'Close the J Schools'

From the Huffington Post, a blistering commentary on the value of J schools, especially for graduate degrees. From the lead:

These kids are paying upwards of $70,000 (the cost of Columbia's J-School, including living expenses) for a ghost's chance of landing a job, at pitiful pay, in an industry that is rapidly collapsing. What's going to be the next hot field in graduate study? Blacksmithing? Bloodletting? Steamship design?

It sounded like a freight train

Video from freight train's "black box" camera of the tornado that struck northern Illinois Jan. 7, 2008. The tornado derails the train near Harvard.

NINA survey

NINA members:
Please take a few minutes to complete a survey about NINA training opportunities. The results will help us plan workshops and conferences that address the needs of our members. Thanks!

Scholarships awarded

Five high-school journalists have been honored with scholarships from NINA. Story and photos here.

Deadline 2009: Will Newspapers Survive?

Here's a two-part video from NINA's June 18 panel discussion in Chicago. Part 1:



Part 2:

Film at 11

Video report coming soon from last week's newspaper panel discussion in Chicago. Probably next week, since I'm doing a high-school journalism camp most of this week.

State cash grab, or hoax?

There's an e-mail circulating this week, claiming that Illinois on July 1 will start using cameras in construction zones and issuing $375 fines if you're even 1 mph over the posted limit. A second offense, the e-mail says, costs $1,000 and a 90-day license suspension.

All of which could be believable, given Illinois' financial straits. But it's fishy. But, the DOT links given in the e-mail are dead, and I haven't been able to verify this anywhere. Whether it's true or not, it would make a good story, because a lot of people are getting this e-mail. Here's a Web link to its content.