Courageous journalism / What journalists find amazing

[Admin]

Courageous journalism

Those are not words we often use in the same sentence on this blog but fear not: this posting is not about British journalists but about an extremely brave Russian (well, half Chechnyan) lady who spoke this evening at the Pushkin House.

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What journalists find amazing

Just returned from a forum organized by the Exiled Journalists Network (who appear to have exiled the apostrophe) who appear to be a useful bunch of people, though I am not that impressed by the patrons: Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, who is known to us all, Richard Dowden, Director of the Royal African Society, who has his moments of sanity, Lindsey Hilsum, Channel 4 News International Editor and former NUJ President Tim Lezard (and the less one says about the NUJ in connection with media freedom, the better).

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[Helen S]

Well, you know, Administrator, I did say people are not going to find this interesting.

[SandyRham]

Helen, this post is very interesting since I, for one, have little background knowledge of Eastern Europe. Since you can be a little savage with sloppy thinking, you shouldn't be surprised if people are wary of commenting.
That all your pieces should be available on the forum for comment seems eminently sensible, particularly the opinion pieces.

[Bagua]

It seems that reporting from absolutely everywhere is now left to the blogs. We shall endeavour to provide a substitute for the Big Media.

Excellent news!

Definitely an event still very much in its infancy in "Europe" (at least to my limited knowledge of the English speaking blogosphere.) However, already a phenomenon of growing import and influence in the US.

The New York Times for example continues to suffer declining circulation, with one analyst predicting its circulation will soon drop below 1 million per week. For contrast the blog Little Green Football has a weekly “circulation” of around 700,000 per week. (Very rough estimate based upon 2 days data to illustrate my point) Now factor in that many of the NYT’s papers go to hotels and such that provide them for free and the two are not so far off.

My impression is that while many still read newspapers and magazines for an overview of current events and entertainment, increasing numbers rely on - and spend more time - reading blogs, internet news sites and listening to talk radio for an accurate understanding of the issues, and the news the MSM either won’t cover or does so with bias.

Is it really far fetched to expect this trend to catch on in the UK?

[Helen S]

The New York Times for example continues to suffer declining circulation, with one analyst predicting its circulation will soon drop below 1 million per week. For contrast the blog Little Green Football has a weekly “circulation” of around 700,000 per week. (Very rough estimate based upon 2 days data to illustrate my point) Now factor in that many of the NYT’s papers go to hotels and such that provide them for free and the two are not so far off.

We get the same problem here - it is hard to measure circulation because of the large numbers that are bought in bulk by hotels and other institutions where patrons can pick them up for free. The Guardian, I believe, scrupulously separated the two. Or used to.

I wonder what Instapundit's "circulation" is. I know, it's going up while the NYT and other newspapers are sinking.

Sandy,
I am a little surprised at your forebearance. Re-reading this piece, which I wrote on a library computer, I realize that it is incredibly sloppy. I shall have to do a silent edit or two.

[iciparis]

Six months ago I set up a blog covering a small town in France where I spend some time (population 1,800, many without computers). It took a month or so to inform people of its existence; since then we have had a regular readership of on average 500 per day, not bad for a town that size. Only a relatively small 'hard core' actually contributes articles and writes comments, which is slightly discouraging, but the feedback from the street is positive.

There is definitely a need for more information platforms like blogs in Europe, the biggest danger to their future being EU politicians (and local ones) who seem unable to resist the desire to regulate and censor them.

[SandyRham]

Another important point of blogs is that they allow for a wider range of journalism. Mark Steyn would be almost unemployable without his online following. It seems likely that as more and more journalists like Michael Yon learn to make a living from their blogs the MSM and their editors will become increasingly irrelevant.

[Bagua]

Another important point of blogs is that they allow for a wider range of journalism. Mark Steyn would be almost unemployable without his online following. It seems likely that as more and more journalists like Michael Yon learn to make a living from their blogs the MSM and their editors will become increasingly irrelevant.

Agreed. For the longer term, finding a working financial model is key to success. With that said, the fact that popular blogs can be run with minimal expenses - other than time - gives them a core resiliency that makes the MSM fearful and jealous.

[SandyRham]

that makes the MSM fearful and jealous.

