| This just in from Cambridge Community Television: |
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| New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group, a public relations firm specializing in strategic, integrated outreach for clients in health, science, technology and energy, worldwide. | ||||||
My friend Bill Lichtenstein is working on what’s certain to be a wonderful nonprofit documentary film about WBCN–a groundbreaking Boston radio station deeply involved in the political and cultural changes of the 1960s. He’s seeking funding through Kickstarter: an innovative fundraising mechanism that will be of interest to entrepreneurs of all stripes–in order to help change the future.
The film, entitled “The American Revolution: How a Radio Station, Politics and Rock and Roll Changed Everything” documents Boston radio station WBCN from 1968 (when Bill, as a 14-year-old high school became the station’s youngest DJ) through 1974.
As reported in the Boston Herald (Dec. 5, 2011), during those years, Bruce Springsteen did his first radio interview ever on WBCN; Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, of the Grateful Dead, and the Allman Brothers’ Duane Allman stopped into the studio at 2 AM and jammed for an area. When Nixon invaded Cambodia, “BCN got local college kids to strike.
WBCN “had tremendous national impact both musically and politically,” Lichtenstein told the Herald. “We changed the world one time,” Lichtenstein says. And, with this film, “we can do it again.”
Lichenstein, who has produced TV news and documentaries for ABC and PBS, has gathered more than 50,000 documents, photos, and tapes–which include performances by Led Zeppelin, Lou Reed and the Velvet Underground.
He has also garnered some $50,000 in contributions–but needs to double that amount by Dec. 19 to complete the film.
He’s seeking $104 thousand in donations via Kickstarter–a nonprofit that allows contributors tax deductions–but gives fundraisers just a month to get the entire bundle.That is, Kickstarter takes an all or nothing approach: Lichtenstein must bring in all $104K by Dec. 19–or he gets nothing.
After three weeks of fundraising, he’s now almost at the halfway point, with just a week to go.
More info and the film trailer are available at www.KickstartWBCN.com. Lichtenstein and Kickstarter will be featured on Boston’s WCVB-TV “Chronicle” on Dec. 13, 2011.
——Anita Harris
Anita M. Harris is president of the Harris Communications Group, an award-winning public relations firm located in tyhe Cambridge Innovation Center in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA. Anita is a former national journalist who got HER start in the alternative press–as a founder of the Harrisburg Independent Press and writer for the The Real Paper and Phoenix in Boston, MA.
Last Friday, I had the privilege of attending a retirement party for Bob Giles, curator of the Nieman Foundation at Harvard for 11 years. A good time was had by all–except for Dorothy Parvner of the class of 2009–who was unable to attend because she’s being held against her will somewhere in Iran. The Boston Globe reports that the 39-year-old Al Jazeera reporter, who traveled to Syria two weeks ago to cover prodemocracy protests, was detained there, then deported to Iran and has not been heard from since.
Today, Bob sent the following request; I’m happy to oblige:
 Dorothy Parvaz Dear Members of the Nieman Community, I’m writing once again to ask your assistance in publicizing the plight of Dorothy Parvaz, our Nieman colleague from the class of 2009. As mentioned in earlier messages, Dorothy was detained at the Damascus airport on April 29 while on assignment for Al Jazeera, and then deported to Iran on May 1. The Iranian government has not acknowledged that she is in the country. As part of the global efforts now underway to win her freedom, I request that if you can, you publish an article about Dorothy or mention her on air; post this photo of her on your websites and Facebook pages; and reach out to other journalists and ask that they do the same. Many believe that keeping her story in the news will keep Dorothy safe and put pressure on Iran to release her. The Nieman Foundation and many of our fellows are appealing for Dorothy’s release, sharing information and seeking diplomatic access to Iranian officials who might know about her detention or who can intercede on her behalf. A related story that appeared in The Boston Globe may be of interest: “Colleagues recall missing journalist as relentless on job” Thank you for your continued support, Bob Giles |
The City of Cambridge has proclaimed tomorrow (September 22, 2010) as “CCTV Day.” Cambridge Community Television–one of the City’s best resources for anyone who wants to learn TV production and computer skills–has asked everyone to spread the word. I’ve taken a number of good courses, there. CCTV’s announcement follows.
–Anita M. Harris
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA.
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I am pleased to have spoken about New Cambridge Observer on a panel presented by Cambridge Community Television–and televised on Cambridge’s Channel Ten (CCTV) on April 13 at 6:30 pm! It’s now posted at http://www.cctvcambridge.org/Net_to_Neighborhood . My presentation is about 6 minutes in…after two introductions. Here’s the scoop: |
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Using the Web to Connect Your Community & Encourage Civic Engagement in CambridgeFrom raising awareness about important local issues to gathering people for community events, ordinary people are making use of inexpensive, easy-to-use web tools to organize in their communities. We’ll cover strategic uses of blogging, web video, social networking, web sites, and more. Be sure to tune in to learn how six Cambridge individuals are using these tools for positive change in their communities, and how you can too!Panelists Include:
The panel goes 6:30-8:30 at CCTV, 675 Mass Ave (enter on Prospect St), Cambridge. I hope you can make it! –Anita M. Harris New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA. We also publish Harriscom Blog and Ithaca Diaries Blog. |
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Today at Harvard’s Joan Shorenstein Center on Politics, Public Policy and the Press, ProPublica “distributed reporting” editor Amanda Michel described a new form of newsgathering in which a few editors solicit and manage thousands of volunteers who research and write stories on a myriad of topics.
ProPublica is the nation’s largest nonprofit media organization to focus on investigative reporting. Founded in 2007, it is supported mainly by a $10M a yearly grant from the Sandler Foundation.
