In Case You Missed This.....

...and you probably did unless you were scrolling way down the Business screen of the International Herald Tribune website. I chanced upon the story U.A.E. bailout of Dubai 'comes with strings attached' in the business section of today's print edition. There is something to be said about the serendipity newspapers offer. Story is by a Bloomberg News writer. Bloomberg News, remember, is a financial news service founded by the man who is now mayor of New York City -- Michael Bloomberg. See what readers around the world are reading about the relationship between Abu Dhabi (old money) and Dubai (nouveau riches). And start checking out the business sections for international news!

How to Save Newspapers

Any of you watch the The Daily Show with Jon Stewart? In the U.S., this Comedy Central program is a major source of "news" for people your age. No, Jon Stewart isn't a newsman. He's an actor and comedian. And, no, The Daily Show isn't a news show like ABC News, but it does offer up news commentary and interviews with major figures. Pervez Musharraf hawked his book on the show when he was Pakistani president. Take a look at this recent segment in which Stewart interviews Walter Isaacson, the former Time magazine managing editor, on "How to Save Your Newspaper." Then read what Isaacson wrote in a Time cover story of the same name.

Listen for the word "aggregator" in the interview. And, oh, by the way, both the video and the magazine article are free.

Googlezon EPIC2014

Where does reality end and fantasy begin? Watch this video about what our news world will be like in 2014. Discuss on the blog and in class.

The World's Front Pages

Want to see what newspapers around the world are featuring on their front pages? See how their design as well as news choices compare? Then go Washington, D.C. Not literally, of course, but virtually to the Newseum, the world's most interactive museum. At Today's Front Pages , pick where in the world you want to read a front page: USA, North America, Asia, Caribbean, Europe, Middle East, Oceania, South America, Africa. Then roll your mouse over the map and click on the spot you want to visit. Lots of fun but will also help you brush up on your geography! Even my hometown newspaper is on it. See if you can find The Telegraph in Alton, Illinois. Hint: it's on the Mississippi River in southern Illinois.

Reinventing the Internet

“Unless we’re willing to rethink today’s Internet,” says Nick McKeown, a Stanford engineer involved in building a new Internet, “we’re just waiting for a series of public catastrophes.”

That quote from a New York Times article published on February 14: Do We Need a New Internet? As the story points out, the Internet has "the burden of carrying all the world's communication and commerce." Are we are in danger of a digital Pearl Harbor? What do you think?

"Too Dubai"

Dubai is taking its hits in the international media. The Wall Street Journal in its weekend edition did a Q&A with Anna Wintour, Vogue editor on "why 'value' is in and 'too Dubai' is out." Wintour contends that people want to look understated in these troubled economic times. "I don't think anyone wants to look overly flashy, overly glitzy, too Dubai, whatever you want to call it. I just don't think that's the moment. But I do feel an emphasis on quality and longevity and things that really last." And that just may be Abu Dhabi! Back on October 31, this blog discussed the suave image Abu Dhabi is presenting to the world. Scroll down to the original post or read With Little Bluster, Abu Dhabi Makes Investment Noise in the IHT on 29 October 2008.

News Aggregators

News what? Aggregator-an Internet company that collects information about competing products and services and distributes it through a single website. In the case of a news aggregator, the competing products and services are news organizations. Yahoo and Google have become your news butlers, picking and choosing information that you receive. In a sense, they also have become the "gatekeepers" that editors traditionally have been. Scary in many ways. It's a computer, not a human intelligence making the choices. But, that said, you might find such a service a valuable addition to following the news on the websites of the International Herald Tribune, The National and The Economist. Check out the top world news and international headlines from Yahoo! News . Also, the world section on Goggle News .

Off With Her Head!

That's what the Queen orders in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland when Alice displeases her. Like Alice, journalists traditionally have risked death, imprisonment, fines for trying to report what they see. Each nation has its own press laws, growing out of the nation's political, economic and cultural heritage. We will be discussing comparative media systems this week -- just when a draft for new press laws in the Emirates is in the news. Take a look at Spelling out freedoms of the press in The National today to see what people are thinking. What do you think about press laws?

How the World Sees You

Following international news isn't just reading about what is happening outside your country. It's also reading what the rest of the world thinks about your homeland. Media coverage helps shape a nation's image. So take a look at what was the most emailed and the most blogged story in the New York Times yesterday: Laid-Off Foreigners Flee as Dubai Spirals Down. Do pay attention to what is said about the new draft media, which "some say is already having a chilling effect on reporting on the crisis."