Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Press Releases

Community Media Labs Top 1,000 Bloggers

JRC’s outreach to expand local voices is poised to triple by year’s end

By Deb Shaw, For the SNA Foundation


Open Newsroom
When Jon Cooper and Matt DeRienzo took center stage at a recent SNA Foundation-sponsored webinar to talk about the new open newsroom environment at The Register Citizen in Torrington, Conn., attendees got a bonus of hearing much more about a variety of initiatives having to do with engaging audience. Cooper, V.P. of Content for Journal Register Company, and DeRienzo, Publisher in Torrington, freely shared many elements of the evolving culture shift within their newsrooms and their communities at large including details of how they now routinely invite the general public to participate in ways unimaginable just a few short years ago.

My, oh my, how times of changed. The authoritarian voice of the newsroom deigning what content would be shared with readers has given way to a purposeful and productive two-way dialogue. Editors now sincerely want to hear from readers – the Sally Fields refrain ‘you like me’ comes to mind – not just to rejoice that people are still reading but also to help mold and shape the news that’s important to them; and to build out community far beyond the confines of the printed newspaper and breaking news website.

One of the shining examples of this outreach is what JRC terms the Community Media Lab, actively up and running at twenty JRC properties currently with over 1,000 local contributors so far. By the end of this year, JRC plans growth to numerous other properties and to triple the ranks of local bloggers.

TRAINING RESOURCE
One of the training tools that SNA makes available to new contributors is a free, self-paced e-course entitled Contributing to a Local Publication.

Editors can direct amateur contributors to this e-course and they’ll learn things like how to:
  • Identify the basics of effective writing, editing, interviewing, and multimedia production
  • Describe the editorial process and ethical decisions that journalists make
  • Pinpoint the ingredients for success in reporting and writing
The companion course, Strategies for Managing Local Contributors, is intended for newsroom managers to help them develop and sustain a UGC program.

Sponsored by the SNA Foundation, thanks to a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, this e-course is professionally produced by the Poynter Institute’s NewsU division and is free to users.
What is a CML?
While the literal definition of a Community Media Lab means a physical space in a newsroom where community members can freely come to learn the basics of contributing and to use available equipment, Cooper says a fundamental aspect is more a state of mind. These labs espouse a philosophy of embracing the notion and practice of expanding audience via local bloggers and to put the local newspaper front and center as THE meeting spot for these local voices. The impact of this change is significant for both newsroom staff and amateur community writers and the Community Media Labs are very purposeful in signaling this major shift in culture.
As master plans go, this certainly sounds like a solid one but Cooper is quick to point out that the CML program is definitely a work in progress. What began in early 2010 as a means to simply add more voices to content has now morphed into also providing physical meeting space for folks to come in and work with editors and reporters, to get trained in the basics of blogging and to even learn about how to use freeware and other devices in their blogging quest. Involved newsrooms are taking over the role of teacher in some cases to guide the students, a.k.a. locals with a passion for a topic that they want to blog about.

Who Participates
For many newsroom professionals, this core mission involves a serious culture shift; the upside is that the callouts to members of the community signals a new openness that can only breed increased engagement and it’s working.

Take a look at active CML’s at the Delaware County Daily Times (PA) or Heritage Newspapers (MI) and you’ll find a host of local bloggers and how they’re presented on their websites. One of Delco’s more popular blogs is a Top Ten written by a local Mom with two kids, described on her blog as “not a perfect person but is female so it's as close as you can get.”

Phil Heron
Phil Heron, Delco Editor
Delco Times editor Phil Heron says that when he made his original callout for local bloggers about a year ago, he got a reply from Mary Ann Fiebert who pitched the idea of a list-style blog. “To be honest with you, I don’t even remember what (the original list) was about,” says Herron. “What I do remember is that I immediately seized on it as fulfilling something I always wanted – our very own version of a Letterman Top 10 List.”

