It's All Journalism

Paul Watson just wanted to show people the forgotten unrest in Somalia. Instead, he became haunted, tormented and the winner of a Pulitzer Prize for a phot...

Paul Watson just wanted to show people the forgotten unrest in Somalia. Instead, he became haunted, tormented and the winner of a Pulitzer Prize for a phot...

The world was a much different place in 1966 when the Freedom of Information Act became law. FOIA is “starting to get a little rough around the edges. … It’s in need of a tune-up,” said Kevin Goldberg, legal counsel for the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (http://www.altweeklies.com) and the American Society of News Editors (http://asne.org). “When the law was passed in 1966, it was a vastly different age. Now we really have to make sure we’ve updated the law for the digital age and to take advantage of the digital.” From left Kevin Goldberg, attorney for AAN and ASNE, and Rick Blum of the Sunshine in Government Initiative.[/caption] FOIA remains an incredible tool, not just for journalists, who make up a small portion of people who file requests for information under FOIA, notes Rick Blum, director of the Sunshine in Government Initiative (http://sunshineingovernment.org). It’s a tool anyone can use to bring vitally important information to life and provoke change. Just look at some of the reporting done this year, with help from documents obtained via FOIA requests, which have widespread implications, Blum and Goldberg note. “If you look at Flint, Michigan, and the water crisis there, we know the EPA was dithering with the state and locals because of FOIA,” Blum said. Of course, documents obtained by FOIA can result in revelations that are uncomfortable. “It may be uncomfortable for the public to hear, (the articles) may be uncomfortable for the journalists to write. I’m sure they are uncomfortable for people releasing some records. … (But) it’s a good government tool in a democracy. You can’t really oppose transparency in government,” he said. Building on FOIA, the ASNE kicked off the annual Sunshine Week more than a decade ago, and each year participation in Sunshine Week grows. “You can guarantee for one week a year people are focused on FOIA. I wish it were more, but for at least one week a year, even legislators are focused on FOIA,” Goldberg said. That attention often brings up discussion on how FOIA can and should be changed, including ways to make FOIA more applicable and useful in the digital age. For starters, there’s a bill in both the House and Senate that would modify FOIA to make government agencies respond to FOIA requests “from the presumption of openness,” Blum said. “That seems ridiculous that you have to do that, it’s already there (in the law) … but this would tell agencies you have to start with the presumption of openness.” The proposed legislation also would help modernize FOIA through the use of a portal that would allow people who file a FOIA request to track its progress through whichever agency is being asked for information. “It’s sad that we’re in 2016 and talking about having a way to track your individualized FOIA through the system,” Goldberg said. “The portal would allow me to do more: it’d allow me to request (information) from there, it would allow me to look at other searches so maybe I don’t have to request. Ideally, it would allow me to interface with the agency on a more regular basis,” something that he already can do with his doctors, accountants and other holders of highly personal information with just a few clicks. — Amber Healy (mailto:phfyrebyrd@gmail.com) On this week's It's All Journalism, producers Michael O'Connell and Nicole Ogrysko talk to Rick Blum, director of the Sunshine in Government Initiative, and Kevin Goldberg, legal counsel for the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (http://www.altweeklies.com) and the American Society of News Editors (http://asne.org), about legislation making its way through Congress that will update the 50-year-old Freedom of Information Act.

