[act-ma] Filling the News Gap in Cambridge and Beyond: Citizen Journalism and the Grassroots Media 5/4 at Cambridge Public Library

[Amar Ashar]

Registration + More information:
http://citizenjournalismforum.eventbrite.com/

Filling the News Gap in Cambridge and Beyond: Citizen Journalism and the
Grassroots Media 5/4 at Cambridge Public Library

This half-day forum will explore the quickly expanding world of citizen
journalism: how technology is fueling its growth, and how that growth is
changing the way we see our world, enact change, and disseminate the news.
People in communities around the world are taking the initiative to share
stories that are left untold by the mainstream media.

The Citizen Journalism Forum will include seminars on:

    How Cambridge residents are filling the void in local news in our city;
    The legal considerations facing citizen journalists; and
    The tools and technologies being used by citizen journalists in
Cambridge and beyond.

Exhibitors will be on hand with the latest tools and technologies available
for community reporters, and attendees will learn how to tap into local
news outlets as well as how to get started reporting on local news.

This forum is a must for both consumers and creators of local news content;
journalists and media professionals; independent and collaborative website
owners; legal professionals; and everyone who values local information,
civic participation, and social justice.

Schedule & Seminar Details:

9 am - 9:45 am:  Coffee, Refreshments, & Registration, Lower Level Lobby

9:45 am- 1:30 pm: Seminars, Lower Level Lecture Hall

9:45 am- 10:45 am: Oases in the News Desert
Cambridge, which has no daily newspaper nor local commercial radio and
television, is a news desert. But even a desert has oases. Meet the
journalists who support the islands of information that the information
thirsty turn to for sustenance. We'll talk about what it's like to cover
Cambridge, the challenges and the rewards, and what happens to a city
without a critical mass of press coverage.

Panelists To Date:
Robert Winters, Cambridge Civic Journal
Marc Levy, CambridgeDay
Joanna Kao, The Tech

Moderator:
Saul Tannenbaum, NeighborMedia, Cambridge Happenings

11 am -12 pm:  Newsgathering and the Law:  Hot Topics for Citizen
Journalists in Massachusetts
Regardless of whether you are reporting on a City Council meeting or a
national crisis, your ability as a journalist to report the news depends on
your ability to gather information.  State and federal laws provide tools
and protections on which reporters can rely in collecting the facts on
which their reporting is based -- enhancing access to government records,
shielding from disclosure certain communications between journalists and
their sources, and ensuring that journalists can record the acts of public
officials in public places.  But, these tools and protections are subject
to limitations that can frustrate newsgatherers and impede their ability to
practice their craft. This session will explore some of the important
protections available to citizen journalists and others in the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts and the hurdles that reporters face as they engage in
newsgathering activities.

Panelists To Date:
Jeffrey P. Hermes
Director, Digital Media Law Project
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Harvard University

Andy Sellars
Staff Attorney, Digital Media Law Project
Corydon B. Dunham First Amendment Fellow
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Harvard University

Joe Bergantino
Director, New England Center for Investigative Reporting
Clinical Professor, Journalism
Boston University

Moderator:
Christopher T. Bavitz
Assistant Director, Cyberlaw Clinic
Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Clinical Instructor & Lecturer on Law, Harvard Law School

12:30- 1:30 pm:  The Most Experimental Storytellers: Citizen Journalists

This discussion features three citizen reporters from the West Coast,
Midwest and East Coast. CB Smith-Dahl of Oakland Local and David Schalliol
from Gapers Block will share how citizen journalism got their attention,
and how they decide which free tools are most effective for storytelling--
from demolished landmarks to young black gay men with HIV/AIDS.

Panelists To Date:
David Schalliol, Gapers Block
CB Smith-Dahl, Oakland Local

Moderator:
Denise Cheng, MIT Center for Civic Media

Forum Dedicated to the Memory of Karen Klinger

NeighborMedia correspondent and community activist Karen Klinger died in
December after a six-month battle with cancer. Karen was in the original
group of NeighborMedia journalists chosen in 2007. She focused on her
neighborhood, Porter Square- particularly on issues related to development,
safety and cleanliness. The community looked to her to cover vital issues
in Cambridge. Karen was one of very few professional journalists in
NeighborMedia, and brought a fierce commitment to the journalistic
principles that guided her career. Her efforts to ensure journalistic
integrity have had a profound impact on the structure of the NeighborMedia
program.
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