THE FIVE WIRE

A Look at NBC's Olympic Web Video Plans

2008-07-07T19:01:00.003-04:00

NBC recently announced Web coverage plans for the Beijing Olympics show that the games will finally join the online video revolution. The network is expected to make 3,000 hours available on demand, according to the Associated Press. However, there’s a catch: any event that will be televised by NBC or its sister networks will not be available online until after the broadcast. This time delay can and will last hours, long after the event has been written about on various news Web sites. Clearly, NBC is having the Web take a back seat to conventional media in this respect.

Understandably, NBC wants to see its return-on-investment on the reported $3.5 billion it paid the International Olympic Committee to earn the U.S. broadcast rights for five Olympic Games, including Beijing. What NBC fails to realize, however, is that it will reach a broader audience by placing all content online as soon as possible.

Television ratings for the Olympics have been declining in recent years. The 2006 winter games in Torino had the for the winter games since 1988. Many attribute this to the time difference between Italy and the U.S., among other factors. China has an even larger time difference, and if NBC wants to supplement their declining ratings (and subsequent ad revenue), they need to change their minds about this embargo.

More and more people are shunning televisions all together and watching their favorite shows (time shifted, of course) on the networks’ Web sites or on a so-called “legal” video site like Hulu. In terms of the Olympics, the most popular events are chosen for broadcast on NBC, such as track and field and gymnastics. NBC needs a way to bring more viewers to these (relatively speaking) cash cow events, and the Web is the answer.

With Beijing being 12 hours ahead of the east coast, I encourage everyone to find the video they seek on Web sites from countries closer to China, like Australia. YouTube might also be good place to find that highlight of the latest world record being broken.

The Olympics are all about unity, and this Web video embargo counters that message. Americans deserve to see what they want, when they want. This is, after all, 2008. NBC needs to get with the times and put its viewers ahead of its financial priorities. The Web audience needs to be treated the same way as the conventional television audience.

-Ethan Klapper, Contributing Writer

http://www.theeagleonline.com>The Eagle American University, Washington, D.C.

First Person Account: Park Avenue, Not Exactly A Fairy-Tale

2008-06-23T01:04:00.007-04:00

When I walked along Park Avenue in New York City, excitement flew from every part of my body. The only other time I felt such excitement and warmth around me was when I received my United Nations pass for interpreters over a year earlier. On Park Avenue I was in my own realm of reality walking in high heels and my black skirt ready to divide the world word by word. The sun was shining, the cars were rushing and I had a perfect smile. Yes, this was my world to be.

STAR magazine was not what I expected when I replied to a Craigslist ad (or was it Craigslist?) but it was Park Avenue that told me “stay." I received the news of being accepted to the internship on the worst day of my life. It was a very personal day and neither STAR magazine, nor American Media reminded me of Park Avenue.

“We want you to come in.”

“Okay.”

Pause. Ten minutes pass. Finally my problems entered the background and I remembered Park Avenue.

I’d walk Park Avenue many times during my internship hours. I even had the privilege to go to 5th Avenue stores (Gucci, Versace and more) and have a real Prada and Versace bag next to me during my walks. I conversed with people from the jitney heading to Hampton and I once drank one of the best coffees (MudStop) offered in Midtown New York. My boss gave me the ticket to life along the celebrities. Or did she?

Versace and Prada bags were taken to a special place along 7th Avenue to get cleaned. MudStop offered a cup free with purchase that day (Bonnie needed the coffee beans). Gucci and Versace sent their new collections for Bonnie to pick something new for herself, which had to be picked up in person. The Hampton Jitney was on schedule every Friday for promotional use. I gave out free STAR magazines to the passengers who had nothing better to do then read all about gossip, gossip and once again gossip.

She was not a Devil wearing Prada (although her assistant’s name is Emily and Prada fits well into her small office closet). Luckily, her coffee choice was usually purchased from downstairs in our building, she ordered delivery for lunch (when she stayed in the office for lunch), and the huge pack of magazines, containing both British and American magazines, (amazingly how today Vogue, O Magazines and Everyday with Rachel Ray together have the size of a single magazine I had to bring to the office back then) was needed only twice a week. The only problem was that there was no smell of journalism when I interned with American Media, Inc. I work for a Law Firm right now as an Administrative Assistant, and I do more journalism/writing here then I ever did at my Editorial Internship on Park Avenue.

By: Valeriya Ivanova, Contributing Writer, NYC
photo from here

Can the Kindle Incinerate the Bookstore?

2008-06-18T20:43:00.006-04:00

I love bookstores. Big ones, small ones, used ones, new ones, chain-stores, independent stores (the few that are left). Oh, and libraries, too. Maybe it’s a geek thing, but the thought of being surrounded by the most poignant introspection, the most bellyaching humor, the most chair-gripping suspense, the most astute commentary, the most heart-wrenching romance (I think you get the idea) all in a single place populated by fellow bookworms is tantalizing. I could spend hours on end just browsing shelves and skimming magazines. In a bookstore, I feel at one and at home. I also feel a part of a greater community – one of fellow readers who, like me, get more out of a hardcover than from the remote. And for an activity as solitary in nature as reading, that community is a comforting thing.