Thus, a local star was born and The Delco Top 10 has appeared on the website ever Monday-Friday ever since and has proven increasingly popular. Remember a while back when a professor revealed a study that basically said the Zodiac signs were out of whack and another sign needed to be added and the whole calendar shifted? Mary Ann did a Top 10 Signs of the Zodiac list and by early afternoon it had drawn 17,000 hits.

Cooper says one key to their success of their CML’s so far is diversity. People with a penchant for any number of topics are encouraged to join the blogging ranks in these labs. (TIP: Use Google to search for already established local bloggers and reach out to them; leverage your existing resources by having your sports editor reach out to local sports aficionados, etc.) These writers set their own pace and are encouraged to write away with gusto. “The involvement ranges from parents who are interested in writing about schools to retired journos covering communities where we have cut staff,” says Cooper. “The so-called “mommy blog” is the model that has proven popular for many but, as with any blog, it’s about finding a writer/blogger who is passionate about their topic and is professional about their presentation of information.”

Rules for the partnerships
Acknowledging the fluidity of the CML program, Cooper reminds that things may and will change over time but for now there are a few basic principles that guide participation.

First off, while editors are not the blog gatekeepers, they do engage in developing the relationship with local bloggers and set a few ground rules at the outset.

  1. Stated alignment of values: What is each party’s expectation? “We have political bloggers but have guidelines for them to work within … when they cross those lines we discuss. We haven’t come to the point where we’ve had to cut ties,” reports Cooper.
  2. Partnerships must benefit both parties: If JRC papers are going to link to a blogger and provide them access to their thousands of daily visitors they expect the blogger to link back to them. That link should be more than a blogroll listing. “Work with your blogger to create a widget (use http://www.widgetbox.com/ and your public RSS feeds if you don’t have a developer) that pulls your headlines onto their blog,” advises Cooper.
  3. Relationships take work: This isn’t a “set it and forget it” process. Cooper lays it out logically. “You have to maintain your relationships. The better you work together the more allies you have in the community. The more allies you have the more readers you have. The more readers, the more audience. The more audience, the more your sales team and publisher think you are the genius you are.”
He reminds that not all this will work out and that’s okay. Learn from the process and be willing to keep trying.

Jon Cooper
Jon Cooper, VP Content for Journal Register Company
A Callout from Cooper to Other Community Newspapers
“The level of openness and the tactics to accomplish openness will be determined by your organization and your community. Collaboration and community is key to all of this so share what works and share what doesn't work -- so someone else doesn't fall in the same hole or maybe they know a way out and can help you. We're making progress at Journal Register Company because our teams are trying and are willing to take that first leap. Feel free to email ideas and questions and tweet to folks in our organization with the hash tag #JRC and someone will offer you some feedback. Thanks for the time and best of luck. Please let us know what works (and what doesn't) and give a call or email or tweet." - Jon Cooper, VP Content for JRC, jcooper@journalregister.com, @jemersoncooper and 609-943-8439.


Comments (4)

# lpcyu
April 16, 2011 @ 10:30 AM
Irrefutable Proof ICTY Is Corrupt Court/Irrefutable Proof the Hague Court Cannot Legitimately Prosecute Karadzic Case
posted Oct 5, 2009 10:02 AM by Jill Starr [ updated Jan 22, 2011 2:37 AM ]
Delicious Digg Facebook Reddit Stumble Upon Technorati Mixx Sphinn Twitter SphereIt Propeller Gmarks Newsvine Yahoo! My Web Live Journal Blinklist E-mail
Photo 7631 of 7631 Back to Album • My Photos
• Previous
• Next
Click on people's faces in the photo to tag them.









Irrefutable Proof ICTY Is Corrupt Court/Irrefutable Proof the Hague Court Cannot
Legitimately Prosecute Karadzic Case

http://picasaweb.google.com/lpcyusa
https://picasaweb.google.com/lpcyusa/IrrefutableProofICTYIsCorruptCourtIrrefutabl#
(The Documentary Secret United Nations ICC Meeting Papers Scanned Images)















This legal technicality indicates the Hague must dismiss charges against Dr Karadzic and
others awaiting trials in the Hague jail; like it or not.

