Friday, February 25, 2011

Overheard in the Newsroom

Overheard in the Newsroom: (overheardinthenewsroom.com)

Reporter: “I’m going to leave and become a nun. I’ll be taking vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.” Editor: “Don’t be ridiculous, you’re a reporter, you already live those vows.”

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Gingrich Pressed on Affair

Here's an interesting article which reinforces our conversation of last Monday night about integrity in a politician's life. It also relates to the IRE chapter on ethics for this coming Monday.

Gingrich pressed on affair

(CNN) – Newt Gingrich was forced to wade into the thorny matter of his personal life Tuesday night during a forum at the University of Pennsylvania.

In a question-and-answer session, Isabel Friedman, a student at the university who's also Democratic activist, pressed Gingrich on how he squares his pro-family values with the fact he has been married three times and has admitted to two extramarital affairs.

"You adamantly oppose gay rights... but you've also been married three times and admitted to having an affair with your current wife while you were still married to your second," Friedman said, in comments first reported by Politico. "As a successful politician who's considering running for president, who would set the bar for moral conduct and be the voice of the American people, how do you reconcile this hypocritical interpretation of the religious values that you so vigorously defend?"

In a video of the interaction posted on YouTube, Gingrich appeared none-too-happy with the question.

"I'll bet almost everybody here can gather the thrust of your question," he said. "I appreciate the delicacy and generosity in the way it was framed . . . I hope you feel better about yourself."

The possible Republican presidential candidate and former House Speaker added he doesn't think most voters will care about his past personal mistakes:

"I've had a life which, on occasion, has had problems," said Gingrich. "I believe in a forgiving God, and the American people will have to decide whether that's their primary concern."

"If the primary concern of the American people is my past, my candidacy would be irrelevant," he continued. "If the primary concern of the American people is the future . . . that's a debate I'll be happy to have."

Gingrich has admitted to cheating on his second wife in the late 1990's with the woman who is now his wife. He's also acknowledged having an affair with the woman who became his second wife while he was married to his first wife.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Did This Reporter Step Over the Ethical Line?

On prank call, Wis. governor discusses strategy


RYAN J. FOLEY, Associated Press


MADISON, Wis. (AP) — On a prank call that quickly spread across the Internet, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker was duped into discussing his strategy to cripple public employee unions, promising never to give in and joking that he would use a baseball bat in his office to go after political opponents.

Walker believed the caller was a conservative billionaire named David Koch, but it was actually the editor of a liberal online newspaper. The two talked for at least 20 minutes — a conversation in which the governor described several potential ways to pressure Democrats to return to the Statehouse and revealed that his supporters had considered secretly planting people in pro-union protest crowds to stir up trouble.

The call, which surfaced Wednesday, also showed Walker's cozy relationship with two billionaire brothers who have poured millions of dollars into conservative political causes, including Walker's campaign last year.

Walker compared his stand to that taken by President Ronald Reagan when he fired the nation's air-traffic controllers during a labor dispute in 1981.

"That was the first crack in the Berlin Wall and led to the fall of the Soviets," Walker said on the recording.

The audio was posted by the Buffalo Beast, a left-leaning website based in Buffalo, N.Y., and quickly went viral.

Ian Murphy told The Associated Press he carried out the prank to show how candidly Walker would speak with Koch even though, according to Democrats, he refuses to return their calls.

Murphy said he arranged the call Tuesday after speaking with two Walker aides, including the governor's chief of staff. He placed the call using Skype and recorded it.

Walker spokesman Cullen Werwie confirmed that it was Walker's voice on the call. At a news conference, Walker acknowledged being deceived but stuck to his message that the union changes were needed to balance Wisconsin's budget.

"I'm not going to let one prank phone call be a distraction from the job we have to do," Walker said. "The things I said are the things I've said publicly all the time."

On the call, the governor said he was ratcheting up the pressure on Senate Democrats to return to the Capitol a week after they fled to block the legislation. He said he supported a move to require them to come to the Capitol to pick up their paychecks rather than have the money deposited directly.

He also floated an idea to lure Democratic senators back to the Capitol for negotiations and then have the Senate quickly pass the bill while they are in talks.

Walker said aides were reviewing whether the GOP could hold a vote if Democrats were not physically in the Senate chamber but elsewhere in the building. At the news conference, he insisted that idea was not a trick but an effort to get Democrats back to work.