Enter Kindle. For those who haven’t heard about it, the Kindle is a new wireless reading device from Amazon. Users can browse and purchase most titles – including New York Times Bestsellers and new releases – for only $9.99. They also have access to a host of international newspapers, blogs and other media all on a little device weighing 10.3 ounces. The Kindle even has a display designed to appear and read like actual paper. Some critics are calling it the future of books. But what for bookstores? They’ve managed to hold their own against Amazon, but can they survive the Kindle?

The cover of last week’s New Yorker featured a clever rendering of an apartment tenant receiving a delivery from Amazon as a bookstore owner in the next building looked on. It appeared a poignant depiction of contemporary book-purchasing habits. Why waste time and gas at the bookstore when you can order a text with the click of a button? I can’t give you a good answer, but what I do know is this: whenever I drive down to my local Barnes & Noble, I have an awfully hard time finding a parking space.

This is because the big-chain retailers have managed to survive the online book-purchasing revolution, though not without financial struggle. Both Borders and Barnes & Noble have had less than stellar stocks in the past few quarters, and there is talk of the latter possibly purchasing the former. Nevertheless, the bookseller behemoths are trudging along while their small, independent competitors have all but died out. How have they managed to do it? Online sales, yes, but my hunch is it’s more than this – otherwise, we’d be seeing more and more franchises closing down and more attention shifting to the online sector. It’s simple. People can easily order a text online. But they’ve made the conscious choice to go out of their way and sacrifice their time for the experience of participating in a reading community. They could browse from behind their desk at work, or they could browse in an inviting, three-dimensional space complete with light music and a Starbucks with comfy chairs at hand. For all its soaring profits, Amazon can’t touch this.

But the Kindle can. Purchasing books online is simply an alternative to purchasing books at the store. In either case, the format of media is the same. But the emergence of Kindle presents the possibility for the demise of the book as we have known it. If the Kindle craze catches on – and I suspect it will, given its convenience, prices and its shocking similarity in experience to reading an actual book – even our biggest book retailers, our last holdout following the death of the little guys, are in serious trouble.

I’m scared. I love my local Barnes & Noble (luckily, I came along after they’d monopolized the bookseller world, so my memory of tiny, independent stores and their warmth and charm is is scant). And I know I’m not alone. Reading in and of itself is a solitary, lonely activity. Done in a communal setting, however, it can actually lead to some sense of camaraderie. As can browsing them and buying them. Libraries serve this same purpose, and while they made be able to hold out longer than bookstores due to their books being free to members, they too face their demise if a new form of media replaces the book. What will we have then? Our public and school library titles available for limited-time rent on our Kindles?

Then again, maybe, in ten to twenty years, coffee shops and parks, already places prone to bookworms, will become the new hot spots for reading, and fellow bookworms can reconvene in accidental Kindle-reading communities. It’s a humorous albeit unsettling sight to envision. No pages turning, no pens underlining, just the low clicks of our keypads.

Yet these kinds of places can never replace the communities of libraries and bookstores, places designed specifically for the act of reading – the reading of books and other paper documents, that is. The Kindle is a tremendous innovation, but will the reader now find him or herself more alone than ever?

Regina, Five Wire Editor
Photo from here.

Are Your Looks (And Not Your Resume) Getting You In The Door?

2008-06-16T03:53:00.008-04:00

I have a few really hot friends who wanted to get internships in magazine publishing—they didn't even want to be editors, they just wanted a magazine internship "for fun." They sent out cover letters and resumes, and within a week, all of them had scored internships with some of the best pubs in the business.

However, some of my less-stunning friends (including myself) have resumes that are a little more sparse when it comes to having served as interns at brand-name publications. And yet my hot friends with no experiencegot these awesome internships. Coincidence? I think not. Ugh...The media industry appears to be increasingly image-obsessed. The Devil Wears Prada depicted the offices of magazines as a toxic peer culture of snobbish beautiful women... and Lauren Conrad at Teen Vogue really doesn't help that stereotype.

I was walking by the New York Times building a few weeks ago and saw a young woman smoking a cigarette outside who was in a tight button down shirt and a short, poofy skirt that was so outrageous that it had to have been couture. Is this what the Times has come to--young staffers who probably have to spend as much time primping as they do reviewing the Elements of Style?

When I think of the glory days of newspaper and magazine publishing (before financial stress at the New York Times and Time Inc., and the new media), I think of newspaper editors reclining in their chairs with their feet on their desks while chain-smoking cigarettes, and sleep-deprived editors at magazines with tired eyes and a little too much stubble. Now that magazine editors have become near celebrities and newspaper editors bringing celebrity guests to the Washington Correspondents dinners, has the media lost the ruggedness that used to be so endearing?