Unfortunately for the Signatures Of the Rome Statute United Nations member states
instituting the ICC & ICTY housed at the Hague, insofar as the, Radovan Karadzic, as
with the other Hague cases awaiting trial there, I personally witnessed these United
Nations member states having a substantial conversation and openly speaking about trading judicial appointments and verdicts for financial funding when I attended the 2001 ICC Preparatory Meetings at the UN in Manhattan making the iCTY and ICC morally incapable trying Radovan Karazdic and others.

I witnessed with my own eyes and ears when attending the 2001 Preparatory Meetings to
establish an newly emergent International Criminal Court, the exact caliber of criminal
corruption running so very deeply at the Hague, that it was a perfectly viable topic of
legitimate conversation in those meetings I attended to debate trading verdicts AND
judicial appointments, for monetary funding.

Jilly wrote:*The rep from Spain became distraught and when her country’s proposal was
not taken to well by the chair of the meeting , then Spain argued in a particularly loud
and noticably strongly vocal manner, “Spain (my country) strongly believes if we
contribute most financial support to the Hague’s highest court, that ought to give us and
other countries feeding it financially MORE direct power over its
decisions.”

((((((((((((((((((((((((( ((((((((((((((((((((((((( Instead of censoring the country representative
from Spain for even bringing up this unjust, illegal and unfair judicial idea of bribery for
international judicial verdicts and judicial appointments, all country representatives
present in the meeting that day all treated the Spain proposition as a ”totally legitimate
topic” discussed and debated it between each other for some time. I was quite shocked!
The idea was "let's discuss it." "It's a great topic to discuss."

Some countries agreed with Spain’s propositions while others did not. The point here is,
bribery for judicial verdicts and judicial appointments was treated as a totally legitimate
topic instead of an illegitimate toic which it is in the meeting that I
attended in 2001 that day to establish the ground work for a newly emergent
international criminal court.))))))))))))))))))))))))))))

In particular., since "Spain" was so overtly unafraid in bringing up this topic of trading
financial funding the ICC for influence over its future judicial appointments and verdicts
in front of every other UN member state present that day at the UN, "Spain" must have
already known by previous experience the topic of bribery was "socially acceptable" for
conversation that day. They must have previously spoke about bribing the ICTY and ICC
before in meetings; this is my take an international sociological honor student.

SPAIN's diplomatic gesture of international justice insofar as, Serbia, in all of this is,
disgusting morally!

SPAIN HAS TAUGHT THE WORLD THE TRUE DEFINITION OF AN
"INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT."

I remind everyone, when I attended those ICC Preparatory Meetings in 2001, witnessing
first hand the country plenipotentiary representatives present with me discussing so
openly, trading judicial funding of a new international criminal court, for its direct
judicial appointments and judicial verdicts, those same state powers were

concurrently,

those same countries and people were already simultaneously, funding the already
established ICTY which was issuing at that time, arrest warrants for Bosnian Serbs
under false primary diplomatic pretenses.

The ICTY and ICC is just where it should be for once.
Cornered and backed into and an international wall, scared like a corned animal (and I
bet it reacts in the same way a rabid cornered animal does too in such circumstances).
(ICTY associates)

http://picasaweb.google.com/lpcyusa/ViewMyHagueInternationalCriminalCourtPreparat
oryDocumentsFromThe2001UnitedNations#
(Evidence Against the ICTY)

http://picasaweb.google.com/lpcyusa/DuringTheTrialOfRamushHaradinajIn2006TheHag
ueWarCrimesTribunalForTheFormerYugoslavi#
(Documents: Hague war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) has destroyed
all material evidence about the monstrous KLA Albanian/KLA organ trade in Kosovo)

I represented the state interests' of the Former Yugoslavia, in Darko Trifunovic’s
absence in those meetings and I am proud to undertake this effort on Serbia’s behalf.

