Lobby Day and the Globe

On Wednesday, Apr. 16, about 80 UMass members of the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts -- or PHENOM -- and I took a bus down to the Statehouse. They were lobbying for Gov. Patrick's $ 2 billion capital bond bill that would pump money into the operating budgets of the 29 public institutions of higher learning in Massachusetts and $17 million into a fading MASSGrant program, the state's fundamental financial aid system.
And I went for the ride to cover for the Boston Globe, the Massachusetts Daily Collegian and the Daily Hampshire Gazette. Click each paper to read each article, and be sure to check out the video package I put together.
More multimedia stuff like this coming soon.

We want a rally, a rally we want

For those interested in public education funding, stay tuned for a multimedia wrap of this coming Wednesday's "Lobby Day" that will feature hundreds of Mass. students rallying for a greater piece of the state's budget. Expect pictures, some video and maybe a slideshow if I get back in time.

I'll be on the bus with some rowdy protesters headed for Boston at 9:30 Wednesday morning.

Gov. Patrick's plan includes a little revenue bump, but it was banking on his casino plan. He rolled snake eyes on that one, and the state legislature shot it down.

This could mean more cuts to state higher ed. Tomorrow's Hampshire Gazette will feature Kristin Palpini's preview. I'll link to it tomorrow once it's published.

Extra!

So here's some news for those journalism types who think it's dignified to stick to the older model of journalism, its "dead tree" editions, etc.
According to Josh Benton, a fellow at the Nieman Foundation and a reporter for the Dallas Morning News, those who bill themselves as media purist in the hopes of sounding studious and relating to editors have it wrong. According to him, editors are looking to the younger generation to lead the charge when it comes to innovative content, both on printed pages and especially on Web pages.
He's suggesting writers diversify their skill sets by writing for different forms of media but with the same old school integrity, truth and so on. Those looking for a safe position within established newspapers may find themselves in more jeopardy than they would wish. An entrepreneurial mindset is necessary when it comes to us media types too. Sure the old-school newsroom bulldog still has his place, but the litters are shrinking. That example might be the only of his kind left as staff across the country are shrinking. His advice in a nutshell: wake up and use the skills employers expect the youngest working generation to have already learned.

Hello from Harvard!

This weekend's Nieman foundation conference at Harvard University featured 12 college newspapers from throughout the Northeast region. Harvard, Yale, BC, BU, Cornell, Columbia and UMass Amherst were represented amongst others.
The conference featured a number of prominent journalists representing all forms of media from revered Wall Street Journal politics reporter Jackie Calms to Politico.com's John Harris and narrative journalist Constance Hale.
Be on the lookout for former Boston Globe staff member and UMass alum Charles Sennott's new "Global News Enterprises, which looks to employ journalists with the itch to travel by Jan. 09. He's focusing on Second World international news. Long way off from the Collegian's arts section.
Also, the Wall Street Journal's former Managing Editor Paul Steiger. He offered me some great tips on career development and explained his new Web site Propublica.org that will soon put a group of reporters to work who will focus solely on investigative pieces from a not for profit format.
For like minded young journalists out there... none seemed to support the doom suggested by others. Their innovation hints that there may just be different forums from which to do it.
More to follow in my next post.