Democrats seized on Walker's recorded comments as evidence that the governor plans to go beyond budget cuts to crushing unions.

"This isn't about balancing the budget. This is about a political war," Rep. Jon Richards of Milwaukee yelled Wednesday on the floor of the state Assembly.

The governor's plan would strip most public employees of their collective bargaining rights and force them to pay more for their health care and retirement benefits. Unions could not collect mandatory dues and would be forced to conduct annual votes of their members to stay in existence.

The proposal has set off more than a week of protests at the Capitol.

The GOP-controlled state Assembly began debating the bill Tuesday and was still hearing dozens of Democratic amendments nearly 24 hours later before taking a break. Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald said he expected to take a vote on the bill by the end of the day.

On the call, Walker said he expected the anti-union movement to spread across the country and he had spoken with the governors of Ohio and Nevada. The man pretending to be Koch seemed to agree, telling Walker, "You're the first domino."

"Yep, this is our moment," Walker responded.

The remarks showed Walker's private relationship with David Koch. He and his brother, Charles, own Koch Industries Inc., which is the largest privately-owned company in America and has significant operations in Wisconsin.

Its political action committee gave $43,000 to Walker's campaign, and David Koch gave $1 million to the Republican Governors' Association, which funded ads attacking Walker's opponent in last year's election.

The Kochs also give millions to support Americans For Prosperity, a conservative business group that launched a $320,000 television ad campaign in favor of Walker's legislation Wednesday. When the caller asked how he could help, Walker suggested outside groups could try to influence people to call their lawmakers and spread the message that his proposal is necessary.

On the recording, after Walker said he would be willing to meet with Democratic leaders, the caller said he should bring a baseball bat to negotiations.

Walker laughed and responded that he had "a slugger with my name on it."

The caller suggested he was thinking about "planting some troublemakers" among the protesters, and Walker said his administration had thought about doing that, too, but decided against it. Walker said the protests eventually would die because the media would stop covering them.

Walker told reporters the plan to bring in outside agitators was one of many ideas his supporters and aides have raised that were dismissed.

At the end of the call, the prankster says: "I'll tell you what, Scott, once you crush these bastards, I'll fly you out to Cali and really show you a good time."

"All right, that would be outstanding," Walker replies, adding that the standoff is "all about getting our freedoms back."

The caller responds: "Absolutely. And you know, we have a little bit of vested interest as well" and laughs.

Walker's budget bill also allows his administration to sell power plants that heat and cool state buildings to private companies without any bids.

Critics have seized on that provision, saying they are convinced the Koch brothers' business interests would be able to buy power plants on the cheap, and then profit by running them and driving up the price of energy.

Koch Industries has denied any interest in buying the plants. Republicans tried to privatize Wisconsin's power plants in 2005, but the plan was vetoed by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle.

Immediately after taking office, Walker also pushed for legislation that would limit damage awards in lawsuits against many businesses.

Koch Industries lobbied for the bill, and Walker signed it into law last month. Walker is also seeking passage for another Koch Industries-backed bill to weaken state regulations by giving him the power to approve all rules proposed by agencies, a proposal that is moving quickly through the Legislature.

Koch Industries recently opened a lobbying office a block from the Capitol. Seven lobbyists have registered in Wisconsin to lobby for various Koch Industries companies.

Even before recordings of the call surfaced, the government watchdog group Common Cause in Wisconsin released a statement saying Walker's agenda matched with that of Koch Industries.

"Koch Industries and other corporate citizens have legitimate interests in Wisconsin, but their demonstrated willingness to push large amounts of money into state politics has given them a dangerously outsized voice," said Bob Edgar, the group's national president. That voice, he said, is "now demanding a return on its investments."

Interesting Example of Investigative Journalism

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/bigten/2011-02-23-iowa-documents_N.htm

One Way to Get Your Newspaper Prayed-For!

It's a Bird. It's a Plane. No; It's a Helicopter Full of Praying Pastors.

Teresa Neumann (February 23, 2011)

"You see these different areas of the city that you never would have thought to even pray for before, so I think praying from a different view is huge."

(Colorado Springs, Co.)—Local helicopter pilot Will Sanders—who finds flying a "profoundly spiritual experience"—runs a tour company called Colorado Vertical. He loves to take pastors up into the air about once a month to pray.

