Educasting from Ireland

JMCC on page fillers

FROM THE IRISHBLOGS GROUP comes a yet-another withering statement from John McCormac about the relevance of today's newspaper commentators. McCormac points at it plainly: "The talking heads that fill the space between adverts in newspapers are now more irrelevant than ever before that irritates newspaper publishers. The publishers might have to fire these bozos and get real, expensive copy to replace them". In one quick quip, jmcc reduces the waffling masses to fish wrapping paper.

Sunday Tribune Blogosphere

TRIBUNE -- Joe Bloggs cites blogs from Scott Burgess, Eamonn Fitzgerald, Red Mum and United Irelander in this week's review of the blogosphere. Excerpts follow.

Why not citizen journalism

BRIAN GREENE -- Long-time Irish internet user BHG asks why the national networks want images from mobile phones after the London bombings. "Why are network TV news brands falling over each other to get our pics and vidz from the terror zone? ... What is it they want?" Greene points out "there are AP & Reuters vans in London and they will be beaming clean feed live within minutes of an incident. If the networks have broadcast quality pictures why go for wobble and smudgie low res?" He answers himself.

Sunday Tribune Blogosphere

TRIBUNE -- The Sunday Tribune's trawl of worthy items from Irishblogs includes looks at Bluire.com on London bombings, Chateau Pquarantecinq, Blog Snorkeller, and Damien Mulley on Archiseek.com content, and Slugger O'Toole on his blog having a lights-out day. Extracts follow.

Artisan Journalism

TIPPINST -- While revising the readings and activities for the Media Writing module in our multimedia degree programme, I reviewed some musings by Elizabeth Rodriguez concerning blogging as "artisan journalism". References to the Oxford English Dictionary suggest it's actually a well-grounded concept.

Sunday Tribune and London Blogging

TRIBUNE -- The Sunday Tribune's weekly column on blogging gives exclusive coverage to role played by blogs in the bombing of London last Thursday. Columnist Joe Bloggs cites Flickr, Peter Nolan, Confederacy of a Dunce, Slugger O'Toole and The Guardian. No mention is given to the BBC's outstanding television coverage, to Memorandum's superb amalgamated news stories or to the Wikipedia reference of the 7 July 2005 London bombings. All of those sources consistently served updates while other news points withered under the load of millions seeking information online.

Extracts follow from the Tribune today. Rescue photo by Kai Pffafenbach/Reuters.

Sunday Tribune's Blogosphere

TRIBUNE -- Two points get follow-on coverage in the Sunday Tribune's weekly review of blogs. "Make Poverty History" earns most of the column inches and various blogs commenting on Shell Oil's Corrib gas fields gets examined as well.

Sunday Tribune on blogging

TRIBUNE -- This week's round-up of the blogosphere and Irishblogs takes in Flickr, Caoimhe Burke, Jason Kottke, Gerry O'Sullivan, Symbollix and Chicks Dig Unix.

An extract follows.

Learning from the Beeb

ECONOMIST -- If Irish newspapers want to write their online ventures into profitability, they could take a lesson from the BBC and mediate it with techniques that guarantee them a loyal audience of repeat visitors.

The Economist explains how BBC Online makes the news compelling.

Sunday Tribune Reads Blogs

TRIBUNE -- The SundayTribune reviews the week gone by through the "Blogosphere" and draws interesting summaries from Bloomsday, Michael Jackson, Questions and Answers and Irish Corruption. Excerpts follow.