Does it mean that today's college grads need to be hot if they want to get that prized editorial assistant job or internship? In the past, paying your dues used to mean grunt work. Is the prerequestite to today's grunt work a diet and a makeover? I'm hopeful. I'm cute and blonde, but I'm also very overweight, and I hope to get a job in the media. It just probably won't be for AnnaWintour.

Liz Funk, Contributing Writer, NYC

photo from here.

How One Forensic Science Major Became A Writer: From Righting Society to Writing for the Paper

2008-06-11T23:19:00.011-04:00

Breaking into the journalism field was never in my five-year-plan, certainly not five years ago. Writing? Me? I think you may have been looking for the girl in Honors English who was sitting next to me. She gets the A's and can interpret Camus better than the teacher while my attention was usually elsewhere.

You see, I was just a girl with an overly-organized mind that one day received a memo that some life goals were about to change.

Beginning in high school, I had a pretty strong pull toward our Criminal Justice system. I loved the idea of righting the wrongs and getting justice for all those who deserved it. I felt our society was falling apart and seemed to think that I, a naïve 13-year-old, could jump into the corrections field and make magic happen. During my sophomore year I had one teacher, a Mr. Wagner, who intensified my drive to make the world a better place in which to be. He made me feel that the more historical cases I memorized and the more role playing as a judge would prepare me to channel the basic school work into a career.

I went through the rest of high school focused on Criminal Justice, applied for colleges, and dreamed of working with the NYPD crime lab to bring in the bad guys. Then, the one day I actually decided to eat lunch instead of mulling over physics homework in the library, a friend approached me about being an editor for our school’s newspaper, The Green Raider.

Pause.

Refer to first paragraph.

That was part of the conversation I had with Steve, who I thought wanted to torture me because of my lack of grammar skills. I laughed and pushed the suggestion away but after a week of him begging me just to go to the meeting, I caved went to see what this Green Raider was all about.

From the time I passed into the room were the headquarters was housed I knew something had changed in me. This wasn’t a newspaper room. There was just one patient man, our advisor named Mr. Thomas, 10 driven students, and me – a girl who felt she just found home.

I signed on to be the News Editor which meant I had to report on what was going on around school and to make sure each club received equal coverage. I never worked so hard in my life. The nights before the issues were due I would be in the newspaper room until 11PM with the adviser putting on the finish touches because our Editor-in-Chief decided to go missing. I never even knew my high school existed after 5PM.

I learned self restraint, self motivation, how to manage other students, but most of all I learned that I loved journalism. I enjoyed making sure each hairline was straight and each font was correct throughout the paper, but most of all I loved seeing the issue when it came to print. There in print was all of The Green Raiders' staff’s hard work and it always looked amazing.

Now, two years later, I am the Production Manager for my University’s newspaper, The Pace Press. I oversee a staff of approximately 10 driven and talent people and am just as proud to see our hard work in print each week.

Thanks to a push from Steve, an acceptance from Mr. Thomas and a change of heart from me, I fell in love with journalism.

Oh, here is a fun fact for you: my major is Forensic Science. Now I can change the world and write about it too.

DJ Hopson, Contributing Writer, NYC
Photo from here

Meritocracy and the Reality of Access to Entry in Journalism

2008-06-09T19:37:00.011-04:00

Like many starry-eyed children oblivious to the futility of the American dream, I yearned as a little girl to one day have a column in The New York Times. Sadly to say, it didn’t take long before this dream of mine withered. Yet it was not so much a lack of confidence in the quality of my writing that propelled me away from dreaming big as it was my growing awareness that like everything else in American society, journalistic celebrity favors the well-connected. Within the staffs of the nation’s most renowned media sources, wealth and privilege are king.

And if only you knew how much so. Cristian Lupsa’s submission to My Take at Poynter.org is a somewhat startling inside-look at what goes on in the upper reaches of American journalism. Lupsa cites America’s newsrooms as “lazy organisms that prefer to cultivate [an] insider culture…a lot of hires are friends of friends of powerful friends, graduates of the same Ivy League colleges or the same boarding schools.” One would think that America’s top newsrooms would aim to hire America’s top writers. Writing is a talent one is born with and hones with time. It exists independently of one’s friendships and connections, one’s bank account, and to some extent, one’s college degree. Thank you, captain obvious. The Times, The Post, etc., etc., are all well aware of what they’re doing, but they’ve earned their right to turn a blind eye to this fact. So it goes in American culture. Meritocracy is to a tremendous extent a myth sold to the optimistic and the naïve, even in an industry whose very integrity should be dependent upon natural ability.

A very high-ranking editor at a very prestigious newspaper recounted to our workshop group how she got her start in journalism. To give you a rough summary of the buddings of her career: “Well, my first year at Harvard, I actually wasn’t too involved in journalism…then, summering on Nantucket with my parents, we heard about Bobby Kennedy’s car accident with his girlfriend...and one day, a friend of my mother’s started dishing out all of this inside information she knew, so I got in contact with someone and it ended up becoming huge news.”

