Current TV takes video blogging a step further

by Lexi Matsui
Taking YouTube.com one step farther, Current.tv broadcasts the average Joe's videos on television. Launched on Aug. 1, 2005, Current is slowly becoming youth culture's best kept secret. Perhaps the most innovative aspect of the company, which aims its content at audiences aged 18 to 34, is its famous viewer-created content (VC2). On the site's "Watch and Vote" section, viewers can upload their own three to seven-minute podcasts, which are then voted on by other users. The top-rated videos are then aired on the company's television station, which reaches an estimated 30,000 viewers. Those podcasts that make it onto television award the creator $500 for their first and second selection, $750 for their third, and $1,000 for subsequent submissions.
-Interested in Lexi Matsui's article? Contact her at amm2188@columbia.edu

Bloggers Beware: Internet libel lawsuits--What the blogosphere can learn from its most sued blogger

by Bess Kargman
For nearly a decade, Luke Ford has been chronicling the porn industry on his blog. Now, he's the most hated guy in porn. In "Bloggers Beware: Internet libel lawsuits--What the blogosphere can learn from its most sued blogger," Bess Kargman interviews Ford and his pro bono attorney, Justin Levine. It turns out that most bloggers don't realize the legal dangers lurking in the blogosphere--the past few years have turned up almost 50 "blogsuits" and the number keeps growing.
-Interested in Bess Kargman's podcast? Contact her at brk2101@columbia.edu

Blogs: Getting The Scoop

by Stephanie Merry
Are blogs increasingly beating mainstream media to the punch? With cases such as Comedy Central's scoop on Donald Rumsfield's resignation or even the falsified military documents that led to Dan Rather’s resignation, it seems so. Or, are these cases mere anomalies? Whether bloggers see themselves as journalists or not, they certainly serve as influential catalysts, complicating the role of mainstream media. Stephanie Merry explores the how of it all in this article, "Blogs: Getting the Scoop."
-Interested in Stephanie Merry's article? Contact her at sam2178@columbia.edu

"Blogsuits" What Effect will Libel Threat Have on the Blogosphere?

by Bess Kargman
Bess Kargman's podcast explores the power of the blogosphere and the rights and responsibilities that come with this power. Kargman interviews Robert Cox, founder and president of the Media Bloggers Association, along with two First Amendment Attorneys, Mark Randazza and Julie Hilden, about "blogsuits" and their potential implications on citizen journalists. (Click play below to preview Bess Kargman's podcast)
-Interested in Bess Kargman's podcast? Contact her at brk2101@columbia.edu