The method was developed by the Huffington Post during last year’s presidential campaign for a series entitled “On the Bus.” Michel directed that effort, which employed 5 journalists who worked with some 12,000 citizens.
Michel was hired in May by the New-York-City based ProPublica, which employs 32 journalists and is led by Paul Steiger, the former managing editor of The Wall Street Journal. Its managing editor is Stephen Engelberg, a former managing editor of The Oregonian, Portland, Oregon and former investigative editor of The New York Times.
As ProPublica’s “distributed reporting” editor, Michel first used “crowd sourcing” and collaborative journalism methods to report on the impact of the federal stimulus bill. She is now integrating those newsgathering techniques into ProPublica’s other investigative efforts.
To do so, she places queries on the ProPublica Web site, requesting assistance from the organization’s members, who are scattered throughout the US (and, possibly, abroad). They contribute their time “much as they would to a church or the humane society,” Michel said.
ProPublica editors collect information from the Internet and from members in the field–relying on journalists and volunteers for interpretation, analysis, and writing, Michel said.
To maintain quality control, the editors set forth certain reporting requirements and “play the numbers game”–that is, they may ask several people to look into the same topic or report on the same event.
Completed stories are provided at no cost to ProPublica’s newspaper partners. One story about wrongdoing on a California Nursing Board first appeared in the Los Angeles Times and later ran on the ProPublica Web site.
Current investigations described on the ProPublica Web site include “Buried Secrets, Gas Drilling’s Environmental Threat”; “Contractors in Iraq Are Hidden Casualties of War;” ” Strained by Katrina, Hospital Faced Deadly Choices” and “Problem Nurses Stay on the Job as Patients Suffer.”
Other news organizations such as the Wall Street Journal and WNYC radio, have recently hired journalists to serve as “putreach editors,” to develop “networked” or “citizen journalism.” The Cable News Network and Yahoo use similar techniques to engage the public in newsgathering, Michel said.
At today’s seminar, when a BBC editor cautioned that the “networked” method could easily be subverted by unsavory forces seeking to present disinformation, Michel countered that that’s already a problem in traditional newsgathering. “Reporters are often ‘played’ by sources,” she said.
Based on my background in the alternative press, (the Harrisburg Independent Press, AKA “HIP,” was a nonprofit) I think it’s exciting that members of the public can now help the media enhance understanding of the world we live in. However, like at least one seminar participant, I wonder how long people will remain interested in contributing their time for free.
Still, for journalists concerned about losing their jobs to unpaid competitors, not all is lost: ProPublica is one of the few news organizations that is now actually hiring!
Here’s a link to another writeup about the seminar. http://www.hks.harvard.edu/presspol/news_events/archive/2009/michel_12-01-09.html
Let me know what you think!
—–Anita Harris
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA. We also publish HarrisCom Blog.
As an author, former radio and TV producer, and communications consultant, I was excited to read about “Vooks”–a hybrid “literary” form that merges text, Web and video features–in the New York Times.
Although most of the highbrows who commented online were skeptical or negative about new vook ventures by Simon and Schuster and others, I’m thrilled–as I’ve been struggling to cram 4 years worth of my LOL college diaries into linear form–along with memories buttressed by videotapes and photos of concerts and political demonstrations I was delighted to find on line.
I’m excited to be able integrate a myriad of forms that will allow me to share my experiences and my peers’ with my readers –er–viewers–er surfers. Oh, heck. My audience, if I can figure out how to find one!
BTW–my book in progress is called Ithaca Diaries, and I’d love for you to suggest possible agents or vublishers.
See my blog on the Times article and commenters at HarrisComblog.com
Anita M. Harris
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA. We also publish HarrisComblog.
I’m pleased to report that Cambridge Community Television has once again received the Overall Excellence in Public Access Programming Award from the national Alliance for Community Media in its Hometown Video Festival.
This is the eighth time in CCTV’s twenty-one year history that the station has received this award, recognizing the diversity and quality of CCTV’s programming, as well as its relevance to the Cambridge community.
CCTV competed in the highest budget category, against much larger access centers in major cities throughout the United States. Numerous CCTV producers also received high accolades in the festival:
Project Documentary’s The Dames, about Boston’s roller derby team, placed first in the Sports Entertainment category; teens participating in CCTV’s youth program were also recognized: Josh Washington and William Sheffield for their original teleplay “Homies”, Julie Pan for “King Open Extended Day Program”, Cody Romano for “Dawn”, and Alex Ayabe for his music video “Guarantee”, which he produced at Cambridge Educational Access.
Laura Asherman also received an Honorable Mention for her video “You Contribute to Global Warming”. Watch some of our finest programming from 2008 in this video! You can also view the full list of winners at http://2009.acmhometown.org/
I’ve taken several excellent courses at CCTV–in Dreamweaver, Excel, and MS Publisher; also on video shooting and editing. If you join, fees are nominal–you get $100 worth of courses for $55–less if you put in volunteer time; more if you’re not a Cambridge resident. It’s a great way to learn about new technologies, learn television production, produce videos–even host your own TV program. Check it out!
Anita M. Harris
New Cambridge Observer is a publication of the Harris Communications Group of Cambridge, MA. HarrisCom also publishes www.blog.harriscom.com
I’m pleased to learn that CCTV and Google will be offering one-on-one computer training for Cambridge, MA residents over 50. Participants, paired with Google employees. will receive one-on-one training on how to send email, search the Internet, pay bills on-line, and more. Training will be tailored to each participant’s interests and experience. People of all levels are welcome to register.