Multiskilling? Or Jack-of-all-Trades?

Our visiting speakers all sing from the same hymn sheet when it comes to multiskilling. Since no-one knows what the future of news will hold, we're advised to put our eggs in as many baskets as possible: we must be writers and bloggers and editors and webmasters and mobile technologists. But Sarah Radford brought home the downside of this mentality when she told us about her experiences at the Newbury Weekly News.

She was hired to launch the paper's multimedia web portal and was frank about the steep learning curve and lack of investment in training. We saw first-hand how the end product is... shall we say... not of broadcast quality. If the rest of our economy is based around specialization and exchange, why should it be different for news? You wouldn't expect your plumber to advise you on interior design and give you elocution lessons, would you?

* A Vision of the Feature

I am contractually obliged to spin out some of the ideas in this blog into a feature. What I have found in my web-based meanderings is that technology is now advancing at an exponential rate. Globalization and the Wiki-culture are the driving forces behind this revolution. Never before has knowledge and capital flowed so freely.

Look at it this way. In the 1950s, the most rudimentary adding machine would only just fit into a large room. By the 1970s, the first microchips were starting to appear. In the 80s, they were putting computers on board airplanes. In the 90s, they started putting them in washing machines. Now we have computers on toothbrushes. And I’m sure the toothbrush has more processing power than all its predecessors put together.

So where will it end? My feature will take Moore’s Law to its logical conclusion. It will draw together the latest advances in genetics, graphics and human-machine interfaces to imagine a future which is just around the corner. Some potential interviewees:

• Max More (the Branson-looking founder of the Extropy Institute, and a leading advocate of transhumanism).
• Professor Ian Owens (Professor of Evolutionary Biology at Imperial College, London)
• Professor Antonia Jones (Professor of Evolutionary and Neural Computing at Cardiff University)

Watch this space.

Video: Killed Radio Star?

I'm in two minds about online video. On the one hand, watching people make bombs from Pepsi and Mentos is great. On the other hand, watching grainy recycled coverage of the day's news happenings is incredibly dull.

Amanda Powell showed us how BBC News Online gives you the option of hiding the video on the front page, as some users apparently didn't like it. That seems a bit redundant to me; either make the video good enough or get rid of it.

Pete Clifton (Head of BBC Interactive) has the right idea. He says online video needs to be a short, compelling moment from a story. Something a bit leftfield or weird that people will want to email to their friends. He recognizes that BBCi aren't there yet - right now their Vodcasts are little more than aggregations of the past week's Newsnights - but at least they're paddling in the right direction. I say they need to show more clips like this one: a crazed bull running after a policeman on a busy road. Now that's more like it.

Mmm... Smells Like Oily Machinery

If BBC Magazines did decide to add subtle consumption-inducing smells to their newsprint, they might want to enlist the services of ScentAndrea. They're an American company dedicated to adding olfactory dimensions to the retail experience, and their site makes for interesting reading (if you can sift through all the exclamation marks).

Their latest gadget is the 'scent mouse' which can recreate odours to enhance your online shopping experience this Christmas. Smells on offer include Gingerbread, Cheddar Cheese, Siberian Fir Forest and, er, Oily Machinery.

Mmm... Smells Like Magazines

I'm not a huge fan of BBC Magazines - just because the Radio Times sells more copies than the Bible doesn't mean it's any good - but I must admit I was impressed by Deputy MD Nicholas Brett's upbeat assessment of his particular media. He's not selling the family paper farm to jump aboard the nebulous bandwagons of UGC, Citizen Journalism and the Blogosphere just yet.

Because the magazine industry actually has some pretty good things going for it: mags are driven by consumers rather than 'the news'; they can make money from cover charges as well as ads; and people actually want something 'real' and collectible to hold in their hands. This final point was clearly close to Mr Brett's heart, and he expounded at length on the science of making paper smell and feel nice. But he wouldn't be drawn on whether the BBC planned to package their magazines with 'novelty smells' such as freshly-baked bread or strawberries.

Oh, and I also like Nicholas Brett because he gave me a free subscription to Top Gear.

A Return to Victorian Values

Everything is cyclical, don't you think? If there's one certainty other than death and taxes it's that crap long-dead trends will at some point inevitably be dredged up by a eager doe-eyed audience too young to remember how rubbish they were in the first place.

Examples. Flares. The Clangers. George Bush. Furry boots. Asymmetric haircuts. Socialist Worker's Party. Dungeons & Dragons.

But why not take the longer term view? Why not eschew the last few centuries of progress altogether and return to the days when Britannia ruled the waves; the era of Upstanding, Courageous and Morally Sound Gentlemen with Prodigous Facial Hair?

You could start by visiting The Diary of Samuel Pepys. Since 2003, this blog has been putting up a diary entry from Pepys' famous journals every day. How postmodern is that?

