See my piece on Mediachannel.org and additional comments here.

Mitchell Szczepanczyk writes from Chicago Media Action:

“I’m someone who is heavily involved in citizens’ journalism — I have a weekly half-hour radio show in Chicago’s south side (which I hope to soon podcast on my forthcoming website: www.szcz.org); I contribute to the radio, web, and TV projects of the Chicago Independent Media Center; and I’m a newspaper columnist for Third Coast Press, a monthly progressive newspaper in Chicago.

Where do we go from here? Well, for one thing, we need money. I work for free with all of these operations, and in many instances they’re scraping for funds just to get by. Funneling just a bit of funds from local communities — never mind Soros — can help tremendously. Clear example: Chicago Indymedia is starved for funds just to pay our rent, and if you know of any Chicagoans interested in helping us, there’s a fundraiser for us this weekend, themed to International Women’s Day, at the Hothouse (Saturday, March 5, starting at 7pm, 31 E. Balbo, Chicago).

Getting additional people involved would also help. Even a small handful of people can also be a big help with many projects. I find it astonishing that, with such widespread disfavor with the media across the
political spectrum, that more people don’t get involved.

Even with such meager funds and resources, it’s beginning to have an impact; stories like the derailed FCC media ownership rules, the Trent Lott/Strom Thurmond episode a couple of years back, and (more recently) the Jeff Gannon scandal would not have been covered by the “mainstream” media out of their own accord, and show the incipient power of this
movement. I’m wondering if citizens’ journalism is marking the beginnings of our own echo chamber.

I also wonder that with scandals like Armstrong Williams (whose column was distributed via Tribune Media Services), that the “mainstream” media will undergo its own ever-widening crisis of legitimacy, in which case their days are numbered and the work that I and many other volunteers do will be the only semblance of a media left. In which case, what we’re doing now may be getting ready for prime time.”

Karen Everett & Barbara write:

“You may have an idea that can rescue media from its current down-hill plummet. I live in Northern Nevada where only conservative news is broadcast, with a few exceptions. I’m listening to AIr America today, for the first time, they seemed to have arrived on an A.M. station over night and our county Democratic Committee sent an e-mail about it. I sure hope AA reports straight and direct and balanced daily news, and not just chat shows. I’m so tired of watching Hollywood news on the big networks plus I don’t even have cable. (Clear Channel is scary because it gets into the local media and entertainment.)

“The reason your idea (and the Korean experience to back it up) has possibilities is that we regular people have so much to share. Citizen media could be a place to explore many educational and thoughtful ideas. Think of the number of people who are dismayed by our super-power violence in the world but don’t quite know what to do about it (since public protests are ignored and treated with unprovoked violence). We could share our ideas and techniques for change and educate each other, enlighten each other, and bolster each other’s local projects. There is so much wisdom available.

“You could provide short “How To Write News Articles” pieces so we could become skilled. I’ll try to stay in touch and keep visiting your website as this idea unfolds. Thank you for everything you’ve done so far…

NAPSTER?

David Robinson: “The new model is NAPSTER- peer to peer communication, based on the way music is now shared globally. Global, free, uncensored, instantaneous, truly democratic, and a catalyst for interraction.”

From David Kay of Brooklyn Blowback:

“Hello, I’ve been reading the MediaChannel emails and postings for a few months and I am inspired and happy to know that there are like-minded smart people out there. I produce a monthly public access children’s TV show called “Brooklyn Blowback” where we re-tell stories and fairy tales with puppets and pictures and contemporize them. “We get Naked with the Truth.”

For instance, we did “Dick Chenny Penny” based on “Chicken Little” in which the characters (Colin Owly Powelly, Condoleeza Ricey-Micey, Thomas Ridgeon Pidgeon, etc.) meet their fates at the hands/hooves/mouths of Paul “Wolfy” Wolfowitz and family. We’ve also done “The Boy Who Cried Wolf”, “The Emperor’s New Clothes”,

“The 100th Monkey”, 9/11 Commission Powerpoint and others. If you can you help us get these stories (each ep. is 28 minutes and most stories are under 10 min.) aired or exposed to your “network”, we can join forces and help resuscitate tomorrow’s journalism and help mobilize today’s citizen journalists.

“I am confident that we can work together to educate and entertain the masses and improve the world. Brooklyn Blowback wants to reach out to you too.

“If you want to order a sample DVD/vhs preview copy of highlights, emailbrooklynblowback@audioastrology.com

Sarah Meyer will be one of our citizen journalists in the UK. She writes: “The British sense of humour (sic) is irreverent, ironic and endearing. Sometimes it is not understood by other English speaking nations. And the British media is never is better than when concerned with British politics and sex, human rights, torture and sex, or religion and sex. “This weeks menu from The Guardian (www.guardian.co.uk) concerns most of them. All spelling is in correct English.

“Politics and Sex; Moses and Sex

“NB: Cast of Characters:

Boris Johnson: sexy, bike-riding, tousled-blond, war-hating Tory MP, and editor of The Spectator, sought after for tele comments and satire programme participation because of his stumbling,“erms”and potent remarks: “I have as much chance of becoming Prime Minister as of being “decapitated by a Frisbee;” or “The President is a cross-eyed Texan warmonger, unelected, inarticulate, who epitomises the arrogance of American foreign policy”. Or “It is just flipping unbelievable. Tony Blair is a mixture of Harry Houdini and a greased piglet. He is barely human in his elusiveness. Nailing Blair is like trying to pin jelly to a wall” (quotes from Jane Rankin-Reid). For more on Boris, see www.boris-johnson.com.

Petronella Wyett, TV critic for The Specator, had a rumored affair with Boris.

David Blunkett, forced-to-resign-Home Secretary is disliked by most except for his friend, Tony, because of his “moral courage” in sending people to prison without trial for an indeterminate time;

Kimberley Quinn, married American publisher of The Spectator, mistress to Blunkett and mother of 2 son(?s).

ex-reporter Jon Snow is Channel 4’s News at Seven presenter, author of Shooting History, and anchor man for excellent discussion programmes. He DOES have moral courage.