Advertiser staffer Shannon Heupel.



The Advertiser's own weather picture from the city skyline is not nearly as exciting as the citizen photos.

ABC 33/40 Gets Snow Coverage Award!

They may not have been the only ones on, but the folks at WBMA-TV ABC 33/40 seem to have done the best job all-around with the coverage of the breaking news on the winter weather.

Why are they the winner?

It's the cross-media coverage plan that seems to have executed well. At this hour, as the snow has tapered off in our West Alabama area-- the TV stations have also ended their continuous over-the-air coverage.

Branding their coverage under the banner of the "Alabama Freeze," the meteorologists are clearly having fun as they provide the latest information.

At 6 a.m., WBMA, the ABC affiliate in Birmingham, WVTM, the NBC affiliate and WBRC, the FOX affiliate were all on with special editions of their morning shows. (Some of the stations were on-the-air with updates overnight)

Now, as it approaches noon, ABC 33/40 staff are still doing a live web-only program.

They had a special Webcast last night.


The station's chief meteorologist, James Spann, the most well-known weather personality in the state, and his staff have been providing a live stream wall-to-wall all morning.

ABC 33/40 have been taking in photos using a Flickr Web site and showing that online

"Seeing the faces of the children is what this is all about," said Spann, who putting a number of the kids and snow photos in the live Web stream.

Using their network of skycams and their web log, the staff members there have been able to add a whole different aspect to the coverage that can be dcne over-the-air.

This is a story where the newspapers (and their Web sites) just could not compete. But, they didn't cede the BREAKING NEWS territory to the TV folks entirely.

It is interesting that al.com, the state's biggest news WEb site streams ABC 33/40's signal. But, apparently the newsroom chose not to do a great deal of aggressive updating on the winter weather today.

Among the state's largest newspapers, The Tuscaloosa News was among the first to post a fresh story on today's winter weather. Anna Maria Della Costa, the assistant managing editor for content, wrote an update, acknowledging that it ( the snowy weather) was "short-lived" and no major cancellations had been reported.

The photo here was taken by The Tuscaloosa News Photo Editor Robert Sutton. He interviewed the student, Thomas Harrison, a sophomore at the University of Alabama from Mobile.

"It's awesome," said Harrison, "Something I have not seen in about 12 years."

According to Sutton's cutline, dozens of students went to the quad to play in the snow.




Not to be outdone by their similar-sized rival newspaper on the West Side of the state, the Anniston Star ALSO posted a fresh story this story.

My colleague, Andy Johns (who I worked with as a part of the Knight Fellows in Community Journals Program) , had a new story posted at 11:11 a.m.

Anniston Star Metro Editor Ben Cunningham, another colleague, took this photo in Jacksonville this morning. (Looks similar to the photo I took here in Tuscaloosa)






By the way, even while I was writing this blog update-- the SNOW on my front lawn-- and the roofs of houses in my neighborhood (see pictures in earlier post) has MELTED.

So, at least for now, this morning's snow in Tuscaloosa is HISTORY!

A Snowy Day in Tuscaloosa--FINALLY!

It's been a L---O---N--G time coming for me-- five years and one month to be exact.

That's how long I've been in Tuscaloosa and never seen it snow here.

This morning, I awakened to flakes falling with a little accumulation on shrubbery and grassy areas in the front yard. While it's been waiting to be put in service-- my snow shovel will not be needed today. And, the bag of rock salt will remain in the garage.

Both of those items I brought from Cincinnati to Smyrna, Ga. in 1995 to Athens, Ga. where they were used ONCE in five years in 2002.



Now, today in January 2008, I thought I'd better take some shots of the frozen precipitation before it melts.


Up until now, I've had to travel elsewhere-- Estes Park, Colorado and Reno, Nevada-- to see the white stuff.

Of course, there's a chance another wave of winter weather will move through before the season is over.

But, at least I can now say that it DOES snow in Alabama.

R-Braves, Don't Go!

It's a sad day for baseball fans in my hometown of Richmond, Va. This afternoon, it was announced that the Richmond Braves are leaving Richmond for greener pastures in Gwinnett County, Ga.