That’s lovely, but some of us aspiring journalists don’t spend our summers on Nantucket with the Kennedy’s and company. What about us? Should we just give up now? The middle class is shrinking, sociologists claim, and the economy is tanking. Meritocracy’s future has never looked grimmer.

Or has it? More Americans than ever are receiving a college education, and no longer are the nation’s top colleges exclusive to the upper crust of society. Theoretically, anyone can get into Harvard. Employers, then have a somewhat valid point when they hire someone based on their educational background. As a student at a college often referred to a one of the “Little Ivies” it would be hypocritical of me to bash journalism’s preference for those with degrees from top colleges. I worked hard to get to where I am now and I see my future degree as a reward for my talents and effort and as a leg-up in my future career. But that degree has a hefty price tag with it, and that is another thing that society likes to overlook. Yes, anyone can gain admission to an elite college if they possess the qualifications. But not everyone can pay for it. Many Americans cannot afford a top-notch undergraduate education, and even fewer can afford a postgraduate one in a field where grants and funding are scarce. And let's not even start with journalism internships, most of which are unpaid and located in pricey cities...

The admissions dean at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism estimated a master’s at around $70,000, including living expenses in New York. Loans, he admitted, were by-and-large the only form on financial aid available. That’s an awful lot of dough to fork over (or loans to take out) for an education in a career that will likely earn you an annual salary half of that. I met some terrifically talented journalists at the Bloomberg conference, but upon hearing these numbers over lunch on our last day, our hearts dropped. We were some of the most ambitious college editors in the country, but none of us knew how we could finance such an investment. All of the veterans admitted it: tuition for journalism school, like college tuition in general, is rapidly increasing at a rate out-pacing inflation. Fifty years ago, college admissions may not have been as meritocratic, but college was certainly more affordable. It seems we’ve cured one ill only to face another.

Is this to say that a non-prep school scion of an investment banker with three uncles high up at The Times has no hope of ever making it in journalism? Of course not. Classes surely exist in American culture, but so does upward mobility. Ambition, relentless motivation, and, admittedly, luck can all aid a “nobody” to the top. But for those who do not know “the right people,” showcasing that talent and climbing that latter proves that much more difficult. It’s a gamble, but that’s life. As for myself, I think I might head down to Nantucket and keep an eye on the Kennedys to stay on the safe side.

– Regina, Five Wire Editor

Knowing Your Story

2008-06-09T12:59:00.010-04:00

I started work today as a photojournalist for The Cape Times in South Africa. Within the first two hours of being in the office, I already had a job—to make a photograph at a pre-primary school whose lease for the building runs out at the end of the school year. But as an intern from the United States, what do I know about what makes the best photograph for a story in South Africa?

In Cape Town, even though stories about American government and politics frequently make the news, the American primaries do not occupy front page real estate (of course). Instead, the big stories are about refugee camps and the recent exodus into South Africa.

To get the full, nuanced story, reporters need to stay in one place for a long time. News sources are bowing to the demands of the instant information age. Readers expect to be able to see a story posted within moments of an event happening. But how do reporters unfamiliar with an area adequately report a story within minutes of arriving? It takes a special understanding of a place to get the story.

Sitting in the newsroom and hearing photographers talk about their recent assignments, this all became clear. It is hard to know if you have the full story even if you live in the place you're reporting on. It's even more difficult to come in as a stranger and get the whole story.

It is impossible to adequately cover all the news in the world, so how do editors decide what takes precedence in the newspaper. More importantly, how do wire services decide what to cover?

—Anna, Five Wire Editor
Cape Town, South Africa

Things Are Getting Funky

2008-06-09T01:41:00.010-04:00

Author Liz Funk wrote some kind words about The Five Wire. Well, I think Liz is pretty fabulous, too. That's why I used the obligatory play-on-words headline.

She's having a book published next year called "Supergirls Speak Out: Inside the Secret Crisis of Overachieving Girls," and she's written for a few good names, including Newsday and USA Today. Plus, she's the founder of the blog GirlHeadQuarters. I've even written for it! Check Liz out!

Lesson # 1: Yeah, yeah. I name-dropped myself. Self-promotion goes a long way.
Lesson #2: Write, write, write!

-Lisa Marie, Five Wire Editor

Check Yourself, Umbrellas Away: Paparrazi In Town

2008-06-08T23:44:00.011-04:00

Italian film director Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita gave way to the celebrity photos seen in tabloid, magazines and newspapers. Fellini was inspired by a pack of press photographers he saw in Italy trying to snap a photo of a passing celebrity; in Italian, paparazzo means buzzing insect.