==================================================================================
As totally immersed and interesting as I found the topics, the African ambassador seated found boring. I say this owing to noticing during the entire meeting he was merely doodling nonsensical pictures on some legal pad. I think that no one took more notes that day than me. I was especially interested in the interstate bickering about financing the international criminal court should and when it came about. Spain was particularly forceful in vocalizing its opinion that the countries giving the most monetary contributions to the court itself ought have more power over both its staffing and its innocent and guilty verdicts as well as judges appointed. My suspicions’ equally shared by scholars such as Noam Chomsky and former attorney general, Ramsey Clark were now fully justifiably confirmed. The court itself was a great travesty of justice and I was actually witnessing quarrels between countries insofar as controlling the courts judges and verdicts based on financial contributions rather than on law and true international justice.







Jill Starr Create your badge







Attachments (15)
• icc1.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:27 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
126k View Download
• icc2.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:27 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
169k View Download
• icc3.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:28 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
133k View Download
• icc4.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:28 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
159k View Download
• icc5.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:28 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
172k View Download
• icc6.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:28 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
168k View Download
• icc7.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:28 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
172k View Download
• icc88.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:28 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
157k View Download
• icc9.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:29 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
158k View Download
• iccanada1.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:29 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
110k View Download
• iccanada2.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:29 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
149k View Download
• iccanada3.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:29 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
179k View Download
• icclast1.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:29 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
75k View Download
• iccolumbia1.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:29 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
167k View Download
• iccolumbia2.jpg - on Oct 31, 2009 7:30 PM by Jill Starr (version 1) Remove
198k View Download
Attach a file:
Comments (2)
Jill Starr - Dec 19, 2009 10:06 AM - Remove
Several seasons went by and now it was spring 2001. Darko and his wife Bojana had time off which they spent visiting friends and family in Serbia for about two weeks. Because of this Darko was unable to function in full diplomatic capacity. In spring 2001 there was a preparatory commission meeting of plenipotentiaries to establish an international criminal court at the United Nations in New York City. Topics of the meeting included but were not limited to defining interstate acts of aggression, court financing etc.. Darko asked me if I would sit in for him at the meeting taking as many notes possible owing to the Law Projects Center possessing United Nations accreditation as a NGO (non governmental organization) with full observer status at the United Nations; I acceded.

Darko faxed me all necessary paperwork enabling my application attendance at this crucial meeting; I filled out the necessary forms and faxed them to the appropriate United Nations office for approval. It was an extremely exciting time for me. My close friend and colleague, Arnold Stark (History professor and Columbian University PhD) drove me into Manhattan walking me through the United Nations main entrance and security the day of attendance. Professor Stark himself was an old foreign service man from way back in the day and he told me I never looked as professionally sharp as I did on that day; I wore a navy blue pin striped suit. I must admit, I looked good.

Only post attending that day did I truly understand the total lapse of security existing then at the United Nations in New York City. I say this owing to the social fact that the Law Projects Center was indeed registered as an United nations accredited NGO it is true. However, closed meetings of this sort meant attendance was strictly limited to head ambassadors of valid United Nations member state missions and non governmental organizations possessing observer status were not allowed.

Unto present, I’ve yet understood whereby I gained entrance into this privy closed meeting consisting of only United Nations ambassadors, but I did. Walking to the basement floor of the United Nations building that day, I merely wore a visitors badge given to me at the front desk in no manner indicating that I was an ambassador of a United Nations mission; least of all the Bosnia mission as required for entrance. Totally unaware I didn’t possess necessary credentials to enter the meeting, I walked confidently towards the entrance door and past the guard stationed outside it. The guard never bothering to examine the type of badge I wore around my neck simply said “good day Madame” and urged me into the meeting; it was just about time to begin.

