Google, Craiglist and others can make a difference in journalism

The Internets were aflutter with responses to Google CEO Eric Schmidt's remarks about how Google probably couldn't save newspapers.

Let's not focus so much on the "paper" aspect of newspapers, but the news part. News organizations, thanks to cutbacks and a faltering economy, are less able to serve the public by providing in-depth, across-the-board coverage.

Often other organizations step up to plug the hole. The AP and Reuters did it in the latter part of the 19th century; today Spot.us and GlobalPost (Boston Globe story here) are stepping up. I was a beneficiary, like Spot.us, of the Knight Foundation, working with MTV's Street Team '08, providing political coverage from Kansas. It showed me what an amazing thing a foundation like that can be for journalism and innovation.

Mark Hamilton and Dan Froomkin (and many others, I'm sure) ruminated on Schmidt's comments. Froomkin suggested several ways Google could help news(papers), including endowing a chair to bloggers, adopting newspapers and contribute to non-profit news organizations.

All interesting ideas, but I'm going to suggest another angle.

Create fellowships at newspapers, where news organizations hire journalists to beef up local coverage, paid for with Google's fellowship dollars. Google could denote certain topics these fellows would cover, say public education, and require an application and review process from both news organizations and potential fellows. This would allow news organizations to examine areas where coverage is lacking or has fallen victim to cutbacks while allowing them to grow staff, coverage and authority in those areas.

Perhaps this could even turn into the open-source model Froomkin writes about. Google fellows' content could be distributed for free across the country to other organizations. Of course, giving content away for free may have gotten us where we are today. But that's where we stand.

Many have criticized Google for aggregating content, but that's what it does best. We can take advantage of that, and companies like Google, Craiglist, Yahoo and others that taken us into the information age can give back to the people they serve.

War, wind farms, Obama and MTV: Street Team '08 concludes

I posted my final video for MTV News' (EMMY AWARD-WINNING!) Choose or Lose Street Team '08, a Knight Foundation initiative that used 51 citizen journalists (hate that term) to cover the youth movement during the election.

This project was rewarding, though sometimes frustrating. But looking back on it, it provided me with skills, insight and ideas that I never had before. I can edit a video like a whiz, our Election Day-tweets were posted on Times' Square HD board and I interviewed Ralph Nader. Pretty cool.

Here are some highlights, in no particular order:

• I saw Barack Obama speak three times, including his first (and only) visit to Kansas, the state where his mother was from. Also twice in Kansas City, including a rally with 75,000 people, where I got patted down by Secret Service.
• I embedded with the 1st Infantry Division's Dagger Brigade, as they trained to go to Iraq at Fort Irwin, Calif. I saw first-hand how our troops train for war, reported from the back of a Humvee and had front row seats to some intense combat simulation. I was also invited to embed with them in Iraq, but that looks unlikely.
• Great interview with author Tom Frank, who wrote "What's the Matter with Kansas?" and "The Wrecking Crew." Tom, if you're reading, I'll buy you a beer next time you're in Lawrence.
  
• Ralph Nader came to Lawrence to speak. I didn't do a story on him for MTV, but I got to interview him for LJWorld.com's Schoolhouse Talk blog.
• My MTV blog, Making Kansas Count, was named one of the state's top political blogs by The Washington Post's Chris Cilizza.
• I contributed an article on guerilla journalism to Harvard University's Nieman Reports.
• I met tons of exciting, engaged young people who are working hard (on both sides of the aisle) to make Kansas a better place. Most impressive, I think, are the kids at Greensburg High School, who are rebuilding their town as America's first all-green city.
• Daily Kos linked to a story I did on State Sen. Donald Betts, who was running for Congress at age 30. He, however, got smoked in the general election.

So it's been a long, crazy 11 months. Many thanks to MTV for choosing me to report on Kansas, and major props to my fellow Street Teamers, who were a source of support (both technically and emotionally).

MTV's Election Day Multimedia Bonanza

With Election Day finally upon us, MTV's Street Team '08 is gearing up for the day we've been looking forward to for almost a year. And it's going to be awesome.

