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A-About MGP
At least 150 bloggers, political strategists, educators, technologists, media executives
convening at UMass June 28-July 1
By MGP Staff
Jun 12, 2006, 08:29
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LINKS TO: WHO'S
ATTENDING HOW TO
REGISTER INVITATION TO
ATTEND PROGRAM
HIGHLIGHTS PROGRAM SCHEDULE / DETAIL
NEWS UPDATES:
PDF DOWNLOAD of 06-12-06 release
06-04-06: New England political bloggers
convening at Media Giraffe summit
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the New England Common"?
05-12-06: NEWS: Innovate, die or be sold: RX
for newspapers from 'Newspaper Next' director
05-05-06: NEWS: "Journalism That Matters" Seminar added June
30-July 1
AMHERST, Mass., June 12 -- At least 150
visionary
bloggers, political strategists, educators, technologists, media executives and citizen journalists are attending a
four-day summit at the University of Massachusetts to chart the future of journalism and democracy amid dramatic,
technology-driven change.
The June 28-July 1 event,
"Democracy & Independence: Sharing News & Information in a Connected World," is described by web author
("blogger") Frederick Clarkson as
"studded with many stars of journalism and the Internet, both public and behind the scenes" who will contend
"with the exhilarating and wrenching changes going on in media and politics."
Among key participants or speakers are White House press corps columnist
Helen Thomas, Boston Globe Editor Marty Baron, Boston.com Editor Teresa Hanafin, New Orleans
Times-Picayune web Editor Jon Donley, Newspaper Next Project Director Steven Gray, Center for Public Integrity
Associate Editor Tom Stites, and Common Cause President Chellie Pingree.
"The businesses of print and broadcast media are challenged by Internet
technology and our changing culture," says UMass Journalism Professor Norman Sims, head of The Media Giraffe Project,
which organized the summit. "We're looking across media, politics, education and technology for
specific ideas that may sustain the independent, watchdog journalism necessary for vibrant,
participatory democracy."
Other
summit goals are to bridge the gap between new and traditional media, show and consider the impact of new media
technologies on journalism and the "public sphere", spotlight emerging business models, learn about technologies
changing news economics and delivery and share innovations in media-literacy education.
The event includes 27 sessions, and more than 50 panelists and
speakers, including the latest on news-industry research, a two-day "bootcamp" for citizens starting local
online news sites, a seminar for journalism professionals on
changes in newsroom culture, a gathering of New England political bloggers, and an afternoon workshop
on making Internet videos that will include examples from a group
of Vermont and Jordanian teen-agers on a
U.S. State Dept.-sponsored cultural exchange.
Among summit participants are major U.S. newspaper and website editors and
other news practitioners; political and public-policy strategists; info-tech pioneers and entrepreneurs; operators of
local-news Web sites and blogs; podcasters and vloggers dealing with news, political, and public-policy issues;
academic researchers and students; citizens who want "how-to" knowledge about participatory media and people interested
in new innovations in Web, print, film and audio news creation, delivery and financing.
"Constituencies from mainstream and alternative media rarely meet
together," says Bill Densmore, Media Giraffe Project editor and director. Yet new technologies are currently upending
and interweaving the practice of journalism, politics and teaching.
Journalists see an erosion of traditional revenue sources which supported -- and were supported
by
-- their work, adds Densmore, and it's not clear what will sustain traditional "watchdog" journalism, or how it will
co-exist, or merge, with so-called "citizen journalism.
"There's an atmosphere of anticipation and intense experimentation," Densmore adds. "To
facilicate this, we've created a cross-over meeting place with an emphasis on discussion not speeches."
Summit sponsors besides UMass include
the Ford Foundation, The Boston Globe Foundation, Omidyar Network, MassLive/The Republican newspaper,
Corante Media Hub, and the New England Press Association.
The summit is public and required
registration, is still open. For information, go to: http://www.mediagiraffe.org/ or call University Conference Services at (413)
545-0172.
The Media Giraffe Project is a non-profit
research effort housed in the Journalism program at UMass Amherst. It finds and spotlights "above-the-crowd"
individuals making innovative use of media to foster participatory democracy and community.
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A-About MGP
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At least 150
bloggers, political strategists, educators, technologists, media executives convening at UMass June 28-July
1 |
ANNOUNCING:
"Democracy and Independence: Sharing News and Politics in a Connected World," June 29-July 1, 2006 |
ABOUT US:
Website, book, film spotlight "above the crowd" individuals fostering democracy, community in media |
How to support
the Media Giraffe Project |
MISSION/GOALS:
What is the Media Giraffe Project accomplishing? |
PROBLEM /
SOLUTION: Stories about people unite media, reformers, citizens around common purpose |
RESULTS: What is
The Media Giraffe Project achieving? |
ACTION: The Media
Giraffe Project three-year program |
TEAM: Who is the
Media Giraffe Project? |
ADVISORS: Taking
a lead in the giraffe search |
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