‘Youngest Candidate’ on CNN International

My friend Jason Pollock talks about his documentary, “The Youngest Candidate,” on CNN International, assuring the rest of the world that enthusiastic young Americans are ready to work toward diplomatic, peaceful relations abroad. Good job, JP!

W&W: The Voter Suppression Squirrel and (Ooo!) Crazy Republicans

With Ted on vacation and Teresa with an early morning work commitment, I got the hot comedian and political pundit Baratunde Thurston all to myself! We discussed the success of his Voter Suppression Wikki on election day last week, whether comedians can be funny in an Obama administration (don’t ask him that!!), and how we talking heads who supported Obama will now be able to transition into a more appropriate critical mode. 

Halfway through the program, MediaLizzy joins to discuss the overwhelmingly self-reinforcing comments on our HuffPost piece. I’ve never been fond of pundits who can’t take criticism, but I was shocked by the number of readers who really believe that Republicans are predominantly whack jobs. I wanted to write the post because there are compelling people like Lizzy out there who are going to emerge as the new leaders of the party. They need to organize better online and we progressives need to start listening to them instead of immediately pointing fingers at Fox News and RedState. (Read Federalist No. 10 if you’ve got doubts about tyranny of the majority.) The comments are the equivalent of suggesting that liberals can only be characterized by Dennis Kucinich and Al Sharpton. Looks like some liberals have let this victory get them a lil bit sassy pants. 

Listen to the show here or click on the blue Blog Talk Radio player to the right >>.

E&P: Lessons from the Web 2.0 Summit for the Newspaper Industry

Excerpt from my column in Editor & Publisher:

“As I sat in the various sessions contemplating the extensive possibilities at our feet when bold leaders push existing boundaries, my Twitter feed continued to ding on my Blackberry with updates from Romenesko and Jay Rosen: reports of more of the same old MSM coverage of layoffs and predictable navel-gazing about election bias born of the hierarchical point-counterpoint inverted pyramid storytelling model. The irony was biting. What is a journalist if not someone who hopes to enable others with the information they need to solve the problems of our time? To connect individual citizens with their communities? Shouldn’t newspapers be the ones championing this enterprise? 

The American Press Institute is huddled behind closed doors this week in crisis mode discussing how to save the deadwood editions that still turn a profit. You have to wonder if it’s just like watching the unplugged McCain campaign be pummeled by underestimating Web 2.0 technology. Since we won’t know until they publish a report what exactly they’re talking about, I am hoping the API conversation focuses less on redesigns and marketing gimmicks, and primarily on giving advertisers incentives to pay higher CPMs and invest in the redevelopment of dynamic, 21st century newsrooms that connect the distinct expertise of reporters with the emerging wisdom of the crowd. 

This doesn’t have to be a crisis: In fact, it is a time of great opportunity for those who are willing to make big bets — and implement them.”

Full column here.

Elephant in the Room: When Will the GOP Join the Blogosphere

MediaLizzy and I joined our progressive and conservative voices on today’s HuffPost Media page:

“Liberals may be understandably ecstatic about the influence the blogosphere has had on the election results, but truly thoughtful and responsible citizens should have reservations about the absence of conservative dialogue. It’s too easy these days to consume self-reinforcing information, whether it’s O’Reilly or Olbermann, Drudge or Daily Kos. If we’re going to overcome the existing culture of ideologues to achieve the “change” we seek, it’s essential that we educate ourselves beyond our own beliefs.”

A Note About MC.com’s Future

Hello, friends!

If any of you wondered why I disappeared right after the election, a time one might suppose I’d have a lot to say, there are two reasons.

Foremost, on Nov. 5 I hopped immediately on a plane to San Francisco for the Web 2.0 Summit, where I spent several days with world tech and media leaders discussing the future role of the internet in society. Incidentally, the Palace Hotel, where the event was hosted, had a very shoddy wireless connection, and every time I went to write something I was thwarted!! (Next year they are moving to the Westin, thank goodness.)

