FCC Vote Praised as Saving Jobs, Ownership Diversity

Dade Column for The Root Pledges Social Media Engagement

Corey Dade, contributing editor at The Root, is starting a new politics blog on the site that is to debut on Thursday, Journal-isms was told Monday by Lyne Pitts, who disclosed that she has been promoted from interim managing editor to managing editor of The Root.

"Corey will report, primarily, on the important political news stories of the day, and then break issues down with his ‘Take’ on what's really behind the story and why it should matter," Pitts said by email, adding that the blog is to appear Mondays and Thursdays. "If he’s got opinions on other topics, from race to culture to sports, he’ll weigh in on those as well.

"Folks can also follow him @TheTakeBlog or @theRoot."

Dade, who was formerly at NPR and the Wall Street Journal, added by email, "The Take will replace Blogging the Beltway and will be written solely by me. Its format will be a bit different than most blogs.

"We're trying to strike a balance between sharp analysis, variety and brevity for a digital audience that wants insight that cuts through the spin but lacks the time or the inclination to read longer, in-depth pieces on a single topic.

"So each blog post will present 3 to 5 different news items. Each item will have two parts: the first will lay out the news itself, in a balanced and 'straight' report consistent with any traditional news article; the second provide 'The Take,' analysis and opinion of that news.

"Most news-related sources provide one or the other (news or analysis/opinion). The Take will aim to deliver a one-two combination that gives people a bit more sustenance. Many readers appreciate receiving the news and analysis in one sitting. Hopefully it will provide a more efficient, still fulfilling experience for them.

"In addition, The Take will have robust social media engagement. We'll use the platforms to engage people between blog posts and drive discussions that will find their way into future blog posts. One feature will be 'What'd I miss?' offering readers the chance to correct us when needed, provide additional perspective or just take us on. Readers appreciate seeing their questions and viewpoints answered responsibly. We'll endeavor to do that because it will be critical to the success of The Take to open a two-way conversation with readers and stakeholders."

Pitts, a television news veteran who joined The Root in September, said she had been named managing editor in February.

Short Takes

• "Military police detained a Blade reporter and a photographer Friday outside the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center and confiscated the photographer’s cameras,"Nolan Rosenkrans reported Friday for the Blade in Toledo, Ohio. "Blade reporter Tyrel Linkhorn and photographer Jetta Fraser said they went to the driveway entrance of the tank plant operated by General Dynamics' Land Systems on Friday afternoon. They stayed outside the plant's gate and did not pass an unmanned guard shack. The pair were leaving when they were stopped by military police. After protest by The Blade, U.S. Sen. Rob Portman's office made a call to General Dynamics. Keith Deters, manager of the plant, said Friday evening he was able to persuade the military police to release the cameras after they reviewed the photographs. . . ." Fraser is the daughter of retired New York Times journalist C. Gerald Fraser.
  
  
• Rick Hancock, who last year left the Hartford (Conn.) Courant, where he was digital platform manager, to join the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's digital staff, is "jumping full time into running a startup that I co-founded in 2012 in Connecticut," Hancock told Atlanta readers on Friday. "This isn't my first startup, but I think this one has the most promise. I'll also be doing some digital media consulting and training for a few Atlanta companies." Hancock told Journal-isms by email, "While I'll always love journalism my true passion and dream has always been to run my own company. . . ." The website, mymobilelyfe.com, "is looking for great storytellers. Our focus is on connecting companies with people on the go. If you can craft a compelling story for our clients that will reach people on their mobile phones, tablets, wearable technology or even in their smart cars we want to hear from you," the site says.
  
  
• In New York, "While the ratings remain subpar at WPIX, Tuned In has learned that consultant Vickie Burns has left the building,"Jerry Barmash reported Saturday for his Tuned In site. News Director Mark Effron told Journal-isms by telephone Monday that Burns, who has been a news manager in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles, "was very helpful. She did a great job. Vickie was doing some informal consulting for the company."


