The Media's Civil War

Out of Town News,Cambridge, Mass. from Stephanie McPherson on Vimeo.

The Future of News
With the newspaper industry in a desperate search for a business model that
pays, many critics have begun to brainstorm what the new face of media will be.
As early as March of 1993, Michael Crichton wrote a piece for a fledgling
magazine called Wired. The article, titled “Mediasaurus“, predicted the Web
would mean a diversity of one topic news websites, artificial intelligence
systems that could find stories he was interested in, and a host of other ideas.
He also suggested newspapers, that in the far off year of 2008, would be gone
for good.

After the Globe’s month long standoff with the New York Times, the debate over
the future of the media has reached a frenzied pitch. As Crichton’s essay
prophesied, the Internet is brimming with possibilities, but not certainties.

One of the main reasons for the newspaper industries’ decline has been the
drop-off in both advertising and classifieds. Due to the rise of the internet,
advertisers have found different venues and classifieds have become free . While
touring the Boston Globe offices, long tine photographer George Rizer pointed to
a group of desks covered in old papers and unused equipment. “See those?” he
said, “Those desks used to have tons of people taking classifieds, at all times
of the day. Now, they’re gone.” Rizer went on to predict that in the next five
years, one third of all newspapers will fold.

Veterans of the newspaper industry have their own ideas for how to keep the
presses running. Jim Foudy, editor of the Daily Hampshire Gazette in
Northampton, enjoys his system for keeping the Gazette in print. “The newspapers
shot themselves in the foot by providing free content, and Craigslist has done a
number on our wanted ads and classifieds,” he said. To stay afloat, the Gazette
requires a subscription to view its web content.

The Gazette model is a rarity in the online newspaper circuit because it
requires cash to use. Foudy admits that needing a subscription probably keeps
readership from reaching its full potential This roadblock has led other editors
take a different approach. Boston.com, the site on which the Boston Globe posts
all of its material, is free for anyone who chooses to use it. Bennie DiNardo,
one of the deputy of managers of multimedia content at the Globe, has a
different philosophy. “Our business is to deliver the news, no matter what the
format,” he said. “To quote Arthur Sulzberger, head of the New York Times, we
need to be agnostic about how people get their news.”

While newspapers continue to experiment with possible business models that will
allow them to put content on the web while making a profit, other groups in the
media are trying different methods.

One development occurring in the media sphere is the rise of citizen
journalists. Often unpaid, these men and women report on issues that affect
their communities. Opinions on the future of citizen journalists are mixed.
Critics of the current media feel that citizen journalists offer news without
agendas, a fault that the mass media is often accused of having. Critics of the
current media feel that citizen journalists, like Rizer, say that amateur
journalists practice an exercise in egomania that will lead to news without
substance.

This video should give you a better idea of both sides of the argument.

The Future of Journalism in Massachusetts from Lucas Correia on Vimeo.

Some branches of the media are working overtime to fill in the gaps left by the
newspapers‘ decline. Cambridge Community Television, a public television station
set up in Boston, is starting to use citizen journalists for a project called
Neighbor Media, with the eventual goal of putting a journalist in every zip code
in Cambridge. Colin Rhinesmith, director of the project said, “to have residents
see people they know reporting is inspiring. Seeing them produce stories that
effect them is truly media by the people, for the people.”

CCTV may be a good place to start when looking for the new face of the media.
It presents itself as a merchant of information newsworthy to those in the local
community, users of nonprofessional talent, and is endlessly inventive. A
project using the program GoogleMaps, called MediaMap shows how the new media is
shaping up. One can zoom into a map of Boston, choose a location, and watch,
listen, or read a news story that happened the spot. Rhinesmith says that this
is an especially exciting development for those with mobile devices.

MediaMap is interesting for an additional reason. Another attempt at divining
the future of the media, titled EPIC video, predicted a hypothetical, hyperlocal
media program that used GoogleMaps. Called EPIC, it would become the ultimate
answer in media. In an interesting turn, it was predicted that this program
would be made only after the almighty New York Times folded.

