Online Media: Is It Taking Over?

According to Clay Shirky, an American writer, the publishing industry is going to become extinct in the very near future.
He outlines his thoughts in the article Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable.

After newspapers die, readers will receive news online written by "excitable 14 year olds" rather than trained journalists.

Getting news online isn't a problem. Getting news from a potentially uninformed 14 year old is.

But there is hope yet for print journalists! We're not completely S.O.L.

"A lot of people still love the actual physical act of flipping through pages. They still hold that dear," said Kim Shiffman, senior editor of PROFIT.
Shiffman edits an online publication that posts reports and data. But she said that print is the vehicle for long-form storytelling. "It doesn't seem like people like to read that kind of thing online."

"As a reader, I like to hold things in my hand," said Megan Griffith-Greene, editor of Chatelain and Shameless magazines. On the weekend, Griffith-Greene likes to read the paper, but during the week, she gets her news online.

So, yes, the week-day newspaper is dead. During the week, everything will be online. It is fast and easy to access.
But, it is likely there will be a weekend newspaper. It’s part of a relaxing weekend morning for most people.

Shirky is right. We don't need news on paper, but we do need journalists. Journalists will survive. Newspapers won't.

Photo Play

Tree in winter. Photo by Daveybot on Flickr.

Haiti: Speedy Text Message Relief

More that $25 million dollars has been donated to the Red Cross by Canadians since Haiti was hit by an earthquake last week, said a Red Cross spokesperson Tanya Elliott on Monday.

Such speedy fund-raising was made possible by today's technology. Phone companies have made it possible to send a text and instantly donate five dollars. Or, people can donate any amount of money online.

Last week, the government told Canadians they would match donations up to $50 million dollars.
On Tuesday, the International Co-operation Minister Bev Oda, announced that the government is contributing $80 million dollars to relief efforts in Haiti.
It seems the government has finally kept a promise.

The CBC has made a web page about Haiti Relief information. It includes a list of all registered charities and a list of numbers to text to instantly donate money to a charity.

Text message donating is a good idea. It has probably gotten a lot of younger people involved. It’s easy and hassle free. People are more likely to punch in a number, a few letters and press send.

According to the Canadian government, 665 Canadians are still unaccounted for, 13 have been killed and 1,206 have been evacuated back to Canada.

The Economist on Harper: Summary

Recently The Economist, a London-based magazine, published a chastising article about Harper's decision to prorogue parliament.

The article jumped on Harper's excuses for the suspension.
According to The Economist, Harper' real reasons for the prorogue are as follows:

• he couldn’t deal with the economic troubles and the Olympic games
• the government has been under attack regarding detainees being tortured in Afghanistan and Canada’s huge amount of carbon emissions

The Economist says that this move is purely "self-interest" for Harper, pointing out that "Harper has form," since he did the same thing last winter to dodge certain unwanted problems.

Crime and Punishment: The Root Problems

Jim Rankin was one of the reporters that worked on the Star's Special Report Crime and Punishment. It is a thorough look at the state of crime in Canada.
Rankin spoke in lecture today.
Basically, crime is committed by people who are from a certain demographic background. They:

• are living in poverty
  
• have little education
  
• are mentally ill
  
• have addictions and behaviour problems

Rankin's conclusion for crime prevention in Canada targets these root problems.
Better housing, support systems for students and rehabilitation for the mentally ill and addicted would help.
Target the roots, and further up there is less crime, more stability and less people in prison.

Putting people in prison does not help reduce crime. It may deter criminals for a short time, but in the end it only makes problems worse.
The United States has this problem now.
Millions of dollars are spent on a problem that is never fixed. Money is spent on the prison system and has little effect.
Money should be spent on education, rehabilitation and support programs. This would target the problem at the root and stop it before it grows into something out of control.