Carl Setzer

I have grave concerns after reading this article: High School Forces Student to Remove Online Photos Under Threat of Suspension . Without being able to see the work in question, it's hard to form a full conclusion. At best, this principal needs a major primer in public affairs. From what I've read and seen, though, the principal in question has exceeded his legal reach, and escaped ethical boundaries. Photos taken at public events (and a district meet/game is a public event) are the property of the photographer. Perhaps these were taken with school gear, and ownership becomes a little trickier. Maybe, but not really. Fair use is fairly clear. It doesn't appear that this young man was making money directly off these images. For a photographer, the online portfolio is critical. It is THE vehicle, anymore, to generate awareness and recognition. This principal's actions provide a major impediment towards this young man's pursuit of his passion, to build a photography ...

Hearing the horrific news about ISIS' murder of journalist James Foley gives me pause. What do these folks hope to accomplish? Do they really believe they instill terror in us? Perhaps they're deluded such. If so, they really are pitiful. No, our collective response is one of horror and repulsion. I don't know. Madness.  Ultimately, it'll solely serve to deepen our focus, our resolve. Sadly, it will also serve as fuel for those who vilify all Muslims, painting the entire faith with the broadest of brushes. I guess, ultimately, it will serve to delude these thugs, this taste of power. They'll feel their power flutter behind the cowardly masks. And they will vanish, empty save for the horrors within their souls. 

Just read " Why Pierre Omidyar decided to join forces with Glenn Greenwald for a new venture in news " over at Jay Rosen's PressThink . So much of this makes me near giddy. The potential: amazing! Combining key stakeholders within both the online business sector ( Pierre Omidyar founded eBay, for you who don't know. And I'd like to think any reader here would know Glenn's work. If not, here's his Wikipedia article. These are the higher profile collaborators. Read the article for a more in-depth list). Not many details released yet, I expect that these are getting hashed out as we speak. their motivations, though, and the backgrounds of the collaborators are what give me the most excitement. This combination of talent presents an amazing opportunity to deeply innovate this space. Both from a financial side (let's face it, modern news has struggled with finding a sustainable financial model) as well as deeply utilizing elements of the modern web cult...

Matthew Keys , the deputy social media editor for Reuters, has been let go ( Mr. Keys' description of that event is here ). As with all things like this, discerning the truth will take some time. We don't have Reuters side, and most likely won't until the union grievance is resolved. The details listed on his Tumblr post give me pause, though. It seems Reuters' beefs centered around his Twitter postings surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings. Each item seems to have a logical rebuttal, which always raises my eyebrows. I can sense there are gaps here, but there's not enough detail yet to read between the proverbial lines. One thing, though, I wonder about is how this affects Twitter's relationship with journalism. It seems that Mr. Keys mostly aggregated information from police scanners, as well as other tweets. This is an endeavor that makes accuracy tough. Yet, I'd argue, there's deep value. Yes, we, as citizens and media consumers, need to recogn...

I just read a Tweet about " Twitter being the future of journalism ". Well, it's really the "now" of journalism. Right now. Perhaps it's a great time for one of my favorite Wil Wheaton quips, "I love living in the future". Crowdsourcing is one of the greatest pieces of the Internet age. Whether we're talking about open source software, raising funds, or news, the power of the collective amazes me. The downside stems from volume, and the ability of malevolent players to perform mischief. Yet those voices tend towards discovery with amazing speed. Hard to gauge how all this will evolve. But the journalistic game changed, radically and permanently. I label this whole phenomena "digitized democracy". Voices become equalized. So, just a few random thoughts which I intend to flesh out further. I hope you have wonderful Fridays.

I just read a piece over at Cross-Cut about the Perugia Public Prosecutor's use of his office to harass members of the press . Let me start by stating, though I reside in Seattle, I have no skin the Amanda Know case. I don't know Ms. Knox or her family, and have no standing to offer any critique of the case, either pro or con (so please, I don't care to debate it...not my bailiwick, so to speak). So, this is not about the murder case. No, it's much bigger: freedom of the press. This cornerstone of democracy looks to be under serious threat in Italy. I find it particularly disturbing that Mr. Mignini, the aforementioned prosecutor, an agent of the government, is so aggressively seeking to undermine core democratic underpinnings. This is someone who has an inherent responsibility towards these principles. To see him trample upon them pains me deeply. The destructive impact of this in manifold, and not just in Italy. The Committee To Protect Journalists has written to...

Another piece of the Free Roxana campaign . A nice piece of work by James Buck .