• In Wilmington, N.C., the premiere of the National Newspaper Publishers Association – CashWorks HD Productions documentary, "Pardons of Innocence: The Wilmington Ten" is scheduled for Saturday at UNC Wilmington's Kenan Auditorium. The two-hour screening, scheduled for 9:30 a.m., is free. Doors open at 9 a.m. "The documentary recounts the history surrounding the troubled desegregation of New Hanover County Public schools during the late 1960s through 1971, which evolved into the false prosecution of eight black male students, a white female community organizer, and a fiery civil rights activist, Rev. Benjamin Chavis, for protesting racial injustice," an announcement says. "We will be traveling the state and nation, showing this film on college campuses, at theaters, churches, and anywhere we're invited, to educate our community about the power of the Black Press," reporter Cash Michaels messaged Journal-isms.
  
  
• "A.J. Daulerio, a former editor of Gawker and Defamer, plans to launch a network of sites under the brand name Ratter, with city-specific sites for Los Angeles, San Francisco and New York,"Johana Bhuiyan reported Friday for capitalnewyork.com. "Daulerio, who was editorial director of entertainment and music at Spin Media until October, said the sites will train a local tabloid sensibility on stories with national and global viral potential. . . . "
  
  
• "HLN is the latest cable channel looking to break into the increasingly crowded late night talk/variety show game,"Alex Weprin reported Monday for capitalnewyork.com. "The channel, which is in the middle of a rebranding, has shot a pilot for a talk show called 'Weekly Mashup,' hosted by KIIS D.J. Chuey Martinez, according to a source familiar with the project. . . ." KIIS-FM is based in Los Angeles.
  
  
• "ABC News 'Good Morning America' Weekend anchor Ron Claiborne is going back to school today,"Chris Ariens reported Monday for TVNewser. Claiborne "along with WPVI anchor/reporter Tamala Edwards will spend the better part of their day at Glen Mills Schools outside Philadelphia. Glen Mills is the oldest residential school in the U.S. for court referred students. Claiborne and Edwards, along with producers, photographers and editors from WPVI, will guide six teams of students who will shoot one of three assigned stories. They will then critique and dissect the students' work and give feedback on how to report a TV news story, then write and edit it. . . ."
  
  
• "Three al-Jazeera journalists who have been jailed in Egypt were again denied bail on Monday, despite the prosecution's failure to bring crucial video evidence to the trial for the third session in a row,"Patrick Kingsley reported for Britain's Guardian newspaper. "Hopes were high for a conditional release after Peter Greste, Mohamed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed were allowed for the first time to leave their defendants' cage and make impassioned face-to-face pleas before the judge. But to the surprise of the courtroom, the judge again refused their requests and adjourned the trial until 10 April. . . ."
  
  
• March 21 was the U.N. International Day for Elimination of Racism, and to commemorate the day, Philip Probity and Ahmed Mohh M. posted a conversation with Dr. Kusum Gopal, an anthropologist who has served as a U.N. expert and technical adviser. The dialogue began with the question, "Why is there so much racism directed specifically against Africans in India?" In discussing how racism is manifested around the world, Gopal attributed much to European colonialism and its legacy. "We must address collectively as a people our instinctive self-loathing and how it has consequences on questions of ethics, on aesthetics which disinherits and disenfranchises us," she said.
  
  
• The Leadership Institute of the Center for American Progress, a Washington think tank, is accepting applications for the upcoming class of 2015 Leadership Institute Fellows. The Institute, led by Sam Fulwood III, formerly of the Plain Dealer in Cleveland and the Los Angeles Times, "seeks to shape the development and implementation of progressive public policies by increasing the ranks of policy experts drawn from communities of color. Our goal is to increase the participation of racial and ethnic minorities — who are vital to the nation’s future growth and prosperity — among the thinkers, shapers, and planners at every level of government, nonprofit organizations, media, and other groups that influence public policy. The application deadline is July 18.