While the International League farm team for the Atlanta franchise is probably not the first thing that baseball fans think of when they think of America's greatest pasttime, it is OUR hometeam.

That's why I just had to stop what I was doing on a busy Tuesday afternoon and reflect on the news that the first baseball team I ever knew will soon not be there when I go home.

The story is still developing as of this writing-- at least the reaction to it.

I will be interested to see what Mayor Doug Wilder and other officials have to say.

Much of this is related to the venue for the Braves. When I was kid, the old Parker Field (previous stadium for the Braves) was demolished and The Diamond was built as the new home for the team. I can remember getting excited about going to the Diamond.

We used to have Boy Scout's night at The Diamond.

Having visited other baseball venues in my adult life-- including the homes of the Atlanta Braves, the Arizona Diamondbacks and Chicago White Sox, I can see how The Diamond has become relic of yesteryear.

So, we can't really blame the team for moving if they couldn't get a nicer place to call home.

But, I will CERTAINLY be making my way to the Diamond at least once or twice this summer-- if for no other reason-- for old time's sake.

The Diamond is just 5 or 10 minutes from my house, down the street from my old elementary school on the Boulevard.

Well, that's all I'll say for now. But, I'm just so saddened by this news.

The Digital Yearbook Provides Path to the Past

These days yearbooks are often not the first publication outlet one gravitates toward when deciding where to work.

In fact, some college yearbooks have gone out of service after years of poor sales and low interest.

In the last few years, the University of Alabama Libraries has been augmenting its digital collection.

One of the items in the digital collection is a set of old copies of the UA Yearbook, The Corolla. In thumbing through the 1969 Corolla, I stumbled upon a familiar face.



Professor Dan Meissner has been teaching in our journalism department for years. But, I didn't realize that he worked as a staff photographer for The Crimson White.

Today, I know him as the chairman of the Tuscaloosa City School Board.


My point-- you never know what or who'll you'll find in the digital yearbook.

The UA Digital Library is a great resource for news reporters and editors trying to expand or deepen their coverage.

New Day, New Year from Florida

ST PETERSBURG, Fla.-- The first post on this blog of 2008 comes from Tampa's twin city where we're about to board a plane headed to Atlanta.

Gotta go! Will report more on what happened here at the AEJMC Scholastic Journalism Midwinter Meeting later.

A Record Year For This Blog!

As much time is it takes to keep it updated, this web log has had a record year. In just a few short hours, we will be turning the page from 2007 to 2008.

I just looked at the number of postings to this Web log this year and I doubled the number of postings in 2005 when it was first established.

I think the improvements by BLOGGER.com have helped to increase the capacity to handle video and other resources.

As 2008 begins, my goal is to develop a separate Web presence for video and audio from the various events to which I travel. That will be exclusively dealing with journalism or media-related events.

We'll see how much time is available to bring that plan to fruition.

In the meantime, on this last post of 2007-- let's just celebrate the success we've had online in this arena this calendar year.

Worshipping with an Old Friend

RICHMOND, Va-- One of the joys of the holidays is catching up with friends and family. In fact, in my case, it’s that much more important since 98 percent my family is here in Virginia—hundreds of miles away from Tuscaloosa.

Last night, I had one such occasion as I ventured back to Moore Street Baptist Church for the official release of a childhood friend’s CD.

Rev. Dr. Milondra Coleman is one who has done many things in her 30 plus years on this earth. But, her biggest accomplishments to date are the release of TWO books in less than three years.

One of these days (real soon), I'll get around to doing a review of Equipping Them to Lead, an indepth treatment on peer youth ministry. In 2008, Coleman's second book, Love Letters, will be in bookstores.

How exciting to know an author who has been so prolific.

In between writing these two books (and working full-time as a world history teacher), she recorded a CD—“Worship with Milondra.”




I haven’t yet received my copy of the CD. But, we got a taste at a service held at Coleman’s home church here in Richmond- the Moore Street Baptist Church.