Foudy said, “the newspaper business is in flux, but the principles of
journalism are here to stay.” Some parts of the media are gloating at a bigger
role in making the news, other parts are doing scrambling to hold the newspaper
above the water. One suspects that when the dust finally clears in the media’s
civil war, the winner will be something both very similar -yet very different-
from the models already predicted.

Globe Reader Reactions

By: Kevin Koczwara

The New York Times Co. hasn’t closed down Boston’s largest daily newspaper, for now. The Boston Globe remains open with a certain feeling of dread. The dread comes from not knowing how long the Times Co. can keep financing a product that loses $20 million a day, and the uncertainty hung over the paper for the month of April and into May.

An open rally for readers and workers to show their support was organized at Faneuil Hall on Friday, April 24, early afternoon. The time frame allowed workers in the area to show their support. Although many would not comment on their feelings on the situation because they were skipping work, some did speak about how the loss of the paper would affect them.

“I think it would be a tremendous loss,” said Jerry Lewis, an Electrician on lunch break. “It’s a nationally recognized institution.”

The Globe’s closure would have been seen as a huge loss to the Boston community. “The Boston Globe is the leading voice of New England and if it were to go silent, we’d lose an institution that has become part of our regional identity,” said Meredith O’Brien, a columnist and author living in the MetroWest area.

“The Globe leads the charge in covering state government and holding the Commonwealth’s leaders accountable,” she said. “And, as a former reporter for the Boston Herald, I’d be tremendously saddened to see the city lose its coveted status as a two-newspaper town. Having journalistic competition keeps reporters on their toes, keeps ‘em sharp and, whatever stories one paper doesn’t have, the other likely does, a yin and yang, particularly when it comes to their editorial leanings.”

Founded in 1872, the Globe has been a staple in newsstands since the turn of the century. “Every day Globe readers wake up and learn about each other, about the places we live, what’s important to us, about the events, the institutions, the forces that affect our lives,” said Brian Mooney, Globe reporter.

Printed seven days a week, the paper has evolved over the years alongside technology. Boston.com was started in 1995, giving users and readers up-to-date information for free. The Web site brings in revenue, however minimal, from ad space. The innovations have saved the company some money as its distribution numbers have slumped over the years.

City Council President Michael Ross added his voice to the Faneuil Hall rally. Even if the paper may not always be on his side, he said, he stands by it. “Newspapers serve as a touchstone for our community, which ultimately makes our country, city and government better,” Ross said.

The rally showed its diversity in voices by bringing in Neiman Fellow and Pulitzer Prize winning reporter David Jackson of the Chicago Tribune, a Boston native. He sees the paper as a necessary piece of government.

“Every day Globe reporters comb the corridors of power and the public alleyways, and they shed light. They bring forth vested facts, and they spark the conversation on which our democracy depends,” Jackson said to the crowds.

O’Brien feels the same. “Without the Globe, I shudder to think of the number of stories that would go uncovered and the things with which the folks at the State House would be able to do knowing there aren’t many reporters keeping tabs on them,” she said.

Dan Totten, president of the Boston Newspaper Guild, sees the paper as a landmark for the Boston area. “The Boston Globe is far too important to the life of New England to ever be placed in jeopardy,” says Totten, whose Guild will need to ratify the new contact that has been negotiated between the Guild and The New York Times Co.

The 190 guaranteed jobs and more than $10 million in pay cuts have been agreed upon, now The Boston Newspaper Guild must vote ratify the new terms of their contacts at the June 8 meeting. This must surely be done or the New York Times Co. will have to close shop to one of the nations oldest and largest daily papers, and make Boston a one paper city.

Cultural Evolution Through Cooking

Cultural evolution is one of those subjects I really haven’t touched on. This is partially because I’m not an anthropologist- it makes me likely to have BS called on my writing. The unprofessional layperson’s definition of cultural evolution would be; those who do stupid things, die.

