Ebonics Translators

The Drug Enforcement Administration is looking for people to translate Ebonics from several wire taps obtained during investigations. Whether or not you accept the term Ebonics, there is a dialect of English that is becoming it's own language. Ebonics, which is a combination of the words Ebony and Phonics, is becoming like Mandarin is to the Chinese Language, just another form.

The problem is Ebonics, or African American English, has been a hot button issue. Most people are afraid to talk about it as a dialect due to negative perceptions. Some people fear that bringing on an Ebonics translator will lead to racial profiling, and influence juries serving on these cases.

But in some cases Ebonics is not considered a dialect of the English language, it is consider a language in itself. That causes a problem for those looking to make standard English the language of the United States. See if Ebonics is considered its own language, then the number of English speakers in the United States may quickly be outnumber by the number of Spanish speakers.

But weather Ebonics has truly formed into it's own language or not, the recognition by the Justice Department shows that it deserves special attention. In schools students raised by parents who primarily speak Ebonics could become part of ESL programs. Teachers would need to study Ebonics so they could effectively communicate with their students.

To do that would be to accept the language and many people are not willing to do that. Some experts feel that Ebonics is a corruption of the English language and should not be accepted as a dialect or language of it's own.

Bloggers: Online Outlaws

Freedom of speech, is not so free. Thanks to the Internet there are millions of citizen journalists, published authors, and public diaries. Bloggers fill internet pages with raves and rants on just about everything. But it turns out some of those rants have serious repercussions. According to an article by the LA Times, lawsuits against bloggers are popping up all over the country.

Without the face time of a broadcaster, or the by line of a print journalist, bloggers feel they can hide behind their computer screens. Doing so allows many people to say what they're truly thinking: the Internet's version of beer muscles. Most of the time that's not a problem. After all, opinion is opinion.

But some bloggers take it too far. According to the LA Times article, one blogger could face up to 10 years in prison for saying Chicago judges "deserved to be killed" for ruling against a 2nd Amendment challenge to the city's gun laws.

Sometimes, bloggers don't realize the impact their posts have. Few of the millions of blogs out there have any serious followings. So the average blogger might expect their words to fall on deaf ears. But those words stay there, framed on the Internet landscape for the rest of eternity.

The posts provide an ongoing record of what was once rumored gossip and personal journal entries.

Even if the blogger is not the one to post libelous statements, often they can be forced to reveal the identity of the person who did. And it's not limited to blogs; Facebook pages and Twitter accounts have also been used in several defamation of character lawsuits. So watch what you post, because choosing the right words for your blog is like navigating a minefield of libel lawsuits.

YouTube Leads to News Firings

Several Tampa TV employees were either fired or resigned after a spoof video they made ended up on YouTube. The employees made fun of a fellow employee with a fake news report that said the woman was a mistress of Tiger Woods. The spoof was making fun of a photographer who was celebrating her birthday and never meant to be seen by anyone other than employees. But the video ended up on YouTube. When an industry magazine mentioned the report it gained a lot of attention.

Corporate found out about the video and asked YouTube to take it down. Everyone involved in the spoof was either fired or resigned.

This isn't the first time a spoof video that ended up on the internet led to firings for news employees. Just last month four Arkansas news employees were fired when their videos surfaced on YouTube. Now these videos are a bit vulgar, but you can click here to view them.

Regardless of the taste of a spoof video the bottom line is that news people making fun of themselves and the profession is no joke to their employers. So you'll have to set your DVR's and post all those bloopers to YouTube yourself.

That Trust Thing Again

I wish I had seen this a few days ago when I talked about trust and journalism, but this expresses that opinion clearly.
Click here to check out some other warning labels. They're pretty funny. Photos are courtesy of TRENDHUNTER.