My absence extends beyond that, however. I’ve been reflecting on the nature of the blogsophere and what role I can play in it, given the sea of voices we are all flooded with daily. It seems that too much of blog world is about instantaneous commentary and aggregation. While I enjoy aggregating articles and videos for those with a similar perspective to consider, it’s not 1) something I can’t do more quickly and efficiently on Twitter, or 2) particularly thoughtful. That’s not to say blogs aren’t useful for news in that regard, and were I to ever rejoin the (gasp!) MSM or a more prominent blog, I’d be happy to re-engage in such a capacity. But I intend to slow down a bit going forward and make more incisive contributions to our dialogue about media, politics, technology and the role our millennial generation leaders will play in the exciting four years ahead of us. 

On the plane I finally had a chance to read the November issue of Wired, and encountered Paul Boutin’s proclamation that blogs are dead. That’s obviously not true over at HuffPost or TechCrunch, but for smaller publishers looking to make a profession or viable source of ancillary revenue they may just be a stimulating, time-consuming hobby. (This was a predominant belief at the Summit as well, particularly given the oversaturated market of start-up ad networks.) Since I write on sites with much larger audiences, I’m going to dedicate more energy to them, and use this as a place to aggregate my work for those who are interested. And, of course, the very exciting photo gallery. 

So, if you want to know what I’m reading and thinking about on a daily basis (surely I have a few stalkers out there!), I encourage you to sign up for my Twitter feed.

W&W: The Tech Presidency: What Obama’s Victory Means for Our Wired Future

The Day After, We All Breathe… With the election resolved, Zach Tumin of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government joins hosts Ted Johnson, Maegan Carberry, and Teresa Valdez-Klein to weigh in on last night’s election results, organizing online, new media messaging, and whether or not this new president will be a victory for technology.

To listen, click on the blue Blog Talk Radio box to the right.

HOPE Prevails

Tonight is one of those nights where you don’t even bother trying to sum up your emotions. No one will ever write it well enough, and attempting to do so undermines the experience itself. You cannot write what it feels like to drive through the streets of Los Angeles, hearing the honks of horns and screams of enthusiastic, hopeful Americans, knowing it’s happening in every other city around the country. You just live it and savor it.

So … reallllllllly need to go to bed so that I don’t sleep through my plane tomorrow morning, or our fantastic Wilshire & Washington with Harvard KSG genius Zach Tumin, who will discuss how Obama’s victory will also be a win for technology and a new era of governance.

Still, a few thoughts for those of you who have followed me on this wild two-year journey.

It was a weird day because I decided to stay home in Los Angeles and run the local voting precinct, a choice that prevented me from paying too close of attention to media coverage, watching Obama’s speech until just now, or even celebrating with the usual suspects. Frankly, this was a bit sad. Still, it was a fantastic experience in the kind of grassroots activism this revival has always been about. I suppose I could have been traipsing through Grant Park with stars in my eyes, but I’ve gotten plenty of that over the last couple years and I’m very proud to have ensured that more than 500 people in my own community were able to fairly and efficiently cast their votes in this historic election. This is especially important to me since it’s always bothered me that California gets treated like an ATM machine when it comes to electoral politics. Waiting in line Sunday to vote in Norwalk and working with my amazing team in Silverlake today was exactly the call to service Obama made in his speech tonight. (Also, check out the pictures of my goofy precinct — which was actually a furniture store — in the gallery! Well, everyone but my ex-boyfriends. I woke up at 4:30am and didn’t shower today and I don’t want to spoil any remaining fond memories.)

Has the Republican Party Died?

Elizabeth Blackney of “Media Lizzy” joins Teresa and I to weigh in on Obama’s victory. How did each candidate perform in his post-election speech? Will the McCain camp blame Palin tomorrow morning? What will the Republicans do now to rebuild their party? 

To listen, click the blue Blog Talk Radio box to the right >>.