According to John Ingledew, author of “Photography,” the paparazzi objective is to appease the public with photos of celebrities in their private lives without any regards to personal boundaries. They in-turn sell the photos to newspapers and magazines willing to offer the photographer a comfortable paycheck. X17, the most popular paparazzi agency, is said that a few of the photographers made over 100 thousand dollars from Britney Spears photos in one year, according to timminspress.com. Because the pay has been getting higher in the past few years, the competition for celebrity photos is getting more aggressive.

The Independent Institute’s Web site explains that the paparazzi cannot invade private property to obtain a story or to take a photographer. The line gets blurred with this law because everyone has the right to freedom of speech, which means paparazzi are protected by the First Amendment.

"...66 thousand dollars worth of security..."

However, they have free reign over public property. As an example of what the paparazzi can do on public property, The Independent Institute uses the illustration, “as when they chase relatives of the victims of a plane crash to ask, ‘How do you feel about losing your children in this tragic accident?’”

There is a legislation said to in consideration called "Britney's Law," according to the LA Times Online. The legislation will help protect celebrities from chasing photographers and passersby getting stuck in the middle of the swarm.

William Hodgman, chief of the target crimes division of the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, explained on firstamendmentcenter.org that it would be impossible to charge photographers on trespassing. "Prosecutors wouldn't have to overcome the kind of First Amendment defenses photojournalists have when they are sued for taking photos in public because crimes like trespassing aren't protected by the Constitution."

California is trying to enforce a new anti-paparazzi laws to protect the privacy of celebrities and civilians. Any person can sue a member of the media if they have entered private property without permission explains Kelli Sager, a writer for Davis Wright Tremaine practicing law office. She also explains that constructive invasion of privacy is when a member of the media tries to get a hold of private videos, sound recording or undisclosed photographs of a celebrity, or a civilian. However, if the items were achieved without a trespass, it will not be considered against the law. This normally happens when a friend or family member of the celebrity sells photos to the media.

Despite the efforts, Los Angeles' city police believe the law is difficult too enforce because it would mean that every celebrity would need a buffer of a few feet between them and the photographers. Los Angeles' Police Chief William Bratton explained to fox28.com that he is more concerned about equal protection. "Are all celebrities, A list, B list, C list, entitled to the same protection?"

During the legal battle between both sides, the conclusion was brought to that the law is flawed. It violates the First Amendment. On bnet.com, attorney Douglas Mirell says that there is a problem with the wording of the law. "Does persistently] mean [following someone] for six minutes, six seconds, or six days?

Photographs and videos aren't the only things the media is trying to obtain from the famous. According to latimes.com, 13 workers are in the process of being fired from UCLA Medical Center for looking through the medical record of Britney Spears, and in 2007 Palisades Medical Center in New Jersey suspended 27 workers for a month for looking through George Clooney's records after his motorcycle accident caused by a paparazzi chase. In both cases, the information was leaked to the media. But because the paparazzi did not trespass to obtain this information, they could not be charged for invading privacy.

Celebrities have taken the situation into their own hands when having to deal with the paparazzi. Heidi Klum and Russel Crowe have hired their own photographers to release their wedding and children’s photos under contracts with publications and networks. Klum told USA Today about her child’s photos, "That's why I released the photos of her, instead of having photographers hunt for them.”

In 2003, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Michael Douglas took legal action against a paparazzo named Rupert Thorpe for invading their wedding and selling photos to Hello! Magazine. Zeta-Jones and Douglas had hired a photographer and 66 thousand dollars worth of security, and had an exclusive contract with OK! magazine for the rights to use their wedding photos. Also, Nicole Kidman testified in 2007 against an Australian newspaper because a photographer forcefully pursued her. "I was frightened and I was worried there was going to be an accident," Kidman said in court according to cbsnews.com.

Unlike the United States, France has strict privacy laws. According to the International Herald Tribune’s Web site, the laws are so strict “that editors usually print a black band across the faces of subjects who have not given permission for their pictures to be published.” However, French photographers get around this rule by taking the photos then selling the prints to Britain, Spain, and Germany’s tabloid magazines.

According to the nytimes.com, People magazine's weekly circulation is 3.63 million, and US Weekly has raised its circulation of 10 percent from 2006 with 19 million. Washingtonpost.com says that there are over 50,000 celebrity photos submitted a week to each magazine. Obviously, the demand for these stories and photos are still high, and despite efforts to protect celebrity privacy the laws and legislations are not going to be enforced soon.

Laura Delarato, Playgirl Intern & Contributing Writer

photo from here.

When Internships Don't Help You Out

2008-06-08T22:46:00.010-04:00

No clips. No byline. Nothing to do. No respect. No hope?

At a certain unnamed, highest-rated young women's magazine, I spent hours upon hours sending size 2 dresses to thankless little girls who sent in their names in order to win a prize.

“I wntd my dress in size2 not 4 and u said it would come but it didnt and now i dont think i will ever read your magazin again why would u say u were givin prizes away but then send my dress in the wrong size. i want my corect prize."

