The Guardian launched ‘Comment is Free’ 2 weeks ago. Basically, the Guardian is opening up its commentary and opinion pieces up for discussion.
There are some audio pieces discussing the blogs [ Mediatalk – Guardian Media Podcast | Panel Discussion about ‘Freedom of Speech’ ]
Unfortunately my own podcast hasn’t yet progressed much. The Gallery is coming along nicely though there are still some hundreds of pictures waiting to be uploaded. I am wondering if to try to select only the best or give a bit of a wider view.
Also I might have made them too bright because of my monitor settings.
On Indymedia UK, the newest posting is about the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and its ADM. They have now added a motion 30 which might endanger the cooperation of Indymedia and NUJ. It might have been aimed more to distinguish between citizen journalists trying to picture stars with their mobile phones and professionals, but unfortunately Indymedia could be situated in the crossfire of its meaning. NUJ helped Indymedia out a bit in the past when there were all the problems about the FBI doing a runner with the Indymedia UK hard disk and some other jokes authorities played on the old United Kollektives Indymedias.
So what is Motion 30 about?
Quote: This motion basically calls upon the NUJ to stop supporting news services which do not “distinguish between the role of reporter and the role of participant.”
I now feel a bit guilty, that I haven’t dragged my cadaver down to London alias Liverpool to try to prevent this, but then I have been ill and ignorant of the AGM. Ooops, it is actually an ADM, so it seems to be only for delegates maybe. Well, good for them, as I can have quite a temperament if I feel I come across something unfair. Which actually doesn’t seem to be that helpfull, friends always remind me I should be more friendly and then any change for the better would be easier achievable. But this is a whole different philosophical debatte.
Anyways, the Guardian blogs about the ADM and the NUJ started a WordPress blog with NUJ student members. And NUJ also seems to have a new media wing, alias a blog.
Most of the blogs don’t even mention Motion 30.
And I need to hand in a 3000 word article on Monday about “Objectivity in the media”. Should be fun to write if there would not be the deadline, really.
I wonder if this NUJ motion would also exclude all the journalists who embedd themselves in the military such as during the Iraq war or embedd themselves in the police or would exclude Fox News for its biased conservative reporting. And what about the BBC sending their reporters undercover and using subterfuge.
Maybe I should try to do an interview with them. A pity I can not make the “Alternative Media Award” investigating this issue, as the deadline is the 31st of march 2006. Well, maybe next year.