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Upstream: Making News Online: Putting Your Message Where the World Can Find It

Published on February 12, 2008

Using the internet for distributing information is getting easier by the day. Getting the word out about a documentary you just made or educating people about a social issue that you support is made easier thanks to blogs, social networks and video sharing sites that, if used correctly, can reach a large number of people in a short amount of time.

As the words MySpace and YouTube become part of our everyday vocabulary, more people are going to the internet to find out what is being talked about, even the ones who report the news. According to a survey of journalists by Brodeur, many journalists use blogs and social networks as a tool for their reporting. Those surveyed said that the biggest impact that blogs have on their reporting was the speed and availability of news, and seventy percent of those surveyed said they check a list of blogs regularly.

Mark Glaser, journalist for PBS’s blog, MediaShift

Journalists use blogs and social networks in different ways. Sometimes they are used for perspective, while other times, for actual content. Mark Glaser, a journalist who writes for PBS’s blog, MediaShift, uses blogs and social networks to get perspective and context about the subjects that he is writing about.

He uses Facebook to informally poll for opinions to find out what people think about a certain issue that he is writing about. Glaser also used the social network Twitter to get fast updates on the Minnesota bridge collapse and the Iowa caucuses. Either way, the internet has proved to be an invaluable resource for Glaser:

“I often write in-depth stories and analysis without meeting interviewees face-to-face, relying on phone conversations, emails and their blog posts to give me insight into the subject. In many cases, I felt like my reporting made a difference. I brought attention to stories that were only being told on smaller blogs.”

What catches a journalist’s eye when it comes to blogs? I decided to find out what it was like to do my own reporting using Facebook, so I typed “Mark Glaser” into the search bar, and sure enough, I found him. I shot him a quick message asking him what makes a blog stand out to him, and he sent his first response back to me a few hours later. According to Glaser, what stands out most to him are:
· Original, strong editorial voice
· Expert knowledge on a subject
· Some thought in the design
· Number of comments to show dialog with readers

“In order for a blogger to get noticed, he/she has to reach out to other bloggers in that niche subject they share,” Glaser said, “and get links from their blogs, engage other bloggers in similar subjects, and get links that help move their ranking up in Google searches,” Glaser said.

I also joined a group on Facebook called Journalists and Facebook to get more feedback. I posted a question to all readers asking how they use blogs and social networks to do their own reporting. Reporter Aaron Royster, who works for the Kingman Daily Miner in Kingman, Ariz, has used blogs for actual content in his stories:

“I ended up using quotes from a state representative’s blog regarding her DUI arrest. After two days of calls to her office and cell phone, as well as e-mails, we pulled what she said on there for the story. At my last paper, I know with murders (usually of teenagers) we’d pull from their wall on Facebook or MySpace. We would e-mail the poster to verify and usually try to set up an interview with them as well.”

Sometimes it is the reporter reaching out to the subjects, and sometimes it is the other way around. Social issues that are ignored, blocked or controlled by mainstream media have benefited from online communities and social networks. It is nearly impossible for something to be completely censored with today’s technology.

During the September 2007 protests against military rule in Myanmar a lot of the information and pictures that we saw in the mainstream news came from bloggers and citizen journalists within the country who were risking arrest to make the actual story known. The Wall Street Journal reported on September 28th, 2007 that cell phone cameras, blogs and internet sites like YouTube were playing an important role in assisting the major news organizations as to what was happening, since the government in Myanmar was trying to censor any news about the protest.

Also, some American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan are blogging about their personal experiences, while others are posting videos on YouTube to get their stories out. These issues are not necessarily censored, but it is rare to have a soldier’s story told from a personal perspective in the mainstream media. Most news from Iraq and Afghanistan have a hard-news edge, making us forget sometimes that in wars, there are actual faces.

Cover of Jason Hartley’s memoir Just Another Soldier.

One soldier, Jason Hartley, a former soldier who maintained a blog during his time in Iraq, published a book in 2005 that incorporates his blog posts into a memoir called Just Another Soldier: A Year on the Ground in Iraq. Before the book was published, Hartley was forced by his superior officers to take his blog offline; Hartley was demoted and fined $1,000. The blog is now back online and Hartley’s story has received national press coverage.

The cause you want to promote online doesn’t have to be an exclusive, breaking news story to get recognized. Use the internet to promote a documentary film or for media activism.

In her July 2007 Upstream article, Building Community Around Online Identity, Arts Engine’s Jennifer Gallardo explains the in’s and out’s of digital distribution campaigns. Uploading your documentary or trailer to YouTube and then linking it to your website, blog or MySpace page is one way to promote your cause. Arts Engine has channels on the video sharing sites YouTube and Stage6.

Creating an identity for yourself and your message, much like a brand, is what it is all about. Followed by connecting with your audience and getting them involved. Take the story of the film, A Dog’s Breakfast, written and directed by David Hewlett. The only promotion that this movie had when it was first made were some YouTube clips and an eight dollar per month website, where the movie could be downloaded. This eventually led to over two thousand screening requests, thousands of fans, press recognition and the film’s purchase by MGM Studios.

Still from the film Praying With Lior.

The key is to network with others who are doing the same type of thing you are, or who simply have the same interests or needs. The documentary Praying with Lior, by filmmaker Ilana Trachtman, also used online tools to promote a cause. The film is about a thirteen-year-old boy with Down Syndrome who is viewed in his religious community as a “spiritual genius” for his intensive praying. In the July 2005 Outreach Journal written about the film, Devorah Shubowitz explains how Trachtman not only made the film, but also discovered needs for people with disabilities within the religious community which sparked ideas for a comprehensive website and various educational tools.

Gary Robbins, science editor at the Orange County Register in Southern California uses his blog, Sciencedude, to connect with readers of the newspaper. “I’m trying to cultivate new readers. And I’m working trying to get user-generated content on specific stories. There will be a total eclipse of the moon in February. I’ll be asking readers to email me the images they take of the eclipse. I’ll post the best images on my blog. This can be a pretty effective method of crowd-sourcing,” Robbins said.

On top of all the social networking, blogs, and video sharing sites that can be used to promote a cause, there are also sites that offer resources and advice on how to utilize these tools. There is a blog about film production and news called Production Blog that contains a lot of useful tools for someone trying to promote a film. In the December 2007 post they offer opportunities for small film promotion:

“I am all about small film promotion. If you have a small film that has not received a lot of media attention and you would like to have it showcased on the Production Blog, I would be happy to publicize your film with an article.” The blog also has resources and advice such as DIY filmmaking, promoting a blog, and even book publishing.

Whatever your message is, put it on the web and create your online identity. Maybe you are staging an event or protest, making a new film or you simply want to educate people about your group’s cause. Someone out there is looking, so make sure you put your message where they can find it.

Brittany Mayne is an Editorial Intern at Arts Engine.

This article is available for noncommercial use under a Creative Commons license. It was originally published on MediaRights.org, a project of Arts Engine, Inc. This notice must accompany the article at all times.

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