We have reporters in every state and Washington, D.C., and we'll be filing reports throughout the day on think.mtv.com and chooseorlose.com (they redirect to each other). These will be video reports from polling stations, interviews with voters, analysis of the voting process...and we'll be using Twitter as a primary reporting tool for much of the day.

MTV built a Twittervision platform for Choose or Lose, and MTVNews.com, and we'll be tweeting throughout the day. It's a wonderful culmination of the social media tools we've been working with since January, and is a reflection of the timely reporting we did on Super Tuesday, the RNC and DNC, and the debates.

Give @streetteam08 a follow, be sure to visit Choose or Lose...and don't forget to VOTE!

Sarah Palin, secession, CNN and me

CNN's Rick Sanchez did a lengthy story today about Sarah Palin, and her husband Todd's involvement with the secessionist group, the Alaska Independence Party. Sanchez interviewed a Salon.com reporter who has completed an investigation into the matter.

As is turns out, I sent Sanchez a note on Twitter last week, about the story I had just completed for MTV's Street Team '08...about the Palins and the AIF. I take full credit for the CNN story. You're welcome, Rick.

Greensburg keeps growing

Greensburg, Kan., was devastated by an F-5 tornado on May 5, 2007. Ten people were killed and the town had to start over. Early on, residents of Greensburg decided to rebuild their own "green," using the latest in sustainable technology to turn the tiny town into an internationally-renowned center of innovation.

Here's how the town's teens are contributing:

Nieman Reports, featuring me

I got my copy of the Nieman Reports today. The one that I contributed to. Yep. I wrote a story about my experiences covering Kansas for MTV's Street Team '08, and how the Web provides a conundrum for citizen reporters, who are not only correspondents, but pundits, as well.

For folks like me, who work at mainstream media outlets, it's a quandary...while this type of guerilla journalism allows for punditry, we walk a fine line of fact vs. opinion. I'll post the link once it's online.

It's pretty cool to see my byline next to the likes of John Harris. Liz Nord, queen bee of ST08, also contributed.

New MTV Video: Wichita's Congressional hope

Kansas State Sen. Donald Betts is only 30, but he's "had a life." Overcoming homelessness, gang violence and drug-riddled neighborhoods, Betts is serving his sixth year in the state legislature. And now he's running for U.S. Congress. Here's his story, MTV-style:

New MTV video: Walking for Mother Earth

Native Americans are walking from SF to DC to promote awareness of Native American issues. It's called the Longest Walk, and they're finding that reservation water is polluted. Have a look-see:

Represent! Another tale from Kansas

KU junior Clarissa Unger is the only college student elected to represent Kansas at the DNC. Here's my latest MTV piece, telling her story:

Associated Press + me = APsquared

I love seeing the AP logo next to my work! w00t!

Kansas coal plants and MTV

My latest vid for the em tee vees (MTV)...my hand at drawing the story of the Holcomb coal plant debate.

New MTV Multimedia: Parliament's resident protestor

Since June 2001, Brian Haw has lived -- no, existed -- outside Parliament. He rails against the imperialism of the "United States of Assassins and Genocide Britain;" he mourns the children caught up in the war and wants a swift end to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I caught up with him on a snowy day in London.

Me and the Washington Post

Chris Cillizza, who writes The Fix blog for the Washington Post, was looking for the country's top political blogs, state-by-state. And who did he pick for Kansas? Yep, me.

It's pretty exciting, but I'm certain there was a lack of representation from the Sunflower State. Nonetheless, I've got some work to do to live up to my new-found title as one of the best political blogs in the state. I can't say that I believe that yet; there are some really good ones out there, like Blue Tide Rising, Kansas Voice and Evolving in Kansas. I've had a tough time finding more conservative blogs in the state. Weird, I think, since the only blue spot is here in Lawrence. Nonetheless, I strive to do better, and I think I'll continue to improve my reportage and blogging, especially when I'm finished with the semester.

A tip of the cap the Brian Rich, our Street Teamer from Idaho.