Stupidity, I’m sure you are aware, comes in many different colors and flavors. Since I’m talking about cultural evolution and cooking, this entry will give you a better idea of why people cook their pork well done (or don’t eat it at all)

• Why don’t Jewish people and Muslims eat pork?

There are a couple possibilities for this. As you may know, holy books are full of laws constraining diet, sexual behavior, and much more. As it turns out, there are often good reasons for this, albeit ones that are somewhat obsolete in the year 2009.

As to the “just say no to pork” rule, there are two main theories. The one that has the most credence is that pigs often carry the deadly parasite Trichinosis. It would stand to reason that a holy book would ban food that could possibly kill the diner. This was way before people understood that you need to cook pork thoroughly before eating it.

The other possibility is that pigs eat anything, and too much of it. Although pigs will happily consume garbage, they also have a distinct appetite for human food. The ban on pork throughout middle east regions could have to do with the lack of enough arable land to feed both humans and piggies.

• Why do people in hot places like India, Mexico, and Thailand eat such spicy food? Isn’t it hot enough there already?

You have probably taken a bite of authentic Mexican mole, a hot curry, or a dash of Sriracha sauce and wondered this yourself. The truth behind this is that some spices are thought to contain anti-microbial properties. In hot areas where meat spoils quickly, it makes sense that people would drench their food in spicy goodness.

Before refrigeration, many other cultures used equally creative, if not quite as tasty preparations. These preservation techniques are thought to be responsible for the horrors of Scandinavian cuisine.

I am lutefisk, destroyer of worlds. Courtesy of Adam Drew

Bork Appetite!

Out of the world, into the fire

The image that wet a thousand astronomer's pants, Gliese 877. Courtesy of Trent Schindler

I know I usually focus on things on this earth, but I have to report on this. An exoplanet (out of this solar system) has been discovered that possibly has liquid water.

Imagine you were on this planet. An inhabitant, much like us, congratulates you on reaching such a distant place, some twenty odd light-years without liquid water to sustain you. You talk about his planet’s politics, a little about how his nine to five is. Then, he offers you a baloney sandwich. You take a bite, and promptly die.

What just happened? Copper poisoning.

See, planets are attributed different amounts of resources. Mars has an abundance of Iron, and Venus has too much sulfur. The point is, we are evolved to life on this planet, but no where else- Unless the planet is exactly like ours, Earth.

You don’t need to look far to find it. Cows, they do better in iron rich environments, like the American Midwest , the southern part of South America, and the plains of Europe. Sheep live better in mountainous habitats like Colorado and Greece. Why doesn’t it follow to reason that we should thrive only in the confines of planet Earth?

Sadly, although astronomers have the habit of wetting their pants every time liquid water is found outside of Earth, that may not be enough to support life as we know it. A major problem with many scientists and researchers is that they’re extensively trained in one subject, but often confused about another. (Some wags say that researchers and scientists are also not trained on how to communicate with people, but that’s neither here nor there.)

A side note- a lot has been made over the recent plagiarism spate at the Umass Daily Collegian. Being a journalist, I’m deeply disappointed that someone didn’t bother to accept that cardinal rule of journalism- Do Your Own Writing. As a biologist, I’m happy to tell you that the article in question is a pile of BS.

If you’ll recall a post I made on bacterial evolution, germs that occur naturally on piggies are probably a lot less harmful than germs that occur naturally on pigs that have also gained antibiotic resistance.

There are a few real lessons to learn here. Avoid taking other’s work and passing it off as your own, and if you eat pork, consider going free range, and cook your bacon well. You’ll thank me later on all counts.

Some fun with the movies

If you're around my age, you may remember a childhood movie called The Land Before Time. It's a cute movie about cute singing dinosaurs. It is also full of filthy lies.

Since I'm quickly getting to the end of my school year, I'd like to take the fun and easy route of talking about dinosaurs and their portrayal in the movies.