This is what the typical intern might deal with: perusing reader mail that resembles the text jargon or that of a drunken, illiterate caveman, Fed-EXng excessive amounts of eyeliner and clothing, and editing reader stories to have that sparkling, hyperbolic girly-mag tone.

In retrospect, it was something to do, and it involved words at least 25 percent of the time. At what was my new internship for the most widely read mens-interest magazine, I thought coming to this unnamed magazine would allow me to research, write and edit material with a bit more substance. Emphasis on a bit.

But what should I have expected from a magazine whose pull quotes emphasizes one of three things: a women’s love for doing housechores in the nude, being a big fan of sex (uh, who isn’t?) or doing an activity a man would normally be seen as doing (i.e. marijuana, video games or some trivial activity whose chillness factor wouldn’t ordinarily be attributed to women because of society’s tendency to view women as perpetually high-strung)?

At this new magazine, I spent more time making copies and wondering why I couldn't sit in on production meetings than ever really researching or writing anything.

At that certain mens-interest magazine, I compiled football player stats and facts on celebrities a handful of times. I worked there for 5-6 monthes. Do the math.

I understand the concept of carving a niche at the places you work. I understand sometimes you've gotta be pro-active. But when editors respond condescendingly or when they look up at you like you've got three eyes when you ask if they need help, taking initiative isn't always the answer. You have to know your boundaries.

I’m starting to think that brand name magazines (the big guys that you can buy everywhere - from gas stations to drugstores to your local bodega) aren’t great for the truly hands-on intern.
Most of these magazines (NOT ALL) make lots of money because lots of people buy them. And guess what? The masses are dumb. It’s a self-perpetuating cycle. People want simple. They want easy. They want escapism. This sometimes requires dumb content, which in turn requires brainless intern projects - whether it’s researching lip gloss or sex positions or how to make some weird spy gadget out of a cell phone.

Maybe when magazines seek interns, they should just write: Seeking Editorial Intern: must be proficient in breathing and possibly thinking.

It's easy to become disillusioned, but I guess that's when you take your career into your own hands. If they wont let you write, write for yourself. Remember: most internships look good on paper, but if that means you need to pick up Copy-Editing for Dummies, than do it.

Got an outrageous intern story? You can remain anonymous. Email: Fivewireblog@gmail.com

-Lisa Marie
photo from here

They Wouldn't Even Notice if I Left Early: Why I've Come to Doubt The Necessity of Internships

2008-06-02T00:56:00.004-04:00

What is the purpose of an internship? This is a question I’ve found myself asking, more so, throughout the past semester. It has been my belief that an internship is an opportunity to gain critical insight to an industry in which you hope to one day be apart of. Seeing as the majority of available internships are unpaid, it was my assumption that an internship program is an interactive, hands-on learning experience that educates and prepares for upcoming career ventures.

During our time at Pace University, the Co-Op and Career Services department has expressed the importance of an internship, claiming it is important step towards becoming a young professional. But when all is said and done and you’ve been granted that foot in the door, the question needs to be raised: was it all worth it?

According to a recent op-ed in the New York Times, “Take This Internship and Shove It” by Anya Kemenetz, more than 84 percent of college students plan on doing an internship upon graduation. There are a plethora of available programs on numerous human resource and online job posting Web sites, which promise a “great start-up experience.” While I believe some internship programs do prove to be an asset to a student, personal experiences have left me disappointed in the state of big business internship programming.

Good friends of mine at the University have landed marketing, PR, editorial and photo internships at well-known companies and publications. A common argument I’ve heard when discussing their respective programs is their lack of responsibility and feeling of accomplishment upon completion of their program. When asked what is was they did at their job, I’ve been told on more than one occasion, “I do nothing.” When asked what they feel they got out of this experience, I’m answered with futile responses such as “resume space,” “the credits” or, even worse, “learning that I don’t want to work in this business anymore.”

During my time as a college student, I have had two internships. The summer following my sophomore year, I was a production intern on a well-known talk show. My tasks there were to answer phone calls, sort mail, log ideas for show topics which got passed along to the producers and run errands ranging from diet soda requests to Asian grilled chicken salad lunch orders. In spite of the small nature of my responsibilities, I look back at that time as a good moment. I built a strong rapport with an important staff member, who is now a close friend and in the process, he has taught me a lot about life, in and out of the office and is not just a reference for future potential employers.

This semester, I have had the opportunity to participate in an internship geared directly towards my area of academic focus and professional interest, working in the editorial department of a popular men’s interest magazine. There have been no lunch requests, I still sort the mail every day and have only had to run a few minor personal errands. As a graduating senior desperate to break into the editorial industry, my lack of progress during this internship has severely affected me. I have more or less acted as an office observer, watching the editors sit at their Macs as they work on a story. On a good day, I might get to transcribe an interview or two or conduct minor research.

