J-Ideas announces fund-raising campaign

Warren Watson, director, announced today the creation of an annual fund-raising campaign to support J-Ideas, Ball State’s scholastic journalism and First Amendment institute.

Parties are invited to give $25 or more to the J-Ideas Foundation to support future activities of the program. Donations are tax deductible. <more>

FIRST VOICES



Little things mean a lot at the Newseum
Indianapolis Star column
by Warren Watson

J-Ideas Director Warren Watson blogs regularly for the Indianapolis Star. Here are his latest offerings:

Ignorance in Palin, Dowd free-speech remarks

The grace period is over from the November presidential election. Now, it's time to review the latest cases of ignorance about the First Amendment and how it fits into our lives. <more>

-Plainfield pays respect to First Amendment

-Banned Books Week

-Palin-tology

-New President must revive Constitution

-Traditional news misses Edwards escapade

-Protesters' rights fenced off

-Social networking pitfalls

-Bad year for traditional news gatherers

-Baseball and the First Amendment

-Principals and the First Amendment

-Remembering a crusader
-Photo ID law bad for voters
-Thoughts from the annual U.S. editors convention
-Need for print journalism remains
-Sunshine:now more than ever
-Mean-spirited fans
-Peter Jennings' legacy
-The First Amendment at the Alamo
-A New museum for news
-Author creates First Amendment 'primer'
-Unlikely First Amendment hero
-Harrison represented Hoosiers proudly
-Online course wraps for the fall
-Religious freedom for all
-Reading is FUN-damental
-Nothing negative
-Blogs grow in influence, but beware of anonymity
-Parent rides the bench after blog posting
-Student journalist's actions serves profession poorly
-Examining free speech online
-Remembering the courageous Elijah Parish Lovejoy

Archive

More First Thoughts: journalism teacher Tom Gayda speaks out

Student journalists scoop professional press

By Gerry Appel

In an era where student journalists are often criticized for poor decision-making, one student newspaper should receive praise after scooping its professional counterparts. <more>

-Principal wrong in pulling paper

Mile high with the First Amendment...

By Randy Swikle

We were north of the Mile High City near the Rocky Mountains. The principals were voluntarily descending—not from the tall peaks but from their position abutting the summit of school hierarchy. When they reached level ground, we could see each other more clearly. And clear sight leads to insight. <more > 

Warren Watson

First Thoughts Blog Post

July 9, 2008

It has not been a good year for traditional news gatherers.

As a lifelong journalist (former reporter and editor for 30 years) it sickens me to see what is happening as companies adjust to lower profits in the age of the virtually free Internet.

Consider:
• The Los Angeles Times is cutting 150 newsroom positions, including many reporters, because of declining profits.
• The Chicago Tribune will cut 80 people from its newsroom and trim 14 percent of the space devoted to news.
• The Portland (Maine) Press Herald will reduce about one-quarter of its news reporters.

According to a web site that tracks newsroom losses, nearly 6,000 positions in newspaper newsrooms have been eliminated in the first six months of this year.

Why should we care? Well, this is an unfortunate byproduct of the Internet “miracle.“ Sure, it’s easy to get news online, but fewer people are buying newspapers. Fewer businesses are buying ads. More now get their news and ads for free, or for the low price (or no price) of an Internet connection. Companies accustomed to that business then must make reductions, while CEOs search for a new business model

Legacy journalism, the kind that probes deeply into the news, public interests and malfeasance, the kind practiced by the robust news staffs of The New York Times, The Washington Post, and here, The Indianapolis Star, involves capital – and people. Reporters cover stories – games, meetings, issues. Stories are not conceived immaculately. When a news position is eliminated, one more pair of eyes goes away. The First Amendment, the foundation of journalism, is weakened again. Television news, buffeted by the same issues as print journalism, has been going through this storm for years. The result: copy-cat journalism and celebrity gossip.

All too often, we are reduced to bloggers and TV pundits shouting back and forth, offering little but opinions. But even the Bill O’Reillys and the Keith Olbermanns must react to real news; they are not reporters. They draw from journalists in the field, whether they are in the halls of Congress or on the playing fields of Peking. If we take away more of our news staffs, we will erode the body of information citizens must have to make good decisions about our democracy and our lives.

And what of Bill and Keith? They will be left with absolutely nothing to talk about.