What you learned from Godzilla: Dinosaurs were slow moving, stupid killing machines.
Verdict: False
In an act that I find funny for several reasons, Toho studios designed everyone's favorite monster in a rubber suit after what people thought dinosaurs were like in the 1950s. As such, one of Japan's most favorite citizens was shown as a slow walking, tail dragging beast with nothing on the mind but death.
At the time, Paleontologists thought that dinosaurs were probably just oversized lizards. With the finding of transitional fossils and dino DNA, we now think that dinosaurs were something of a mix between crocodiles and birds. Behaviorists think that dinos behaved more like birds in terms of intelligence and being warm blooded.

What you learned from Jurassic Park: If Velociraptors were reintroduced to this world, we would all be dead.
Verdict? False
The raptors from the movie never really existed. The was a dinosaur about the same size and build, but it was called Utah Raptor. Apparently, velociraptor sounds scarier. The truth is, if you ran into a velocirator, you'd be able to punt it.
These raptors were around the size of a big turkey. Interestingly enough, the might have looked like one too. Many raptor fossils show feather imprints.
Jeff Goldblum was afraid of this guy? Credit goes to Marmelad

What you learned from The Land Before Time: Long necked dinosaurs could lift their heads up to pick leaves off of trees (obstensively to give to their children)
Verdict: False
When you raise your arm, your heart needs to pump at a greater rate. If your arm was 30 feet long and required hundreds of gallons of blood in it at all times, well, that could raise blood pressure by...a lot. A brontosaur lifting its head to tree level would lead to it immediately passing out, or possibly a dino anurysim.


What you learned from The Land Before Time: Dinosaurs could sing
Verdict: absolutely, unbelievablely... True.

What have I been saying all this post? Courtesy of Soto Ayam.

Convergent Evolution

Time for a confession. Those American Cheetahs I was talking about in the last post? They weren't really cheetahs.

They had a build like a cheetah and probably behaved like cheetahs, but DNA evidence taken fro fossils suggest that they were much more closely related to Mountain Lions.

How does a mountain lion come to look like a cheetah? Through something called convergent evolution.

The theory of convergent evolution basically proposes that given enough time to adapt to their surroundings, a species will exist in the form that best suits its habitat.

If a big, predatory mammal lives in an environment with a bunch of small, fast moving prey, you can bet that you will see a few common changes:

• To deal with getting enough oxygen to conduct a high speed chase, a fast predator needs a giant chest cavity. Huge lungs are needed to take in the air, and a big, strong heart is needed to pump blood throughout the body. Animals with big hearts and lungs will be able to chase down more prey, allowing them to have more offspring with barrel chests. The process continues until you start seeing the deep chest characteristic of greyhounds and cheetahs
• Another thing often associated with a high speed lifestyle, a short, flat face with wide nostrils, also appears in both cheetahs and miracinonyx. This is another adaption for increasing oxygen uptake.

Something interesting about convergent evolution is that it shows there is a general body type that goes best with a lifestyle.

Take two radically different animals- hippos and alligators- that live in the same environment. Due to the need to know what is going on above the waterline, both animals have eyes positioned on top of their heads.
Hippos and crocodiles both have eyes on top of their heads, despite being from two different classes. Courtesy of Paul Williams


Or think about three other groups- seals tuna, and the now extinct ichthyosaurs- Even though mammals, fish and reptiles have little in common, all three of these animals share a bullet shaped body. This is an adaption for swimming, as the shape is perfectly hydrodynamic. Natural selection showing us that there is a "perfect" adaption for a lifestyle.

Where the antelope play

If you will be so kind as to look back in my blog a month ago, you will see something I did on vestigial traits- The odds and ends of your body that serve no good today, but may have been useful in your deep past.

Today, I think I'll show how these traits can be more than just extra teeth or a misplaced bone. Take the Antelope that live on the plains of America, for example. These little powerhouses may look a little like a midget deer, but they can run like the dickens. Where most animals living on the North American plains can't run more than about 25 mph, an antelope can almost reach highway speeds.

Why is this?