The governments all the more so
The excellent Warmwell is serving as a focal point for holding DEFRA to account. Unfortunately we have no MPs who care about the realm and its subjects enough that they've understood just what she represents.
We also have to ask whether elected representatives by area is the way forward.
The MP I'm doled out for Bath has little interest for me, but there are some saying things I'd like to discuss and who I'd like to support.
An Imam is only an Imam if people turn up to his Mosque, having passed his exams he may start a 'mosque' in his front room and by his following is his success. Blogs are like that and I wonder if they can interact with our current electoral system?

[Ivan The Yid From Bradfor]

Interesting. Across the two articles we get two Channel 4 (C4) reporters mentioned by name but no BBC personnel employed at great expense out of our licence tax sorry fee. Usually when watching the evening TV News I prefer the C4 News. Yes I know some people, particularly Richard, don't like Jon Snow. He is quite open about his left wing politics unlike the BBC staffers with their claims to be 'balanced' when we all know they have their closet agenda's. Snow may have his personal political beliefs but he carries out his job in a professional fashion in particular with hard hitting interviews where he treats everyone the same whether they have similar politics to himself or are from the opposite end of the spectrum.

Lindsey Hilsum has covered Asia particularly China in a professional manner for years. C4 kept her in place in China during the Olympics whereas BBC and ITN both 'parachuted' in reporters during the Games, who had no local knowledge and repeated the Chinese 'propaganda primer' word for word then left at the end of the Games. She has risked imprisonment or worse with her reporting from Tibet, Uighur Province and over the frontier in Afghanistan.

More financing please for C4 News and current affairs coverage. Maybe it can be taken from the BBC 'Propaganda' and currents affairs budgets !!

[Helen S]

Six months ago I set up a blog covering a small town in France where I spend some time (population 1,800, many without computers). It took a month or so to inform people of its existence; since then we have had a regular readership of on average 500 per day, not bad for a town that size. Only a relatively small 'hard core' actually contributes articles and writes comments, which is slightly discouraging, but the feedback from the street is positive.

Link please!!

[iciparis]

Link please!!

Hello Helen

Here is the link to the site I originally set up

http://plombieresinitiative.wordpress.com/

We decided to take the site offline a few weeks ago following a court case involving the mayor of the town. The comments were getting pretty hot and I wasn't sure of the legal standpoint. I will leave the site visible for 48 hours to give you the time to look if you wish.

In its place, we put this one on line

http://plombiereslesbains.wordpress.com/

Although a member of the editorial team and a contributor, I am no longer an administrator. I thought that was better looked after by a Frenchman.

I should also point out that this has led to the creation of two other blogs in nearby villages.

[Helen S]

Thank you, iciparis. Sounds excellent news. It's a little hard to find out if you don't live in a country and have no very close contacts, what is going on by way of the blogosphere.

[Mariana Katzarova]

Dear anonymous bloggers,

Thank you for having the decency of acknowlidging the bravery and courage of Natalia Estemirova and Malalai Joya. While we all seat comfortably at home in front of the telly and watch the horrors of yet another war, it is women like Natalia Estemirova, Anna Politkovskaya and Malalai Joya who put their lives on the line to tell the truth, to stand up for the victims, to demand justice, to make us aware.

And it is 'odd organzations' like RAW in WAR and other human rights groups, that support them, help them get their voices heard and their stories told, worries and cares about their lives, their work and their future. That's why, every year on the anniversary of Anna Politkovskaya's murder, RAW in WAR gives the Anna Politkovskaya Award - to remember Anna and the victims of 'her war' - the war in Chechnya, as well as to celebrate and honor other women human rights defenders like her, who continue to do the hard work of seeking the truth, telling the truth and often paying for this with their lives.

It is easy to be negative and bitter and to see the world only in the rigid divide between left and right, good and evil. It takes courage to look at the world in its complexity, in all its colours. It takes love and it takes passion. it takes dignity and humanity to give voice to the voiceless and to protect the very few who still dare speak on behalf of the ones to whom nobody wants to listen.

Sincerely yours,
Mariana Katzarova

[Helen S]

Dear Mariana,

Welcome to the forum. Just one little point: we are not anonymous. We sign every posting and our names are listed on the blog. When you get over that little problem, we can talk. Oh and one more thing: this blog has written a good deal and with much admiration about Politkovskaya and other journalists and bloggers who risk their lives to report what is going on, possibly even before your organization was set up. When you have read all that, you may start lecturing us. Meanwhile, we shall go on reporting matters as we see them and writing about courageous journalists with admiration. And no, these things do not transcend politics. I should have thought that was pretty clear from Natalya Estimirova's talk.