"I was given a gift. I've been so blessed. How many people have a helicopter?" Sanders said. "I do believe in the power of prayer, and I want to cover this whole community with it."

"Pastors know their areas," he added. "They know where people are hurting, where people need prayer, where people need help, and I can take them over those areas," Sanders says.

A CNN report goes into detail about how the pastors pray when they've been hovering over the communities they serve. As noted in the report, they pray for friends and "foes" alike.

Praying for a newspaper known to criticize Christians, for example, pastors pray for it and the publisher, saying they hope they [the local churches] "would be marked by our love and not by our judgment."

Said one pastor after debarking the helicopter: "As I saw the city, so many things came to me. It just gives you a whole new perspective on people, I think. You see these different areas of the city that you never would have thought to even pray for before, so I think praying from a different view is huge."

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Southern Indiana Newspapers Merge

Southern Indiana newspapers to merge by March 1

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. (AP) - Two southern Indiana newspapers are becoming one.

Publishers of the Evening News of Jeffersonville and the New Albany Tribune announced Wednesday that both organizations will be consolidated into one paper called the Evening News and Tribune starting March 1.

It will publish Tuesday through Sunday.

Evening News publisher Bill Hanson says the consolidation aims to create a more powerful media and advertising force in the region.

The merger is the latest move in an ongoing strategy of joining the newspapers' resources to provide more regional coverage for Clark and Floyd counties and southern Indiana in general. The newspapers have shared the same website for several years.

Both newspapers are owned by Community Newspapers Inc. and have operated since 1851.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Zondervan CEO Leaving

Moe Girkins to Leave Zondervan CEO Post

Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Zondervan's CEO Moe Girkins will leave the company on March 11 when her contract is not renewed, a spokesperson for the company said today.

Scott Macdonald, acting general manager at Zondervan's web-based software called The City and former president of Lemstone, will be her interim replacement. A search for a new CEO will begin immediately. The company declined to comment further on Girkins' departure.

CT previously spoke with Girkins about her move to Zondervan and about the company's decision to purchase BibleGateway.com, a searchable Bible site. Under her leadership, the company also decided to revise the New International Version, "correcting the mistakes in the past," Girkins said after acknowledging that Today's New International Version "divided the evangelical Christian community." The company also issued an apology for publishing Deadly Viper, a book that used Chinese characters and images for illustrations.

Zondervan, a Christian media and publishing company located in Grand Rapids, is owned by HarperCollins.

Go For It, Folks!

NEW MEDIA INTERNSHIPS OFFERED BY WORLD JOURNALISM INSTITUTE

New York, N.Y. February 16, 2011--The World Journalism Institute, countering trends in today's media climate, is placing multiple interns in newsrooms around the country. The 2011 multi-week New York course held in May and June will equip students with the tools needed for jobs in convergence journalism.

In the last year alone, WJI alumni have put their convergence skills to use in jobs such as digital newswriter for WTOP.com (Washington, D.C.), digital content editor for The Daily Report (Atlanta), multimedia reporter for the Asheville Citizen-Times, blogger for The Evangelical Outpost, producer for NHL.com, and producer for the Bill Bennett Show.

This year WJI grads have also interned or been hired by such news organizations as the Des Moines Register, Metro (N.Y.), Detroit News, Raleigh News & Observer, Chattanooga Times Free Press, Comcast Sportsnet, and Military.com.

The focus of the 2011 WJI course continues to be training in convergence media using video, photography, podcasting, radio and print media. Internship stipends for the most promising students may be awarded. Each student will complete four multimedia stories for posting on WJI's webzine, The Times Observer.

Dr. Michael Ray Smith (Campbell University) is the WJI John McCandlish Phillips Journalist of the year. Other instructors include Russell Pulliam (Indianapolis Star), Michael Chute (Union University), Joe Battaglia (Renaissance Communications), Clayton Sizemore (CNN), John Frost (Goodratings Strategic Services), Les Sillars (Patrick Henry College), and Roy Atwood (New St. Andrews College). Udo Middelmann of the Francis Schaeffer Foundation in Switzerland, will be the 2011 WJI Francis Schaeffer Scholar.

The annual eight-week journalism course costs $500 and is held May 15-July 9, 2011. There is a three-week residency component on the campus of The King's College in New York City and a five-week reporting component in the student's hometown. To apply for the course, go to the institute website and complete the online application.

