Did you know that times are tough for journalists? Fear not, though, for, as The New York Times reported yesterday, the Journalism School has issued a rallying cry to save struggling newspapers across the country.  

In the J-School commissioned report, “The Reconstruction of American Journalism,” Leonard Downie Jr., former executive editor of the Washington Post (and no relation to Bwog editor James Downie), and Michael Schudson, a professor at the J-School, argue that since current advertising models fail to support “so-called accountability journalism,” drastic new steps should be taken. Their six recommendations not only include involving philathropists, nonprofits, and universities in news gathering, but also getting the government to support the business, particularly local news. And to think people already call Obama a socialist.

Two pieces of good news came in over the official Bwog wire this afternoon.  First, the first Mac Gray trucks have been spotted about campus after the Great Laundry Flex outage of 2009.

Flex readers in laundry rooms all over campus have been out since just before the start of the semester, but as of this afternoon, the readers in Watt, at least, appear to be working.  The out-of-order sign originally promised upgrades but the readers look just as 1980′s as before.

If by upgrade they mean “it works”…

Second, Bwog received a tip saying that Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame was speaking in the Journalism lounge.  Bwog rushed over and saw, peering through the dusty window of the cafe, saw not the rugged, charming face of the Discovery Channel host but that of Harvey Levin, the current managing editor of TMZ.com, made famous recently for breaking the story of Michael Jackson’s death.

Spying through the window.

At least Journalism students now know that there’s a future for them – in following Beyonce around.

Photos by AB

Journalists and hippies alike may rejoice on this, the opening day of the Journalism School cafe. Nothing but the combination of news tickers on the wall, various 1960′s references on the menu, and cheaper-than-in-Starbucks Starbucks coffee could bring so many happy lunchers here on opening day.

After moving through a short, fast-moving line, Bwog was pleasantly surprised to hear that from below the headings “Make Salads Not War” and “Peace, Love, and Subs” came some pretty decent food, at least according to a gaggle of J-schoolers sitting on the sunlit terrace. Tasty though those $6.50 salads and $5 half-loaf subs may be, Bwog has to recommend the $2 hot dog to impoverished undergrads.

But even more important than the appearance of the cheapest substantial foodstuff to be had within the gates, the Journalism Cafe has some style. Airy and light, with a superb view across the lawns, the glass structure between stone walls is new-age in the best of ways. Though the cafe will only be open air while weather allows, once winter arrives the outside world will remain visible through a wall of pane glass, allowing light while keeping cold out. But, if Captain Obvious were with us today he might point out the most crucial aspect of this pleasant spot – no matter who owns and operates it, this is NOTHING like Campo.

More pictures after the jump. Read more…

Have you heard about this new movie? We think it’s called something like, “Star Trek”?

In case you missed the $50 million marketing campaign that has included everything from fast-food “Kingons” to Trek-themed Eggo waffles, the New York Times gave you another chance to join in the hype this weekend with an op-ed from Columbia Journalism School professor David Hajdu.

Hajdu, who is also the music critic for The New Republic, turns Star Trek apologist in the piece, calling the original 1960s TV show a pioneer of “cultural retro-activism.” Star Trek, he says, synthesized elements of American pop culture history into a format easily understood by the younger generation, transmitting cultural heritage. The crew of the Enterprise explored not the future of humanity but the archives of Hollywood.

Bwog admits to seeing the new Star Trek this weekend and can confidently say Hadju’s brand of Star Trek is dead. This reimagining, while still an engaging adventure, avoids ham-fistedly plumbing the depths of Americana to develop a storyline.

Some fans—perhaps even Hajdu—will lament this, but if the change means no more space hippies, space Yeti, or space Nazis, Bwog’s not complaining. 

At the Double Discovery center, they confirm and reconfirm that dating abuse is just not okay.

Our pediatric neuroscience department was managed by a fraudster.  John Bzdil pleaded guilty on Tuesday for defrauding Columbia for $180,000 used for personal expenses.

Miller Theatre has a “new” director.  Granted, she was the acting director since October.

A Columbian is related to the host of the most listened-to radio show in America.  “Now please stop judging me by my last name.”

Senior Justin Floyd revealed his taste for conservative dress to Meredith Vieira.

-Photo via masternewmedia.org

The J-School just got bitch-slapped by recent campus visitor/Entertainment Weekly founding editor Jeff Jarvis. For its new blog The Local, the New York Times decided to partner with the City University of New York, where Jarvis is head of interactive journalism, instead of Columbia. Oh snap!

As New York Magazine reported, the J-School has had a difficult time adapting to computers, trying to balance instruction in new media with silly things like objectivity.

On the first day of class, the head of Columbia’s new media program Ari Goldman reportedly went as far as to say “F*ck new media.” Yeah, screw all that linking to ridiculous videos and inappropriate post tagging…

-DJB

Bwog Print Devotee Chloe Eichler was in the audience when Joanna Coles, editor-in-chief of Marie Claire and straight-faced Tilda Swinton doppelganger, visited the Journalism School on Thursday to offer thoughts on her chosen medium.