I immediately sensed something wrong once through the door past the guard. First, I was uncertain where to sit. Everyone else had a sign in front of their seat stating their country of origin. The Israeli ambassador sat in front of the Israel sign, the Spanish lady sat in front of the seat indicating she represented, Spain etc..

I looked fervently around the room seeing no seats indicating seats for United Nations observers anywhere. The last thing I wanted to do was to embarrass myself by taking the seat of an important ambassador; I noticed a couple of men seeming from some African state grabbing some meeting paperwork nearby so I inquired of them.
I told them I was a newbie and inquired where to sit and what I should do. With heavy African accents one of them said, “just grab a bunch of these papers, sit there and look like you are busy,” so I did. In fact, I grabbed as many extra copies as I could without looking conspicuous when noticing another peculiarity.

The meeting papers indicated they were for restricted for the eyes of state mission heads’ only (chief ambassadors of countries) and allowing other persons and/or United Nations employees to view them was a punishable offense. Uncertain what to do, and with the meeting beginning, I merely sat there stunned. My seat and the one the African gentleman next to me took seemed extras because they neglected having any indication regarding country origin in front of them on the table; I felt safe.

As totally immersed and interesting as I found the topics, the African ambassador seated found boring. I say this owing to noticing during the entire meeting he was merely doodling nonsensical pictures on some legal pad. I think that no one took more notes that day than me. I was especially interested in the interstate bickering about financing the international criminal court should and when it came about. Spain was particularly forceful in vocalizing its opinion that the countries giving the most monetary contributions to the court itself ought have more power over both its staffing and its innocent and guilty verdicts as well as judges appointed. My suspicions’ equally shared by scholars such as Noam Chomsky and former attorney general, Ramsey Clark were now fully justifiably confirmed. The court itself was a great travesty of justice and I was actually witnessing quarrels between countries insofar as controlling the courts judges and verdicts based on financial contributions rather than on law and true international justice.

The most shocking point of the meeting for me was when the Israeli ambassador admitted openly to the other attendees that Israel was indifferent to war crimes, crimes against humanity and would in no manner support any international structure limiting its’ ability for practicing war and peace against any other state and/or party it considered a threat to its national interest.

The ambassador representing the United States that day strongly and equally explicitly backed the Israeli position making clear American attendance was more for information gathering purposes and show than true concern for international law, world peace and social justice. When the meeting ended I slipped quickly out the front entrance of the United Nations; notes and papers in hand; I would read them in detail later that evening. When I attended these Preparatory Meetings at the end, the First Ambassador to the Bosnian Mission in NYC (The Serbian Doctor with glasses) came in but only stayed a short while as my witness to my being there.


It must have amazed Darko upon returning from Serbia I actually gained entrance to the ICC preparatory closed meeting because within a week he invited me to the city to attend another important meeting at the United Nations comprised of diplomats from some very selective and prestigious NATO member states. I don’t recall the date but by his return fully I understood the definition of a closed meeting. Upon approaching the meeting door I became at once cognizant the meeting stated “closed meeting,” on the door. I did my best to point this fact out to Darko who told me to go in with him anyway; we did. Darko obviously thought because I gained entrance to the ICC meeting I ought not have in his absence, perhaps if I were with him, he covertly could gain access this closed NATO meeting; no dice. Upon entering the room, immediately some important looking man called him over and diplomatically informed him that “Serbia was not invited.” Darko pointed to me explaining that he was with the American lady but he was asked politely to leave; I followed him out the door embarrassed.

The following year was mundane. Filled with activities like shuttling back and forth to FDU for graduate school, fund raising for the Law Projects Center and co-authoring two book with Darko. The fateful day of 9/11 and the attacks by Al-Qaeda on the World Trade Center Towers in New York City changed my venue forever.
Post 9/11 Darko became a man on a personal mission seemingly unrelated to the Bosnian mission itself.