Hemingway Chimes In

The debate over the democratization of the media is nothing new. In fact, this kind of controversy has dogged writers since the days of quills and inkwells. Ernest Hemingway, were he alive today, might ask the blogging masses to consider his 'iceberg principle':

"If a writer of prose knows enough about what he is writing about he may omit things that he knows and the reader, will have a feeling of those things as strongly as though the writer had stated them. The dignity of movement of the iceberg is due to only one-eighth of it being above water. The writer who omits things because he does not know them only makes hollow places in his writing."

On the other hand, many of our literary greats were incredibly prolific and varied in their writing. Consider the output of Victorian heavyweights such as Charles Dickens and, er, Sir Richard Burton.

My two cents? I think my heart would love to fall for Iain Dale to be right, but my head can't help but side with Burton. The most interesting Blogs are the ones written from the inside: Salam Pax in Baghdad; The Captain Ed Blog, which broke a media gag order to show Canadians just how corrupt their (now defeated) government were; and our very own Guido Fawkes.

After all, if information is currency, then third-hand-information is the New Zealand Dollar.

* Blogging: The Debate Polarizes

Two contrasting approaches to the dissemination of information could be found in the approaches of our last two Online Journalism guest lecturers.

In the Red Corner we have Iain Dale, blogger extraordinaire and Online Broadcasting pioneer, whose approach can be encapsulated in the phrase "I don't think, therefore I blog". He posts updates to his blog several times a day, which apparently takes him less than an hour to write. His approach is immediate, reactionary, interactive.

In the Blue Corner is Richard Burton, erstwhile editor of the Online Telegraph. He too believes in the power of Blogging and user-generated content. The Telegraph was a pioneer in web journalism, as well as one of the first news sites to turn a profit. But he thinks that people should refrain from comment on matters they know nothing about, emphasised the importance of subject matter expertise, and - if I may read between the lines of his argument a little - seemed to view much of the Blogosphere as a morass of impotent opinions being ejaculated into cyberspace.

Perhaps that was reading between the lines a bit too much. But his comments resonate with Will Self's view that in a world where writers outnumber readers, not everyone can or should be allowed a platform. Burton gave the example of his Paris correspondent as an example of what a Blog should be: well-written articles about lives less ordinary.

And on the other hand...

...we have Politician-Blogger and Online Broadcaster Iain Dale. He views blogs as being vital tools for re-engaging the populace and holding politicians to account. But are comments on blogs really the ultimate expression of democratic openness, or is it a further exacerbation of those narcissistic tendencies? I must say that I rarely read an intelligent, reasoned and well-formed debate on a blog's comments page; it's often more reminiscent of the House of Commons waving their papers, booing and huzzahing and failing to reach any conclusion of note.

His new project 18 Doughty Street looks interesting though. This type of long-tail broadcasting - uncensored, unashamedly partial debate - is truly innovative. In fact, it makes Webcameron look like an ill-conceived, patronising piece of theatricality. Er, hang on...

Meadows, my Self and I

In the spirit of the Blogosphere, this post is entirely composed of things stolen from other sources.

I was going to write an intelligent, reasoned critique of Daniel Meadows' lecture on digital storytelling, but then I read Martin's post which said everything I was thinking in a more structured and eloquent way. If I tried to write up my own thoughts, Martin's words would end up coming from my keyboard. So instead, I will direct you to it.

On another note, the 'are blogs rubbish' debate: author and raconteur Will Self interviewed by our very own Alex Phillips. For Self, blogs are an "exacerbation of narcisstic tendencies within our culture" and responsible for the weakening of societal bonds. Have a listen.

* Don't libel the North Koreans

A few days ago I heard Gill Phillips, Head of Litigation at the Times, speak about her experiences steering the paper through the shark-infested waters of libel law. I found two things particularly frightening: firstly, the contempt with which journalists seem to be held by the legal system (I'm talking literally as well as figuratively); and secondly, the implications for online publishing.

Basically, if you make a newspaper available in any state, you are subject to the laws of that state. So in a single online article I could unwittingly libel Liberia, slander Slovakia and defame the DPRK. I am also be legally responsible for any comments my users make, so if some 16-year-old scamp posts "kim-jong il izza poo poo hed !!!!!1 ;-)" at the bottom of my article I could find myself kidnapped in the dead of night, flown to Pyongyang with a bag over my head and forced to explain my actions.

Sounds far-fetched? Maybe not. The Times is currently being sued in France and Japan; Tom Cruise threatened to sue South Park in England in order to get around America's pesky First Amendment laws; what's to stop Iran, Zimbabwe and Myanmar getting in on the action? If progressive states such as Malaysia have no problem jailing journalists, why shouldn't more conservative countries protect their cyberspace from the poisonous Judeo-Christian media?

In short: we are all soooo sued. But every cloud has a silver lining; if I am declared bankrupt I won't have to pay back my student loan.