In the process of experiencing the worship, those of us in attendance were taken on a journey of how one develops as a worshipper.

It reminded me of award-winning recording artist Richard Smallwood’s (a member of our music staff at Metropolitan Baptist in Washington, DC) latest CD.. JOURNEY. Smallwood takes us on the journey from his pre-Howard University days to his connections with artists in the secular and the gospel arena.

While Smallwood included some new cuts on his CD, Coleman used familiar songs that are associated with her own development.

As if the experience of seeing a friend from elementary school (we used to attend Ginter Park and Mary Scott Elementary Schools together), going back to Moore Street was an experience for me as well.

When I was a teen, Moore Street was where I participated in a weekend workshop on leadership and etiquette, sponsored by the Richmond Chapter of Jack & Jill of America.

Security at Church?

WASHINGTON, DC--- As is often my custom when I’m home in Richmond, I’ll venture up to the nation’s capital (only a short 90-minute drive) for church or to visit friends or check on things related to whatever project on which I’m working at the time.

After all, I lived there for four years as a student at Howard University from 1988 to 1992.

It’s always great to return to the church where I was an active member — the Metropolitan Baptist Church—in NW Washington. I always look forward to Sunday services at my beloved Metropolitan.

As I learned at Sunday's service, a big change is coming there.

Perhaps it’s a sign of the times in which we live—As of Tuesday (New Year’s Day), a security policy goes into effect at this Washington, DC church.

Here’s the announcement as it appeared in Metropolitan’s December 30th church bulletin:

Safety in the Sanctuary—We are committed to the safety of all who come to worship God. Therefore, beginning January 1, 2008, no luggage, briefcases, shopping bags, or other personal bags, with the exception of diaper bags and hand bags, will be allowed in the sanctuary during worship services or in any other part of the building. Thank you for your cooperation as we seek to ensure your safety”

This is certainly noteworthy – although not entirely unexpected given recent events.

Earlier this month, two people were killed and two were injured in a shooting at a Colorado Springs Church. It was later linked to a separate shooting incident in Arvada, Colo.

But at the same time, did we ever think there would be a day when one has to be concerned about his/her security in houses of worship? Regardless of your religious or spiritual leanings, there are just certain things that we consider sacred.

Temples, synagogues, houses of prayer—they’re just not places we usually have to be on-guard.

Or, am I being naïve? Yes, we never know who might walk in.. especially in a city like Washington, DC.


As Metropolitan Baptist gets set to move to Largo Maryland (see new site at right) in the next two years, I wonder whether this type of security policy will be necessary in the suburban church like it is in the so-called inner city.

Oh well, it’s something to think about. That’s what this web log is about—a place to comment or reflect on things we experience.

Getting Lost in Hampton Roads

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va-- We finally made it-- to my brother's house in Virginia Beach. But, as many times (well, at least twice) that I've been down here to the Hampton Roads area-- I can't remember missing the exit and getting lost.

We (my parents and I) were supposed to be there by 10am, but arrived nearly an hour late because we missed the Newtown Road exit (off Interstate 64). As it turns out, Newtown Road does not run directly off I-64 West-- so you have to know to get on I-264.

Well, the little out-of-the-way excursion toward Chesapeake (I think) down beyond Virginia Beach was probably good for me to become a LITTLE bit more familiar with Hampton Roads, an area of the state my brother is a lot more familiar with than I.

He's a Hampton Univ. graduate (the OTHER H.U.)-- and has lived either in Hampton, Norfolk or Virginia Beach since he finished his degree in business in the 1990s.

Here's a picture of the Hampton Roads Tunnel, which we went through to get to Va. Beach.

It will be the first of two trips I'll take across waterways within the next week-- That was the Hampton Roads Harbor. Next week, I'll be crossing the Tampa Bay as I journey over to St. Petersburg, Fl. from downtown Tampa, Fl.

Well-- I guess I won't get lost in my own state again. (Don't bet on it.)

