National Press Club: This Friday Professional Development Series

Originally uploaded by ericaamerica08

This Friday, I will join a group of journalists on a panel about how to “pitch journalists in the digital age” at the National Press Club.

Hosted by the Adfero Group, the delightful Cindy Boren (Washington Post), myself, and others, will talk about how we interact with folks who have story ideas. From my perspective, it isn’t so much how people “pitch us,” but rather, how we can better listen and crowd source ideas and issues that matter to our key audiences. That is, if you follow the maxims of new media.

I’m definitely the most hybrid of the group, having worked in both digital strategy PR and placed my own content through CNN and MTV. I hope I’ll be able to make some insightful contributions as to what’s worked and what hasn’t for the group that attends!

Ranking Member Orrin Hatch (R-UT) Shakes Hands with Roberts

Originally uploaded by ericaamerica08

There is a mega media merger on the horizon – and Capitol Hill is tuned in. Last Thursday the CEOs of Comcast and NBC Universal came to Washington to testify before a subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee and make a case for their joint $30B merger. Comcast is the country’s largest cable provider and NBC Universal is television’s top-rated network among the 18-49 age group. As reported by MSNBC, NBC Universal also includes “a major movie studio; a television production studio; a handful of cable TV channels including USA, Sci-Fi, CNBC and Bravo; and a group of 29 television stations.”

You can watch the entire webcast of the hearing here or watch Senator Franken’s style of questioning below. Finally, the Hill’s Kim Hart did a few posts on her blog here.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Helen Thomas on San Francisco Chronicle

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Every week the online news team at the San Francisco Chronicle publishes Helen Thomas’s weekly column. The Chronicle, or SFGate.com, is part of Hearst News Corporation, who Helen works for.

Today I decided to email one of the Politics Blog writers, Mr. Michael Collier. The reason? If SFGate.com’s audience is receptive to Helen’s columns, why not publish my video interviews alongside? We’ll see if Mr. Collier gets back.

A few of my trusted confidants, including my Dad and Helen Thomas, advised me throughout 2009 to stick with my day job and ride the recession out. Well, I took that advice, and as a result spent twelve months packing away knowledge and pennies, creating digital case studies for my portfolio and simultaneously starting the process of graduating my brand from “EricaAmerica Citizen Journalist” to “Erica Anderson, Network Producer/Reporter.”

I have a driving instinct that now it’s time to put 100 percent into this ambition to help rebuild what I believe to be the most important industries to the health of our imperfect nation – journalism.

So stay tuned for what’s next; who I target and who I meet with, how I used social media to land opportunities and what the outcome will be.

One thing is for sure, now, more than ever, it is time to step into the fray and make the future happen.

For obvious reasons, one might assume this was because Comcast acquired NBC Universal. In fact, Comcast’s purchase of NBCU gave the Philadelphia-based company control of about $30 Billion worth of media assets, including dozens of broadcast TV networks, online cable channels and a movie studio. It also gave Comcast and 89-year-old Founder, Ralph Roberts, a news and entertainment legacy as American as apple pie, and one that General Electric had owned since 1986: the iconic NBC News brand.

For reasons not so obvious, that morning the merger wasn’t on my mind. Instead I was thinking about the details of my trip to the Comcast service center later that week. But by the end of the day, and on the eve of one of the largest and perhaps most ambitious media mergers, I had a different kind of encounter with the largest cable provider in the country. I had the opportunity to talk with David Cohen, Executive Vice President of Comcast, and inspect with questions the blueprint of the deal.

Cohen, who was in Washington for meetings and media appearances, sat down with five DC-based bloggers, including myself, to field questions. Here are some of his answers.

On NBC News | MSNBC | CNBC
We made a commitment to preserve the journalistic integrity of all the news assets on the cable and broadcast side…and we’re very serious about that. I think professional journalists need to feel they’re allowed to be professional journalists, and there isn’t someone looking over their shoulder saying, “What did you say that for?”

On Hulu.com
We have no plans to convert Hulu to a subscription model. We’re not trying to do this transaction to attach cost to video that’s currently available for free over the Internet. That’s not our vision. (*Comcast is now one of several partners in Hulu, with about 27 percent stake*).

Possible Pitfalls of the Merger
The Bill O’Reilly/ Keith Olbermann Wars: We’re totally committed to let Keith Olbermann be Keith Olbermann. We don’t have any problem with that. Jeff Immelt was committed to letting Keith Olbermann be Keith Olbermann too, and all of a sudden for a month, he’s like a national story. That’s going to be an adjustment for us.

