OhmyNews International

Here’s a fun way to practice your citizen journalism skills: Enter the essay contest sponsored by the Lakewood (Colo.) Historical Society.

Not only will it be a great way to use your reporting and writing skills, you also might win some of the $1,000 in prize money.

Even though the contest requests entries about Lakewood’s history, organizers say you don’t have to live in the Lakewood area to enter. You could live in Timbuktu. They don’t care. They just want your entries.

So do some research on the Internet, pick up the phone and make some calls, and write an essay about the history of Lakewood, Colo.

Contest organizers even provide a list of names to get you started, including Schnell Centennial Farms, Lakewood Brick Co., Hart’s Corner, White Fence Farm and Lakewood’s Waterways.

You will have to submit one added extra to your entry of 3,000 words or less: Endnotes, footnotes credits and/or bibliography are required.

But what have you got to lose? And you could win the $300 and $200 first and second prize awards given in each of the youth and adult categories.

For more information, visit www.historiclakewood.org or call 303.233.3050. The deadline for entries is May 15, 2012.

Susan Cormier is the co-author of the “Handbook for Citizen Journalists” (http://www.citizenjournalistnow.com/)

Gusts of Popular Feeling does it again by analyzing the borderline racist and overtly racist scapegoating of foreign English teachers in South Korea. Take this one article GoPF highlights. The headline reads

[Why] “Detecting native speaking instructors with forged diplomas” a boom for inquiry service providers

and includes this photo.

Yet the story is about “Korean-Americans” who were deported from the U.S. for rape and murder and were teaching and owning private English academies.

Stop and think about that statement.

If they were Korean-AMERICANS how could they be deported? The U.S. can’t deport its own citizens. Obviously these people were native Koreans and not Americans. But since they were convicted rapists and murderers the Korean press doesn’t want them to be Korean. And it doesn’t fit with their historical agenda of blaming foreigners for all their social ills.

GoPF brings up more examples of headlines scapegoating foreigners as criminals attached to stories that show actually how small the foreign crime rate is.

And we have another headline

A stoned native speaking instructor and my child…?!

This one starts with the arrest of an Australian teacher for drug possession and then goes back into the story of the Korean-”Americans.” It’s odd that these newspapers haven’t been able to find real foreign teachers with previous convictions of rape and murder. They’re still trying to close loopholes to keep foreign criminals out of schools even though the rapists and murders in the stories were not foreigners. GoPF wonders how Korean parents would answer this poll:

Who would you rather have teaching your children?
A) A person from our country convicted of rape or murder
B) A native speaker who habitually inhales drugs

Eye charts, Saudi school children and crocs–watch out for them.

(Video & Photos) Crocodile attacks a lawnmower (Allvoices)

Celebrity health ideas ever so wrong (Allvoices)

Saudi new textbooks teach children to cut off hand and feet (Zimbabwe Metro)

No new security planned at L.A. zoo after woman pets elephants (Global Reporter)

OMG STFU Eye Chart on Norwegian TV Newscast (NowPublic)

British woman survived for 25-years with a pen in her stomach (Allvoices)

DUMB LAWS OF AMERICA: ARIZONA (NowPublic)

CAN YOU IMAGINE CARRYING 500LBS ON YOUR BACK (CNN iReport)

The news in South Korea is all about the death of Kim Jong Il. The Korean twittersphere is as well. He reportedly died on Saturday, December 17th from fatigue during a train ride. South Korean forces have been put on high alert, and the KOSPI is taking a bit of a dive.

As for what people in Korea think, here are a few Twitter highlights:

@hanbae: Journalist friends @eieayo, @basverbeek, @rjamesyork offering color commentary on Kim Jong-il’s death. All worth a follow!

@cynthyoo: #kimjongil dies on 17th SK Pres Lee visits Japan 17-18 did both countries have no clue about Kim’s death? K-tweeps are critical of BlueHouse

@WhoAteTheSquid: I suppose if Kim Jong-il died 2+ days ago, and North Korean state TV are still staying Jong-eun is taking over, chance of coup is remote.

