Buzzing after #KaiNagata Talk at SFU

24SepSeptember 24, 2011 By tbains

Why do we continue to watch TV news when the end product is superficial and designed to either placate viewers or play to our fears?

Is TV journalism salvageable?

That was the starting point for Kai Nagata’s talk at SFU’s Goldcorp Centre for the Arts earlier this week.

Rebuttals were made by long-time broadcaster George Orr, CBC Radio’s Kathryn Gretsinger, Openmedia.ca‘s Steve Anderson, and SFU communications instructor Bob Hackett who is also the co-founder of Media Democracy Day. Veteran journalist and UBC instructor Deborah Campbell moderated the discussion.

Since Nagata left his position as CTV’s Quebec Bureau Chief this summer and published Why I Quit, the blog post has generated 500,000 hits and 1,450 comments.

So I was excited to hear from him in person. Nagata didn’t disappoint. He’s passionate about the institution, and hopeful for the future and the potential to empower citizens to become “volunteer journalists” (a la volunteer firefighters) using open-source, online training that doesn’t leave students in debt like traditional j-schools.

By his own admission, it’s a working idea that’s still baking and will likely change and evolve over the course of three years—a self-imposed time limit.

But, of course, it’s his commitment to his craft that I find most compelling and magnetic.

Plus, I admire his willingness to show a clip of his own work and critique its shortcomings in front of peers, mentors and strangers.

I also enjoyed hearing from George Orr who made it clear that the idea of a “golden age” of Canadian reporting is a myth, idealizing a past that never existed. He also succinctly revealed the pitfalls of modern reporting, but didn’t just glibly mouth tired excuses about deadlines and diminishing resources. For example, Orr outlined the desk’s overwhelming desire for conformity that punishes reporters who stray too far from what their competitors produce. And how Google has helped dumb down media, lulling reporters into doing a simple browser search instead of doing their own research over the phone or in person.

It was an excellent discussion and I walked away buzzing with all that’s possible when professional journalists and citizen media start collaborating together.

Julie Ovenell-Carter live tweeted the evening so I’ve pulled together a transcript below of her tweets if you’re interested in a post-by-post replay of the evening.

Vancouver’s hungry for open dialogue on media and ethncity

18Sep By tbains

Photo credit: Jeremy Lim

Last Tuesday, the United Nations Association in Canada and Schema Magazine co-hosted Me in Media, a public town hall to explore how we can make Vancouver a more inclusive city through media.

CoopCulture helped sponsor the event and, as its Director of Online Media, I put together the social media strategy to promote this free event.

As always, it’s gratifying to see an event come together after months of patient planning over coffee, Skype calls, phone calls and Google Docs.

But most importantly, it’s invigorating to be in a room filled with likeminded people who are passionate about the same thing that drives us to volunteer our time: how we can use media to make positive change.

Over the course of two hours, people sent out 352 tweets that included the event’s hashtag, #meinmedia, and we became a trending topic in Vancouver.

Five days after the event, the number of total tweets has risen to 661. In fact, the most recent 50 tweets have reached 20, 453 people and produced 47,707 impressions according to TweetReach.

The numbers show how hungry we are for more events like #NetCulture and Me in Media where we can come together, be candid and brainstorm new ideas.

Check out our live blog below for a tweet-by-tweet transcript of the evening.

What do you think our next town hall should tackle?

Listen & Speak Up: Open Discussion on Xenophobia at UBC

26JanJanuary 27, 2011 By tbains

Tomorrow, my friend Zi-Ann Lum and the WAY TOO AZN committee are hosting an open dialogue to discuss how the media covers “Asian”/”White” anxieties for public consumption at UBC’s Vancouver campus.

The springboard for the discussion will be two recent, widely distributed articles: the infamous ‘Too Asian’? article published in MacLean’s magazine on Nov. 10, 2010, and Amy Chua’s Why Asian Mothers are Superior article from The Wall Street Journal published January 8, 2011. In addition, the dialogue will consider the local, culturally-fuelled debate over the location of St. John’s Hospice on campus.

All students, faculty, staff and members of the public are invited to this free event. I think it will be an excellent means of kickstarting a meaningful discussion on multiculturalism and the media. I remember the event in the fall which was organized in response to the MacLean’s article–the room was full and buzzing with energy. People really want to talk about these issues. Unfortunately, time proved short in the fall and we only got to hear from a couple of people from the audience. Tomorrow, the whole idea is to promote an honest, open dialogue.

Listen & speak up!

Event Details
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Noon to 2PM
Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Dodson Room

Tracy Bains

Tag: dialogue

Buzzing after #KaiNagata Talk at SFU

Listen & Speak Up: Open Discussion on Xenophobia at UBC