The world was a much different place in 1966 when the Freedom of Information Act became law. FOIA is “starting to get a little rough around the edges. … It’s in need of a tune-up,” said Kevin Goldberg, legal counsel for the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (http://www.altweeklies.com) and the American Society of News Editors (http://asne.org). “When the law was passed in 1966, it was a vastly different age. Now we really have to make sure we’ve updated the law for the digital age and to take advantage of the digital.” From left Kevin Goldberg, attorney for AAN and ASNE, and Rick Blum of the Sunshine in Government Initiative.[/caption] FOIA remains an incredible tool, not just for journalists, who make up a small portion of people who file requests for information under FOIA, notes Rick Blum, director of the Sunshine in Government Initiative (http://sunshineingovernment.org). It’s a tool anyone can use to bring vitally important information to life and provoke change. Just look at some of the reporting done this year, with help from documents obtained via FOIA requests, which have widespread implications, Blum and Goldberg note. “If you look at Flint, Michigan, and the water crisis there, we know the EPA was dithering with the state and locals because of FOIA,” Blum said. Of course, documents obtained by FOIA can result in revelations that are uncomfortable. “It may be uncomfortable for the public to hear, (the articles) may be uncomfortable for the journalists to write. I’m sure they are uncomfortable for people releasing some records. … (But) it’s a good government tool in a democracy. You can’t really oppose transparency in government,” he said. Building on FOIA, the ASNE kicked off the annual Sunshine Week more than a decade ago, and each year participation in Sunshine Week grows. “You can guarantee for one week a year people are focused on FOIA. I wish it were more, but for at least one week a year, even legislators are focused on FOIA,” Goldberg said. That attention often brings up discussion on how FOIA can and should be changed, including ways to make FOIA more applicable and useful in the digital age. For starters, there’s a bill in both the House and Senate that would modify FOIA to make government agencies respond to FOIA requests “from the presumption of openness,” Blum said. “That seems ridiculous that you have to do that, it’s already there (in the law) … but this would tell agencies you have to start with the presumption of openness.” The proposed legislation also would help modernize FOIA through the use of a portal that would allow people who file a FOIA request to track its progress through whichever agency is being asked for information. “It’s sad that we’re in 2016 and talking about having a way to track your individualized FOIA through the system,” Goldberg said. “The portal would allow me to do more: it’d allow me to request (information) from there, it would allow me to look at other searches so maybe I don’t have to request. Ideally, it would allow me to interface with the agency on a more regular basis,” something that he already can do with his doctors, accountants and other holders of highly personal information with just a few clicks. — Amber Healy (mailto:phfyrebyrd@gmail.com) On this week's It's All Journalism, producers Michael O'Connell and Nicole Ogrysko talk to Rick Blum, director of the Sunshine in Government Initiative, and Kevin Goldberg, legal counsel for the Association of Alternative Newsmedia (http://www.altweeklies.com) and the American Society of News Editors (http://asne.org), about legislation making its way through Congress that will update the 50-year-old Freedom of Information Act.

The last time I saw Paul Shinkman (http://www.usnews.com/topics/author/paul_d_shinkman), we were both sitting in the cargo area of a U.S. Marine Corps V-22 Osprey, as it was flying through pelting rain into National Harbor, Maryland. We were among a handful of journalists who converged early in the morning at Quantico, Virginia, where Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) is based. HMX-1's primary duty is transporting the President, Vice President and Cabinet members on official trips. On the morning of April 7, 2014, HMX-1 was shuttling journalists up the Potomac River to the Sea-Air-Space Convention at National Harbor. "It's funny with the Osprey," said Shinkman, the national security reporter for U.S. News & World Report (http://www.usnews.com/news). "That's sort of the Marine Corps' baby that they're so desperate to prove is not a flying death trap." He explained that the tilt rotor military aircraft had a troubled development, including some high-profile crashes. "But, it serves incredibly in Afghanistan in particular with the Marines' effort," he said. The flight was a bit of boondoggle for me, a chance for a web editor to get away from his desk and shoot some video in the field. It was easily one of the five coolest things I've done in my professional life. For Shinkman, though, the trip was just a slight diversion on the national security beat. — Michael O'Connell (mailto:moconnell207@gmail.com) On this week's It's All Journalism, producer Michael O'Connell talks to Paul Shinkman of U.S. News & World Report, about covering defense and national security stories. He's gone from being embedded with Air Force and Army units in Afghanistan to covering the ongoing trials of al Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He also discusses the challenge of reporting on ISIS and other terrorist threats around the world.

The last time I saw Paul Shinkman (http://www.usnews.com/topics/author/paul_d_shinkman), we were both sitting in the cargo area of a U.S. Marine Corps V-22 Osprey, as it was flying through pelting rain into National Harbor, Maryland. We were among a handful of journalists who converged early in the morning at Quantico, Virginia, where Marine Helicopter Squadron One (HMX-1) is based. HMX-1's primary duty is transporting the President, Vice President and Cabinet members on official trips. On the morning of April 7, 2014, HMX-1 was shuttling journalists up the Potomac River to the Sea-Air-Space Convention at National Harbor. "It's funny with the Osprey," said Shinkman, the national security reporter for U.S. News & World Report (http://www.usnews.com/news). "That's sort of the Marine Corps' baby that they're so desperate to prove is not a flying death trap." He explained that the tilt rotor military aircraft had a troubled development, including some high-profile crashes. "But, it serves incredibly in Afghanistan in particular with the Marines' effort," he said. The flight was a bit of boondoggle for me, a chance for a web editor to get away from his desk and shoot some video in the field. It was easily one of the five coolest things I've done in my professional life. For Shinkman, though, the trip was just a slight diversion on the national security beat. — Michael O'Connell (mailto:moconnell207@gmail.com) On this week's It's All Journalism, producer Michael O'Connell talks to Paul Shinkman of U.S. News & World Report, about covering defense and national security stories. He's gone from being embedded with Air Force and Army units in Afghanistan to covering the ongoing trials of al Qaeda leader Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He also discusses the challenge of reporting on ISIS and other terrorist threats around the world.