In which my mug graces MTV

You probably don't know what I look like, so this isn't very exciting to you. But MTV's first "Best of Street Team '08" is airing this week, and yours truly has an ever-so-brief cameo. It's really just a (silent) clip of me talking in the upper right hand corner. They also use a clip of my story on the Minutemen. Good stuff! Check out my fellow Street Teamers in action:

• MTV
• Music Videos
• MTV Shows
• Entertainment News

THINK: Obama, Iraq and England

LONDON -- I’ve spent the last week or so traveling in England and keeping an eye to the British press about their takes on issues important in U.S election. People here are certainly aware of who is running. John McCain was even in London last Thursday, visiting with Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

The most striking coverage of American events has been surrounding the five-year anniversary of the war in Iraq. While there was plenty of coverage – news, editorials, breakdown of costs – there was little on the streets of London to commemorate five years of war. (On Saturday, March 15, sources tell me a massive protest of 40 – 50,000 people marched down Whitehall to Parliament to protest the U.K.’s involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wish I’d seen it, but it pales in comparison to the hundreds of thousands who marched in protest as the war convened.)

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE!

New video on MTV's THINK site: First name bias?

I'm in England, and forgot to post my latest video for THINK. It's a vlog, asking why do we call some candidates by their first names, and not others? Hmmmm?

MTV News Street Team '08, Kansas Style

So I'm about three months into my Street Team '08 experience, covering Kansas for MTV News' Choose or Lose campaign. So far, it's been a lot of fun and very interesting, but I look forward to broadening my horizons from northeast Kansas.

Mark Glaser at MediaShift wrote about the Street Team today, as well as some of our competitors (?), like HuffPost's Off the Bus and PurpleStates. Overall, he's pretty spot on in his criticisms and praises. We've got some work to do in our reportage (this reporter included). But it's all a grand experiment, and it will improve. I'll discuss this more in an upcoming issue of the Nieman Report.

I thought I'd link to my stories and see if anyone actually reads this blog. Most recent first.

Hussein? Who cares? (video)
What do Kansans think about the Barack Hussein Obama question?
Nader: He's baaaaack (blog)
Commentary on Nader's entry to the race.
Kansas City Clash (v)
Minutemen come to KCMO
Why Pakistan Matters, and Why You Should Care (b)
Pakistani journalist, and KU student, Rauf Arif talks about the importance of Pakistan
And, yea, there was a Huckabee (b)
Republican caucus coverage
Kansas Caucus Wrap-up (v) (blog)
A weak wrap-up to my caucus coverage; we live-vlogged all day on Super Tuesday. For some reason, MTV has not archived that footage.
Young vets await education bill decision (v)
Kansas vets petition the legislature for money to supplement their GI Bill funds
Related blog here: Republican response
All eyes on us...so don't drop the soap (b)
Gov. Sebelius gives the Dems rebuttal to Bush's SOTU
Kansans hope they have a voice at the caucus (b)
Pre-caucus coverage
A singular image? (b)
Kansas: More than what you think.
Kansans rally for Ron Paul (v)
My first video about Lawrencians supporting Ron Paul

New video on MTV's THINK site: Hussein? Who cares?

The Daily Show's Street Team is totes hip

The Daily Show's Demetri Martin was trying to tap into the heads of youth voters, and decided a Street Team was in order. I don't know...I'm not a big fan of turtlenecks...

Live vlogging Super Tuesday

Tomorrow, I will be live vlogging Super Tuesday from my home base in Lawrence. MTV has sent us these sweet Nokia N95 phones that can broadcast directly to the Internet. So myself and the 20-odd other Street Teamers (Teamsters?) with elections tomorrow, are flooding the Internets with coverage. They'll be streamed live on MTV.com and ChooseOrLose.com, and MTV will be breaking into its programming periodically to show clips from our reports. I'll be filing reports all day long, including at the caucus itself and a Young Democrats watch party at Old Chicago in Lawrence. I'll also be blogging throughout the day. w00t!

This is an incredible way to cover Super Tuesday. Future of media? I think so. Check it tomorrow.