The Eye In The Sky

Whether it's a plane or a satellite, it seems we're being watched from above. According to the Associated Press, whether you're speeding on the highway or didn't get a permit for the new pool in your backyard, it seems law enforcement is using aerial photography to crack down. It's not always some special government satellite or law enforcement helicopter either. Towns are using programs like Google Earth to look at people's homes to make sure they are in compliance with small town ordinances. No longer do you have privacy in your own home.
Rather than a warrant to come into your home it seems all anyone needs is a computer, but where do we draw the line? How long before we can see through the walls and into the homes of others. Right now these pictures are days, weeks, sometimes months old. Before long, they could be streaming video seen in real time, so everyone will know if you took out your garbage on the right day at the right time. And if you didn't, well you can be sure a fine will follow.
It's not just here in the US either. Greece is using the program to search for people who have tried to cheat their taxes. By looking for home additions or swimming pools they seek out people who have underreported their taxable wealth. But in this "Enemy of the State" environment people will become weary of doing anything. No longer will anything be private. But with most people putting themselves out there on social websites they're also making it easier for those eyes to watch. So, maybe they don't really mind.

Tuning Out

The amount of trust people have in newspapers and television news has hit an all time low. According to the latest Gallup Poll people have as much confidence in the news as they do in banks and HMO's. It seems in the world of social networking, more and more people are tuning the news out. It's no wonder why with people like Nancy Grace and Rush Limbaugh yelling at their viewers and listeners.
See we live in a time where people care more about having their news NOW than having their news RIGHT. In the rush to get the story out via the web or on air, news organizations seem to be missing key points more and more. And with a 24 hour news cycle it's more about infotainment than it is about news.
But the traditional model of news is failing. People want to be entertained when they get their information, especially in the desired 18-35 marketing demographic. That's why more and more people turn to John Stewart and Stephen Colbert to get their news than Brian Williams and Diane Sawyer. The problem is, as Stewart has acknowledged on several occasions, those are not journalists. They do a great job of poking fun at news and pointing out the flaws, but they are not problem solvers.
The bottom line is people need information, but they have to trust the source of that information. They need people to ask tough questions, but a lot of journalists are afraid to do that. They are worried they will hurt their relationship with a source, or come across as a bad guy. There are ways to ask tough questions without being a jerk and viewers and readers need to see that.
While the audience for network news, local news, and newspaper audiences are shrinking, online and cable news continue to grow. That's because those are the outlets for infotainment. Online personality comes out. People are allowed to editorialize a lot more because they can shield themselves through their computers. People like that, but how can that be trusted? What the news industry needs is an organization that can have fun and share information. Hopefully, it can start right here.

Let's Celebrate and Do Nothing

It's National Relaxation Day! It's my favorite holiday to celebrate. Relaxing is an important part of being productive so I try to celebrate this holiday as often as possible. Pretty much every weekend. The holiday started in England as Slacker Day, but because of all the negative PR I am sure we changed the name to relaxation day. See the fast paced nature of our world makes it difficult to take a few minutes out to just breathe.
For example I try to do yoga, but they always tell me to forget about everything else that is going on in my life while I am doing it. I can't do that. Between simple errands, like going to the grocery store and doing the dry cleaning, and major tasks like work and moving, my mind is constantly preoccupied by the the tasks. I am sure you know the feeling.
Believe it or not, I got so caught up in those tasks that I forgot it was National Relaxation Day. So talk about the stress I encountered this morning when I was trying to plan a day full of relaxing events. I thought I might stay home in the air conditioning and watch a couple of movies, but I didn't rent any and I don't have that fancy "on demand" stuff. Then I thought about just sitting on my porch swing and reading a book, but a big spider had already created a web there, apparently he did plan ahead for the day. I didn't want to clean it because, well, that's not very relaxing.
I decided I would write about the day and let everyone else know about it, I'll call it a public service! I never knew this relaxing stuff could be so tough. However you celebrate the day, I hope it is a relaxing one. And enjoy it, because after all, tomorrow is Monday.

Football Fever

Tonight is the first football Friday for many high schools throughout the country. Tomorrow is my fantasy football draft. I offically have football fever. It is amazing how dominant the NFL has become as a brand. NFL games are consistently among the highest rated shows on television. There's even a football economy of chicken wings and pitchers of beer. Despite controversy about agents and players, college football is also growing in popularity.
Right now I'm struggling to decide whether to draft Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, or Maurice Jones-Drew. It doesn't matter, it's football season. It's the most wonderful time of the year. I will have more break down tomorrow, but for now I must run to make sure I am prepared for the draft.

