LAT: Keeping an Eye on the World's Tragedies (new news organization)

[DeepModem Mom]

Keeping an Eye on the World's Tragedies
Fledgling News Corps International focuses on issues such as famine and refugees that it says are ignored by mainstream media.

By David Kelly, Times Staff Writer


GOLDEN, Colo. — While much of the national media was focusing on the Michael Jackson trial or Georgia's runaway bride, Mark Amann sat in a coffee shop here recently, trying to explain why the civil war in Uganda mattered.

"It's a story about children — 1.6 million people are being held hostage by a child army," he said. "You have women with their ears and noses cut off. These stories are compelling, and someday they will affect us all."

In a time when many major media companies are cutting back on foreign news coverage, pitching stories about Africa seems a long shot. But then, News Corps International is a long shot.

The fledgling organization, based here and made up of a dozen or so writers, photographers and videographers, is dedicated to covering stories it sees as being ignored by much of the mainstream media: stories about famine, civil war, refugees and other human tragedies around the globe....

***

He said he had had some luck selling video footage and interviews to various media outlets, including the BBC and CNN, but it wasn't easy. Many news executives ask why their viewers should care about such distant events, he said....


http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-newscorp21may21,0,1225987.story?coll=la-home-nation

[merwin]

1. We need more of these publications.

[Melodybe]

3. Are you nuts? This is Rupert Murdoch!!!

New Corps International is his property, they send me crazy shit all the time!

The send me crap that is too outlandish for even Faux News.

Unless it is some other organization of a similar name than this is to be avoided.

I'm guessing that many decent repubs are getting upset about Sudan, I have had a few bring up the lack of coverage at my table.

Rupert is just trying to cash in, just like The Day After Tomorrow.

[DeepModem Mom]

4. The article doesn't mention Murdoch -- I think it's a similar name...

in which case you do wonder why they didn't choose a different name!

[merwin]

5. No, News Corp is his. This is News Corps.

http://www.newscorps.com <--- This one
http://www.newscorp.com <--- Faux

[DeepModem Mom]

6. Thanks for clearing that up, merwin! NT

[merwin]

7. No problem. Confused me after he mentioned Murdoch. I also thought

it might be Murdoch as well after that.

[Mojorabbit]

2. This is like the fifth

time I have read where editors say that people are not interested. Where are they getting their information? I am interested and no one has asked me. It pisses me off.

[leesa]

10. Not too mention that quite often WE are involved militarily and/or

financially in whatever is going on. They would rather we not know who the players are in world disasters and fiascos.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. AlertNet from Reuters is along these lines

What does AlertNet cover? And why?
The subject of humanitarian crises is an enormous one. As in most specialist areas, there are lively debates about definitions, standards and the best way of working. In particular there is a basic division between short-term humanitarian crisis relief and long-term economic development.

AlertNet focuses its resources on covering fast-moving humanitarian emergencies and on the early warning of future emergencies. In so doing we provide relatively little on economic development which is a closely related subject and makes up the majority of the work of AlertNet member NGOs.

The reason for this focus is that Reuters has traditionally been strong in handling fast-moving information and that our chosen medium - the online world - is particularly well-suited to alerting services.

http://www.alertnet.org/aboutus/

[DeepModem Mom]

9. I hadn't realized that, mv -- thanks for the info! NT