Newseum opens its doors

The national museum of journalism, the Newseum, opens its doors today in Washington DC -- and I'm extremely excited.

The Newseum, "where the news comes to life," is the most interactive museum in the world according to its Web site. Visitors can star in their own TV newscast in addition to learning about the impact new technology is having on the business, and the challenges journalists faced covering 9/11. There is also a Great Hall of News with live breaking news from around the world.It only makes sense for the landmark, pictured above, to be in a city with such a rich journalism history where journalism royalty like Woodward and Bernstein reined. The building is located on Pennsylvania Avenue and has a balcony that allows visitors to get a panoramic view of DC. From the picture, I see that the first amendment is printed on the outside of the building -- pretty awesome.

According to this New York Times review, the museum can be seen from the capital building.

It's all pretty symbolic if you think about it -- journalism is constantly overlooking the capital.

It probably is just me and my nerdy love for journalism -- and Washington DC -- but I think this is one of the coolest museums ever created.

The museum is free today. Here is ticket information for all other visits.

'Target'ing the future

The New York Times posed the following question to its readers today:

Do you think bloggers should expect to be treated the same as traditional media outlets?

The question was inspired by the article, Target Tells a Blogger to Go Away.

According to the story, a post on the blog ShapingYouth.org, a blog about the effects of marketing on children, criticized this recent Target advertisement:

The blogger disapproved of the bull's-eye being in between the woman's legs. According to the Times article, when the blogger contacted Target with her opinon, the public relations person responded with:

Unfortunately we are unable to respond to your inquiry because Target does not participate with nontraditional media outlets.

This is Target's current PR practice, however the store did tell the Times they sometimes make an exception to the rule and are in the process of reviewing the policy.

So what does the public think? Should bloggers be treated the same as traditional media?

In journalism class, we often debate this very question, and in my experience most of my peers are quite accepting of blogs. The argument in favor of bloggers is often made.

However, it seems many readers disagree.

Here are some thoughts from Times readers:

You're kidding, right? Just because someone has internet access doesn't make them a journalist.

And another:

Bloggers should not be held in the same category as traditional news outlets. A blogger does not have the resources of a journalist. The editing process of a blogger is far less sophistocated than that of a journalist, and the blogger presumably lacks training in communications law and reporting. A traditional media journalist benefits from these resources and deserves more respect than a blogger.

Some people believed blogs could only be considered equal to the traditional media if they followed their rules:

No, unless they are credentialed (i.e. NY Times reporter with a blog). Anyone can blog; not everyone is interested in honesty, integrity, accuracy, and the responsibilities persuant to reaching a mass audience. Those characteristics can even be in short supply amongst the mainstream media. Bloggers are people with electronic megaphones, no more, no less.

And:

Only if they identify themselves with their real name, location and if they abide by the written and unwritten rules journalism.

As we often discover in journalism class, there's no correct answer to this question.

But citizen-journalism is growing and changing media, regardless if the general population is ready or not.

L.A. Times shakeup

The Los Angeles Times has fired its top editor, James O'Shea, because he refused to make newsroom budget cuts.

According to this New York Times article on the topic, this is the fourth time in three years that a top editor or publisher has been dismissed for ignoring budget cut requests.

Here is the L.A. Times coverage of the story.

Did O'Shea and the others make the correct financial decision by ignoring budget cuts? I don't know.

What I do know is that I respect these four men for standing up for the paper. They did not approve of the cuts and the way the Tribune Company ran the paper -- and they made it known.
If these are the kind of people running our country's newsrooms then perhaps newspapers are better off than we think.

Or perhaps they are in greater danger than ever.