Flying High

He's a hero. Stephen Slater, the famed Jet Blue flight attendant who cursed out a passenger, grabbed a beer, and slid out the emergency slide, might as well be Paul Bunyan. Let's be honest there's always been a time when we wanted to curse someone out who was being a jerk. How cool is that. I bet afterwards he went to the Max sat on a chair backwards and stole Kelly from Zack. O wait, it's not that Slater? Doesn't matter, this guy is cooler.

Slater now has songs written about him, fan clubs on facebook, and endless number of tweets. I can't wait to get my own "Slater is my homeboy" t-shirt. But this could have some very negative side effects. Now waitresses might spit in your food if your not polite, maybe your dentist will forget the Novocaine if your a jerk. Well you know what if you're a jerk, you deserve it. So let's take a little extra time to be nice to one another, heck Slater could have decked that passenger.

Check out The Ballad of Steven Slater. Explicit language warning. Ahhh **** it.

Today's Oxymoron: Government Work

As a reporter I work on tight deadlines. I know the importance of saying you are going to be somewhere at a certain time and then following through. So today, as I raced down to a federal courthouse hoping to get a copy of an indictment we had just learned about I was happy as could be when I found a parking spot at 4:50.
The very nice security guard pointed me in the direction of the clerks office where I would be able to get a copy of the papers I needed. But when I got to the office, it was already closed. Now realize that the heat index where I am was 105 degrees today and I had just run to the courthouse in a suit (minus the jacket) only to find that the clerks had punched out a little early for the day.
Whatever happened to hard work? Apparently my baby no longer takes the morning train from 9 to 5, but rather gets to the station around 9, strolls into the office around 10, takes a two hour lunch break, and then takes off a little early either because it's been a rough day or it's "summer hours". Are you kidding me?!?!? Last time I checked the country's unemployment rate was hovering around 10 percent. I am sure there are plenty of people on the unemployment line who would be willing to sit at a desk and make copies all the way through until 5 o'clock.
But maybe I'm moving too fast to post such a harsh critique. After all, it's not like I pay their salaries...o wait that's right, it's a government job, so I DO pay their salaries. I also work on holidays to pay those salaries, so they can have the day off to spend some time with their families. It doesn't make sense. Right now jobs are too valuable not to be giving that cliche 110 percent. Hell, I'd settle for 100 percent.

Team Player...Yeah Right

Today's video comes to us from Harry Shearer's Found Objects. This is what I do for a living, well sort of. You see as a reporter and anchor at a smaller television station I don't sit in a seat 10 minutes before the newscast while someone puts makeup on me. Usually I am running out to the set after finishing a story just before deadline. You see with everyone in newsrooms doing more and more to get the newscast on air, news directors say they're looking for team players. It makes you wonder how someone like Laura Ingraham gets her own show. As you can clearly see from this post she does a great job staying cool under pressure and is really a pleasure to work with.
Okay, so maybe I'm being a little sarcastic. But seriously, people already have a hard enough time trusting news organizations, so how are you supposed to trust someone like this? Obviously this is why the show was canceled. I especially like the production assistant, director, producer or whoever it was who posted the air check online so everyone could see how people really act. If you ever want to know what a news person is really like you should see what they do in the commercial breaks. For anyone getting ready to pursue a career in broadcast journalism, make sure you remember that it used to be a news TEAM.

Day 1 Post 1

Don't worry, all my post titles won't be so creative. I am a reporter, and like most people I get those great ideas at random times. Sometimes there's a pen and paper around, sometimes there isn't. Either way I figure I should write them down and share them. If I can't make them into million dollar ideas maybe you can. So there! If that's not a reason to read a blog what is? Million dollar ideas, like chocolate covered bacon or a cat's adventure in New York City. Don't worry there will be plenty more of those throughout the blog. I promise to post regularly, discuss topics that are relevant to you, and hopefully share some pretty cool stuff. So thanks for reading. Feel free to share your thoughts and mention my blog. I figured I would share some of my work so you'd get an idea of who I am and what I do. The coolest 105 year old I've ever met!