Non-profit Journalism and Investigative

We spoke earlier about non-profit journalism and how to make a difference with investigative work. Here's a new piece by one of my young grads, who left a newspaper job for a post with the Center for Responsive Politics, a non-partisan group that tracks the effects of money on politics. The piece took exhaustive reporting and data analysis to show how investments by members of Congress are tied to holdings in Sudan, even despite the politicians' concerns about genocide there. The piece received an immediate response, with members divesting within hours of the reporter's calls.
My old student reports: "I've been working on it for the last five months and it might be the piece that I'm most proud of at CRP--it took months of data-assisted reporting based on our work and the Sudan Divestment Task Force's work, it's about an issue that I'm passionate about and, maybe for the first time ever, I got to see a direct impact. It's a pretty cool feeling! :)"
Makes me proud by extension. A little inspiration for your New Year. Have a good one (and a safe celebration).

Pakistan in Turmoil

Received this note from a 202er this morning:

Obviously you'll have gotten this link too or have read about this by now, but for formality's sake: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/world/asia/28pakistan.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

What's the deal with Pakistan? With all the crap surrounding Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan it seems like Pakistan has kind of flown under the radar for our nation's media (and possibly rightly so considering what we have invested in the other countries). I don't know much about Pakistan and how it fits into Middle East equation, but I remember reading about it for the 202 quiz questions when Bhutto arrived and the martial law imposed by Musharraf. It sounds like Pakistan is very unstable and might have revolutionary leanings given the controversy and dynamic there coupled with the death of this popular opposition leader. I unfortunately and unbearably don't have cable at home at my parents', so do you know of any good books or articles to get me up to speed on Pakistan? This country just keeps sounding more and more interesting and I can't see it not playing a big role the Middle East vs. United States Armageddon that's brewing.

Hope your break is going well,
~Al

Here are some story links that might help with background. You're welcome to use comments to add your own.
TIME magazine had a pretty good piece before Thanksgiving when the touchy deal between Bhutto and Musharraf went to hell
Bhutto herself had an op-ed in the Washington Post in that same time, gives a bit of background and shows her political strengths
The Post's roundup of Pakistan stories is comprehensive. I especially liked the image galleries when the lawyers erupted in protest.
Of all the pieces I read in the last three months or so, Newsweek's cover stands out the most. The lead is downright chilling, given today's events.
Hope that helps!

Accuracy in Advertising

A local example of how inaccuracy can bite you. Those ads cost a pretty penny to make and to run, yet their effectiveness has been significantly diminished by the simplest of errors. Media coverage of the mistake has outstripped the attention the spots may have earned on their own.
Makes a 10-point deduction for fact errors in J202 look like chump change. You've asked me repeatedly if we had a "10 Commandments of Media Ethics," what would be the first one. I'm nothing if not consistent: in news and strat comm, above all things, get it right.

MySpace Suicide update

The New York Times has an interpretive take on the MySpace suicide case we discussed last month. And they chose to name the mother who contributed to the bullying.

Top Magazine Covers

TIME magazine is out with its Top 10 Magazine Covers of 2007 (along with 49 other lists in pop culture, news, etc.). Personally, I think they got #1 and #2 backwards. The Ahmadinejad cover on the New Yorker stopped me in my tracks when it arrived in my mailbox. I've been unable to recycle it since.
What's the best thing you read in 2007? Best design you saw? Best marketing?

AP Update

I spoke with some of you about changes coming to the Associated Press and the idea of centralized editing. Here's a follow-up story.

Interactive and Advertising

OK, I'm putting this post up at my own risk, knowing that by the time you follow the link, the digital ad will likely have changed ... but here it goes.
Apple did a digital media buy on the front page of the NYT online today. It features a sidebar ad that interacts with a banner across the top below the masthead.
We all know I'm a cardinal among the Mac faithful, but I'd like to know what you think of this ad creatively and strategically. Does it make sense visually? Would you ever play it to get the interaction to work? Does it motivate you to buy? Do you think you're part of their target? Does digital make sense here? Does a buy with the Times make sense?
And I'll pull my soapbox out one final time this semester. If you're in strat comm and not thinking about digital, you are missing the biggest boat in the ocean right now.

FCC and Cross-Ownership

Welcome back from your labors in the final project. Let's get chatting again.
Congress is highlighting an issue you should all know about by now, an FCC rule controlling ownership of newspapers and broadcast stations in the same markets. Check out a decent summary of the issues and opinions in the Washington Post.
So what say ye? Should the government restrict this kind of ownership? Can newspaper companies survive without it? Would it benefit broadcast? Does it matter at all in a digital age? Do you know (or care) who owns the local papers and TV stations? How does ownership affect content?

Twitter?

OK, Do you Twitter?
I'm intrigued by the service but not convinced. It's like having my IM status messages available to the world (but Twitter's bug that won't allow AIM update submissions right now is thoroughly ticking me off). Does this mean I have to sound more coherent?
I can see it being uber-handy if I were still a breaking news reporter, but I'm not.
How can this tool be useful to me or will it become yet one more Facebook-esque time-suck that gives me the illusion that my busy-ness is somehow worthwhile?