Is Obama Still the Big Man on Campus?

President Obama made inroads with college students and young voters during his 2008 presidential campagin. Students were eager to play a role in making history. But does Obama still have the magic? Will college students get out the vote for him? Will college students sacrifice their time and energy like they did four years ago? High unemployment, a stagnant job market, increased student loan debt may curb enthusiasm for Obama's hope and change message. What do you think?

Weiner's Whining

Is it just me? Don't people realize that EVERYTHING you put on social media is public. Forget security passcodes, passwords, security protection software, spyware --- blah, blah, blah. It's best to assume that you are screaming your inner most thoughts from the top of the Empire State Building. Weiner should know better. The lead on The Washington Post story about the Congressman's resignation said it best: the same media he used to call attention to his work in Congress are the same media that prompted his political demise. Your thoughts?

Should Obama Show bin Laden Photos?

Controversy continues to swirl around President Barack Obama's decision not to release photos of slain terrorist Osama bin Laden, saying that to do so could be seen as inflammatory. The photos pit the public's right to know against the chief executive's responsibility to keep that same public safe.

Here's my take: Release the photos to the National Archives, the Library of Congress, the Pentagon or some other secure federal repository. Those who wish to view the photos must request a viewing in writing 90 days in advance, must undergo a background check and must be granted a security clearance from the repository.

Before actually viewing the photos, the person must undergo a pat down to ensure they are not in possession of any recording devices, view the photos in a secured room under the watchful eyes of an armed guard, and must be re-frisked when they leave the room.

This will separate those who have a historic, journalistic or intellectual interest in the photos from yahoos with nothing better to do.  What's your take?

Live Blogging Osama bin Laden's Slaying

Aspiring online journalists got a real-life lesson in the power of Twitter in the news coverage of the slaying of Osama bin Laden. With news reports that a Twitter user in Abbottabad, Pakinstan unsuspectingly live blogged the takedown of the U.S.'s public enemy number one, students learned the power they hold in thier hands: social networks are just as powerful as news media networks.

Books Every Aspiring Journalist Must Own

So you want to be a journalist? Here is a list of must-have books:

The Associated Press Stylebook --- The news writing industry bible.

Elements of Style by Strunk and White --- The English major's best friend.

Working with Words by Brooks, Pinson and Wilson --- If the AP Stylebook and Elements of Style had a kid, this would be it.

On Writing Well by William Zinsser --- Don't leave college without it.

Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life by Anne Lamott --- Meditations on the writing life.

A pocket dictionary, thesarus and spelling book --- Technology is great, that is when it works.

Please send a comment with your top picks!

BSU Online Journalism Students "Live" Blog iPad2 Launch Event

Bowie State University students in the Department of Communications' Online Journalism class simulated live blogging the iPad2 launch event. The students viewed a clip via http://www.apple.com/ of Steve Jobs' launch of the Apple iPad 2 in March. The students watched the clip projected on a video screen while seated at their PCs and "live" blogged the event. The students then uploaded the posts to their blogs they created earlier in the semester. The exercise was a mash up of traditional reporting, online writing and on-demand delivery. This is more evidence of the blurring of the line between legacy and online journalism.

Sights, Sound, Effects Merge in Movie Maker Project

Bowie State University students are setting their memories to music and special effects as they create animated slide presentations with the Microsoft Windows Movie Maker software program. The 20 students in the Department of Communications' Publication Design and Production course are using digital photos from Facebook pages and digital audio and digital video from their iPhones and iPads to create 3- to 5-minute visual presentations for their final projects. The course is taught each spring by Prof. Karima Haynes, coordinator of the Print Journalism concentration.