The mission of the World Journalism Institute is to recruit, equip, place and encourage Christians in the mainstream newsrooms of America first and then the world.
For more information:

Kimberly Collins
World Journalism Institute
www.worldji.com
800-769-7870
kcollins@worldji.com

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Logan Spoke to IU Journalism Students About Dangers

Logan on dangers of war reporting

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WANE/AP)- - The CBS News correspondent who was attacked in Cairo recently spoke to Indiana University journalism students in Bloomington.

Ironically, Lara Logan talked about the dangers of foreign reporting. Mike Conway is a journalism professor at IU and said, "Lara Logan made quite an impression on our students during a visit a few months ago. Very passionate about international reporting but admitted she thought more about the danger after having two children."

He said, "She seemed almost fearless in her willingness to face danger to cover big stories."

Logan is recovering in a U.S. hospital after suffering a sexual attack and beating while reporting on the tumultuous events in Cairo.

Logan was in the city's Tahrir Square on Friday after Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak stepped down when she, her team and their security "were surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration," CBS said in a statement Tuesday.

The network described a mob of more than 200 people "whipped into a frenzy."
Separated from her crew in the crush of the violent pack, she suffered what CBS called "a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating."

She was saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers, the network said.

Should Public Broadcasting Funds Be Cut?

Here's some current new video on the issue of funding public broadcasting--the subject of our Kennedy & Moen chapter for this coming Monday night.

 

Commentary on Lara Logan Attack


This is just one of the commentaries on dangers journalists face--especially women, and especially war correspondents. This is an excerpt--to read the entire article click here.

Lara Logan appeared fearless and intrepid when she reported from war zones -- exactly what you want in a foreign correspondent.

The reporter "suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating" while covering the uprising in Tahrir Square on Feb. 11, according to CBS News, Logan's employer. Egyptian women and soldiers rescued her from a hostile mob that had separated her from her film crew, and she is now in an American hospital recovering.

Logan's assault is a reminder that reporting is a dangerous business. According to Reporters Without Borders, five reporters have already been killed in 2011, and 152 are imprisoned. Since 1992, 850 reporters have been killed around the world.

Monday, February 14, 2011

Investigative Book Coming

To My Atlanta Friends:

For a couple of years before taking on the role of Associate Publisher of WORLD, I did a column for the magazine on charity and philanthropy. Many of the articles I did for that column were investigative reporting pieces on Christian ministries involved in waste, fraud, and abuse.

I'm pleased to share that these columns have formed the basis for a book called "Faith Based Fraud" which will be released by Authentic Books (a division of Biblica) in early 2012.

I will be doing a presentation by the same name -- "Faith Based Fraud" -- at the Areopagus Forum at Perimeter Church, on Thursday, February 17, at 7:30 pm.

I would be delighted to see you at this event. There is no charge.

For more information, go to www.theareopagus.org

I hope to see you there!

Cordially,

Warren Cole Smith
Associate Publisher
WORLD Magazine

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Quotables

Notable quotables

"President Obama served a (Super Bowl) menu that featured food from both Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. Which explains why this morning, President Obama tested positive for diabetes" -- Conan O'Brien

"Before the game, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano told everybody that if you see something not right at the Super Bowl, let somebody know. Immediately, 50 million people called after Christina Aguilera did the national anthem" -- Jay Leno

Olbermann to 'Current' TV

Olbermann gets 'Current'

It was announced Tuesday that liberal lightning rod Keith Olbermann will anchor a prime time new/commentary show on the cable network Current TV.

Olbermann, who abruptly left MSNBC two weeks ago, will begin his show "later in 2011," according to a statement from Current TV.

The die-hard liberal will also serve as chief news officer and have an equity stake in Current Media, which was co-founded by former Vice President Al Gore.

"Nothing is more vital to a free America than a free media, and nothing is more vital to my concept of a free media than news produced independently of corporate interference," Olbermann said. "In Current Media, Al Gore and Joel Hyatt have created the model truth-seeking entity. The opportunity to partner with Al, Joel and Mark Rosenthal makes this the most exciting venture in my career."

Monday, February 7, 2011

AOL-HuffPost Merger Breaks New Ground

What will AOL-Huffington Post merger mean?

