Where USF faculty, students and graduates are invited to talk about journalism and its problems and opportunities. This blog is not affiliated with the University of San Francisco, nor is the university responsible for any of the opinions expressed herein -- though it is certainly responsible for the people who entertain those opinions, having educated them. They make us proud.

Tuesday, January 22, 2008

Jamie Starling = Mary Tyler Moore




Hello All,

Some of you already know, but if not, I have moved to Minneapolis! I am now the National Accounts Representative to Amazon for a book distributor. I live on the third floor of a mansion that is being remodeled, and until I buy a car, stand out in below-zero weather for the bus.

Attached is a photo taken by one of my coworkers on Saturday. That's his car dashboard. Obviously I stayed indoors for the entire weekend!

The Syllabus for David Silver's Digital Journalism Course

Here's the link. I'm planning to read along during the semester, since David has provided links to his readings, and his overview appears to be excellent.

Might be fun to "talk" about some of the readings here. We'll see if anyone takes the lead, and -- lead taken -- if anyone follows up.

Saturday, January 19, 2008

Going Face to Facebook with James Tedford, Former Foghorn Editor

Going face-to-Facebook.

From Gawker, of All Places: Before My Time, Of Course

Old school odes

To The Golden Age Of The Press

Finaloldschool Things we miss about old-timey journalism: bourbon in every desk drawer, the sound of 400 Underwoods clacking away at the same time, teletype rolls cascading out into the hallway and the undivided attention of the American public. Things we don't miss? Alcoholic colleagues (Balk aside), carbon copy paper, the glass ceiling and mini-fridge-sized tape recorders. Would we go back to the golden age of newspapers, the days of afternoon editions, hearty circulation, fat expense accounts and the magic of the rewrite desk? Oh, probably, but we'd like to take our iPhones, if that's cool. With that, we announce the beginning of Old School Odes, in which we remember The Press The Way It Was.

For instance! Once upon a time in a faraway dead place called Life magazine in the 1940s, edit meetings were, well, much the way they are now. Dull meandering affairs where not a damn thing got done. One day, a young journalist named Scott Levitt, trapped in such a time-sucking summit, spoke up from the end of the table. "I have a report to make," he said. Then he pulled out a pistol and shot it into the ceiling. Corny, but effective, and of course, this being The Way It Was, everyone laughed.

At the risk of reinforcing the average j-schooler's distorted image of his future, we're inviting your own Old School Odes, which we'll post each Friday, because that is the day when we find ourselves wishing we were working next to Cary Grant instead of our server room, plucky though it is. We await your nostalgia.

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Franki Fitterer ('99) Writes

Blog is great. I'm still working in the Marketing and Communications dept at California Western School of Law. It's fun, but at times I feel like I'm doing 20 things at once since our staff is small. I like the media relations the best and I work with our Innocence Project to get press on their cases. I'm editor of our alumni magazine too. Still loving San Diego..."