He told me it was the utmost importance to publicize the alleged fact that the head ambassador of the Bosnian mission was in his estimation involved with Al-Qaeda.

Darko had a seemingly ton of secret documentary evidence emanating from the ministry of internal affairs in Belgrade and Bosnia seeming true bolstering his allegations in my eyes then.

Asking me to fervently work on editing a book on which topic was meant for exposing the head ambassador of the Bosnian mission at that time; I acceded. The publication was later published by the Repubika Srpska information agency in Bosnia. The Serbian government in the Republika Srpska in Bosnia then was seriously pressing Darko for a fast publication so we stayed up many nights over his apartment in Forest Hills, New York working to do so. The book was entitled, ”The Bosnia Model of Al-Qaeda Terrorism. It can probably still be found and read online. Last time I checked it was posted on the website: http://www.analyst-network.com/profile.php?user_id=240.

Darko always told me I possessed full rights to this and other publications we worked on together. Although I edited and co-authoring the Al-Qaeda work, a few years back I noticed Darko removed my name on the inner front cover page as editor replacing it with the name of a Serbian editor. When questioned about it Darko told me he kept my name from being published because of the death threats and dangers to my life that he himself encountered because of its publication. I do vividly remember Darko receiving a great many death threats and threats towards his wife at the time, Bojana.
Jill Starr - Oct 17, 2010 7:03 PM - Remove
On an end note, also attending the ICC meeting that day along with me (although my memory is vague), was US Diplomat Richard Holbrook.



I DO vaguely remember his thick dark brown eye glasses and face filled up with potholes from pimples. As the Spain representative was discussing the proposition of bribery for financial funding of the ICC, Holbrook merely nodded his head (and he had a paper tablet and pen in his hand as well) ... HOLBROOK NEVER ONCE SAID EVEN ONE WORD TO SPAIN CENSORING THEM FOR BRINGING UP THE TOPIC OF JUDICIAL BRIBERY WHICH WAS ILLEGAL BY ALL LEGAL STANDARDS!

JIll Starr

LPC NYC USA


Add comment

# lpcyu
April 16, 2011 @ 10:30 AM
What It’s Like to Chill Out With Whom the Rest of the World Considers As The Most Ruthless Men: Ratko Mladic, Goran Hadzic and Radovan Karadzic (+) Confessions of a Female War Crimes Investigator By Jill Louise Starr NJ USA

https://sites.google.com/site/jillstarrsite/what-it-s-like-to-chill-out-with-whom-the-rest-of-the-world-considers-as-the-most-ruthless-men-in-the-world-ratko-mladic-and-radovan-karadzic-confessions-of-a-female-war-crimes-investigator
http://tinyurl.com/4v8egw3

Retrospectively, it was all so simple, natural and matter of fact being on a boat restaurant in Belgrade, sitting with, laughing, drinking a two hundred bottle of wine and chatting about war and peace while Ratko Mladic held my hand. Mladic, a man considered the world’s most ruthless war criminal since Adolf Hitler, still at large and currently having a five million dollar bounty on his head for genocide by the international community. Yet there I was with my two best friends at the time, a former Serbian diplomat, his wife, and Ratko Mladic just chilling. There was no security, nothing you’d ordinarily expect in such circumstances. Referring to himself merely as, Sharko; this is the story of it all came about.
International Relations Consultant & War Crimes Investigator
- War
- Peace
- Preventive Diplomatic Strategies
- International Law
- Charitable Causes
- International Business
- International Political Economy
- Human Rights - Politics
- War Crimes Investigations
- Anti-Terrorism
- Law Projects Center Funded Projects (YCICC) Internationally https://sites.google.com/site/jillstarrsite


Post Comment

Only registered users may post comments.
Recent
Categories
Archives

     Phone: (888) 486-2466

Privacy Statement  |  Terms Of Use
Copyright 2013 Local Media Association