Arianna Huffington set up the left-leaning Huffington Post in 2005 as an alternative to the right-wing Drudge Report.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS
AOL to pay $315 million for left-leaning blog and news site The Huffington Post
Arianna Huffington will become editor-in-chief of merged company's media group
Merger latest in a long line of link-ups between new media companies and traditional firms

(CNN) -- Internet provider AOL is to buy news and blog website The Huffington Post for $315 million, the latest in a long line of innovative start-ups snapped up by established big-name firms.

According to their figures, the sale creates one of the most widely read online media organizations.

So what will the merger mean for the two companies, and for the online news industry as a whole?

What does it bring to AOL?

For its $315 million investment, AOL is buying itself a fashionable and rapidly growing brand popular among center-left circles in the U.S. and overseas.

AOL's chairman and CEO, Tim Armstrong, said he hoped the purchase would "create a next-generation American media company with global reach."

Digital media commentator Kara Swisher, of All Things Digital, says AOL has secured growth, excitement, and most importantly, an identity.

"AOL doesn't really stand for anything, it doesn't have a brand or an image, and they've just bought themselves the most valuable profile on the internet."

And how does it benefit The Huffington Post?

Arianna Huffington, co-founder and editor of The Huffington Post, will become president and editor-in-chief of the merged group's combined media division.

In return, The Huffington Post will have access to content from AOL's other sites, including video and technology news.

"It's good for the investors," says Swisher. "They look great.

"The company was moving slowly, they could either sell or go public, and they weren't really in a position to go public, so this was the best option -- and it's a lot of money."

Will it change The Huffington Post?

Arianna Huffington insists any changes will be positive ones: "The Huffington Post will continue on the same path we have been on for the last six years -- though now at light speed...

"Our readers will still be able to come to the Huffington Post at the same URL, and find all the same content they've grown to love, plus a lot more -- more local, more tech, more entertainment, more finance, and lots more video," she said in a statement.

Swisher says the Huffington Post will likely maintain its "left-ish" political stance, but notes that the site is not as left-leaning as some would believe.

"She's [Huffington] been going more central, she's certainly the most vocal critic of the Obama administration from the Democratic side."

What will the move mean to the market?

AOL and The Huffington Post say the newly merged group will have a combined 117 million unique visitors a month in the U.S. and 270 million around the world, potentially making them the most-read online media group in the world.

Swisher says the problem facing media companies nowadays is that "young people don't go to destination websites any more - they 'snack' all over the place" and firms have to find ways to feed that hunger.

Is the link-up part of a wider trend?

The marriage between The Huffington Post and AOL is the latest in a long line of innovative online "upstarts" snapped up by more established traditional firms.

Last November, troubled publishing giant Newsweek merged with relative newcomer The Daily Beast, founded just two years ago by former Vanity Fair editor Tina Brown.

"Companies shouldn't think 'print' or 'online' anymore," says Swisher. "They are media companies. Rupert Murdoch, for example, sees the writing on the wall, which is where The Daily comes from."

Will it succeed?

Previous old school-new media mergers have had a mixed record. Social networking stars such as Bebo and MySpace faded after they were bought out by AOL and News Corp. And let's not forget the merger in 2000 between AOL itself and Time Warner, parent company of CNN, described by some sober-minded analysts as the worst business deal in history.

Swisher says this time around, it's all in the execution. "The concept is a great idea -- in theory.

"It will all come down to the execution: If they're able to create content people want to read, if they keep on making good stuff, growing the audience, and if it makes money from advertising.

"AOL is trying to revive itself -- we shouldn't assume it's not going to succeed just because there have been issues before.

"It is a bold declaration of strategy: He's [Armstrong] got all the pieces now -- let's see what he does with them."

Middleman to WJI Post

Middelmann Appointed 2011 Schaeffer Chair at World Journalism Institute

New York, N.Y., February 7, 2011-Udo Middelmann, president of the Francis Schaeffer Foundation in Switzerland, has been appointed to the 2011 Francis Schaeffer Chair of Cultural Apologetics at the World Journalism Institute at The King's College in New York City.

As the Schaeffer scholar for WJI, Middelmann will present a series of lectures on the Christian worldview on Monday, May 16, at the institute's capstone convergence journalism course in New York.

Udo Middelmann is a philosophy professor at The King's College. He holds degrees in law from Freiburg University, Germany, and in theology from Covenant Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Mo., USA. He has also worked with Dr. Schaeffer as associate pastor as well as a long-time trustee, member and lecturer at the Swiss L'Abri. Udo regularly publishes "Footnotes," a publication of the Schaeffer Foundation. Previous books Udo has written are Pro-Existence, The Market-Driven Church and The Innocence of God, and Christianity Versus Fatalistic Religions in the War Against Poverty. Udo has also authored numerous articles and chapters to other books and papers.

