Archive for the ‘News/Commentary/Opinion’ Category

New York Times Spoof

Tuesday, November 18th, 2008

Note: This info comes via Tikkun - Rabbi Michael Lerner: 

We hope the people who did this spoof on the NY Times and Tom Friedman don’t get sued or go to jail because this is some of the funniest and at the same time smartest things that have come down the pike in a long time.

Send it to your friends.

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Jonathan Mena & Jacqueline Fernandez With NAM - Uh Oh!

Sunday, November 16th, 2008

This is amusing. After reviewing and then publishing on the WORD their Youtube production about the gay rights rally in New York City November 15,  I told Jonathan Mena & Jacqueline Fernandez that they were doing too much breaking news and that they should focus on more in-depth stuff for their YouTube broacasts (and for their portfolios).

And guess what? New America Media put their production efforts on its front page.* This is exciting. I, with several years of journalism experience and two books and tons of related experience, told two student journalists that I thought what they did was good but they could do better and NAM decides what they did was front-page news.

I love it.

And will address “it” in subsequent posts.

 

*This hit NAM’s first page November 16. By tomorrow, it might be in the archives.

So Much Has Been Happening …

Monday, October 20th, 2008

… that I’ve fallen behind on this blog.

I’m in St. Petersburg, Florida, right now for a workshop of several days at the Poynter Institute, having left yesterday as CNN was contacting Jonathan Mena & Jacqueline Fernandez about their reporting on the protest at the gates of Hofstra University, Long Island, the site of the last presidential debate. Fernandez got roughed up as did several protesters. The New York Civil Liberties Union has issued a statement along with the Nassau County Civil Liberties Union demanding an investigation of the use of horses by the NCPD. CNN eventually published M&F’s broadcast on its iReports.

Mena said that CNN might interview them later. Mena, Fernandez and Kisha Allison – the WORD trio at the Democratic National Convention – have been on a roll unlike any Hunter journalism students in recent memory. And what they do is infectious. I can’t wait to see what other student journalists are or will be doing.

Sometime tonight, after this first workshop, I plan to start catching up.

Horses vs Protesters at the Last Presidential Debate

Monday, October 20th, 2008

Jonathan Mena, WORD

Protesters tried to enter the last presidential debate at Hofstra University to ask the candiates about Iraq and Veterans rights. Unrest grew after some veterans were arrested and some were injured. Jacqueline Fernandez and I were there, following up on reporting that we were doing since the Democratic Convention and what I and Kisha Allison started at the New Hampshire primaries. This broadcast was picked up by CNN for its iReporting.