Today was my first day on the picket lines.In many ways it felt like primary school on worker's rights. When Tanja first asked me to get involved with "The Writer's Strike Chronicles" I found myself both excited and a bit frightened. I've been out of school for a few years now and if my brain was once a saturated sponge soaked with knowledge, it now appears to be hard and stiff with bits of food still clinging to it. Even when approaching the writing of this blog, I've felt a bit hesitant. I mean many people reading this are writers damn it! What if my subject tenses are incorrect? What if I use the wrong homophone and look like an idiot?
I also had my reservations about conducting interviews. While I do host another podcast focusing on the careers of alumni from my college (it's called "The Emerson Mobcast" for those of you that are interested) I am certainly no pro. Others may dabble in toy airplanes or comic book collections and I am a journalistic hobbiest. So I had my concerns. I mean, I make cartoon voices for a living...what on earth makes me feel qualified to call myself the "media"!?!
But something about the energy down at those picket lines made me think differently. With the advent of new media and the changing role digital technology plays in our lives, many things are being redefined, including media. This is truly a monumental time in the history of the entertainment industry and yet the mainstream news media doesn't seem agree. So perhaps it is up to the "average Joe's" to get the scoop on what's really going down at the picket lines.
I did a quick search on www.dictionary.com to define the term "citizen journalism". Here's what I found.
"Citizen Journalism: the collection, analysis, reporting, or disseminating of news and information outside of traditional professional journalism organizations."
Just think, prior to the web, I would have had to actually get up and find the dictionary! ;o)
So maybe, just maybe, now IS the time for people like me to help get the word out. Perhaps just by acting as a conduit for people to tell their stories, I might be able to help disseminate information to the public. At any rate, it sure is good to be soaking in new information.
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