"Eyewitness News" finally a reality.

The catch/marketing phrase "Eyewitness News" has been used for decades. According to Wikipedia, the earliest use in American television was in April 1959 by KYW-TV in Cleveland.

The whole point was their crews were on the scene of news, seeing it person giving "Eyewitness" accounts which we then watched at home. It was the stations however, who decided what we actually got to witness ourselves, and when we did.

Flash forward to September, 2013 in Colorado and flash flooding. The most compelling images arguably coming from actual eyewitnesses, folks like you and me on the ground with our smart phone cameras, instantly sharing pictures and video to the media or on Social Media.

 

Words not necessary

Time and time again I've seen local outlets thank citizen journalists for their content and encouraging then to send more. The earliest pictures were stunning to see. Sure, some of the shots were shaky but who cares. A wall of water coming down a canyon on city street is powerful stuff. Folks living there got the pictures while traditional news crews were either on the way to the scene, or simply couldn't get there because of the aforementioned walls of water.

 

Impactful

This is a compelling argument of the power of Social Media. Sure, there have been rare instances, at least up until now where folks have posted things on Facebook or Twitter that failed the standards of journalism as to accuracy and fact-checking. But in breaking news situations, even the most seasoned of journalists make mistakes. (Sadly at a growing rate but that's for another blog post)

But today's it's all about the image. A picture is worth a thousand words, video is worth a hundred thousand words. To their credit, Denver area news operations have enlisted us to help tell the story. Because sometimes we are part of the story.

That said, we ourselves become our own news outlets. We can publish accounts, videos and pictures on any number of Social Media outlets. With that, at least morally and ethically comes the responsibility to get the story right.

Nothing spreads faster than misinformation. As with international relations and "Eyewitness News," trust, but verify!

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

Damon Runyon Award and The B.I.G. Day top April Events!

There are a couple of noteworthy events set for April, both of which we recommend you at take a closer look at. Better yet, take part in.

1. The Denver Press Club honors New York Daily News writer/columnist and ESPN's "The Sports Reporters" contributor Mike Lupica with the 19th Annual Damon Runyon Awars. The date is Friday April 12 at the Marriott Denver City Center.

2. The South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce's 3rd annual B.I.G. Day! You can "Be Involved-Give" Saturday morning April 20th with a great post event celebration sponsored by McCormick and Schmick's.

Mike Lupica, 19th Annual Damon Runyon Award Recipient

Each year, The Denver Press Club is proud to honor a member of the journalism profession with our Damon Runyon Award. This award honors a person or persons who have made extraordinary contributions to the field. The honorees are selected with a special eye towards those whose careers have embraced the highest journalistic standards and who embody the colorful, often irreverent and sometimes flamboyant traits so much associated with Runyon and his characters.
Recipients of The Damon Runyon Award are honored at a ceremony in Denver, the proceeds of which provide a major funding source for our scholarship program and the maintenance of our historic facility.

In addition to his work at the Daily News and ESPN, Mike Lupica has had a versatile writing career, with magazines, novels, sports biographies, other nonfiction books on sports and starting “The Sporting Life” column for Esquire magazine. He co-wrote autobiographies with Reggie Jackson and Bill Parcells; collaborated with author and screenwriter William Goldman on “Wait ’Til Next Year”; “Shooting from the Lip,” a collection of columns, and other books.

It's a great event, with silent auction and of course hear from one of the preeminent sports journalists of our time. The Damon Runyon award is anything but stuffy so join us for a great night.

To register, visit Blacktie-Colorado

The following weekend is the B.I.G. Day. Simply put it's goal is to connect the businesses and non-profits of the South Metro Area. This marks the 3rd year for the event and it gets bigger and better every year. Here's why your business, family, church or civic group should take part:

• It's a great team builder. There's nothing like working alongside co-workers, friends, family or even folks you don't know to spend a morning making a difference. Wear t-shirts with your organization logo, share on social media that you care about community.
• It's a chance for you to learn more about the many non-profits who day-in and day-out make a difference in so many ways.
• It's just fun and takes one Saturday morning.
• This year's post event celebration will be held at the South Metro Denver Chamber of Commerce sponsored by the super folks at McCormick and Schmick's restaurants. You'll work up an appetite and there will be awesome food waiting for you to satisfy it.

Watch the video to learn just what the B.I.G. is all about!

You don't have to be a member of the South Metro Denver Chamber to take part. Just bring your willingness to make a difference on just one day you'll never forget. Register today!

Looking forward to seeing you at either or both great events!

Brian Olson
Owner/Consultant
Conversation Starters Public Relations
"We start the conversation about you"

The Business of Journalism should be just that.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." -1st Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

There's a little (but dangerous) initiative flying just below the radar screen in Washington which should trouble us all. Government is trying to "Re-invent" Journalism. It's a line they should not, and must not cross.

Here's just one article about it all, but in a nutshell here's what government wants to do to "fix" what ain't broken.

-Establishing news vouchers for citizens to support non-profit journalism. i.e. Public Broadcasting.
-A 5% sales tax on consumer electronics to pay for even more government owned broadcasting.
-A "News" Division of Americorps

Commercial broadcasters and print outlets are going through tough times. But they don't need "help" from the government. They'll figure it out. The founding fathers of this nation realized that a free, unfettered and INDEPENDENT press was critical to the success of the nation and our freedoms guaranteed by the 1st Amendment.

Please don't confuse this with an anti-government rant. (Although if you want to, that's fine too.) We need government to fix potholes etc, but not to fix journalism. I spent 20 years in the craft, including serving on the Board of Directors of the Radio-Television-Digital News Association which represents the interests of journalists. Our patron saint is Ed Murrow. Walter Cronkite sitteth at his right hand.

Anything, and I mean anything that somehow casts doubt, or restricts the ability of a free and open media to ask the tough questions, and then to report to us the answers, is a dangerous step towards erosion of our freedom of independent thought and exchange of ideas and opinions.

This also isn't against Public Broadcasting. Donate during their telethons, please. But I want a choice besides Public Radio and Television. You have your favorite news outlets, and so do I. They often may differ but the common theme we must embrace and protect is choice.

I have far too many good friends in journalism who work their rear-ends off to inform us. The last thing I want is for their stories to be approved by the government prior to air. Or to be charged a sales tax on a new television to pay for it.

Freedom starts with a free media. This "initiative" could be the beginning of the end of a free and open media.

Brian Olson
CEO and Founder
Conversation Starters LLC