On Local News
The other part of this business that we are very interested in is local news. We continue to believe one of the things that cause people to watch local television is quality local news. Local public interest programs, public affairs programs, etc. And that is a part of the business that has been starved, not just at NBC, but across the board. We think we have some ideas…and we are committing ourselves to preserve and enrich the localism aspect of local broadcast stations.

++

I want to thank David Cohen for taking the time to discuss Comcast’s deal with a small group of new media aficionados such as myself. In many ways, it indicates Comcast’s acute awareness of the direction that media is moving in – diverse, niche, and without major budgets. While I was probably the only self-identified journalist at the table, the group that surrounded me was perhaps Washington’s newest class of media watchdogs. It left me to consider that no matter what form these watchdogs come in, in the bright lights or in the back of a restaurant, it is…well, we are, as American as apple pie. I just look forward to the day when we get to the front row.

For an archive of the articles I referenced and sourced for this post, please visit my Delicious bookmarks under the tag Comcast001.

As I look forward to 2010, I can’t help but revisit where my head was when this all began. True to MTV’s judgement (thank you Liz, Kristin, Ian), I provided in no uncertain terms why I have the potential, and now experience, to help guide journalism towards an inevitable reconstruction. Without further delay, here are my never-before-published essays. 24 months later, I still agree with them…so much in fact, consider it my manifesto.

1. What are the top three issues you care about?

I care about our foreign policy in the Middle East, affordable healthcare, and an open and honest dialogue between our President and the press.

If we were more proactive in applying America’s intellect and imagination to find alternative energy solutions, the U.S. would not be in the current conflict in Iraq.  Not addressing alternative energies has created complex problems. I want to push the next President to address the misleading rhetoric of this Administration, and work to fix internal shortcomings before waging war.

In terms of healthcare, it is simply not affordable. Pharmaceutical companies, weighed down by the cost of R&D, charge so much for drugs citizens are forced to choose between groceries and antibiotics. Generic drugs should be readily available, regulations on consumer ads should be strengthened, and children’s health insurance should be mandatory.

I also care about the issue of ethics and honesty, particularly in the Administrations interaction with the press and public. I want the President and the appointed administration not to degrade the media’s questions, or imply they are “unpatriotic” for questioning a war that has killed thousands of people and tarnished our international reputation.

But most importantly, I care about being lead by a person of character, humility, and selflessness. We need a candidate who can admit when they are wrong and will always have the best interest of the American people at heart.

2. What makes you uniquely qualified to cover your state (or District)?

First, the basic ways I am qualified to cover the election issues in D.C. I take every opportunity to attend events, from Gay Pride to the U.S.-India Mango Policy Celebration. I read local newspapers and at night watch CSPAN, Comedy Central, and news clips on YouTube.

Now, the reasons I am uniquely qualified to cover the 2008 election in D.C.

I am optimistic in an often-pessimistic town. I am an idealist in a small space of cynics. I have traveled to India three times, so I understand the extremity of poverty and government corruption. I studied in Prague, where I learned about true political struggle and the importance of living in a nation that encourages competition and individuality.

I have also dealt with a great deal of adversity, which built my character and sense of right versus wrong. In 2006, my Mother died after battling a chronic disease. The experience was hardening, and it taught me to be compassionate, sincere and forward.

Each of these qualities and life experiences shaped my outlook and helped me to meet interesting people. I went from interviewing John Mellencamp in Southern Indiana to befriending Helen Thomas and meeting with her every few weeks. I go prepared with lists of questions on topics such as Pearl Harbor to her legacy; and the chance a woman or black man will become President in 2008.

I also want to make this promise: I will dedicate myself to long hours, to represent my peers’ views, and to get the facts right. There is little more I am passionate about than doing my part to reinstate the values of hard-nosed investigative reporting, and I hope MTV’s Choose or Lose will give me a chance to prove it.

3. What does the future of news and journalism mean to you? How do you define it?

At Indiana University, I took a course called Visual Communications. I can’t think of a better term to describe the future of our industry. To me it means finding a compelling, efficient way to inform people who otherwise don’t have time or want to be informed. It is done by combining visuals, audio, and words to find the micro in the macro. Here’s how I’ve applied it:

First, I freelance for LifeintheDistrict.com and India Globe. I have a few unpublished pieces, my favorite being “I’m Sorry Mr. President, You’re Out of Turn” a first-hand account of my experience at a White House Press Conference. It earned a compliment and a friendship from Helen Thomas.

