Independent Journalist Reports To Her Own Beat
Also, big announcements from Parler and The Chicago Sun-Times
THE LEDE
Alabama’s Beth Shelburne is a veteran journalist whose journey took her to the anchor desk, before she left conventional media to fly solo. That was a brave choice itself. But Shelburne chose to do something different: she picked a single beat. Shelburne covers the Alabama prison system and has found many abuses. Her reporting is strong, but does it have an impact? We asked her, for this week’s RN Q&A.
IMAGE: Beth Shelburne (Courtesy of same)
You started in local broadcast news. Now you’re independent. What are the biggest differences?
The pay is less reliable as an independent journalist, but no one is telling me what to wear! Seriously, the biggest difference is learning to do the work without the infrastructure of a newsroom, bosses and colleagues. I walk 5 steps out of my bedroom and I'm at work, and it's always there. So managing time, not letting work take over my life is an ongoing challenge.
You have focused extensively on Alabama’s prisons, particularly abuses within the system. Why did you pick this niche? What kind of response are you getting?
I didn't really pick this beat, it picked me. I started covering the crisis inside Alabama prisons in 2012 and it just hasn't stopped since then. One of the reasons I left traditional media is to have the freedom to express my point of view, which evolved through my reporting. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, in part, because I'm filling a void. No one was previously doing this kind of reporting in Alabama. But I write about difficult, controversial topics, so the people who disagree with my point of view can be loud, hateful and consistent.
What has surprised you the most about your investigations?
I am no longer surprised by cruelty, racism, indifference, corruption or violence. What surprises me now, and profoundly disappoints me, is that state leaders are aware of all these dynamics and seem fine with it. Their disregard for common decency still surprises me. I guess I expect more from fellow humans. The incarcerated people I speak with display far more humanity, kindness and courage than the people we elect to public office.
What role does social media play in your work?
Social media is incredibly important, particularly Twitter, but also Facebook (unfortunately). I have developed many sources and followed story leads through social media, and much of my reporting originates on Twitter. I also consume news through Twitter. I no longer watch any TV, unless it's a baking show.
You have a great newsletter where you report stories about inmates on death row, prisoner abuse, jail living conditions and other information about life behind bars. As a journalist, do you consider this “advocacy” reporting? Do you consider your work neutral?
What is advocacy journalism? It sounds like something a detractor would say to question credibility. (ED NOTE: This is a good point, although not my intention.) I work as a journalist. I do investigative reporting and creative writing. I publish reported opinion pieces with a particular point of view. I try to amplify voices and experiences that are mostly ignored or maligned in traditional media. If that's advocacy journalism, OK. But I think it's just journalism from a point of view, just like traditional media is journalism from a point of view (usually deferential to the state and law enforcement and punishment). On that note, I really don't think anyone's work is neutral.
What impact has your reporting had on the Alabama prison system?
I wish I could say it has led to sweeping reforms, but it's more like pushing a boulder over a mountain, day after day. I think the biggest thing my reporting has done is raise awareness about Alabama's unconstitutional punishment system and normalized the inclusion of marginalized voices in reporting, extending empathy to EVERYONE, even people who have caused harm. I think people in the system are grateful that my reporting allows them to be seen and heard.
What’s next? Are you going to expand to other platforms?
Yes! I'm working on an investigative podcast that should be released in early 2023. And then eventually, I hope to get around to writing a book.
Thanks to Beth Shelburne for her contribution to our newsletter. Subscribe to her newsletter here.
NEWS AND NOTES
KANYE WEST IN DEAL TO BUY PARLER: Having been suspended from the major social apps for his anti-Semitic posts, Kanye West is planning to buy a platform of his own. Parler, a right-wing Twitter knockoff, said Monday it reached an agreement to sell itself to the man who now calls himself “Ye.” It did not disclose the price.
In a tweet, the company wrote:
How many software companies have told us they’re going to “change the world?” That’s a lot of heavy lifting for a very small social media platform. Although Parler doesn’t disclose its downloads, industry analysts put the user base at around 10-15 million, with around one million visits per month. That’s tiny. Facebook has more than 2.5 billion monthly users, and Instagram and TikTok each have a billion users. Twitter, Parler’s nearest competitor, has 435 million monthly users.
