Tough Decade for Journalists

For world's journalists, 2000s a 'decade of death'

By Joe Sterling, CNN, February 10, 2010

(CNN) -- For the working press across the globe, the past 10 war-ridden years represent a "decade of death" and the world remains "mired in an age of barbarity" when it comes to "the deliberate murder" of hundreds of journalists.

That is a major thrust of the International Press Institute's World Press Freedom Review 2009, a grim catalogue of facts and trends recording the challenges in disseminating news.

The group's latest yearly review focuses in on press freedom in every country across the turbulent Middle East and North Africa. But this year, the institute took the opportunity to reflect on the events of the past 10 years, what the report says is a black stretch of history for journalism.

"This decade is unlike any other, because, in conflict countries such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Somalia and Pakistan, it has seen the deliberate targeting of journalists," said Anthony Mills, managing editor of the World Press Freedom Review based in Vienna, Austria.

"Such a departure has changed the face of conflict reporting, leading to less coverage and therefore a worrying vacuum in the understanding of these complex events."

The report said 735 journalists died in conflict between 2000 and 2009. Mills says the vast majority of those killed were targeted for death and others were those who died in accidents while on the job.

Breaking down the toll by region, 238 journalists were killed in Asia, 202 in the Middle East and North Africa, 162 in the Americas, 68 in Europe, 53 in the rest of Africa, and 12 in the Caribbean.

"If anything, the number of journalists murdered is increasing. Compared to the first half of the decade, the assassination rate for journalists has risen by more than 40 percent," the report said.

Country-by-country, the largest number of deaths this decade occurred in Iraq, where 170 died covering the insurgency and the sectarian violence.

The Philippines came in second as the most dangerous country with 93 deaths, including 32 last year in a massacre of reporters accompanying relatives of a politician.

The fighting in Colombia between government forces, armed groups like the FARC and drug cartels left 58 journalists dead, and the violence in Mexico between security forces and drug cartels racked up 38 journalists killed.

Thirty-five journalists were killed in Russia, 31 in Pakistan, 23 in India, 22 in Somalia, 17 in Brazil and 17 in Sri Lanka.

"When it comes to the deliberate murder of journalists because of their work, we are still mired in an age of barbarity, with the number of journalists killed in 2009, at 110, higher than the 66 killed in 2008 and far higher than the 56 killed in 2000," the report said.

Magazine Newsstand Sales Falling, but Slower

From DailyFinance.com:

Magazines' Newsstand Sales Keep Plummeting

By JEFF BERCOVICI

The good news, for magazine publishers, is that the earthward plummet in newsstand sales has finally started to moderate. The bad news is that sales are still falling at a vertigo-inducing rate -- just not quite so rapidly as they were a few months ago.

The Audit Bureau of Circulations, the industry body that tracks magazine and newsstand circulation, reported data from the second half of 2009 on Monday, and the numbers were a variation on a familiar theme. Aggregate single-copy (i.e., newsstand) sales for the 472 titles that report to ABC were down 9.1% versus the same period a year earlier. That compares to a 12.4% drop in the first half of 2009 and an 11.1% drop in second-half '08.

It's tempting to see this deceleration as the beginning of a turnaround for magazines, but that's almost certainly not the case. More likely, as the most marginal readers fall away -- the ones who are price- or economy-sensitive, or who are young and fickle in their media-consumption patterns -- what's left is a harder core of habitual readers.

Of the 25 titles that sell the most copies on the newsstand, only six -- Wenner Media's Us Weekly, Hearst's O: The Oprah Magazine and Seventeen, Condé Nast's Vanity Fair, and Time Warner's (TWX) People StyleWatch and Real Simple -- managed to sell more copies in 2009 than in 2008. The biggest increase was at Real Simple, which sold 411,705 copies per issue, up 6.2%. Four of the top 25 suffered double-digit decreases, with Hearst's Good Housekeeping sliding the most (-30.8%).

Facebook Turns Six

Facebook turns 6!

Posted by Jessi Hempel, writer
February 4, 2010 7:16 AM

Mark Zuckerberg
The social networking site is all grown up.

Facebook celebrates its sixth birthday today. Just one year ago, Fortune put founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg on the magazine’s cover in a story entitled "How Facebook is taking over our lives." The site had 150 million users. Today, that number has more than doubled to 350 million users.

There’s no question Facebook has emerged as one of the most significant Internet companies of its time. At its current growth rate, it will surpass Yahoo (YHOO) for unique monthly visitors within the year to become the third largest site on the net. Half of the company’s users log on in any given day. Average users spend 55 minutes a day on the site. More than 2.5 billion photos are uploaded each month.

The scope of Zuckerberg’s vision for the site is tremendous, and his success has yet to be fully determined. But on the occasion of its sixth birthday, let’s take a look at six ways it has shaped our culture.

1. New politics of friending: Facebook’s users have made the word “friend” into a verb. If you want to keep in touch with someone friend them, and if they’re bothering you? Here’s a second new verb that’s just as important: to unfriend. Also, friending is not restricted to people. The site’s users are actively friending plenty of pizza parlors and TV shows and magazines. (If you don’t believe me, friend Fortune Magazine. We’re kind and interesting and we’ll be there to listen to you.)

