Secrets of the City

As some of you know, I’m a participant in this MPR project.

It sounds great and all! But it also sounds like a lot of work for no pay!

Kudos Bob for getting involved.
I think it’s a great way to hear differing voices without the noise and from people who know what they are talking about that you wouldn’t normally hear from. It combines both the every day person view with assistance from a trained journalist – could be the answer media is looking for — or at least the first evolution of it.
And it doesn’t seem like it is a lot of work from what I read.

“I think it’s a great way to hear differing voices without the noise . . . “

Great use of coding, cat. It’s MPR, so the voices will “differ” in tone, maybe, but substantively, you’ll not have to be bothered by that horrid, disagreeable, just-plain-wrong “noise.”

(Not trying to impugn justbob’s efforts, but this program struck me as a more intensive version of the same impetus that mandated that all companies add “your call is important to us . . .” to their hold message. I doubt that recasting traditional media as co-ops is the ultimate rescue vehicle.)

It’s an idealistic thing to try. I expect it’ll come with many practical difficulties that will need to be figured out, through trial-and-error.

An obvious limitation will be that public-radio listeners’ demographics skew a ways away from a real represenative cross-section of American citizens. So there’s likely to be less diversity in points of view, than, say, if the Star Tribune would try something like this. But on the other hand, the public-radio audience tends to be well educated and articulate, meaning that what they’ll contribute to the project will be more conistently useable.

An advantage for MPR that wasn’t mentioned in the linked-to article was that the more MPR readers are feeling that they’re actually contributing directly to the success of MPR’s programs (and here, not just through financial membership dues), the more interested they’ll be in continuing to be steady listeners, out of a pride-of-ownership aspect.

News Lover. I agree that there may be some missteps, but I would think more people would get involved because it’s MPR vs. a Star Tribune, PiPress, or even one of the Clear Channel stations — less intimidating? Maybe more appearance of being community involved.

I think it’s a great idea. Part of me thinks it’s really just an overblown rolodex. But it would be cool to have “everyday people” who are experts in their profession/neighborhood/whatever… ready and willing to take part in a news story.

“Part of me thinks it’s really just an overblown rolodex.“

You’re probably thinking of the rolodex as being comprised of listings of sources of news. Being more cynical, I’m seeing it as a listing of people made more passionate about MPR because “MPR listens to me”, and thus they’re more willing to contribute.

I think it’s silly, dangerous pandering to the public.

You hear it all the time on Talk Radio. “Our listeners are very intelligent and we welcome their varied points of view”…..yada, yada, yada,

It sounds great and all! But it also sounds like a lot of work for no pay!

But it strokes your ego. How much is that worth?

Great use of coding, cat. It’s MPR, so the voices will “differ” in tone, maybe, but substantively, you’ll not have to be bothered by that horrid, disagreeable, just-plain-wrong “noise.”

Oh bobby_b must you always look for a dig?

Is it a perfect answer? Probably not, but it’s a start and we need something different from the media. I like that MPR is trying something different since so many traditional news organizations are not.

Noise is sometimes just that – noise — not “horrid” nor “plain-wrong” and yes, sometimes I do want to hear a discussion on a topic that doesn’t include digressions or personal attacks.

I’m not as cynical as you guys. There are many times that I’m working on a story on real estate– and need to find a realtor to interview. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes not. It’d be nice to have a local realtor– of different demographic make-ups– ready to go. Same with a financial analyst, or a computer geek, etc.

What makes this any different any other volunteer effort, be it community work, political parties or church involvement.

People don’t bring the same type of commitment and professionalism to their volunteer work as they do their to job.

A reporter screws up too much, he gets fired a loses his income. These people just wander off some other thing that satisfies whatever need it filled.

A reporter screws up too much, he gets fired a loses his income. These people just wander off some other thing that satisfies whatever need it filled.

It sounds like there’s more control from the journalist that allowing someone to just pop off.

One of the problems might be that the “everday person” has to take the initiative to sign up for the program but if the first initial communication is via e-mail it might make it less intimidating than if the person was contacted by phone.

It’d be nice to have a local realtor– of different demographic make-ups– ready to go.

*raises hand*

Pick me, pick me, Jason! I’ll always take your call, promise!

Thanks Ranty. You’re first on my list. What with your years of realty experience

There’s a reason the same old people end up on TV and quoted: reporters are lazy. Just kidding. We’re overworked, and like anyone, we end up occasionally defaulting to the source we can count on.

“People don’t bring the same type of commitment and professionalism to their volunteer work as they do their to job. “

Oh, bull. I know plenty of committed volunteers that bring just as much professionalism to their volunteer work as the paid staff.

