Congratulations to Mike Keller and Joshua Norman

And to the rest of the Sun Herald for winning a 2006 Pulitzer Prize.

Awarded to the Sun Herald, Biloxi, Miss., for its valorous and comprehensive coverage of Hurricane Katrina, providing a lifeline for devastated readers, in print and online, during their time of greatest need.

You might remember these guys from Dancing with Katrina, and from Mike’s mooning of Katrina. I guess I can say I knew them (or at least Mike, whom I know a little better) from my Columbia days in 2005.

And with that, they bid you farewell:

We stayed in the newsroom through the storm, were out in the shit every day for weeks, cried more times than I’d care to recount (although Keller’d never admit it), and had our hands in as much as half of the articles that went out from our paper in the weeks afterwards. I feel more than confident in saying that we contributed mightily to the win.

No, this blog’s content had nothing to do with the win, technically. Our editors have long since distanced themselves from it, and we never do it during work or allow our work here to trump what we do for the paper.

However, we did bring great notoriety to the paper. We did provide insight into the region that was unavailable elsewhere, and for that I feel like we contributed to the win and for that I am proudest.

This blog was great to do.

My hat is off to you and the rest of the Sun Herald’s staff. Congratulations, gentlemen.

Want to work for Penthouse?

This just came over the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism alum listserv:

Managing Editor, Penthouse Variations. The Penthouse Media Group, a bi-coastal publishing and multimedia company globally recognized as a premier brand in adult entertainment seeks a managing editor to join its dynamic Editorial Team. This is a rare and ideal opportunity for a talented individual to become part of something special. Assist Executive Editor with editorial production on a daily basis, as well as trafficking monthly production components. Line edit and proofread copy throughout various stages of production. Act as liaison between the editorial and legal departments. Write short-feature content on assignment. Cover Executive Editor’s absence. Four years experience as a researcher, editor, or copy editor on general-interest magazine preferred. Knowledge of magazine production; experience with InDesign a plus. Organized and detail-oriented, with an ability to work under deadline pressure. Must be able to prioritize workload throughout the day and in regard to monthly deadlines. Experience in legally vetting articles for publication. Must be comfortable working with sexually explicit material. Please e-mail cover letter and resume to [redacted].

Letters to a Young Journalist

One of my favorite professors from my Columbia days, Sam Freedman, is about to come out with his latest book: Letters to a Young Journalist.

The following passage is from the end of the Introduction:

I’m not trying to scare you off. I hope you find the challenges inspiring. When I was your age, the cachet of journalism attracted plenty of poseurs. One thing you can say about the present unpopularity of journalism is that it drives out all the uncommitted. If you’re a true believer, if this is meant to be your life’s work, then nothing and nobody can change your mind. Even in a bleak period for journalism, you can find signs of vitality—the astounding growth of NPR; the development of Salon and Slate on the Internet; the transformation of USA Today from an object of ridicule to a serious, successful national paper; the opening of twenty-four-hour cable news operations in local as well as metropolitan markets.

So don’t think journalism is going away. Delivery systems may change from paper to computer, and reporters may be renamed “content providers.” Revered and beloved publications may perish while reality-TV series thrive. But intellectual curiosity, vigorous research, acute analysis, and elegant prose will never go out of style. If anything, the shorter the supply, the more those traits will be valued.

Several years ago, while writing a book about American Jewry, I came upon a famous essay reproaching Jews for their perpetual fear of extinction; it was wryly titled “The Ever-Dying People.” During my years as a Times reporter, I covered Broadway, which for decades thought itself so close to demise that it was nicknamed “The Fabulous Invalid.” One of the hit shows while I was on the Page 12 beat, “A Chorus Line,” has a piquant moment you might appreciate. A dancer named Bebe has just been cast for a show, and naturally enough she feels like celebrating. Yet all around her the rest of the chorus members are complaining—“no security in dancing,” “no promotion and advancement,” “no work anymore.” To which Bebe shoots back, “I don’t wanna hear about how Broadway’s dying. Because I just got here.”

Fun with the First Amendement!

Ok, so I’m proctoring some Columbia J-School exams. One of the questions is to name all five parts of the First Amendement of the Constitution of the United States. Who’s up to the challenge? Leave your answers in comments. Check your answers here.

Congrats to Rick Karr!

Yesterday, I got the following email from my former radio professor and guru, Rick Karr. Two of his favorite topics, media and technology are coming together in his three-part series on “The Future of Television” on NPR’s Day to Day, aired locally here on KQED (88.5 FM) at 11 pm. Tune in, and if you like what you hear, drop him a line!

Dear friends, trusted sources, and colleagues:

Starting on Wednesday, January 4, 2006, National Public Radio’s mid-day program “Day to Day” will begin airing my three-part series on “The Future of Television”, produced by NPR’s Nihar Patel.

Wednesday’s piece examines the ways in which technology is changing HOW we watch TV.

Thursday’s looks into how technology is altering WHAT we watch.

And Friday’s will probe technology’s impact on who PAYS for TV programming.

Please check NPR’s web site for details on where and when the show airs in your neck of the woods. If it doesn’t, you’ll be able to listen to the pieces online at NPR’s site later in the day.

To those of you who helped with the series, many thanks. And to everyone, Happy 2006!

Best,
—
Rick Karr
Correspondent, Producer, Teacher, etc.
PBS-TV, public radio, Columbia U., etc.

Cyrus Email System

Michael Rice (a buddy of mine from J-School) points to the fact that Columbia has renamed their email system:

I’m flattered. 😉

Another Columbia J-School ’05er Writes

From Channing Joseph, a New Orleans native, and classmate of mine from the Class of 2005:

I’m in New York, and most of my immediate family was able to evacuate before the storm hit. They are now scattered across the country but physically unharmed. Not all of our homes fared as well, though. The house I grew up in is beyond repair, and my uncle lost one of his dogs (whom he had left behind, thinking it would just be a temporary evacuation). I called a cousin of mine whose house was spared (and who has since moved back in), and she tells me that even my little suburb looks like a war zone. The water may not be potable for years to come, and the new New Orleans may have to make do with cuisine sans shellfish — a staple — (which easily absorb the toxic chemicals now polluting the waters). But we are trying to be optimistic, and we appreciate being in your thoughts. So far the plans are to rebuild what we can, since our property has been in the family for generations, and it seems a waste to abandon all our history.