Robert Case, director of WJI stated, "The opportunity of finally having Udo Middelmann speak to our young journalists is a wonderful blessing. In order to write like a Christian, one must first think like a Christian, and Mr. Middelmann has labored in Christian thinking for decades."

Udo Middelmann grew up in Germany and became a Christian while studying at Freiburg University. Since that time he has taught courses on worldviews, Christian apologetics, religion, and philosophy in the United States, Africa, the former Soviet Union and many European countries. He has served as president of the Schaeffer Foundation for over 20 years, before which he was a trustee and member at L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland.

Prof. Middelmann was The King's College Percy Crawford Chair of the religion and philosophy department at its Briarcliff Manor campus before it moved to its current New York City campus in the early 2000s.

The World Journalism Institute's mission is to recruit, equip, place and encourage Christian journalists in the mainstream newsrooms of first America and then the world. To that end, WJI offers courses, conferences, internship funding, and monographs on the intersection of Christianity and journalism.

For more information:
Kimberly Collins
World Journalism Institute
800-769-7870
office@worldji.com
www.worldji.com

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Sally Stuart Sells Market Guide to Jenkins

Here's some very big news in the Christian writing world, taken from Sally Stuart's Facebook page:

Sally E. Stuart

I know I have been quiet here for months, but the following will explain why--at least in part. Today I am announcing that I have sold the Christian Writers' Market Guide to Jerry Jenkins and the Christian Writers Guild. Their commitment to writers makes them the perfect fit for the guide. For me it means semi-retirement. Details at www.stuartmarket.blogspot.com.

Horace Greeley's Birthday Today

From Garrison Keillor's "The Writer's Almanac":

Today is the birthday of the journalist Horace Greeley, born in Amherst, New Hampshire (1811).

He started the penny daily The New York Tribune when he was 30 years old. He wrote editorials during the Civil War, championing his radical politics, and he ran for president against Ulysses S. Grant.

But just before the election, his wife died, and Greeley went crazy and died a few weeks later — after the popular vote, which he had lost, but before the electoral votes had officially been cast. More people attended his funeral than attended Abraham Lincoln's, and they filled the streets of New York for days in his honor.

He said, "Common sense is very uncommon."

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Front Page Lead Story, No Less!

Three days into his new job as a reporter at the Fort Wayne News Sentinel, Grace senior Chris Sheckler has the front-page top-left lead story in the newspaper.

Way to go, Chris!

http://www.newssentinel.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110201/NEWS/102010332/0/FRONTPAGE

Need an Internship? Learn to Tweet!

Here's a very interesting perspective from the chair of the communication department at Northwestern College in Mpls/St. Paul:\

Note From the Chair

Need an internship? Learn to tweet


The Minneapolis-based advertising agency Campbell Mithun announced last month that it would choose this summer's interns based on an application process that consists of 13 "tweets" sent between February 13 and February 25.

It seems to have been a good move for Campbell Mithun, in that it generated a lot of positive media coverage even before the application window begins, and much of that coverage helped to position the nearly 80-year-old agency as a forward-thinking, tech-savvy kind of place. I can't decide if it's brilliant or stupid, but I suspect it's a bit of both. (See what kind of tweets applicants come up with by searching for the hashtag "L13" on Twitter, starting February 13.)

Is it a publicity stunt? That's probably part of it. But it's also indicative of a changing media world where old-time companies feel that they have to do something - anything - with social media, even if they're not sure what it would be and if it would make sense. The Internet continues to be a huge game-changer in the media world, and a lot of folks are scrambling to try to figure out the rules of the new game. And where's there's scrambling about, there's opportunity.

What does this mean for Northwestern's communication students? If you want to work in a media-related field, think about building some social media "street cred" now. Start a blog about a topic that interests you - something professional that you'd be proud to show a future employer. Start tweeting to support your blog. Build and interact with an on-line audience, if only to show a future employer that you can.

The odds are good that your future career will require social media skills, if only because dusty old "digital immigrants" like Campbell Mithun are looking to young "digital natives" to blaze the trail.

Doug Trouten
Chair, Communication Department