Despite calling print media “an absolutely terrible market to get into,” Coles was confident that newspapers and magazines would stay alive. She began by describing her years as a reporter in London and New York, starting at her local newspaper at age ten. Coles recommended every paper have a children’s section to galvanize the next generation of reporters, noting that “in England, we grow up on a very rigorous diet of newspapers” that inspires a “tremendous interest in the news.” She praised blogs for giving young writers exposure (and doubling readership of Marie Claire through artful networking).

Coles labeled journalism “an isolating job” that requires access to people inaccessible to everyone, including other reporters. An enormous amount of travel, language, and diplomacy can be necessary. Coles stressed the unpredictability of a journalist’s career path; her own big break came when she filled in on The Late Show for a writer who had died of a heart attack that day. That’s profiting from someone else’s misfortune. Read more…

Media mogul John Kluge (who you may remember gave CC a ridiculous amount of money) has announced that he will subsidize yet another of Columbia’s fine institutions–the Journalism School. A paltry $20 million of his 400 mil gift to the university will go to finishing the J-school’s $100 million Second Century campaign. The money also guaranteed that Columbia will receive some money ($5 million) from Leonard Tow.

Now that the J-school has so much cash on hand, they won’t be too disappointed to look at the stock prices for the Times or the Post over the past month. Print journalists–beware!

Our new friends at this J-School blog have spotted a TV schedule for tonight’s forum on one of the trailers on Broadway. Industrious aspiring journalists that they are, they have summarized the preliminary order of events. What you need to know:

• The candidates will not speak until 8 p.m. (McCain) and 9 p.m. (Obama) respectively. Each has about an hour for their speeches.
  
• The preceding hour will be mostly taken up by introductions of various kinds, including New York Governor David Patterson (who apparently plans to introduce a new service initiative) and Tobey Maguire (best known for playing fictional Columbia student Peter Parker).
  
• PrezBo’s intro will be at 7:30.  

To see the rest of the schedule (including a photo of the actual minute-by-minute sheet), head on over to that J-School blog.

Do you increase Columbia’s net worth?  Or should the admissions officer have accepted Joe State in your place?

Capitalism: keeping America on top!  What’s that you say China?  You are going to launch the Bird Nest into space?

Money: keeping the J-School on top!  But are there going to be any newspapers left?

Manhattanville’s consumer confidence decreases: losing property and can’t afford public transit.  But worry not, fair reader, Prezbo did a little work while chilling in Vermont.

Bwog just got shut out of the Journalism School auditorium where they’re formally handing out the medals, but the Pulitzer Prize committee has just announced its winners, each recieving a cool $10 grand.

The guest list read like a who’s who of journalism: a J-School dean, the Associated Press Executive Director, a former TIME magazine Editor-in-Chief, publishers, professors…and Walter Cronkite. The audience was probably more illustrious than your average lecture-hall crowd, too. Only one person there had any executive power to do anything, but free speech is always good, right?

The “Media Reform” buzzword has been bandied about liberally in the last few years, but even those leading lights of journalism weren’t able to come up with a definition of what it really means at today’s Media Reform conference, a succession of panels convened in the J-School’s third floor auditorium. The venerable Walter Cronkite, speaking to a reverential silence that overlooked a decline in his diction since his days on the air, intoned against the “sound bite culture that turns political campaigns into political theater,” while Seattle Times publisher Frank Blethen warned of a “crisis of democracy” brought on by media consolidation (although his own Seattle Times company owns six papers in two states). The main contrarian, Northeastern University professor Ben Compaine, argued for a pure free-market approach–but noted that he felt like “Ahmadinejad walking into a synagogue in Tel Aviv” sitting in a room full of public interest-oriented scriveners. Read more…

Winner of a bronze medal at the 2002 Olympics, figure skater Timothy Goebel, 25, (the first American to land a quadruple jump in competition, and the first skater in the world to land a quadruple salchow) is enrolling at GS this Fall. Now that he’s broken all the records, Goebel will strip off the flashy spandex to don a tailored suit. He plans to major in finance and pursue a career in investment banking.

At least he realized his childhood dream before selling out.

In other news, Columbia researchers have been paid close to $17 million to research arsenic.

And there’s a nasty squabble brewing at the J-school. Two editors quit managing a website associated with the Columbia Journalism Review after funding was cut in half to give more money to the print mag. New media proponents are outraged.

Thanks to Prem Mittal for the tips.

At promptly 3 pm at the Graduate School of Journalism, Sig Gissler,
administrator of the Pulitzer Prizes, announced the 2006 winners. By
announced, I mean that press kits that had a list of winners and other
information about them were made available to those present. And by those
present, I mean approximately ten journalists and a dozen other people
affiliated with the school. All of the journalists then proceeded to open
their cell phones and read the winners to their respective news
organizations. Overheard: “Yes, you were a finalist in Public Service.
Bye.” “You’ve never heard of Mike Luckovich? I don’t know what rock you
live under.”
Read more…