Freedom is Not Free-- Attending NAACP Holly Ball

RICHMOND, Va. -- It was a chance to step back in time when I was an active leader in the Richmond Youth Council of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

This week (Dec. 27, 2007) I attended the 2007 Holly Ball, an annual fundraiser for the NAACP in downtown Richmond at the Crown Plaza Hotel. When I was living here as a high school student, that was the Ramada Renaissance.

A lot can change in 20 years.

Nonetheless, it's been more than 20 years since I was president of the NAACP Youth Council. Sad to say, the civil rights challenges of the 1980s have not all gone away.

The Holly Ball is one of the signature "freedom fund" events for the youth council. It's a reminder that "Freedom is not free."

As we move into the period of celebrating the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in January and Black History Month (and the NAACP's 99th birthday) in February, it's an opportunity to re-dedicate ourselves to making sure everyone is treated fairly, with respect and dignity.

It's also a chance to revive efforts to build leadership skills in our young people. I would not be where I am today without the efforts of the NAACP and others who opened doors for me.

How exciting to meet the bright, energetic current president, Dquan Love, a tenth grader at Varina High School. Just think, when I was youth president in early 1980s, Dquan was not even born. (Yeh, I do feel a little old saying that)

As I spoke to the nearly 100 youth from Central Virginia attending the Holly Ball, I remembered the times I spoke at Richmond School Board or Richmond City Council-- even to a committee of the Virginia General Assembly. I learned to speak out on issues of concern thanks to the NAACP.

One thing that has not changed in 20 years is the youth adviser, the woman who organized the NAAACP Youth Council in 1971 (a year after I was born)-- Ora M. Lomax is STILL the adviser. Despite recent health challenges, she's managed to keep the NAACP Youth Council going..and inspire yet another generation of youth to be all that they can be.



In 2008, I need to make a new year's resolution (one that I will actually keep) to renew my ACTIVE (not just dues-paying membership) involvement in the NAACP. It's more critical that the organization have actively involved members now more than ever.

Where will I find the time? I'll have to leave that to God.

My First Business Cards and their Great Designer

RICHMOND, Va.-- One more relic of the past – and a chance to remember a friend behind them. I just noticed my box of business cards from THE HILLTOP, the college weekly (now daily) newspaper at Howard University.

When I was editor-in-chief my senior year (1991-92), we introduced the VERTICAL business card for our editors. It was part of our “new look” as we moved to new newsroom in Howard Plaza Towers and began producing our newspaper electronically.

No more late-night trips to the printer to get the paper out. Our staff was the first to send THE HILLTOP over a modem without pasting up the layouts in Quark X Press. Only thumbnails told us how our pages would look when they were printed. I like to take credit for implementing this new technology for our publication.

But, the vertical business card was a first for me, LITERALLY. Being editor-in-chief was my first opportunity to get a business card – as a senior in college.

The designer of the cards, B. Gareth Neely or “Bill” as we called him was a genius. He died suddenly several years ago. Besides the design work on the newspaper itself, these business cards are perhaps the biggest tangible memory of his expertise and talent that aided the HILLTOP and Howard University in advancing.

On the Web, I found an article about Bill’s speech in 2000 about his start-up venture, SingleShop.com. Years after graduating from Howard, he continued to follow his passion for starting ventures.

My old business cards remind me of how much he is missed.

Don’t Sell Those Textbooks--- Build a Library!

RICHMOND, Va.-- It’s Christmas Day 2007!

Aside from all the traditions of opening gifts and welcoming family for Christmas dinner, here at home (REAL HOME—as in Richmond, Virginia) there’s also a chance to reminisce about our days of the past.

As we decorated the Christmas tree last night, we found some lights that my brother and I believe were the same ones that we used some 30 years ago. Some of bulbs were missing and we determined those needed to be discarded.

Christmas traditions are but one topic on which to think about the way things used to be.

For me, the bookshelf in my bedroom is always a chance to reflect and remember.

Every time I come back here (at least twice or even three times a year), I’ll pull a book from the shelf and re-read something that might have been written 10 or 20 years years ago. There are a couple of titles that were handed down by my parents—they’re 40 or 50 years old.