And I know plenty of people for whom their job is simply a paycheck.

Some of them even, the paycheck job is simply a means to allow them to do the volunteer work they really care about.

Most people volunteer for things that they are passionate about, or have some strong personal connection to. Many other people simply take pride in doing a task well, whether they’re paid or not.

it’s like myspace for psuedo-intellectuals. youtube for the mpr crowd. I’m hoping the migration toward this kind of journalism will eventually seep over to politics, so that finally any joe shmo will run for office, replacing career politicians.

Well I won’t presume to be an instant expert on Minnetonka waterfront-property list-times, (though I could look it up!) but I WILL say that I’ve been in the distressed property/foreclosure/challenged-neighborhood mix for 7+ years as an investor and activist… so I’m not compleeeetely dumb!

(Plus I really want to tell my mom someday that Jason DeRusha called me for my opinion on something.

Interstate 35W has collapsed over the Mississippi River.

Oh man….

I just got a call about this, too – for the first time in about two months, I decided to stop at Caribou instead of commute home (across the bridge).

Please, please let this be a fiasco of road construction and not a fatal event. No news yet on how many people critically harmed or killed. Hopefully, none.

School bus on it.

At least eight cars and a truck, as well.

My husband was coming back from the Univ. area and stopped in Seward neighborhood. He said the whole place is without power and he could see smoke and flames from there.

According to channel 5, all kids have been retrieved from the bus.

so that finally any joe shmo will run for office, replacing career politicians.

With amateur politicians.

See: Keith Ellison.

OK, look, open source reporting SOUNDS groovy. But here we live in a nation where Joe and Jane America don’t have time to fix their own hamburgers, and they’re going to devote hours to reporting for no pay?

And that’s not the worst problem. When it comes to the wiki-ing of news, it will soon become apparent that the people most interested in “contributing” are those with an agenda. For example, a political hack posing as a citizen. A corporate hack ditto. Other motives that come to mind include revenge and general troublemaking.

All that the MPR and BBC thing amount to really is, as someone has so nicely said, a gigantic expanding of the Rolodex. Ok, that’s good, but it ain’t a revolution.

I’m a nonprofit “hack with an agenda,” Pat, and I’m not posing as anything other than who I am. I’m proud of my organization and its work, but that’s not what I’m doing with MPR. They know full well who I am, and where I work, as do most on this forum (it’s the American Lung Association of Minnesota, newbies).

I’m also a citizen. My opinions and perspective on Iraq, the bridge collapse, the Republican convention, the economy, etc have nothing to do with my role at ALAMN.

BTW: I’m also a former editor with a degree in broadcasting who has been working with media, both new and old, for 25 years. I love radio, and MPR has given me a chance to get back in the game, while I keep my day job. For me, and others in the project, it works.

Justbob, I believe every word you say, and wish you all good luck with the MPR thing. I don’t have a bit of problem with honest citizens, who have every right to participate in the news process. Nobody needs a license to be a journalist, nor should they.

I’m saying that as time goes on, wolves will don sheep’s clothing, pretending to be honest citizens, while serving some other master. The media is ALREADY full of these people, in the various “think tanks” which are nothing more than propaganda mills financed by people with too much money who want to keep it that way.

Cheers!

PD

“There are many times that I’m working on a story on real estate– and need to find a realtor to interview. Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes not. It’d be nice to have a local realtor– of different demographic make-ups– ready to go.“

Just to be clear, J, my cynicism didn’t stem from the concept of citizen journos – it’s directed at the idea that a mix of MPRites would offer a non-monolithic slant. Cat spelled it out nicely – different viewpoints in those circumstances are “noise”, better not even heard. When you say you’d like to be able to find sources as you need them, of different demographic makeups, you’re hitting the key point that makes it sound worthwhile.

I’m saying that as time goes on, wolves will don sheep’s clothing, pretending to be honest citizens, while serving some other master. The media is ALREADY full of these people, in the various “think tanks”. . .

I like the idea behind what MPR’s attempting to do, but I too share some of this concern that Patrick’s expressed. And I agree that it’s already a plenty-big problem in the way news outlets currently rely on sources and favorite subject-matter experts. (Example: On “The News Hour With Jim Lehrer”.)

But, I don’t think that’s enough of a reason for MPR to not want to try doing this.

Instead, MPR should try to put in place some measures to safeguard those with selfish agendas from exerting undo influence in the news-reporting process. Like urging particpants to engage in full disclosure up front about conflicts-of-interest that they may have. And encouraging other participants who see signs of conflicts-in-interest in other participants to call that to MPR’s attention.