2. Love in a time of transparency: So much for hiding old photographs and sappy cards in a box in the basement. Now your photos—and wall posts and shared connections—live on in the cloud. Fiddling with privacy settings to cut down on heartache has become a rite of passage for any break-up. A recent New York Times piece entitled “Breaking Up in a Digital Fishbowl” sums up the challenges of this new communication medium for anyone leaving—or being left—by a lover.

3. Breaking news breaks faster: Whether the earth rumbles in Palo Alto or ripples in Port-au-Prince, status updates send the news of an earthquake speeding into our consciousness long before the fastest news organizations.

4. The new 911: Last September, two Australian girls, 10 and 12, trapped in a storm water drain used their mobile phones to signal for help—by updating their Facebook statuses. It raised concern among local emergency officials and sparked debate about how social media should be used in an emergency. But the girls were brought home safely. And in emergencies from demonstrations in Iran to the terrorist attacks in India, status updates and tweets have been instrumental in helping people find help fast and let loved ones know they are okay.

5. Privacy matters: Zuckerberg has always believed in giving users as much control over information as possible. Even so, Facebook becomes the stage for a major user uproar over privacy every year or so. After getting flack for confusing privacy settings, Facebook rolled out privacy settings that are flexible and powerful last December. Using a simple drop down menu to the right of each post or photo, Facebook users can define who sees it. These settings have drawn criticism as well as kudos, however, in part because they are complex.

6. Getting together for good: Within hours after an earthquake struck Haiti in January, people turned to Facebook to express their concern. In the 24 hours following the earthquake, 1,500 status updates containing the word "Haiti" were published every minute. Thousands of dollars were donated through the “Causes” application on Facebook, according to Facebook’s Randi Zucerkberg in a blog post, and nonprofits mobilized to beef up their Facebook pages. As the response to the Haitian crisis demonstrated, when a lot of people have an easy way to give a little money, the philanthropic dollars add up fast.

Colts Chaplain Feature Story

U'd love to see YOUR byline on a story like this:

Colts chaplain maintains continuity

Posted on Feb 2, 2010 | by Art Stricklin

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (BP)--Beyond their Super Bowl trophy, the Indianapolis Colts have had multiple coaches, players and playoff appearances the last eight years.

But they've only had one chaplain, Ken Johnson, who first came to the Colts in 2002 at the request of then-head coach Tony Dungy. Johnson has remained the team's spiritual leader since Dungy's good friend and fellow believer Jim Caldwell took over as head coach.

"The goal is the same -- what is the moral compass of each player and how does that help them set a good foundation," Johnson said at the beginning of Super Bowl XLIV festivities in soggy South Florida.

Johnson came to Indianapolis to work with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes in their Urban Outreach unit. He has since launched a speaking ministry in schools and churches and written a book about his experiences, "Journey to Excellence," in which he recounts growing up in a drug-filled and dysfunctional household.

Johnson has been joined by his son KD, who uses his music ministry and rap skills to reach youth for Jesus.

But Johnson said his commitment and relationship with the Colts has remained strong during Caldwell's first year at the helm.

"He is a good and godly man with a solid foundation," Johnson said.

Because he has been with the team as long as or longer than many of the Colts players, they know they can confide in him. "I try to help players in tough times and just let them know that life happens at all times and you always have to be ready in Him," he said.

Johnson, who played football at the University of Tulsa, enjoys seeing the players excel in competition and grow in their spiritual faith "because being a Christian gives you a special perspective that you need in today's world."

Despite having already garnered a Super Bowl title at this same Sun Life Stadium field three years ago and playing a New Orleans Saints team that has never been in the title game before, Johnson said when he stands before the Colts at the Saturday night chapel this week, he will remind them God calls for excellence in all that they do.

"I don't pray for anything in my life that I don't want God's favor," he said. "I want a good life with a good foundation."

There is one other thing that is different about Johnson when he strolls around South Florida this week, encouraging the players and coaches and helping them get ready for another world championship opportunity.

On his finger, he has a large Super Bowl Ring, which the Colts gave to him in gratitude for his spiritual work and encouragement en route to their first Super Bowl title. "When they called and asked for my ring size, I was trying to be really cool, but I was excited to have something which recognized accomplishment and hard work."
--30--
Art Stricklin is a sports correspondent for Baptist Press.

Kristian Hawkins Article

Attached are the first couple paragraphs of the latest posted article by Krisin Hawkins, whom I mentioned last night and who is a recent graduate of our program. You can see the entire article by clicking here.

Memoir of a New Barista

February 01, 2010 by Kristin Hawkins

The way to my current job was not an easy one. One reason it was hard, however, is the fact that the economy continued to be a difficulty for me at every which way. My current job might not be one's typical career, but it is on the road to whatever lies ahead.

I currently work at a coffee shop, and I am training to become an official barista. I have been at this job for almost a month. Although I have not gained many hours, I consider myself very blessed to have this job. If it was not in God's plan, I might not have landed even this one.

Website You Asked For

Here is the web address for Wesleyan Publishing House/VISTA magazine that we discussed in class Monday night:

http://www.wesleyan.org/wph/inside/writers_guidelines/

I'll also see if I can post the entire PowerPoint presentation as a handout on the portal.

This Week's Quote for Writers

"misery breeds copy" -- S. J. Perelman