Journalism

Okay, it's pet peeve time.

I get most of my news from the Internet because I despise television. I get a surprising lead on stories, of all places, Facebook. Granted, I take it with a grain of salt and look for additional corroborating sources -- even those are not really to be trusted. Some day I will go back an revisit some of the false flag events but don't want to get side-tracked.

Two things one about posting and a short discussion about videography.
If you make a post about an event:


You may be linking to your own page that somehow provides you with a revenue source. Good for you. I support that. Chances are good that I will go to the full article because, as I've pointed out, I don't trust things I read and will want to know if this is an opinion, if it's news with solid facts, etc.

• If you want to be taken seriously, if you want me to continue to visit your page and develop some trust in what you post PLEASE follow these simple guidelines:
• WHO  If you're talking about an agency, let's take police for example, identify the specific agency involved. Just because something happened in the greater metropolitan area of Seattle doesn't mean it was Seattle Police. It could be King County Sheriff, Department of Homeland Security, or a host of surrounding agencies that might have assisted.
• WHAT  Your headline and your comment should agree and give me the reason to follow the link or look at the video. 
• WHEN  Is this fresh news? Did it happen in 2011? Are you fucking with me and trying to make a point about the confiscation of firearms at Lexington and Concord in 1775 but writing it so that I think marshal law has just been declared. Save that shit for The Onion. You're not good at it. They are.
• WHERE  Always lead your story with the location, including the state. There are 25 cities or regions in the United States called Auburn.  There are also two in Canada.  If you did your readers the kindness of opening with Auburn (doesn't happen often) you could at least add a quick comma space and the two-character state postal code.  Auburn, WA is quite a ways away from Auburn, AL. 
• WHY  I'm really just putting these last two here for continuity with common journalistic practices. I will add that you should be clear on any commentary that you make. If you're trying to use sarcasm or irony, know how to do it. Many people think they know but end up writing confusing or misleading shit.
• HOW  Don't skimp on important details. You run the risk of becoming irrelevant, just like the local news. Provide links to original source material or other stories but don't make it so that I have to click three different links to find out how something happened when you could have just told me. But back up your information, even if you use footnotes. I am particularly impressed when someone includes a link to the entire court filing paperwork. 

And now a word about videos.  If you're holding a camera and shooting the video of someone else's interaction then SHUT THE FUCK UP. Your running commentary is not needed and a distraction. If you're shooting the video and you are a participant in the interaction, consider having a backup camera person if you anticipate a newsworthy event happening. Protests, cop-blocking, political meetings are all perfect examples of this. You want someone else getting footage of some official strong-arming you, don't you?

If you're using your phone, for the love of all that is sacred and holy, hold the phone so you're shooting landscape mode. Even if you have to hand your phone to someone, say "hold it sideways" and they will know what to do.

If you are making videos that you want to be taken seriously,learn how to use your phone, Practice with it. If you can't hold it steady, find someone to teach you. There are settings on my phone that I've never heard of and don't know how to quickly change. I don't video record and I won't until I learn how to do it. That's what friends are for. Bring a friend who knows how to use their camera and keep their mouth shut.

Okay, I'm done bitching.