Minnesota Independent » Steve Perry

Media Monitor: Pilfering pix at City Pages; ‘Collardgate’ blossoms

Paul Schmelzer — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 17:44:30 +0000

CityPages.com image courtesy of Ed Kohler

City Pages, courtesy and copyright: After looking at how City Pages and its parent, Village Voice Media, apparently “game” social-bookmarking sites like Digg, The Deets’ Ed Kohler is again gunning for the Minneapolis altweekly – this time over the paper’s rather rampant disregard for image copyright.

“Photography kleptomaniacs,” including editor Kevin Hoffman, use images without permission, sometimes even slapping “Courtesy of” credits for publications, without ever linking to — or, one would guess, contacting — the source. (Several MnIndy photographs have ended up on City Pages site, including photos we purchased through WDCpix.com which, therefore, we wouldn’t be within our legal rights to “courteous”-ly offer up to anyone else. Another time my photograph, shot in former MnIndy editor Steve Perry’s house, ended up illustrating their story about how Perry left our fair site for MinnPost. When I asked Hoffman about lifting it, his response was to say he found it on Google Images and then to add a linkless credit. Curiously, that picture is no longer attached to the story, but it was — as recently as this Feb. 6 Google cache of the page [screengrab]. According to a Deets commenter, most of the images Kohler lists have also been removed from CityPages.com)

Brautweets get results: After David Brauer ribbed the Strib via Twitter about its long-neglected online newsroom directory, the page today is now not functioning. Hopefully, it’s evidence that it’s offline so Star Tribune staff can cull departed employees, rather than an indication they’re throwing in the towel on a treadmill-like job of erasing reporters and editors after a seemingly unending cycle of layoffs and buyouts. Or maybe it’s the new directory of the newsroom of the future?

Collardgate, ahem, blossoms: Brauer also reports that “Collardgate” — the story about Rainbow Foods’ move to promote collard greens during Black History Month — has gone national, with pickups by Gawker and (by way of WCCO’s Jason DeRusha), BrandFreak, BrandWeek’s blog.

Attention reporters, here’s how NOT to use Twitter.

MnIndy’s Best: Top 10 photos of 2008

Paul Schmelzer — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 14:30:22 +0000

Doing online journalism on a shoestring budget means borrowing, buying and shooting our own photographs. With high-profile events in the Twin Cities this year, from the September Rage Against the Machine Concert in Minneapolis and RNC events in St. Paul to a particularly exciting election day, we hired some freelancers and fired up our own cameras, capturing some memorable and — dare we say — historic images. Our top 10:

10. Friends of Todd

When Sen. Norm Coleman and Todd (but not Sarah) Palin rallied in Duluth in October, an ardent supporter carried this curious sign, captured on film by Paul Demko.

9. Meter remade

A hacked parking meter, spotted by Steve Perry during the Republican National Convention in St. Paul.

8. Spraygun

RNC police breaking out high-powered pepper spray aerosol cans, photographed by Jeff Severns Guntzel.

7. Anti-RNC Everyman

Vermin Supreme, the most ubiquitous RNC protester, photographed by Molly Priesmeyer.

6. Why we vote?

A discarded newspaper, photographed by Paul Schmelzer outside a north Minneapolis polling place on Election Day, may offer a glimpse at voter motivations in 2008.

5. With Rage on-stage

An eerily lit shot of crowds at the September Rage Against the Machine concert, by Tony Nelson.

4. RNC onlookers

A pair of protesters watch an RNC demonstration go by, by Mike Dvorak.

3. Ready

A phalanx of riot police at the Republican National Convention, by Tim Roman.

2. Franken foregrounded

Senatorial candidate Al Franken speaks at an Oct. 21 rally at the University of Minnesota as a well-known supporter looks on. Photo by Andy Birkey.

1. Keith Smith (before photo)

Our top photo of the year, shot by Paul Demko, shows 17-year-old protester Keith Smith just hours before he was reportedly beaten by police at the Republican National Convention.

To see more Minnesota Independent photos, visit our Flickr site.

More of MnIndy’s Best:

Ten most popular stories of 2008

Finally, a Few Words on Rob Nelson

Paul Schmelzer — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 22:45:05 +0000

Ode to Nelson: When City Pages’ film editor Rob Nelson’s job was nixed, his editor, Kevin Hoffman, explained the move to staff in an email consisting of about 25 words. When I emailed him for details, Hoffman’s reply was equally as brief, and when I called up Nelson yesterday, he was tight-lipped. So it’s a relief that someone — City Pages’ Peter Scholtes — is publicly recognizing the loss of Nelson’s job. He acknowledges Nelson’s role as founder of the now-defunct Get Real documentary film festival, his work compiling “one of the most exhaustive databases of film reviews available online,” and his status, as one commenter puts it, as “a volcanic force for the good of film in this city.” Via Taylor Carik, who picks his favorite Nelson passage.

MinnPost staffs up… MinnPost.com just picked up two impressive staffers: longtime Stribber and Pulitzer finalist Sharon Schmickle and former City Pages’ writer Brit Robson. For a discussion on the state of online media in the Twin Cities, including a progress report on projects by Kramer and by former City Pages editor Steve Perry on his new hybrid community/news site, watch Friday night’s edition of Almanac on TPT. Ed. note: Tonight’s Almanac also includes Minnesota Monitor’s obviously modest media reporter Paul Schmelzer.

…But techs down? Ed Kohler’s critiques of MinnPost’s announcement site and functionality, while admittedly “picky,” raise “legitimate concerns about their understanding of web technologies and the role of blogging in online journalism.”

Got a tip for Media Monitor? E-mail us your media news.

Political Blogging’s ‘High Priest’ — and a New RNC Site

Paul Schmelzer — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 21:30:31 +0000

Blogging is the new Black. With the official launch of Eric Black Ink, MinMon’s elder statesman, gets props from Minnesota Public Radio’s Bob Collins (who calls him “the high priest of political blogging in Minnesota“) and The Uptake’s Chuck Olsen, who compares Black’s “nicely designed bloggy online newspaper-type-thing” to larger online news competitors Steve Perry and Joel Kramer.

Starchitect to rebuild 35W? Were it not for the design blog UnBeige, I would’ve missed the Star Tribune’s Aug. 27 story on a group of citizens who want a big-name architect — Santiago Calatrava anyone? — to build a new 35W bridge. Chances are slim to none, from the sounds of Pam Louwagie and Jim Foti’s story.

RNC website launches: Stars, stripes and bunting galore — not downer topics like Iraq, Larry Craig, or the rampant home foreclosures sweeping across the “ownership society” — are the motifs in the just-launched website for the Republican National Convention. The nominating convention, which opens in St. Paul a year from Saturday, will showcase the “unity and momentum of the Republican Party and our optimistic vision for America,” the site announces.

How did the Strib miss the Craig story? That’s the question Star Tribune readers’ representative Kate Parry will address in the Sunday edition. She blogs that readers are wondering why the paper missed Idaho Sen. Larry Craig’s early August guilty plea on disorderly conduct charges in Hennepin County or Monday’s story broken by Roll Call. Could prove to be an interesting read.

Got a tip for Media Monitor? E-mail us your media news.