Andrea Wenzel, one of the co-authors of a new report (http://towcenter.org/new-report-engaging-communities-through-solutions-journalism-2/) from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, described solutions journalism as "rigorous and compe...

Andrea Wenzel, one of the co-authors of a new report (http://towcenter.org/new-report-engaging-communities-through-solutions-journalism-2/) from the Tow Center for Digital Journalism, described solutions journalism as "rigorous and compe...

Writing about Caitlyn Jenner’s transition does not signify the end of a newsroom’s work when it comes to the transgender community. Undoubtedly one of the biggest stories ever in that community, thanks to Caitlyn Jenner’s status as an ...

Writing about Caitlyn Jenner’s transition does not signify the end of a newsroom’s work when it comes to the transgender community. Undoubtedly one of the biggest stories ever in that community, thanks to Caitlyn Jenner’s status as an ...

Who hasn’t had an unexpected and, to be honest, unwanted assignment? How often has that kind of work changed the course of your career? Alan Cross worked as a DJ for years before the studio bosses at CFNY in Toronto told him his job was being saved during a time of cutbacks, provided he host a new long-form radio show to explain this new sound that was coming out of Seattle and other cities. They called the show the Ongoing History of New Music (http://ajournalofmusicalthings.com/category/ongoing-history-of-new-music/), a title the station manager admitted was terrible, but it was only going to last about six months anyway. More than 750 episodes and 20 years later, the music industry, like journalism, has changed wildly, as has the way in which fans can interact with their favorite bands while finding new music. “Back in the beginning, when I started this, there was no internet,” Cross said. “There were very few books written on alternative music because at that time it was this weird fringy stuff that nobody was talking about. We can get you thousands of books on the Beatles or Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones, but if you wanted a book on the Clash or the Sex Pistols or the Ramones, those things just did not exist.” In the beginning, he relied on record company files, information gleaned from record stores and people in the industry who were willing to fill in the gaps. As time went on and that six months stretched to a year, then two, then five, the focus of the program and its tone changed to become something more all-encompassing. “The cool thing was that, I was able to evolve the program away from being just the simple exposition biography, rather, and into something a little bit deeper, where you explain why things are the way they are,” Cross said. Everything about the music industry has changed since Ongoing History kicked off in February 1993. Not only are music fans no longer buying physical copies of the new release from their favorite bands, oftentimes there’s no purchase made at all.  The way in which people listen to music, both the medium and the environment, has changed drastically. “In an era where we have streaming music services, there is no allegiance or context with the music that anybody listens to. They listen to a song, consume it, discard it, move on,” Cross said. “It’s not like it used to be where people spent hard-earned money to buy an album and then, by God, they were going to listen to it over and over again until they learned every single word on that record because they paid for it.” There might be greater access to bands thanks to social media, but while “legacy” artists who have been around for decades are retaining their fans, newer artists are in a state of crisis. “There’s so much noise out there, they can’t be heard,” Cross said. Now musicians need to know how to code, how to maintain an online presence, how to best invest in off-stage and out-of-the-studio work to build a fan base. Money’s not coming from the music; it’s coming from touring, merchandise and other collateral that has nothing to do songs or albums. — Amber Healy (mailto:phfyrebyrd@gmail.com) On this week's It's All Journalism podcast, producers Amber Healy and Michael O'Connell talk to Alan Cross, award-winning music DJ and host of the Ongoing History of New Music (http://ajournalofmusicalthings.com/category/ongoing-history-of-new-music/) radio show. Cross talks about his journey as a music fan and journalist, as well as how the internet has changed the way people buy, listen to, perform and write about music.