@tomcoyner: Kim Jong-Il is Dead – North Korea: Kim Jong-Un To Take Over; DPRK short- & mid-term future uncertain. icont.ac/NjrY

@cj_koall: Quoted from a Facebook status: “First he sinks the cheonan, now the cheon won.”

@cj_koall: Really surprised that there isn’t more of an elated reaction coming from South Korean people at the moment. No one really seems to care!

@cynthyoo: K-tweep wonders why Ri Chun-hui, the NK anchorwoman hasn’t appeared on the news since Oct19 until today’s announcement. Via @polargom

Follow us @OhMyNews_Intl for updates.

A federal judge in Oregon has ruled that a blogger could not receive protections granted to mainstream journalists because she was not affiliated with a mainstream media outlet.

While the ruling does have implications for citizen journalists and bloggers, the heart of the case revolved around defamation – a claim that isn’t protected by shield laws and that doesn’t make a distinction on the writer’s status.

To me, those folks who focus on the question of whether a blogger is legally a journalist are missing the point. The point is:  Were the blogger’s reports true or false? In this case, a man’s reputation was damaged and the blogger appeared to have made no effort to prove her statements. This amounts to reckless disregard for the truth.

Here’s a little bit of the history: Kevin Padrick, an Oregon attorney involved in a bankruptcy case, sued Montana blogger Cynthia Cox for defamation after she called him a “thug” and a “thief” in her blog.

U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez ruled that Cox was not a journalist because she had no professional qualifications as a journalist and did not work for a legitimate news outlet. She did not have a journalism education or credentials, and failed to provide evidence she produced an independent product, tried to get both sides of the story or adhered to journalistic standards such as checking her facts.

Because she was not a journalist under the law, the judge ruled she could not claim protections, such as the shield law, granted to mainstream media. But the judge also noted that the shield law does not apply to civil actions for defamation.

Here’s where Cox went wrong. She disregarded the issue of libel, which is defamation or injury to someone’s personal reputation and good name. It’s an issue that should be taken very seriously by every individual, but especially by journalists – whether they are members of the mainstream media, bloggers or citizen journalists.

Cox’s allegations that Padrick was a “thug” and a “thief” who “committed tax fraud” were never proven, according to a piece written by The New York Times’ David Carr.

That means Cox published the defamatory statements in her blog with reckless disregard for the truth or actual malice, which is probably what opened the door for a jury on Nov. 29 to award $2.5 million in the case.

There’s a good lesson to be learned here for all journalists, but especially citizen journalists and bloggers, who don’t deal with libel on a regular basis. Be careful in your reporting and word use. Avoid labeling someone in a way that his or her reputation could be damaged. Finally, don’t disregard the truth or write with malice.

Susan Cormier is the co-author of the “Handbook for Citizen Journalists” (http://www.citizenjournalistnow.com/)

A simple blog interview with a young Korean university graduate has created a stir on the internet. On face value, she talks about concerns with English education in Korea. But for people following the media coverage of foreign ESL teachers over the years, she spouted most every xenophobic stereotype about foreigners that the media had been creating.

This coincides with the announcement that Seoul will no longer hire foreign teachers in its schools in the next couple of years. It cites budget concerns, but the conventional wisdom is that it’s on the tail of an ongoing anti-foreigner campaign led by groups like Anti-ESL Spectrum, a recognized hate group that was formed in 2005 when pictures appeared on the internet of Korean women dancing with foreigners in clubs.

Other than the complaints stemming from xenophobia, the main complaint has been the lack of effectiveness of bringing native speaking English teachers to teach in Korean public schools. Yet only now after Seoul has announced ditching the program do articles come out revealing that the reason they failed was the the schools themselves violated regulations. Instead of having Korean co-teachers in the classroom with the foreigners, the foreigners have frequently been left alone to maintain classes of thirty or more students with no common language between them. Foreigners, who have elementary Korean language skills at best, have been trying to teach classes to unruly students with less than elementary English language skills. That’s a recipe for disaster, and has been so. Yet rather than punish the Korean co-teachers who violate regulations, the foreigners who obeyed their contractual obligations get scapegoated.

For in-depth analysis on the ongoing controversies, refer to Roboseyo, Gusts of Popular Feeling and Brian in Jeollanam-do.