Parler lost its hosting for a time after the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol; it had turned out to be a platform of choice for those organizing the insurrection.
CHICAGO SUN-TIMES NOW FREE ONLINE: There was a time when it looked like Chicago would lose its #2 newspaper, leaving it only with the Chicago Tribune. But then Chicago Public Media, parent company of the city’s NPR member station, bought it and turned it into a non-profit. Now we’re seeing the next major step in the evolution of the Sun-Times: It’s free to read online.
This isn’t to say the Sun-Times is giving up on bringing in money. To read it online, you need to become a member, giving your email as the minimum price of admission. The Sun-Times still wants people to pay, but has come up with a hybrid of the membership model you may be used to seeing from your public radio station. Writes the staff:
(W)e strongly believe that everyone in the Chicago area should have access to the news, features and investigations we produce, regardless of their ability to pay … Instead of a paywall, we are launching a donation-based digital membership program that will allow readers to pay what they can to help us deliver the news you rely on.
The Sun-Times team also noted that a quarter of the country’s newspapers have closed since 2005, with Illinois losing the most news outlets of any state during that time.
NEWSY TO BECOME SCRIPPS NEWS: Newsy, the unconventional, digital-first news operation, is undergoing an evolution. As of January 1, 2023, it will be known as Scripps News. Already available in many markets over the air and online, parent company E.W. Scripps is changing the name as part of its establishment of a new national news department.
IMAGE: Newsy logo (From company website)
Writes TV NewsCheck:
Newsy is The E.W. Scripps Co.’s current national news network and probably the purest distillation of the company’s philosophy and practice of journalism. It is avowedly apolitical, widely geographically dispersed across the U.S. and driven by boots-on-the-ground reporting.
Newsy was founded in 2008, and E.W. Scripps purchased it in 2014 for $35 million. It’s available as an OTT (Over The Top) channel on most major platforms including Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
THE RISE AND FALL OF DIGITAL CAMERAS: Remember your first digital camera? Mine had quirky color, low resolution, little power, and was a complete game-changer for me. That late ‘90s digital camera came just as I started to have kids, so I was able to take many more pictures of them than I would have with a film camera.
The folks at chartr shared an interesting graphic in their newsletter last week:
Chartr also reports film cameras are making a comeback, with Kodak hiring 300 people to make new film. I learned photography back in the darkroom days, and I miss the pleasure that came with shooting black and white photos and processing them myself. But I’m glad we don’t have to process our own film now, and it’s progress that everyone with a smartphone carries a powerful digital camera wherever they go.
LINKS AND LIKES
APPLE AIRPODS MAX PRODUCT REVIEW: I have been a lifelong fan of Bose products, and have probably purchased half a dozen headphones and earphones from the company over the years. But Amazon has a deal going for the AirPods Max headphones, and I’m an Apple guy, so I bought them.
I’m very impressed.
IMAGE: Apple AirPods Max (From company website)
The sound quality is excellent. I expected good sound, but the addition of its personalized “Spatial Audio” makes it a must-have. If you’re part of the Apple ecosystem, you will love the ease with which it pairs to your Apple phone/watch/computer. The noise-canceling is superb.
They’re a little heavier than the equivalent Bose headphones, but Apple engineered a comfortable mesh headband to take out some of the usual weight. The AirPods Max also “know” when you put them on and when you take them off.
These aren’t cheap — $479 on Amazon as of this writing, but less than the $549 Apple wants for the same headphones. If you choose to buy them, another option is to get a refurbished pair for $380.
GRADE: A-, just subtracting points for the weight and price.
META INTRODUCES $1,500 VR HEADSET: Meta, the Facebook parent company, is out with a new, $1,500 VR headset it says will improve productivity. The Quest Pro represents a substantial leap in the quality and power of VR goggles, with a 40 percent thinner screen than that of the Quest 2 (which costs around $400).
IMAGE: The Meta Quest Pro (From the company’s website)
One of the features Mark Zuckerberg has been pushing is the virtual office. With the goggles on, you find yourself in an “office,” where you can do real work. Presumably, Meta envisions virtual office meetings with people who work from home or distance employees. Given that the Quest Pro costs as much as a good laptop, Meta needs to make a strong case for its existence and your need to buy it.
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REMOTE NOTES
Newsletter #26
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