At work, I create content for websites and maintain them. I look for techniques to drive traffic, increase visitors, and report best practices. I use GoogleAnalytics to capture the websites popularity, and to form focused recommendations for improvement. I also record voiceovers and produce podcasts. I write scripts, record guests, and edit the piece. I then distribute the file through channels such as iTunes and Podnova.

Finally I have taught myself to use iMovie, Audacity, and WordPress. I just finished a 3-minute video combining my best photos from a recent trip to India. Soon I will post it on YouTube and my website, Erica-America.com. The website is new, and is a place not just to house my portfolio, but to challenge me to learn more about new media and the virtual community that so effectively influences ideas, policy, and voters.

Finally, my Application Video:

Click here to view the embedded video.

And with that, the support for “The Truth” started to pour in. From @EvanSummers, a young political activist wrote:  “That seriously is one of the most direct and scathing insight on the state of the industry that I’ve read in a long time. Well done.”

From a web producer and social media guru working inside mainstream media, I got a simple, “F*ck Yeah.”

From a DePaul University (and a Suma Cum Laude in the Journalism school), Molly Horan, I saw that she linked to me and urged her Facebook followers:  “YOU NEED TO READ IT.”

But perhaps the best conversation came late last night, from a talented freelancer in Washington, who G chatted me to say she valued the piece. We agreed the conversation was one we “need to have” but that, with the recent loss of Walter Cronkite, we are both reminded that for them, there was at least a path. For us, we are searching for a way forward without much support from those before us.

It reminded me of this. Something Helen told me right before I went to the RNC last August. “This is the most difficult time I have ever seen for a young person to enter the business.”

All I could do was let silence fill the room, and then I asked, “How can that be? Even compared to what you went through?”

“Yes. Even more.”

It is true. We have our challenges ahead of us, but as I told my friend over G Chat, the greater the challenge, the greater the opportunity and reward. So let’s do this and fix this problem together.

Since MTV ended, I have had a ton of offers to write/produce for free. I get it. I’m young in my career. I should be willing to work for free or little cost. But seriously? It degrades what I’m trying to do: prove that real journalism, real information, can’t be found solely at the keypad on my computer.Sure, I can build sources, I can research, read other perspectives. But I can’t go out there, attend a hearing, get reactions at a rally…get a soundbite that actually informs the direction of a national dialogue or changes the perspective of a student, a voter, a President.

While working full time for free, hustling for stories and uploading all the time to iReport, HuffingtonPost and TrueSlant  sounds great, I am a pragmatist. And I’m not about to jump ship, leave my day job, without knowing who is steering us to a better place. To a journalism that doesn’t deny the possibility the Internet brings. To a journalism that admits many jobs will be lost but many more created.  To a journalism that wants to embrace web 2.0 to inform the public to make better decisions. Why, with all that is at stake, are we not there yet?

One of the first times I interviewed Helen Thomas, I told her I considered her the first “blogger” in the White House. I don’t think she was expecting the words that had come out of my mouth. As background, this was back in 2007, when Bush was still in control, and the word “blog” was a sure shot to get my mouth washed out with soap in the wrong company. But Helen listened, and then she asked, “what do you mean?”

I went on.

“In a way, you are. You aren’t trying to kid anyone. You are going for the facts, but you are also going for reactions – and you are putting yourself in the question. Your peers are totally shocked. They don’t know what to do with it,” and thought to myself, “except ignore you.”

A while later, I was at a happy hour with a bunch of people who worked at ABC, NBC, CNN, etc. A senior White House producer from one of these major networks asked me about Helen. I answered by asking her why people in the Press Corp didn’t follow up on Helen’s questions, the ones that were so OBVIOUS, like, Mr. President, are you certain Iraq has WMD? Why do intelligence reports contradict? Do we torture? You know, the basics.

The Producer’s answer? “She makes us all uncomfortable.”

Uncomfortable? What a waste of a press pass. Someone who seeks the truth makes the Press Corp “uncomfortable.”

Why does this matter?

As important as the niche, bulldog blogs have become inside the Beltway, mainstream press is still mainstream press. People from Indiana to Idaho are still busy, focused on raising families or farms, paying bills or the doctor. They don’t have time to do their homework. So they turn to comfortable brands, like network and cable news. The same places that proved in the run up the Iraq war, that they were comfortable reporting what they were told, and uncomfortable looking for more.

But we all know what asking tough questions in recent years has brought Helen. Animosity from her peers. A cold shoulder from a President. A status as a “has been.” Between you and me, she does care that people attack her work. But she also tells me this, “You don’t go into this business to be popular.”