Who hasn’t had an unexpected and, to be honest, unwanted assignment? How often has that kind of work changed the course of your career? Alan Cross worked as a DJ for years before the studio bosses at CFNY in Toronto told him his job was being saved during a time of cutbacks, provided he host a new long-form radio show to explain this new sound that was coming out of Seattle and other cities. They called the show the Ongoing History of New Music (http://ajournalofmusicalthings.com/category/ongoing-history-of-new-music/), a title the station manager admitted was terrible, but it was only going to last about six months anyway. More than 750 episodes and 20 years later, the music industry, like journalism, has changed wildly, as has the way in which fans can interact with their favorite bands while finding new music. “Back in the beginning, when I started this, there was no internet,” Cross said. “There were very few books written on alternative music because at that time it was this weird fringy stuff that nobody was talking about. We can get you thousands of books on the Beatles or Led Zeppelin or the Rolling Stones, but if you wanted a book on the Clash or the Sex Pistols or the Ramones, those things just did not exist.” In the beginning, he relied on record company files, information gleaned from record stores and people in the industry who were willing to fill in the gaps. As time went on and that six months stretched to a year, then two, then five, the focus of the program and its tone changed to become something more all-encompassing. “The cool thing was that, I was able to evolve the program away from being just the simple exposition biography, rather, and into something a little bit deeper, where you explain why things are the way they are,” Cross said. Everything about the music industry has changed since Ongoing History kicked off in February 1993. Not only are music fans no longer buying physical copies of the new release from their favorite bands, oftentimes there’s no purchase made at all.  The way in which people listen to music, both the medium and the environment, has changed drastically. “In an era where we have streaming music services, there is no allegiance or context with the music that anybody listens to. They listen to a song, consume it, discard it, move on,” Cross said. “It’s not like it used to be where people spent hard-earned money to buy an album and then, by God, they were going to listen to it over and over again until they learned every single word on that record because they paid for it.” There might be greater access to bands thanks to social media, but while “legacy” artists who have been around for decades are retaining their fans, newer artists are in a state of crisis. “There’s so much noise out there, they can’t be heard,” Cross said. Now musicians need to know how to code, how to maintain an online presence, how to best invest in off-stage and out-of-the-studio work to build a fan base. Money’s not coming from the music; it’s coming from touring, merchandise and other collateral that has nothing to do songs or albums. — Amber Healy (mailto:phfyrebyrd@gmail.com) On this week's It's All Journalism podcast, producers Amber Healy and Michael O'Connell talk to Alan Cross, award-winning music DJ and host of the Ongoing History of New Music (http://ajournalofmusicalthings.com/category/ongoing-history-of-new-music/) radio show. Cross talks about his journey as a music fan and journalist, as well as how the internet has changed the way people buy, listen to, perform and write about music.

I've mentioned many times on the It's All Journalism podcast that I'm something of a comic book geek. I was a freelance writer for the first 15 years or so of my career, writing a lot about comics, collectible card games, movies and Japanese animation. My first professional journalism sale was a 1984 interview I did with comic book artist Walt Simonson and his comics editor/writer wife Louise Simonson in 1984. Even though I've moved more into the mainstream of news coverage, I still have an interest in what's going in pop culture. For that reason, I was stoked to see the new Hollywood blockbuster, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (http://batmanvsuperman.dccomics.com). I liked the movie, though I recognized there are problems with it. What surprised me though was the number of critics who panned it, including my friend and recent podcast guest Jason Fraley (mailto:jfraley@wtop.com). In his review for WTOP radio (http://wtop.com/entertainment/2016/03/batman-v-superman-proves-weve-reached-peak-superhero/), he gave the film two out of four stars. Anyone who's been in a newsroom knows that's where you have some of the greatest conversations/arguments about the most important and not-so-important things — politics, elections, sports teams and movies, etc. That's what happened to Jason and me recently, about Batman v Superman. Thinking like a podcaster, I recognized this debate over the merits of the film was good content, so I invited Jason down to the studio to record this special, bonus episode of It's All Journalism. I realize that our conversation is only tangentially journalistic in nature, so I hope you take this episode in the spirit it was meant to be, a fun but serious debate about a not-so-serious topic. Stick around for a special guest appearance by a Marvel movie villain -- really! Enjoy.

