"We the media" should find finer focus

Dan Gillmor’s opus on the necessity of grassroots media in an increasingly digital world sends a well-received message: digital media is bettering access to soapboxes for the rest of the world.

I get it, Gillmor. I get that easier media access and a more diverse range of voices creates better journalism.

Problem is, the mountains of content that have already piled up on the Internet leave me unconvinced that quality journalism can be found at the grassroots level on the Web. Gillmor might disagree, but I think establishment media – a name at the top of a good piece of journalism – is necessary to lend credibility to an article (or video or slideshow or other multimedia, for that matter).

“We the media: Grassroots journalism by the people, for the people” has some great points hidden beneath a lot of rubbish – much like the Internet. The first several chapters are almost patronizing to today’s savvy media students, explaining what exactly an RSS feed reader does and that (gasp) information can be shared via peer-to-peer networks. No journalist on the top half of a rock is unaware of these functions.

But the meat of Gillmor’s argument comes in later chapters, assuming readers can wade through the “Internet for Dummies” junk early on. Chapter 10, “Here Come the Judges (and Lawyers),” finally addresses that this digital media is causing big business and big government to take notice and, ultimately, attempt to limit freedoms the press has enjoyed for more than 200 years in America.

He gets to the root of the regulation problem in addressing the Internet as a global medium instead of a regional one. It’s really difficult to regulate libel and fair use on a global scale.

Fair use, in particular, has been called into question as significantly more people not only have access to these media, but they also have access to the means by which they can concoct their own work. Through this access, and excessive indirect sourcing of previously established material, current fair use standards are being called into question.

The core of fair use questions resides in property rights, according to Gillmor. A government that relies so heavily on free market principles, including well-defined property rights, is increasingly regulatory, and regulation implies limits.

Proponents of regulating fair use want more established property rights for intellectual property, the likes of which media has never seen before, according to Gillmor. The author suggests though that to take intellectual property is not theft, contrary to what these proponents would have one believe, because the originator still had access to the property.

These questions of fair use and property rights in a digital media are far more interesting than the initial chapters of Gillmor’s book, which focus too heavily on elementary principles in digital media. Media students would be better served by a lengthy discussion of these potential problems than in tutorials on how to subscribe to trendy new Web features.

Maybe next time this huge proponent of Internet journalism will find a more effective medium to present his research on digital media.

Top spots to park in a pinch

It happens to the best of us. The alarm goes off late, we can’t brew enough coffee and that test starts in 3 minutes.

Instead of hustling to class on what is largely a walking campus, we hop in the car to make it in time. But then, after acing the test and returning to our vehicles, a ticket awaits us. The day just got that much better.

Compound that with the Ohio University Board of Trustees voting to increase fines for parking citations from $20 to $30 for not displaying a permit, and student interests are still getting backed over.

Teresa Trussel, a parking services employee, did not return repeated calls seeking comment about the increase.

To combat this problem and lend a little advice, I researched the lots where students are least likely to get tickets, controlling for lots that were too far away from a classroom building.

This is in no way a full proof plan, but maybe it gets a person to class on time without a $30 price tag someday.

Selection of Parking Citation Fees

Citation//2009 Fee (Difference from 2007-08)

• Permit not displayed//$30 ($10)

• Outside permit area//$25 ($5)

• Overtime Parking at Meter//$25 ($5)

• Parking Prohibited//$25 ($5)

• Commuter parked over night//$25 ($5)

Source: Ohio University Board of Trustees agenda

Buy a newspaper instead of ... anything else.

Wayne Garcia writes today to implore readers to purchase Tampa Bay dailies. I'm hopeful that the print generation survives, so I think I'm going to take on a new practice to help it along.

It's my New Media Resolution to purchase a newspaper every time (ok, maybe at least half the time) I want to go to one of the campus snack shops: The Front Room, Baker Center food court or even Bagel Street Deli (I cannot resist the oweoh).

I figure that I stop by one of these spots to buy a non-three-meal-a-day snack at least once every few days to the tune of about $2. While pumping occasional dollars back into newspapers isn't going to save the print generation, I'll get a small sense of fulfillment out of knowing I've supported the medium I love.

Athens retiree delivers food to area shelters