At least half of the titles that are on the shelf are old textbooks from high school and college. I spent so much money on textbooks each semester at Howard that I could not imagine letting go of them as so many students do today. In fact, many of my books are key references for me now as a college professor.

It’s 15 years since I received my B.A. in news-editorial journalism, longer since I’ve used many of these books.

But, the FOUR math books—Algebra, Geometry, Algebra II and College Algebra/Trigonometry—those were all from my high school years. Actually, my high school decided to get rid of some textbooks near the end of my time and I was able to grab copies of my math books.

I never thought math was my strong topic, but I enjoyed the challenge of solving the equations and working the problems. I went on to take an extra semester of “Functions,” a college course at Howard. I often think what would have happened if I had advanced in this area?

After that advanced placement (AP) class in Calculus, I knew I could handle any math someone threw at me. Well, I’m a “WORD” person now—a journalist who happens to be teaching journalism.

But, my old textbooks (because I refused to SELL them) provide interesting pathways to the past and might even help me help ANOTHER generation of students tackling math.

Well, I’ll end this post on the math note. We’ll tackle another subject when I come back here in March on spring break. It will be my 38th birthday—so that will give me another reason to reminisce.

Mixed News from Washington on media ownership and FOI

The good news comes from Capitol Hill as the House voted for amended Open Government Act today.

While not unexpected, the bad news comes from SW Washington where the Federal Communications Commission has voted to revise the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule allowing newspapers in the nation’s 20 largest markets to own one radio or TV station.

Unless the change is pre-empted by a vote on Capitol Hill, most observers say this opens the door to more consolidation. We’ll have to see about that.

For now, we can celebrate what members of Congress have done in the interest of free and open government--

“Passage of the FOIA bill will allow not only members of the press but all Americans to hold their government more accountable,” Society of Professional Journalists President Clint Brewer said in a press release this afternoon. “In a time when First Amendment rights are under attack almost daily in this country, this bill is a major step to ensuring America has a free press and a government that is transparent and open.”

Today’s vote comes days after the U.S. Senate passed Openness Promotes Effectiveness in our National (OPEN) Government Act (S. 849) last week. The legislation improves the process by which the federal government carries out the Freedom of Information Act.

It creates an independent ombudsman to resolve citizen disputes, helps agencies strengthen FOIA, creates a tracking system for the public to easily track the status of requests and allows requesters to more effectively recover legal costs incurred when agencies improperly deny requests.

As the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership, there are some members of Congress who disagree with the Commission. Last time the FCC tried to change media ownership rules, the U.S. Court of Appeals overturned the proposed changes. That was 2003. Today we have a very different political environment and that may make all the difference.

Nonetheless for those of us who follow convergence activity in the media, this new development from the FCC gives us a new topic for discussion and exchange.

Semester ends, Fifth anniversary approaches

Well, it's been a memorable fall semester for those of us in the Department of Journalism at the University of Alabama-- memorable in that we have moved forward under the direction of a new department chair.

The television world is quite different from academe in that change happens so much faster. In five years, one is likely to have at least two managers as people move about from station to station.

Here at Alabama, we've had an acting/interim department chair or coordinator for three full academic years (2004-2005, 2005-2006, 2006-2007). Finally this past summer, Dr. Jennifer Greer joined us from the University of Nevada-Reno. Since coming on board, we've successfully revised our undergraduate curriculum and begun searches to fill one current and one anticipated faculty opening.

We even have new faculty Web pages on the University of Alabama Web site. I love my new photo.

It's worthwhile reflecting on what might otherwise appear to be internal business.. But it's not really internal if it involves one of the best journalism programs in the Southeast. Good news travels fast. So, I'm just helping it travel faster.

I've learned how important leadership is to the success of even an academic department. We had a leader for several years who retired and without an immediate replacement, we didn't move forward, per se.

Nonetheless, the fall semester ended December 7 with a wonderful holiday luncheon at which time we recognized the outstanding students who assisted us in the department this semester.

You can see more photos on my Flickr site.

With the end of each fall semester, I'm reminded of my move to Alabama, which occurred just after the Fall Semester 2002 ended for me at the University of Georgia.