I've mentioned many times on the It's All Journalism podcast that I'm something of a comic book geek. I was a freelance writer for the first 15 years or so of my career, writing a lot about comics, collectible card games, movies and Japanese animation. My first professional journalism sale was a 1984 interview I did with comic book artist Walt Simonson and his comics editor/writer wife Louise Simonson in 1984. Even though I've moved more into the mainstream of news coverage, I still have an interest in what's going in pop culture. For that reason, I was stoked to see the new Hollywood blockbuster, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (http://batmanvsuperman.dccomics.com). I liked the movie, though I recognized there are problems with it. What surprised me though was the number of critics who panned it, including my friend and recent podcast guest Jason Fraley (mailto:jfraley@wtop.com). In his review for WTOP radio (http://wtop.com/entertainment/2016/03/batman-v-superman-proves-weve-reached-peak-superhero/), he gave the film two out of four stars. Anyone who's been in a newsroom knows that's where you have some of the greatest conversations/arguments about the most important and not-so-important things — politics, elections, sports teams and movies, etc. That's what happened to Jason and me recently, about Batman v Superman. Thinking like a podcaster, I recognized this debate over the merits of the film was good content, so I invited Jason down to the studio to record this special, bonus episode of It's All Journalism. I realize that our conversation is only tangentially journalistic in nature, so I hope you take this episode in the spirit it was meant to be, a fun but serious debate about a not-so-serious topic. Stick around for a special guest appearance by a Marvel movie villain -- really! Enjoy.

Back in 2008, when President Barack Obama first took office, he pledged to have the most transparent administration in history. He’s fallen a bit short on that promise. Jason Leopold, an investigative reporter with VICE News (https://news.vice.com), was recently honored as part of Sunshine Week, which pays tribute to reporters and advocates who work to bring documents that should be public to light. He recently spoke on a panel at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., about the Obama administration’s shortcomings in terms of turning over public documents to members of the media and the importance of the Freedom of Information Act. “It was really an opportunity during Sunshine Week to take a look at the law (FOIA), which will turn 50-years old this summer just to kind of discuss some horror stories, some things that are, perhaps, positive developments,” he said. “One of the things we discussed was that the Senate just passed a FOIA reform bill that will go to the house. We’ll see if President Obama signs that into law.” This administration hasn’t been overly transparent, Leopold noted, and many journalists seem to have forgotten the pledges made in 2008. “Just a few months after (Obama) was sworn into office, he had to make the decision whether he was going to honor the release of photographs that would depict the treatment of detainees held by the U.S. in Iraq and Afghanistan,” as had been ordered by a judge during the final days of the Bush administration in response to a lawsuit filed and won by the ACLU. While Obama initially said he’d honor that ruling, he faced some strong backlash about his intended action and recanted. “Following the backlash, his administration worked with Congress to change FOIA, to weaken FOIA, so that when groups of journalists or the public seek documents or, rather, media, pictures, audio recordings, about the treatment of detainees, they would not be able to get it,” Leopold said. “Congress changed FOIA at the behest of the administration to block it. Right out of the gate they were not transparent. I believe the administration feels the more they say they’re the most transparent, they more people will believe it.” There’s no doubt FOIA is broken and needs to be fixed, he adds, and Congress has made at least seven attempts in the past decade to do so. Between backlogs in responses to FOIA requests, a lack of sufficient staffing to address requests, agencies that use certain exemptions written into the law as excuses for withholding documents and a lack of proactive disclosure of information that could be obtained under a FOIA, it’s clear things need to change. But FOIA “remains a very powerful tool,” Leopold says. “If a requestor knows how to use it, well, the payoff is quite huge, particularly for journalists.” Still, many journalists, including Leopold, have resorted to filing lawsuits to get documents that should be obtainable under FOIA. “Unfortunately, it’s the only way to get information at this point,” he said. — Amber Healy (mailto:phfyrebyrd@gmail.com) On this week's It's All Journalism podcast, Producer Michael O'Connell talks to Jason Leopold, investigative reporter for VICE News (https://news.vice.com), about a recent story (https://news.vice.com/article/it-took-a-foia-lawsuit-to-uncover-how-the-obama-administration-killed-foia-reform) he wrote about how the Obama administration has worked behind the scenes to scuttle legislation aimed at reforming the Freedom Information Act. Leopold talks about the importance of FOIA to investigative journalists and the public, and how he used the law to uncover documents to expose the administration's actions.