Perhaps that is what we are all afraid of. Not being liked. Or even better, not being rich. Honestly? I’m past it. This democracy is in need of truth. It is in need of a financially vibrant system of press. One that can be trusted, competitive, and open for debate. And above all else, run by people who get the fact that the Internet and technology will make journalism better off. More informed. More conscious. More like Helen.

One U.S. blogger, Andrew Sullivan, described President Ahmadinejad’s leadership and said he is dedicated to “conflict abroad,” manipulative of “rural, religious voters,” and engaged in other abuses of “the state.” Even perhaps more illuminating, Sullivan asked whether Iranian voters can “trust the process” when they have a President who “pulls tricks” like Karl Rove.

Back in Iran, tens of thousands of Iranians took the streets in opposition to Ahmadinejad victory. Citizen journalism video reports and the use of micro blogs and hash tags(#iran #iranelections) broadcasted a raw and emotional look at what Iranian organizers, press and activists were going through in the capital of Tehran.

One YouTube user, theamirzare, who apparently just signed up on the video sharing network to post this video, sent a simple message:  ”Ahmadinejad is NOT my President.” In just two days, the video has over 23,000 views.

Back in the U.S., activist bloggers chased the story with original content created by on-the-ground reporters from the New York Times, CNN and others. Tracy Viselli, a blogger at Care2, pulled together a well-organized summary of key highlights as well as a few videos from the ground. Below I posted my favorite, which is from CNN’s Chief International Correspondent, Christiane Amanpour. Her cameras caught one woman shouting, “People in Tehran hate Ahmadinejad! People in Tehran hate Ahmadinejad!”"

Finally, on Sunday night, as hundreds, if not thousands of U.S. bloggers watched the chaos unfold, some decided to start a little chaos of their own. TechPresident broke the news that a group of cyber strategists had temporarily shut down Iran’s state-run media web site, www.IRIB.ir. The effort was lead by D.C. political consultant and new media authority, Josh Koster, who leveraged free web app called Page Reboot, to bring the site down. The customized anti-IRIB link was passed around through Twitter and list servs until finally, at 9:24 PM EST, @joshkoster proclaimed, “(PLS RT!): We just brought down Iran’s media site. 2 More: http://tinyurl.com/m42b65 http://tinyurl.com/lmgzmf #iranelection (PLS RT!)

Oh, democracy. Aren’t you fun.

I recently had a conversation with a progressive news organization. They intrigued me by explaining how they are expanding their political coverage online. But employees, for the time, are to be based in New York City. Don’t get me wrong, I am currently wearing a tee with those exact letters strewn across it. But leave Washington at this moment in history? It would feel so wrong.

It is a natural concern for all of us, as newspapers collapse and resources constrict, that American journalism is about to suffer. In an article in The New Republic called “Goodbye to the Age of Newspapers (Hello to an Era or Corruption),” Paul Starr wrote:  

“One danger of reduced news coverage is to the integrity of government…” He went on, “…corruption is more likely to flourish when those in power have less reason to fear exposure.”

Does anyone else think it is ironic, and completely illogical – that at a moment when the news media is finding it financially impossible to do their job, the government has more power and influence than ever before?

Let’s just think about the facts. As Break the Matrix pointed out, the government is firing CEOs and controlling billion dollar businesses. In the last 100 days, our government has nationalized companies and promised trillions of non-existent dollars to fix the economic collapse.

The best part? Since we don’t have any journalists to comb through records, papers and public documents to track how stimulus dollars are spent, the Obama Administration has created a web site, Recovery.Gov, to track it for us. It feels like a coy PR move – to provide the American people (and strapped-for-time journalists) this service. Let us all have a moment and be honest: how can we possibly take their word at face value and trust that a politician and his staff will offer all the facts?

The fact of the matter is this: no matter how popular, “transparent” or open a Presidency claims to be, journalism watchdogs are critical. The Constitution protects the freedom of the press and with it, emphasizes that a thriving system of journalism was, and is, inextricably linked, to the health of our democracy.  

With all of this, it is no surprise all eyes are all on new forms of media. But even these modern muckrakers, like Daily Kos, Break the Matrix and Huffington Post are facing a great disadvantage and it will not be easy for them to pick up where old media left off. As Paul Starr also pointed out:  

“The reality is that resources for journalism are now disappearing from the old media faster than new media can develop them.”

One thing is for sure: if the amount of original reporting continues to decline, our nation will have far greater problems than the buyout of GM or the wars abroad. We will be facing a government too big, too powerful and too in control to take direction from the public – because the public will know little more than what sites like Recovery.Gov offer.

So what can we all do? I certainly don’t have all the answers. But one thing for sure. I’m going to try and figure it out from inside Washington.