Today my twelve year old son, several local bloggers, and I did a workshop in Ithaca for people interested in liberating themselves from the mainstream media, learning how to use blogs, making their own blogs or just getting a bit more familiar with how to use blogs as a source of news. We all brought our laptops to a space with wireless access and had little stations for people to rotate through. We had great snacks and handouts. It was a great success. We had people from the ages of 14 to 82 come in. Several people got help with their existing blogs. Some people didn't know what a blog was. We helped a few people set up blogs. One woman, working on opposing CAFTA was stunned to see how she could use blogs to get information and build community. We walked everyone around Dailykos. I am attaching here the handout I gave out and am asking members of the KOS community to critique it for me. I would also like suggestions on how to make these mini-workshops a success in the future. Please keep in mind I am a good teacher but not a computer wiz.
Be nice, but give me your critical feedback. We are going to take this on the road. So, below the fold is the handout, intended for the novice. Have at it. And hey -- thanks in advance folks. You are a great resource. Now, the handout:
MEDIA TAKE BACK
These days, the alternative to the Mainstream media is not "alternative media." Sadly, the alternative to the mainstream media in many cases is simply what is true. Mainstream media sources ignore important stories, slant the news, and often, in the name of being "fair and balanced," give equal time to outrageous and untrue claims. Furthermore, the mainstream media creates news that is a diversion from the real events facing us. The loss of media as a source of objective reporting is a grave threat to our society. But, we have a choice. We can liberate ourselves from this mess and get informed.
Before you begin, think about what you use mainstream media FOR, and think of your frustrations with it. If you are like most people, you use mainstream media to
Know what is happening in local, state, national and international news
Hear intelligent and thoughtful commentary on events affecting your life, our country and our world
Enjoy some humor
Expand your knowledge base
And, if you are like most people, you are frustrated by
Too much inane advertising on mainstream media
The anxiety that the sources you are being presented with are not reliable
You are somehow being distracted from the real story
The commentary insults your intelligence
The uneasy sense that the media is packaging the Bush administration's message for you
We need to stop relying on the networks and the mainstream papers for our news. They have failed us. We can just stop using them, be better informed, waste much less of our time listening to advertising and junk, and get our messages out. Here's how: learn how to use selected, effective BLOGS.
It is fairly simple. Instead of the time you would spend listening to CNN, reading the local paper, or chasing stories on the websites of the major networks, commit to spending ten to fifteen minutes a day (or more) reading the on-line blogs as a source for your news. You will find that if you do this for one week, you will slowly find the other sources of news (TV, papers, radio) become so out of date you no longer need them. After looking around for awhile, you will become familiar with a few blogs that meet your needs and will know how to use them. Many provide links for recommending stories to the major networks, and the major networks are (slowly, slowly) starting to listen. In spite of what you may have heard, blogs have transformed media, and have the power to make the mainstream networks obsolete.
BLOGS: A Basic Intro
BLOGS: A blog is an interactive web log, with diaries (articles) and links to facts, action alerts, etc. It is the best way to get on top of the news. The technical definition is a web site in which postings appear in reverse chronological order. A blog can be totally private, shared among a small group, or open to the public with a moderator (or group of moderators). Blogs have links to data, news stories, other web sites, video footage of real events, and other blogs. They also provide a space for commentary. The advantage of blogs is that posting of news is INSTANT. Here, we are recommending some blogs we like, and as you use them and get comfortable with them, you will begin to use other blogs as well.
Large, Collective Blogs
http://www.dailykos.com
This is perhaps the best interactive blog on progressive politics. It has been the source of a number of major breaking stories, all done by "amateur investigators," i.e., concerned citizens who used their eyes and ears to report what they found out and saw. The writers are members of the public, but the major bloggers on this site are all highly educated and well informed. Some are famous journalists. It often features source verification; action alerts and provides links for immediate action. Immediate breaking news can often be found here, and people post here from all over the world. It usually puts you on top of news as it is developing. The best thing to do is to sign up (you get an on-line name and a password) so you can post comments. But it is open to all readers. NOTE: On the home page, they also have links to the major political bloggers and also has the WONDERFUL resource called DKOSOPEDIA which is an encyclopedia for political activism.
http://thenexthurrah.typepad.com/the_next_hurrah
This is a new blog started by some of the main page bloggers at Dailykos. Writers here often cross post with KOS, but I read the comments here about once or twice a week.
http://www.democraticunderground.com
This is the official blog of the DNC and has good articles and discussions, and often links to activism. Not quite as good as KOS, but a good place to discuss directions for the Democratic Party.
http://www.politicalstrategy.org
This is a political analysis blog started by Tom Ball and has a number of the top Internet journalists writing and posting to it. You can't post comments, but the news and facts are very reliable here and are often cross-posted to KOS. Excellent commentary, often later picked up by the NYT and major news magazines like the Nation, etc.
On-line sources that are NOT blogs but which help liberate you form the Mainstream Media.
LOCAL ISSUE ORIENTED BLOGS
http://ithacaactionnetwork.blogspot.com
This is an example of a local blog being used as a bulletin board, with a number of people posting to it. It was very easy to make and get up and running, and is used widely by a lot of activists in Ithaca. This is a good place to check what is happening in local progressive politics. It contains links to many other blogs and groups.
http://ithacaenvironment.blogspot.com
This is a local blog dealing with the activism of Ithacans working on environmental issues. It is designed to also be a resource to anyone looking to work on regional or national environmental issues.
LOCAL BLOGS BY SINGLE AUTHORS
http:livingindryden.org
This blog, created by Simon St. Laurent is a good place to keep up to date on the local news. He uses local sources, comments on them, and provides additional information on important topics. I am using this blog in place of local media more and more. In fact, I am testing using it as an alternative to the Ithaca Journal, and so far, it is successful. (Perhaps we need to pay Simon to make that happen!)
ON-LINE NEWS SOURCES, NOT NECESSARULY BLOGS
http://www.rawstory.com
Raw Story claims to be "Liberal news with an edge" and it does have an edge. But it often provides links to great stories as they are developing. It is not really a blog, but was started by blogger Blue Lemur and has links to his blogs. It breaks important stories that networks won't touch.
http://www.bbc.co.uk
The BBC often picks up stories ignored by our networks and is a good place to check on international stories.
http://onegoodmove.org/1gm/
This, a real blog, is a good source for links to interesting things on the web, including the Jon Stewart Daily Show, videos, etc. I use it as my entertainment section and also as a source for new links. They really stay up to date with what is happening in the blogosphere.
http://www.watchingamerica.com
This is a terrific site with translations and even video of news sources about the US from around the world. You can pick your region of the planet and find out what they are saying about us around the world.