I've now officially been in Tuscaloosa five years-- as long as I was in Athens-- the only other place outside of my hometown of Richmond, Va. where I've lived that long.

In 2008, that tenure in Athens falls to 3rd place in locations George Daniels has lived the longest--and Tuscaloosa moves up to 2nd. I suppose it IS the stability that I was seeking as I transitioned from the world of television news to the world of higher education.

Did Rehema Ellis cross the line?

This week NBC Nightly News has been running a series of special reports on the status of African-American women.

Last night (Wednesday), the story focused on the number of single mothers in the African-American community.

Near the end of the report, NBC News correspondent Rehema Ellis, an African-American woman herself revealed that she herself is a divorced single mother with a young child.

In the tag (the live portion of a news report that followed the pre-recorded portion), she articulates her struggle with doing the series as a black woman.

I thought this was a bit odd for a reporter to step out of her role as a reporter and begin to reveal her own experience. I wondered if, in fact, she crossed the ethical line of reporting in an objective fashion.

It just so happens that we're doing an journalism ethics unit in BOTH of my classes this week. So, for my overwhelmingly female senior-level course for journalism teachers, I played the report.

The mostly female audience thought Rehema added a degree of authenticity to her report by first being a black woman and secondly providing that as a part of her story.

It brings to mind the whole issue of whether a person of color brings more authenticity to a story that focuses primarily on the experience of those from an under-represented racial group. Would an objective white male be able to see more CLEARLY what these women were saying -- by asking the TOUGH questions instead of commiserating with the other black women who have had trouble finding a mate.

As a single black male,I, personally, was troubled by some of the comments of the women in the piece. So, perhaps I am not in a position to OBJECTIVELY evaluate whether Rehema's link to this particular topic cROSSED The ethical line.

As I told my students today, by disclosing her own experience to viewers, Rehema, in fact, did let viewers know exactly where she stood in doing this report. That disclosure is important part of what we consider to be ethical way of doing journalism.

Video edited on a PC- not bad

Checking out this new video camera, I feel like Mike Wendland, "the tech guy" formerly of Detroit's WDIV-Channel 4. (The self-proclaimed tech guy now is the convergence editor and technology columnist at The Detroit Free Press.)

Honestly I don't think of the Windows machine as the best place for video editing or multimedia production. I know thousands use the Adobe Premiere and other applications on the Windows machines to do video production. But, I've been partial to the Macintosh when it comes to video.




With this second test of the Flip Video camera on the PC side-- using Windows MovieMaker, I'm convinced it's a workable alternative.

Yes, the audio is very scratchy. That REALLY bothers me. But, one cannot expect much from a very low-end piece of equipment. The idea is to have moving video to EXPAND what one can do just with text.

Today most of our students come to us relatively familiar with the PC or Windows machines. Macintosh computers are NEW for them. Most of them will work on a Windows machine at home (as I do). But, what I wanted to show is a workable way to capture and work in multimedia on the Windows side, if you happen to be in that situation.

Make no mistake: I still think Mac's iLife package (with iMovie) and other applications built for the Macintosh like Final Cut Pro Express and Final Cut Pro are superior.

But, with MovieMaker and an inexpensive camera like the Flip video camera, quick video capture and editing is do-able. Additionally, with the audio editing program Audacity, the audio editing program, one can also do audio editing relatively easily.

$119 Camcorder In Service

As I get ready for my Reporting and Writing Across Media class in the Spring, I've been checking out the latest digital media capture tools. Every time I teach this course, the tools are more and more accessible.

The number of students with digital cameras is its highest ever. In fact, I think it's fair to assume most students know how to get digital images-- either by taking them with a digital camera or having film processed to CD.

At the beginning of this year, Former Tuscaloosa News Online Director Dwayne Fatheree predicted video would be the NEXT BIG THING.



With this $119 video camera, I can see what he means. Today, I unpacked the video camera, gave it try on the deck behind my house.

I just realized today that BLOGGER allows us to upload videos directly to our blog.
So we're trying that feature in this particular posting.