As it turns out, the antelope's ability to run like a Kenyan triathlete on crack is rooted in their species' birth, a mere 3 million years ago. During this period of American History, cheetahs stalked the plains of Kansas.

Well, they weren't cheetahs, exactly, they were a relative of pumas called Miracinonyx, (that's a post for later) but a cat that is perfectly engineered for running is still a major threat to an antelope's survival. What happened? Only the fastest antelopes would survive. After the Miracinonyx's still unknown demise, the antelope retained it's running speed.

The more things change, the more they stay the same. You might have seen this situation 3 million years ago in Kansas. Picture courtesy of Jerry Friedman

Because the antelope can outrun any predator alive today by a healthy margin, it is thought that their top speed will eventually be lower. Evolution works on a "just good enough" function, and the amount of muscle needed to run at highway speeds simply takes too much energy to grow.

Richard Clarke Talk

April second saw one of the first archetypal spring days in Amherst Massachusetts. With temperatures in the mid-sixties and a cloudless sky, one would expect the students of the University of Massachusetts to be outside, enjoying the sun. And yet, last Thursday saw over two hundred students of various majors and backgrounds crowd into a stuffy auditorium on the southeast side of campus to watch a giant in the world of American foreign policy- Richard Clarke.

Clarke was there to give a talk titled, "Thee missing pieces of the three 21st century wars: Iraq, Afghanistan, and cyberspace." For 45 minutes, Clarke outlined the significance each had in foreign policy and gave his critiques on the fading memories of George W. Bush’s America. A short question and answer session followed.

It is impossible to review America’s recent battles with terrorists across the globe without Clarke coming up. He began working for the State department during the Reagan administration and continued the job under George H.W. Bush. He gained a positive reputation due to his work in negotiating diplomatic ties during Desert Storm, and was selected for counter-terrorism operations during the Clinton years.

The second Bush administration saw Clarke’s influence start to decay. A change up in the Whitehouse staff demoted Clarke to the capacity of special advisor, where he claims that he was ignored. Clarke resigned from the administration after the invasion of Iraq, something that Clarke maintains had pushed the US away from the goal of capturing Osama bin Laden.

Clarke’s problems with the former Bush administration were apparent in his hour-long talk, which went over the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as the new threat of cyber warfare. Starting with the war in Iraq, Clarke made a point by point summary of how the war had allowed bin Laden to escape and escalated the likelihood of further terror attacks.

Furthermore, he argued, despite recent gains in stability throughout Iraq, it was not in the United State’s best interests to go there in the first place. “Do not allow the creeping revisionism to set in,” he stated. “Do not let people say that (invading Iraq) was a good idea. The truth is that George Bush lied to us.”

Clarke went on to describe foreign policy problems arising from the now-faltering war in Afghanistan, as well as unprotected computer networks- something that he says allows everyone with an internet connection access to the most vital parts of society. Clark gave step by step instructions on how to topple a power grid using nothing but a desktop, demonstrating how easy it could be. Once again, he accused the Bush presidency of sweeping these problems under the rug.

The feud between Clarke and the Bush administration is both bitter and well documented, with highly partisan viewpoints on who was in the right. The dispute began soon after Clarke’s demotion, and continues to the present.

Clarke maintains that he forewarned Condoleezza Rice of possible attacks by bin Laden’s terror group, al-Qaeda, while those in the Bush administration claim that he was, “out of the loop” for terror briefings. After the attacks, Clarke claims that president Bush asked him for any proof that now-deposed Iraqi President Saddam Hussein could have been involved, something that the former administration has denied.

There appears to be little bad blood between Clarke and the Obama administration, with Clarke mentioning on Thursday’s talk that the he appreciated “Obama isn’t waging a war against an abstract word like terror- he’s concentrating on al-Qaeda, the perpetrators of the September 11th attacks.” Clark also proved invaluable to the Obama transition team.

There’s a saying that goes, “History is written by the victors.” By the looks of it, the battle over who was right on the War against Terror is still being fought.

For more on Clarke's views of cyber-warfare, please check out this video