Teaching in Korea from a Korean perspective – A Girlandtheworld Girls Of The World interview (Girlandtheworld)

SMOE to Phase Out Native English Teachers: Turnover, Gatekeepers, and Alternate Sources (Roboseyo)

Article on SMOE foreign teachers teaching alone (Gusts of Popular Feeling)

The SMOE native speaking teacher budget cuts (Gusts of Popular Feeling)

Inefficiently-used native speaker English teachers inefficient. (Brian in Jeollanam-do)

While looking through CJ news feeds, I found more weird news than usual. Might as well collect it and put it here.

Can cross or not? Sign at zebra crossing confuses pedestrians (STOMP)

Man brings pillow on train — all ready for a good nap on reserved seat (STOMP)

Quote of the Day: CCTV’s new boss on his army of “propaganda workers” (Shanghaiist)

Melbourne Tram Inspector Busted for Calling Woman He Fined (NowPublic)

9-Year-Old Boy Suspended for Calling Teacher ‘Cute’ (Allvoices)

Woolly mammoth to be brought back to life (Allvoices)

Azcentral.com, the online site for The Arizona Republic in Phoenix, has stopped letting citizens comment anonymously on its site.

“In the early days (just a few years ago) of online commenting, I embraced the Wild West freedom that the tools provided in allowing citizens to speak freely about their ideas,” explained Randy Lovely, senior vice president of news and audience development for The Republic.

“Over time, my sentiments have changed as the tone and civility of the anonymous remarks have soured. I still defend your right to express your opinion, but, unfortunately, I don’t know who you are,” Lovely wrote in his posting on azcentral that announced the change.

He said the azcentral staff hope the change, which now requires citizens to comment through their personal Facebook accounts, will lead to an increase in civility and encourage more people to join the conversation.

You’ve got to love the conclusion of his piece: “If you believe strongly enough about something to comment on it, be brave enough to own your comment.

“Still, I may not agree with you, but I defend your right to express your opinion — if you’re willing to stand up and be counted.”

You can read Lovely’s entire piece at http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2011/11/30/20111130lovely1201-bar-raised-comments-azcentral.html#ixzz1fPL2dkOv

Susan Cormier is the co-author of the “Handbook for Citizen Journalists” (http://www.citizenjournalistnow.com/)

We’re proud to announce the result of our wonderful competition that attracted thousands of participants from around the world. Thanks to The-Latest.Com, the Citizen Journalism Educational Trust, Time Out and Olympus.

It is the first time ever that the title “Street Photographer of the Year” has been awarded in the UK to a citizen journalist using a mobile phone. The winner is young tech whizz Kheoh Yee Wei, who lives in Leeds. His prize, on top of the street photographer title, is the state of the art Olympus LS-20M camcorder. Kheoh’s winning photo is pictured, above.

One of the judges, Eamonn McCabe, the renowned and award-winning press photographer, said: “The quality of entrants was surprisingly so good it was really hard to choose a winner. Kheoh’s entry stood out as a result of the wonderful characters he cleverly captured with his mobile phone.

Read more about the competition winners and view their photos on The-Latest.Com: http://www.the-latest.com/cjet-photography-winners.

Stephen Colbert recently “lauded” CNN for laying off its full-time reporters in favor of its iReport department, where it doesn’t pay for content. Pundits had predicted that this would happen. Major news outlets will get rid of paid reporters in favor of free reporters. Yet I think that’s not the endgame by far. There are two reasons a lot of citizen news is reported. One is that people genuinely feel that the story they are reporting needs to get out. The other is that they are trying to establish journalism credentials for their future, which is fine. Yet CNN’s actions shows that if there is not future for paid journalists, many iReporters will think, “Well, what’s the point of doing this?”

People don’t lay the groundwork for careers that don’t exist.

I bet you that other news outlets will follow CNN’s lead. Yet the blow back already started with the HuffPo. Citizen journalists will wisen up and demand to be paid for their work–and not at Associated Content rates. News organizations like CNN will notice that their content quality and their audience will decrease. Even if not for the content quality, it would be for the perceived content quality decline, for it won’t be a secret if an organization is depending on free content. Colbert’s bit alone has already created this perception of declined quality.