I have learned that every experience is what you make of it and after coming to terms with the state of my experience at the magazine; I realized if I wanted to learn something, I had to take the first step. I’ve asked questions, I’ve watched and I’ve listened. In spite of the notes I’ve complied, it’s a far, disappointing cry from the expectations I had. Never did I think I would be the person who “did nothing” during a workday. I don’t feel as though I’ve been taught anything that I don’t already know, or am more or less prepared for the work world, than when I began my internship.

Kemenetz said it best in her Times article: “Though their duties range from the menial to quasi-professional, unpaid internships are not jobs, only simulations. And fake jobs are not the best preparation for real jobs.” My active role on The Press will be the reason why a potential employer believes I am qualified, not through the internship I am about to complete.

Companies, no matter what fields of interest, who provide students with internship opportunities, have a responsibility to actively prepare and engage those whom they employ. There should never be a day that felt as though was wasted and there should never be a day where there is “nothing for the interns to do.” And we do ask for these assignments, which apparently never exist.

We are essentially volunteers, who want nothing more than the “hands-on experience” that was promised to us. We make an effort to make the best impression we can, while juggling other jobs and our school commitments because we believe it should be worth it.

If a company is unwilling to take an interest in developing interns into potential staff members, aside from the “menial to quasi-professional” tasks they choose to pass down to us, then clearly our presence is unnecessary.

Michael, Contributing Writer

New York City

Writers: To Which Cult Do You Belong?

2008-06-02T00:17:00.015-04:00

19 of us were chosen for a week-long college editors' conference at Columbia University in New York City the week of May 26. The workshop was made possible by the generous donations of Bloomberg L.P., an information-services, news and media giant.

We met in the freshman lounge on the first day, all of us prepping to head over to the J-School, where we'd inevitably end up in photos posing near the Columbia University J-School plaque. Our crew - we were excited, naive, and eager to pocket any business card we could get our jobless hands on.

We were student editors of our respective East coast, West Coast and Everywhere in Between newspapers -University of California, Berkeley, Bates College, University of Chicago and Pace University. In a room of college journalists, the obvious tempering of egos is what kept us all at the same level - which is why we started off with a Name your University's cliche icebreaker.

Pretty soon, we were all leveled off -- the "We're not all rich, white, preppy girls" and the "We're not all NYU rejects" and the seemingly futile, "we're not all angry lesbians." With egos subdued, we set off with pen and notepad in hand, fervently scribbling down advice by industry giants, like The New York Times and Bloomberg L.C.

No matter where we came from (one of us a student editor at Virginia Military Institute whose cliche was, not surprisingly, "we don't all hate women") we were linked by the same exhausting desire: how to fit into the ever-changing media and where to get a paycheck. But some of us didn't want to sell our souls in order to get there. Some of us wanted to find something that would make us happy. Something that would fulfill our salary expectation without forcing us to work 13 hour days.

Some of us wanted to see sunlight. Others didn't care.

The Others, in this case, were those who gawked at the polished Bloomberg Tower (fully stocked with Beyonce in the penthouse up top) located at East 58th Street and Lexington Ave. Gawked at the chandeliers that blinked in Morse code sentences about languages. Foamed at the mouth over the free employee food bars strewn throughout the building. Found the random floor tanks of fish (representing fortune) to be just what they needed to have a "serene experience" at the work place.

The tour guide even got the Others when he barked on and on about how Bloomberg is a physical representation of transparency. Read this to get a thorough understanding of a real-life Xanadu. Every conference room and newsroom was see-through, the radio and TV stations were see through and the people, oddly enough, seemed see-through too. They had wide, white smiles and expensive suits. These were beacons of light to our Others. These were the bobble-heads that repeated, "Bloomberg strives to be completely transparent. We have nothing to hide."

In my little notepad, I scribbled down the number of times our insincere, model-boy tourguide said things like, "we have nothing to hide." This number was 6. In a 15 minute tour. It would be presumptuous to think Bloomberg was maliciously hiding something, but it would be naive to think the company is completely innocuous. Generally, overcompensating for having something to hide often comes in the form of making sure others think you have nothing to hide. It's a newsroom. It's got a high-tech fingerprinting chip that enables employees to access data from across the globe.

And while Bloomberg claim's they strive to get the news fastest and first, it's with a whole lot of pretty on the side. Journalistic integrity can be sought without the sugery toppings. For instance, The New York Times building -- is as the joke goes (black, white and read all over) -- it's understated and clean. They produce the news without having glitz and gloss.

The Bureau Chief of Bloomberg News told us her dress had a leather belt. She said she saw her husband one hour a day and that her marriage would last because of this. She said she worked from 6AM to 6PM. This was Bloomberg.

Some of us called it a cult. The Others were fascinated.

We eventually trickled on down to DUMBO, where we visited with Jewcy Media - a small start-up that is thriving because it's niche - Jewish counter-culture viewpoints. The owner, Talh Raz, told us the Internet was where it's at. That drive meant everything. A degree meant nothing. The ability to be an industry chameleon would benefit us. That major media was being sideswiped by smaller media companies with big dreams. A degree in journalism was meaningless unless your writing was creative and necessary and useful.

