CARPE MEDIA

by Emily Sussman

Gina, I discovered upon logging on to Facebook the other day, did not ask for your life story in status updates.

I'll see your Tweet and raise you a Status Update! (Photo source: cacklinglibraryhens.blogspot.com)

OUCH! I felt a sharp stinging sensation, as if my superego had just been sucker-punched.

Okay, so maybe Gina wasn’t addressing me specifically when she issued that statement for all 624 of her Facebook friends to see. Most likely, her venom was precipitated by some sort of psychosexual love triangle that had been manifesting itself in the form of its participants’ provocative little updates. (more…)

Is there anything sadder than a neglected website? (One that hasn’t been updated in, say, two weeks?) Static pixels staring out from cyberspace are so maddeningly tight-lipped about the reasons for their (web)master’s abandonment!

No, not those 'attractions'... but I made you look, didn't I? (Photo: EWS)

Bear with us, dear reader; Carpe Media is going through a transition phase. In addition to working on a site redesign that will launch before the end of the month, I’ve been busy learning some of the techie skills needed to publish the kind of audio/visual storytelling mediums that prompted this site’s creation in the first place. 

And while we’re on the subject of improvements, CM is actively recruiting new student contributors, a process that was given a tremendous boost by the faculty and staff who attended our presentation at the Reynolds Journalism Institute last week. (Thanks again to RJI Fellow Bill Densmore, who hosted and webcasted the event.)

Journalism that holds itself to the highest standards of accountability isn’t easy to find in the current online media maelstrom. Fortunately, today’s J-students are upping the ante by learning how to incorporate the core values of our profession with the rich new mediums made possible by the web. To that end, it’s the aim of this site to support them in their endeavors. 

ews8tb@gmail.com

by Emily W. Sussman

Yes, that's him.

Here’s the scene: a dingy church basement. Stale coffee in styrofoam cups. Florescent lights humming overhead. I shuffle up to the folding table that faces the audience and clear my throat.

My name is Emily, and I am Facebook friends with my father. This is my story.

This particular on-the-Book “friendship” didn’t start as all my others had—that is, it wasn’t one of those reflexive “Accept Friend Request” split-click decisions. My dad “friended” me about a month ago, and it took me until exactly yesterday to say yes.

Why the hesitation? (more…)

(Film still from "Fast, Cheap and Out of Control")

Welcome back to Carpe Media...and if this is your first time on the site, then just plain welcome!

I’ll say it straight: the quality of CM depends on you. Not a vague, universal “you,” as in, “your vote makes a difference.” (Although, come to think of it, in this election, it most certainly will.)

Specifically, CM depends on your comments. So if you see a post here that you liked… or that you thought was lame… or worse yet, that you read and had no reaction to whatsoever… I’d love hear about it in all its gory, ad hominem (er, make that ad Emily) detail. One word would be great; ten words would be great; even a book-length missive would be great.

Essentially, I’m greedy for your input, no matter how big or small. (more…)

(Crude video-slideshow: Emily Sussman)

It’s “slice of life” month at Carpe Medium, meaning that all through October we’ll be showcasing films—in the loosest sense of the term, that is—that CM contributors have captured while going about their everyday lives. Think cinema-verite-meets-community-journalism.

…And if you didn’t like this particular piece, here’s your chance to improve on the SOL theme: If you’ve got a video function on your digital camera, or if you have a photo slideshow with some sort of narration, please send along any and all contributions to ews8tb@gmail.com. Submissions should be no longer than five minutes.

Thanks so much for your support as CM continues to experiment with multimedia journalism.

—Emily Sussman

To the MU journalism community:

Welcome to the Missouri School of Journalism’s 100 year celebration — and of course, welcome to Carpe Media. Thank you so much for visiting our fledgling site; we appreciate the supportive reception we’ve gotten from all the alumni, faculty members, and fellow J-students we had the chance to chat with today, the kickoff of our Centennial.

As co-editor and publisher of Carpe Media, I wrote last week about the genesis of the project. Here’s the short version:

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by Emily W. Sussman

Carpe Medium was borne of a bout of creative frustration. I had just finished two semesters of a journalism graduate program and was still holding out the hope that I could find an outlet for my writing more fulfilling than my past jobs in the industry. I had had enough of scrambling around in the chaos of daily reporting; ditto on refashioning my pragmatic sensibilities into frilly magazine copy. I was also over the thrill of seeing my name published on paper — both the smudgy and glossy varieties.

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by Emily W. Sussman

The following is a work in progress. It will be edited and expanded on a weekly basis, so please check back now and again if it interests you.

Someone was knocking on my front door. I opened it to find a pretty black teenager with streaks of tears dried on her cheeks.

Come in and sit down? I said.

The girl shook her head. Can I use your phone?

I got her the cell and we stepped outside.

(more…)

by Emily W. Sussman

There is but one reaction that a thin person has upon seeing yet another Totally Predictable “Obesity in America” article (accompanied, of course, by unflattering mid-section shots of examples on the street).

“GOD, CAN’T THOSE PEOPLE JUST EAT LESS?”

Naturally, this is neither mature nor helpful.

(more…)

by Emily W. Sussman

The jury’s still out on whether MSNBC’s producers book their talking-points shows based on which weak and/or inarticulate Republicans are free that day. (Thoughts?) Still, with heartthrob super-journalist David Gregory firmly on board to kick Wolf Blitzer’s butt — not to mention hot-and-smart butch Rachel Maddow getting her own desk — it’s fast becoming the liberal cable news network du jour. It also doesn’t hurt that MSNBC eschews Sanjay Gupta-style ego fests and Anderson Cooper’s brand of puppy-dog journalism in favor of compelling documentary programming. (We’ll get to Matthews and Olbermann another day, I promise.)

(more…)