Cell Phone Video Makes the Difference in Oscar Grant case

In the end, it may be the cell phone that makes the difference in Oscar Grant's death. Without it, it's likely that 22-year old father would have been just another anonymous black man who ended up dead after a run in with law enforcement.
Instead, as Grant lay face down on the platform of a Bay Area Rapid Transit station, a handful of passengers pulled out their cell phones and hit record, capturing the moment that a BART officer shot him in the back, killing him.

 

LinkedIn: Essential Equipment for Your Job Search

Don’t make the mistake my job-seeking friend did. She isn’t on LinkedIn yet because she’s waiting to be invited. 

Tom Ballantyne (05/14/09)

A different set of eyes

Recently, after talking to several different peers of mine I was once again reminded of how one's ethnicity, upbringing and surrounding environment can result in people having different perspectives on the same situation. For example, when Oscar Grant was shot and killed in front of hundreds of citizens at the Fruitvale Bart Station in Oakland there was only one thought racing through my head: another example of racially motivated police brutality.

Lindsey Caldwell (05/04/09) 

HuffPro ups the ante

Arianna Huffington launched a new nonprofit venture focused specifically on investigative journalism. The Huffington Post Investigative Fund will be headed by Nick Penniman, founder of the American News Project, which will be folded into the fund.

Woody Lewis (04/22/09)

"Diversity isn't only off the front-burner, it's not even in the kitchen."

Dori Maynard As newspaper companies struggle with advertisers and audiences continuing to migrate to the web, the horrifying and at times mind-numbing rate at which the industry appeared to be imploding has take the question of diversity virtually off the table. As one newspaper CEO said to me a while back, "Diversity isn't only off the front-burner, it's not even in the kitchen."

Dori Maynard (04/13/09)

Free the Press

The velocity of commentary increases every week. First, there was Clay Shirky's excellent piece on the future of newspapers. Now, there's a piece in the Nation, written by John Nichols and Robert W. McChesney, that comes close to being a manifesto for the movement to save the papers.

Woody Lewis (04/07/09)

Death of a Salesman, or death of a product?

Selling the new world: Bloggers weigh in on the future of journalism in general, and newspapers in particular.

Woody Lewis (03/29/09)

Cable cutters: A lesson for newspapers?

The New York Times reports that a number of people in the metropolitan area no longer pay for cable television. While the monthly cost is more noticeable in today's economy, especially for recent college grads who might be out of work, the fact that this cohort looks increasingly to Web sites such as Hulu for their programs is significant, not just for cable companies, but also for newspapers.

Woody Lewis (03/15/09)

New Information on the Death of Journalist Chauncy Bailey

Thomas Peele of the Chauncey Bailey Project reports that, according to a statement taken by the Alameda County District Attorney's office from a confidential informant, Yusuf Bey IV, former leader of Your Black Muslim Bakery, bragged about ordering the murder of Bailey in 2007.

(03/07/2009)

Future of Journalism Discussed at NY Times Social Media Conference

After opening remarks from New York Times CEO Janet Robinson, Tim O'Reilly spoke about the digital future of newspapers.

Woody Lewis (2/24/08)

Soundbites to Solutions, A Panel Discussion on Diversity and the 2008 Election

The White House Project, The Women's Media Center and The Maynard Institute for Journalism Education Present:

"From Soundbites to Solutions: Bias, Punditry and the Press in the 2008 Election"

Reflections on the Power of Diversity in Journalism and Society

As I try to define diversity myself, I wonder what diversity means to others. (08/25/08) By Diana Cruz

The Maynard Institute 30th Anniversary: Celebrating Diversity in Journalism

View video of conversation between Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., Publisher of the New York Times, and Dorothy Gilliam, co-Founder of the Maynard Institute, at the Maynard Institute's "30 Years and Counting" Breakfast at the Unity Convention 2008, July 25th, 2008, Chicago, Il.

One-Year Anniversary of the Murder of Chauncey Bailey

The Maynard Institute and the Chauncey Bailey Project recognize August 2, 2008 as the one-year anniversary of the murder of Chauncey Bailey. View video for more information about the current state of the investigation.

Wil Pomart (08/01/08) 

Video: Unity Convention 2008

Video from the Unity Convention 2008 by Robert Lopez. View interviews of conference attendees, conference panels, and conference social events. (07/30/08)

Barack Obama speaking event at Unity 2008 in Chicago

As the crowd awaits the appearance of Barack Obama at the Unity Convention in Chicago, 1980s music is blasted out into the large ballroom at McCormick Center West.

Kara Andrade (07/27/08) 

Photos from the 'Unity Convention 2008' Journalism Conference

Opening Reception, Maynard Institute "30 Years and Counting" Breakfast, and more.

Harris Rashid (07/25/08)

Thoughts on Diversity

As I witness the percentage of international students enrolled in the SFSU College of Business Graduate Programs quickly climb to nearly 50 percent of the student body population, I'm reminded of how diversity contributes positively to the learning experience. For instance, I greatly appreciate the cultural differences that often lead to engaging classroom discussions and the occasional passionate debate. (07/11/2008)

King Juan Carlos Speaks on Diversity and Sports Media in the US and Europe

It might seem like a paradox that my ties to the continent where I was born strengthened, rather than weakened, after the five years I have spent in the U.S. Regardless of my present residence, I follow the news from the other side of the pond more avidly than I do that from Washington, D.C. (07/08/2008)

Driving Up Results With Diversity

Truly, understanding diversity is important not only for appreciating a mix of co-workers. The more important lesson from the seminar is that having a large number of diverse employees puts the force in the workforce.
N.I. Stern, May 12, 2008

Multimedia Editing Program Fellowships Available
Twelve fellowships to attend the Maynard Institute’s Multimedia Editing Program are available to journalists from small and medium size publications. The fellowships are made possible by a three-year grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation. The Multimedia Editing Program runs from June 1 - July 10 at the Reynolds School of Journalism at the University of Nevada, Reno. The program will equip participants to help their news organizations strengthen the print product and build a robust online presence.
[more...]
Much of today's media coverage breaks the country into black and white, North and South, male and female. Doing so fails to capture the complexity of American life that journalists need to portray.



Based on the late Robert C. Maynard's belief that the five fault lines of race, class, gender, generation and geography are the most enduring forces shaping lives, experiences and social tensions in this country, the Maynard Institute's Fault Lines framework helps journalists build a more diverse source list, have more voices in stories and determine which fault lines are at work in complex issues.


[more...]
Black History Project
Stories of the African American journalists who broke into media during the '60s and '70s.
Caldwell Journals
An account of the pioneers who broke the color barrier in America's newspapers
Ed Bradley
View video from his interview as part of the Black Journalists Movement Project

Black History Month and Beyond documents and preserves the stories of those courageous African American journalists who broke into general circulation media during the turbulent 1960s and 1970s. [more...]

Martin Reynolds
View an interview with Martin Reynolds, Managing Editor at the Oakland Tribune.
Media Academy
View video from the Maynard Media Academy at Harvard University
Chauncey Bailey
View video and more from the Chauncey Bailey Project
History Project
Stories of the African American journalists who broke into media during the '60s and '70s.
Caldwell Journals
An account of the pioneers who broke the color barrier in America's newspapers
Ed Bradley
View video from his interview as part of the Black Journalists Movement Project