Here is my latest update on local media stuff:
- Councillor Dave Loken and Deputy Premier Thomas Lukaszuk were both in the news last week for comments they made using social media. Premier Redford had to “have a talk” with Lukaszuk because of an inappropriate joke he made on Facebook. Loken, on the other hand, got into a pissing match with some followers on Twitter about the arena. This is news?! I don’t care that the summer news cycle is slow, this is just lazy. It’s not like this was the first time a politician had gotten into trouble for something they said online. I’m being serious here. Edmonton Journal, Edmonton Sun, and most of all Global Edmonton (who ran swiftly into the open arms of “social media expert” Karl Kovacs): were you inundated with requests for coverage of these stories? How about the rest of you? Does making a big deal out of them somehow make us better informed citizens? No! Instead, Loken will go back to saying nothing at all, and Lukaszuk will take his slap on the wrist and forget it ever happened. I’m sure nothing would make the mainstream media happier than to once again become the intermediary between politicians and citizens but that ship has sailed, no matter how dangerous you make social media look. Get over it.
- Lots of Edmontonians were sad to see that Cam Tait was one of the latest victims of the Postmedia cuts. Except he wasn’t? After lots of tweets all morning on Friday, Journal editor-in-chief Lucinda Chodan said that Tait will in fact continue to write a column for the Journal. Weird.
- The modern reporter, surrounded by laptops! That’s Metro’s Heather McIntyre, kicking it new school.
- Vue Weekly’s Best of Edmonton is now accepting your votes. Our online community gets just three categories, while the mainstream media gets fifteen. Plus lawyers get three categories, you can vote for your favorite RV dealer, and also your favorite fetish ware store. Time to rebalance the categories, perhaps?
- Paula Simons ran into the Twitter limits while live-tweeting the arena debate last week. “Apparently mistaking my witty real-time analysis for Spambot droppings, Twitter shut me down and shut me out.” Not exactly. Everyone is subject to the same limits: the most you can post in a day is 1000 tweets, but Twitter will further restrict that to about 100 an hour. “We’ve found great new ways to reach and respond to readers – but we’ve slowly, perhaps unwittingly, surrendered some of our independence and autonomy into the bargain.” Yup.
- The Art Gallery of Alberta is hiring a Digital Media Coordinator.
- Erin Isfeld is “back in the saddle” at CTV Edmonton!
- I love these behind-the-scenes photos of Global Edmonton’s “Our Summer” digital billboard campaign.
- Uh oh, Bob Stauffer has angered some Ducks fans with comments he made about Justin Schultz.
- This year, the Edmonton Corn Maze celebrates 30 years of CISN Country in Edmonton. Looks good! (larger version here)
- Sounds like the Journal is bullish on video.
- Want to be Western Living magazine’s new City Editor for Edmonton? The deadline to apply is July 31.
- I heard a lot of great things about Alex Tagliani this weekend, even though he easily beat the local media in a promotional go-kart race. “The Montreal-born driver wiped the floor with eight local news personalities…”
- Great to see some coverage of local blogger Jennifer Banks in Metro. #makejensday is a great idea!
- A lot has been written this week about the tragedy in Aurora, Colorado. Here’s my favorite so far, from Mathew Ingram. “As journalism professor Jay Rosen likes to say, journalism gets better when there are more people doing it.”
- Here’s a great shot of Ziyah Karmali and her cameraman in action at the Capital Ex Parade!
- I think every mainstream media organization has a presence at Capital Ex right now, but especially the radio stations. I won a mug by playing Lite 95.7’s plinko game!
- Want to be a speaker at WordCamp Edmonton 2012? Let us know! And stay tuned for registration to go live in the next few weeks.
- Below, Brittney Le Blanc speaks with business owners Nate Box, owner of Elm Cafe, and Lea Alcantara, owner of Lealea Design. The panel discussed how business owners should be working with their competition at the Edmonton Journal on July 18, 2012. Check out the recap here.
You can follow Edmonton media news on Twitter using the hashtag #yegmedia. For a great overview of the global media landscape, check out Mediagazer.
So, what have I missed? What’s new and interesting in the world of Edmonton media? Let me know!
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