kenpaulmanFor those who miss the afternoon edition delivered by a slow-throw from a kid on a bike, I put together a special Three at 3. It is a slimmer edition, a combination of things that surfaced today and stories that may complement earlier coverage.
1) Why talk about the future of news when you can write a love letter to its past? The American Journalism Review shares A Eulogy for Old-School Newsrooms:
They were loud, chaotic and politically incorrect. They weren’t very diverse. But they sure were full of journalistic passion–and fun.
Is that what we’re doing wrong? The second paragraph of this 3,400+ word piece is packed with nostalgia for the volume and chaos that some newspeople recall with a certain nostalgia. It takes a bit of reading to get to the theory on what went wrong.
“There is a feeling in newsrooms these days,” [Jacqui Banaszynski] observes, “that the worth of what we do is being questioned and challenged by the public…When we used to sit in the city council or with a mother who had just lost her child, we really believed it mattered. That sense of pure purpose and passion has been diluted a little bit. Or more than a little bit.”
To that point I look to New Cut commenters and ask, what are examples of reporting you feel have a sense of purpose and passion?
h/t MPR’s Bruce MacDonald. For the record, he doesn’t work in the newsroom.
2) But enough about us, let’s look at the Internet and the obsession with cats. BoingBoing’s Xeni Jardin tells us about Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs. Really:
Glamourpuss: The Enchanting World of Kitty Wigs from Julie Jackson on Vimeo.
It is a coffee table book, so you don’t have to log on to appreciate the photos. Meanwhile Flickr.com looks at Your Best Shot 2009: The Kittens. MPR joins in sometimes, too. Bob Collins included the “Kitten Surprise” video as a bonus in a post earlier this week.
3) While we’ve reported that nonprofits are seeing an uptick in volunteers during a down economy, according to the Minnesota Daily pre-meds face new troubles in finding volunteer opportunities. Apples to oranges, of course. The mndaily.com piece explains that “the competition for volunteer spots is often fierce” and the medical field is trying to expand the definitions and opportunities for volunteering.
This has me thinking, and News Cut readers have perspective. So I ask you: What would restructuring volunteering do for the health care field?
That’s all for a Three at 3. Bonus question: Do you miss the afternoon paper?
