Headline, May11, 2014

''' STUDENTS JOURNALISM : 

OUT OF THE COLD SHADOWS '''

IN THE Years ahead,  if you all work hard, Sam Daily Times is more than likely to grow richer and richer and famous and famous:

Take this example: About  20m plus  visitors make  Change  one of the biggest of several campaigning sites  -others include  Causes,  Upworthy and  Moveon.

Launched in 2007, it is responsible for petitions that have helped won health care for victims of water poisoning at an American Army base; fought driving-license corruption in an Indian town:

Earned the Japanese Olympic women's soccer team equal treatment to their male counterparts and persuaded authorities in Belarus to investigate animal cruelty.

Change is a  for Profit company. Last year the firm dropped a paid-for petition backed by a school reform organisation, under pressure from supporters of teaching unions. 

It then repented, upsetting some left-leaning users by promising to offer its services to  any group, as long as they do not promote   ''hate speech or discrimination.

Though canny, that model is contentious.

But at Sam Daily Times, the  model is unique and based on the highest values and traditions. Therefore, it is built to last and more than ever, it is likely to have a longer lasting and growing influence than any petition it may host

SLICK tools quicken the drudgery.

Geolocation services such as Geofeedia and Banjo, for example, let journalists search for a social media posted from specific locations, accurate to a single city block.  

What ever they find, reporters must confirm the material's veracity  -just as they would with a traditional source. Outlets that rush this could run into trouble.

CNN, the New York Post and others ran headlines about the Boston marathon bombings that later proved false, probably because speculation had been fuelled on Twitter and Reddit, a social news site.

Conscientious reporters will examine users' past to see if they have obvious political biases and to check that they are where they claim to be. They use Google's satellite maps to certify:

The location of a photograph or video, and search image banks to ensure that a photograph is not doctored. Local knowledge from a paid correspondent can ease the task.

Two years ago editors at Associated Press discarded a video which purported to show fighting in Daraa, Syria. Eric Carvin, the firm's social media editor, says it showed a statue of Syria's President Bashar Assad which had been knocked down two weeks before.

Journalists who clear these hurdles must still get permission to use the material they have found. That can be bigger challenge, says Liz Heron, director of social media and engagement in the Wall Street Journal.

Usually its author would ask to be credited, and demand no payment. They are sometimes hard to track down, however, newshounds lose valuable time waiting for replies.

Many journalists want to see simpler licensing rules. They would like YouTube and Twitter to make it easier for web users to grant rights to news firms and perhaps by ticking a box when they first upload their content.

In the meantime, a clutch of new companies aim to make things more efficient. Storyful speedily tracks down, verifies and obtain the rights for user generated content. Clients gain access to this by paying a monthly:

Subscription fee of between $750 and $15,000.

Citizenside,  a  French firm, is one of several sites that help citizen journalists sell exclusive stories to large networks.

In 2011, it sold widely viewed footage of John Galliano, a British fashion designer, insulting patrons of a restaurant in Paris.

For the time being, images and videos make up most of the amateur journalism featured on mainstream media.

Recording a video with a mobile phone or tweeting what you have just seen requires less effort and expertise than longer commentary.

Jay Rosen a Professor of journalism at New York University, calls this use of amateur material by news organisations  ''networked reporting''. 

At the new frontier, he thinks, investigative journalists are making better use of of amateur sleuths by requesting documents, testimonials and a spare hand.

Every journalist needs help shovelling for dirt?!

With respectful dedication to the Students, Professors and Teachers of the World. See Ya all on !WOW!  -the World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless:

'''Any And All Requests''

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless