ScoopDaily Email Alerts /
Want to write for Scoop? Apply Now
Changes in Journalism Cyclical, Not Apocalyptic
Many people make the argument that the field of journalism is in dire straits. Newspapers are hemorrhaging money, and readers seem to prefer blog posts to print articles. Amidst this turmoil, it is easy to become convinced that this is the swan song of journalism as we know it.
But the journalistic apocalypse that so many are predicting may not be as close at hand as some believe. In examining the earliest newspapers, certain characteristics jump out as uncannily similar to characteristics of blogs, particularly regarding structure, content and those who generate content.
Through this lens, the changes journalism is currently undergoing begin to look cyclical rather than disastrous. Perhaps instead of nearing the end, the news is coming full circle.
Blogs and revolutionary-era newspapers bore striking structural resemblance. Early newspapers often had empty space on the back sheet for readers to pencil in their thoughts and then pass the paper along. …
Popularity: 2% [?]
The Obamas: This Generation’s Kennedy Family?
It has been said that history repeats itself, and in examining the current administration and that of John F. Kennedy, the saying is difficult to refute.
Striking similarities exist between President Barack Obama, and the presidency of JFK, beginning with their youth. At 43 and 47 respectively, both Kennedy and Obama were sworn into office as two of the five youngest presidents this nation has elected.
As a result, Obama and Kennedy faced difficult questions about their relative youth and inexperience coming into office.
According to the Associated Press, civil rights leader Andrew Young said in December of 2007 that Barack Obama was too young to run for the presidency.
One of Senator McCain’s (R- Arizona) chief …
Popularity: 2% [?]
Amendment May Drive Catholics to the Right
The Stupak-Pitts amendment was written by Representative Bart Stupak (D- Mich.) and Representative Joseph R. Pitts (R-Penn.) to amend the Affordable Health Care for America Act. The amendment applies current law as written in the Hyde amendment, which prohibits federally funded abortions (except in extenuating circumstances), to the proposed healthcare reform bill. This proposal may also have the power to stop Obama-voting Catholics in their tracks.
A Gallup poll released on May 15, 2009 indicates that a greater percentage of Americans identify themselves as pro-life than has been seen since 1995 when Gallup began asking this particular question.
The younger generations – a group who voted in large numbers for President Obama — do not seem exempt from this trend, either.
On the TYC: Traditional Young Catholic blog, seventeen year-old blogger Thomas L. of Nederland, Texas, a self-proclaimed “struggling sinner” wrote a post entitled “Reason #573463 Why I Hate Abortion,” dedicating his …
Popularity: 2% [?]
Would You Like Fries With That, Mr. President
Ray’s Hell Burger doesn’t serve fries. But they do serve burgers – lots of them, often accompanied by the numerous gourmet toppings that Ray’s Hell Burger boasts. Patrons can add applewood smoked bacon, roasted bone marrow with persillade, seared foie gras with truffle oil, or double cream brie – among other things – to their patty. A burger lover’s fantasy – maybe. But this is not where most people expect to see President Barack Obama.
Obama ordered a cheeseburger. The problem may not be immediately apparent – after all, who doesn’t eat an unhealthy meal every once in a while? But the issue is this: it has become more than every once in awhile for the president, and he is setting a very public and very bad example for one of …
Popularity: 2% [?]
What Happened to Professor Obama?
President Barack Obama came to the presidency with the reputation as an academic. So it’s surprising that he runs a press office that is so unwilling to help journalists whose email addresses end in “.edu”. The same president who demanded and promised transparency in government is running a press office that is anything but – at least for the youngest group of journalists.
I am a correspondent for Scoop44 (now ScoopDaily), what the Washington Post has called “One of the smarter, slicker political websites,” yet I have struggled to get anyone in the White House to take me seriously. We are the recipients of a two-year, $242,800 grant from the Knight Foundation, to expand our journalistic capabilities to cover President Obama as well broader political and cultural news.
Our readers are primarily young …
Popularity: 2% [?]