Some of us fell in love with the idea of finding a niche market, and writing for it. Can't find a job? Create one, we thought. The Others wanted to bleach their teeth and get Ivy league graduate degrees and work for mainstream media conglomerates.

Journalism is an industry that welcomes people from different backgrounds, with different colored pens-- the steadfast, alternative-weekly reporters, the culture writers, the prestigious, national newspaper editors, the photojournalists, the news magazine finance writers, the online political writers and the celebrity bloggers.

If the job field is a microcosm of the world, than You, Me and The Others live in a nation that really is free.

-Lisa Marie, Five Wire Editor

New York City

Endangered Words? The Offshoring of Copy Editing

2008-06-01T15:42:00.007-04:00

As part of the globalization sweep of the last decade or so, more and more U.S. companies are outsourcing their production, management and oftentimes, entire businesses to other countries. Seen as a way of lowering costs and increasing efficiency, outsourcing (known alternately as offshoring) can prove especially appealing to industries facing economic hardships.

Unsurprisingly, the U.S. media has hopped aboard the outsourcing train as well, as more and more publishing companies and other media organizations opt to send their copy abroad for editing. But in the case of journalism, outsourcing raises controversy beyond the bounds of free versus fair trade or issues of nationalism. When publications turn their eyes abroad for editing, they are putting the quality and integrity of their product on the line. While it is true that the editors in the countries performing this editing, chiefly India, are fluent in English, a job as meticulous and tedious as copy editing has already proven itself to be better kept at home.

The unease with outsourced editing among the journalism world is evident in the response it has been met with. The May / June 2008 Columbia Journalism Review noted that a news Web site in California was “roundly mocked” when it opted to offshore its editing, and the uproar such a decision caused at the Miami Herald led to its reversal. Why is this so? When stories are edited abroad, the quality of that editing often drops. My father, a college professor, witnessed this firsthand when the company that publishes his textbooks outsourced their editing services. In one instance, the editing performed was so light as to barely be noticeable. When the editing did get more aggressive, the results were egregious compared with those he had witnessed from domestic editors. Perhaps editors abroad simply need better training, but surely their knowledge not only of a given editing style but of the English language itself, no matter how proficient, places these editors at a disadvantage to those who have grown up in and around U.S. media.

Some publications have opted to hold out on outsourcing their editing. My colleagues and I had the opportunity at our workshop last week to dine with New York Times Managing Editor Jill Abramson, who assured me that the Times has every intention of keeping their copy editing in house. Though it seems probable that the nation's most esteemed news sources will do the same, the Columbia Journalism Review noted that an unnamed "mainstream U.S. daily" is discussing a contract with the Indian-based company Express KCS. Yet, should these publications be totally blamed for their actions? From a pragmatic standpoint, a struggling industry should do everything it can to stay financially afloat. But should that include something that may come to compromise its integrity?

Of course, the world of media is now in a state of constant flux, and with the emergence of the blogosphere as yet another widespread form of media, editing is again placed in a precarious situation. Any good journalist knows that no matter how good a writer he or she may be, the most precise editing can only be performed by someone other than the writer himself. Bloggers generally have no editors other than themselves, even those with a tremendous readership. Is this a sign that we are moving away from the need for strict editing of our media sources, shifting our focus instead to the content of the writing? Quality editing was once the hallmark of quality journalism. Is this distinction something that should be sacrificed?

– Regina, Five Wire Editor

The One Man Band

2008-05-31T16:37:00.002-04:00

The media industry is shrinking fast into a corps of journalists who can do everything—writing, photography, video and more.

As budding journalists, we hear more and more about the importance of being able to produce and edit our own online content. But how do people our age learn all these skills by ourselves? In the early 1990s, graduate schools started offering new media components to their curriculum. Today new media has morphed into digital media. The curriculum has a hard time keeping up with the ever-changing platform of electronic media. So how do journalists do it?

Journalists must educate themselves quickly about new topics every day. Current journalists do not have the luxury to go back to school every time a new piece of equipment comes out. They must learn in the field.

How do you make the case for J-school when you are required as a journalist to learn quickly on the job every day?

— Anna, Five Wire Editor
Washington, DC

Who is The Five Wire?

2008-05-31T01:41:00.003-04:00

The Five Wire is a blog for journalists, writers, students, interns, anti-writers, anti-journalists, anti-media, editors and professionals from all over the globe.

The Five Wire was the brain child of a group of student journalists who met at the Bloomberg College Editors' Workshop at Columbia University, where we studied major media conglomerates, online, niche media companies and met with newspaper men and women who offered a variety of diverse viewpoints. We have some of our own crazy ideas, too.

We welcome you to share your opinions on all things media, too.

Thanks,

The Five Wire

The Media Blog for Everyone.