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March 24, 2008 12:44 PM PDT

If MobLogic is journalism, does that make Lindsay Campbell a journalist?

by Josh Wolf
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(Credit: Moblogic.TV)
Lindsay Campbell is not a journalist, or at least she claims she isn't. The former host of Wall Strip and the current host and producer for MobLogic (a new web series produced by CBS Interactive) wasted no time before disclosing this perspective to her audience. On March 7, in the first official episode, she describe how she she's her role in the media.
Now let me say right from the start: I'm not a journalist. I'm coming at this like you. I read the news; I read blogs, and I want to talk about the things that are going on around me in the world. You do too, and we want to hear from you. Your ideas, your opinions, that's the point of the show. We take a story we find interesting and we go out and talk to people about it. Where better to start than right where we live? Look we're not trying to hide it, this show's coming from CBS.
At the time, I thought it was a strange approach, but wanted to see where the show was headed before weighing in. Since then, I've found myself tuning into MobLogic on an almost daily basis and have found the show's journalism to be exemplary on at least two occasions.

The second episode of MobLogic was titled, How the Dems Screwed Florida, and provided an in-depth look at the mechanics of the Florida Primary fiasco that I hadn't encountered in any other media outlet. Two weeks later the show profiled the case of an Al Jazeera cameraman who has been held in Guantanamo for more than six years. The story provided an insight into a journalist's legal trouble that has received little media attention, but also explored how New Yorker's feel about the matter.

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December 16, 2007 12:31 AM PST

Iraqi journalist killed at home

by Josh Wolf
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Alive in Baghdad is one of the only destinations providing weekly video of life in Baghdad from an Iraqi perspective. The reporting examines current issues facing the country, and also features evergreen material documenting what life in a war-torn country looks like. The program has been profiled in numerous media reports, has garnered numerous awards, and has grown a loyal following.

On Friday, Ali Shafeya Al-Moussawi, a special correspondent for Alive in Baghdad was found dead in his home. He was born December 16, 1984 and was discovered by his cousin following a raid on his street by the Iraqi National Guard. According to a recent post on the site's blog, "The morgue report says that Ali took 31 bullets between the chest and the head and died immediately. He will be missed and remembered."

Al-Moussawi is survived by his mother and sister. The folks at Alive in Baghdad are collecting donations to cover the funeral costs and provide for his family. At last count, $1575.42 had been raised; please consider making a donation today.

I will be posting a more detailed story soon. In the meantime, stay tuned to BaghdadBrian's Twitter feed for frequent updates.

August 23, 2007 12:59 PM PDT

Like television, radio and print, blogs are just a medium

by Josh Wolf
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When radio was first pioneered, print journalists were quick to dismiss it as inferior. This same scenario repeated itself with the advent of television and again with the rise of technologies that allowed solo journalists to produce their own stories single-handedly. As blogs and other community media become more popular and more relevant, the assault on this new medium continues to grow.

Michael Skube's recent editorial in the Los Angeles Times provides a reasonable critique on the blogosphere but neglects to look at the larger picture. He points out that many blogs are nothing more than commentary and suggests that many of these blogs are "noisy with disputation, manifesto-like postings and an unbecoming hatred of enemies real and imagined." While I can't argue with this conclusion, his analysis misses the fact that blogs have broken a number of important stories in recent years and fails to mention the non-news that the establishment media finds itself focusing on with alarming frequency.

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About Media Sphere

Josh Wolf first became interested in the power of the press after writing and distributing a screed against his high school's new dress code. Within a short time, the new dress code was abandoned, and ever since then he's been getting his hands dirty deconstructing the media every step of the way. Wolf recently became the longest-incarcerated journalist for contempt of court in U.S. history after he spent 226 days in federal prison for his refusal to cooperate. In Media sphere, Josh shares his daily insights on the developing information landscape and examines how various corporate and governmental actions effect the free press both in the United States and abroad.

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