The future according to Auntie

Local TV, user-generated content and integration across platforms; that's where BBC News is going. So says Amanda Powell, Online Editor at BBC Wales. It's refreshing to see the Corporation embracing new technologies rather than shying away from them. Still, with Wales Today's audience hurtling towards OAPdom (half of the audience are over 50), the chance to appeal to the 18-35 demographic must seem too good to miss.

Blog of the week

Sinister forces have compelled me to direct you to my favourite Blog of the week. It is the nerd-tastic Keeper of Lists website. Recent lists include the Top 35 Things Not To Say On An Airplane, Top 35 Annoying Things To Do In Your Next Business Meeting, and my personal favourite, Top 218 Star Wars Lines Improved By Replacing A Word With "Pants". Which I partially reproduce here for your pleasure.

1) I find your lack of pants disturbing.
2) You are unwise to lower your pants.
3) The Force is strong in my pants.
4) Chewie and me got into a lot of pants more heavily guarded than this.
5) Your pants, you will not need them.
6) I cannot teach him. The boy has no pants.
7) You came in those pants? You're braver than I thought.
8) Governer Tarkin. I should have expected to find you holding Vader's pants.
9) In his pants you will find a new definition of pain and suffering
10) I sense the conflict within you. Let go of your pants!

So what do you really think?

I was chatting to the former Political Editor of the Evening Standard last Friday.

Actually that's not true; I was merely seated in a lecture theatre he was talking at. However, by controlling the flow of information I was able to exaggerate my importance and pull the wool over your eyes.

I committed spin.

Charles Reiss knows a thing or two about spin. He argues that it has created a culture of mistrust, double-dealing and downright untruthfulness which has undermined the public's trust in their political system and their news media. He brought along some impressive stats showing the number of people who regard newspapers as "a fair and unbiased source of news" is... 6%. The percentage of people who trust politicians to tell the truth just 19%, but journalists score a woeful 13%.

Why is this? Because journalists have to walk the razor's edge between exclusive and accurate, informative and entertaining. Because bulldog interviewers tear apart politicians unless they spout the party line. Because we hold our public figures to such impossibly high standards of behaviour that changing your mind or insulting Jamie Oliver is an unforgivable sin.

So what does Mr Reiss propose to do about this? Simply to tell the truth. Truth breeds trust. If the media and politics was honest and transparent, then trust in these institutions would be restored.

Yeah, and when hell freezes over it'll solve the global warming crisis.

What if... Blogging isn't the future of communication?

"Re-engage the audience... citizen journalism... instigate a dialogue..." the rats are deserting the good ship HMS Newspaper, leaving a trail of platitudes in their wake. But have people abandoned newspapers because they want to be a part of a Brave New Blogging World where news is unsubstantiated, poorly written and footnoted by pages of pointless arguments? Or is it because they just don't want to read newspapers any more? In short, are Blogs just the latest buzzword siezed upon by media execs trying to mitigate plummeting circulation?

We are told that the Blogosphere is expanding at the rate of 23,000 blogs a day. Well OK, but how many of those actually survive past day three when you've expounded all your theories on Bush's foreign policy and you have to start Blogging about what you had for tea? We are told that Blogging is a vital tool for engaging the public: after all, even Conservative Leader David Cameron Blogs. Yeah, but if he jumped off a cliff while clutching a family of deprived African children, would you do it too? In fact, since when has emulating any of the behaviour of a Tory Leader been a good idea?

So what if the Blogging Revolution turned out to be a false dawn, fuelled by a hardcore group of attention-seeking enthusiasts posting commenting all over each others' Blogs but generally ignored by right-thinking society? I mean, do you know anyone who actually Blogs regularly? I do, but I'm on a top Broadcast Training course full of news junkies. It might just be that the rest of the Blogosphere is written by angst-ridden young Goths and computer nerds.

So, you might ask: if I'm so cynical about Blogs why have I just signed up for one? Why don't I just sod off back to my humdrum offline existence and leave you Level 3 Warlocks to it? It's because I don't neccesarily believe all the opinions I express. In the hyperbolic world of online journalism, neither should you.

How to begin

How to begin? Squirrels. Media and squirrels.

A man once phoned the BBC's nature unit claiming to have discovered a new species of squirrel in his local park. He claimed to have been feeding these "thin-tailed squirrels", as he called them, for weeks.

The BBC sent a film crew who the man took to the park, where they saw that these squirrels were not in fact 'new', but... rats.

Ew.

Which got me thinking. What, in fact, is the fundamental difference between a squirrel and a rat? Or a chipmunk for that matter? Cuteness? The black-eyed, razor-clawed uber-squirrels who prowl our parklands could hardly be described as cute. Essentially, squirrels are just rats with better PR.

And don't even get me started on Doves vs Pigeons.