by A.man.I

Want to know what it’s like to be profiled, cuffed up, and hauled off to jail?  Check out this post from TyroneTakesAmerica 2.0.  It’s American justice at its best.

You’re witnessing My Urban Report history. Here’s my first webcast… Just having a little fun.

My good friend, photojournalist Rod Finch is moving from WTVT-TV in Tampa to WFOR-TV in Miami. I was trying to make it to his going away party today, but it didn’t work out.  I’ll see ya in the MIA Finch.

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by A.man.I

The five-day, first ever U.S. Social Forum starts next Wednesday in Atlanta and folks are making their final plans.  The conference is bringing thousands of “progressive” groups to the ATL to begin a dialogue of how to create chance.  I imagine there will be plenty of emotional discussions about the war, poverty, and how to empower people to stand up.

I’ll be working in the media center, and I’m on one of the workshop panels, so I don’t know how much I’ll get to see, but it’s expected to a peaceful yet passionate gathering.

 One of the groups that’s participating is going to caravan across the county to symbolize the struggle for equality.  You can read about it here.

by A.man.I

This is how news travels these days.  On Wednesday I got an email about the controversy surrounding the new Fox reality show that is following wrestling vixen/model Lauren Jones’ rise to  news reporter in Tyler Texas.  The idea is, the station’s poor news ratings will increase by giving a model who knows nothing about journalism, some face time.  Brilliant!

Then, as I’m surfing for stories I run across some interesting info via the blogosphere about Jill Nicolini.  Nicolini is a traffic reporter for a NY TV station, and it appears that she modeled for Playboy back in the day.

What happened to the days of paying your dues?  I guess interning, practicing stand ups, and sending out hundreds of resume tapes is just too much work for the new news hotties.

So I say to myself, “Is the news business getting too sexy for itself?” 

by A.man.I

I just figured out that I had to approve all comments before they are posted.  Thanks to all of you who left your thoughts.  My bad for taking so long to figure it out.  I’m still getting the hang of WordPress.

by A.man.I

CNN Worldwide announced a new venture that allows viewers to make a difference when disaster strikes.  A new site launched in conjunction with World Refugee Day (June 20) empowers viewers ”Impact Your World.”  The initiative gives the audience a chance to assist when they see stories of tragedy and disaster.  Here’s a quote from the press release:

“After catastrophic events such as the tsunami in Southeast Asia and Hurricane Katrina, we saw that people no longer wanted to be passive about the news, they wanted to respond to the news,” said Jim Walton, president of CNN Worldwide. “In direct response to that demand, CNN developed the ‘Impact Your World’ initiative as a destination focused on empowering every member of our audience with the tools and resources to act the moment they connect with a CNN story and wonder, ‘What can I do?’

At the “Impact Your World” site, users can access CNN content and charitable organizations in categories that range from “Homelessness,” “Natural disasters,” to “Animals.”  It’s good to see news organizations stepping up to facilitate and promote community participation, especially when it comes to helping people in need.  If you have caring heart, check it out.