Disqus - Latest Comments for AnnaTarkov

Re: Is it wrong to envy luddites?

Anna Tarkov — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 17:07:41 -0000

I don't know if I foresee people pushing back against it en masse. It's something everyone has to discover for themselves individually. And on some level, gadgets DO make us happy. But it isn't the kind of happiness we really need.

Re: Is it wrong to envy luddites?

Anna Tarkov — Wed, 06 Nov 2013 16:29:14 -0000

Or, much more sinister is the thinking that it WILL make us happy and then the disappointment that follows when it doesn't.

Re: The New York Times dives into commenting culture

Anna Tarkov — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 15:40:04 -0000

I really hate that even Bilton's piece starts with that tired old trope. If online comments were a race, they would surely be a minority of some kind. In other words, people would always be stereotyping them and applying characteristics to all of them that apply only to some.

Re: Blogger vs Journalist

Anna Tarkov — Sat, 29 Jun 2013 17:13:57 -0000

Spot on, Dave. Any chance you and Jay will ever re-start the RTN podcasts? I miss them.

Re: Pope Francis I is Really, Really Opposed to Gay Adoption

Anna Tarkov — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:15:50 -0000

I don't know what movie you're referring to and I don't know why you assume I'm a secularist. I also don't typically watch CNN. What other stereotypes can I disabuse you of?

The rest is just too insane to respond to. I am sorry to use the word "insane," but you resorted to ad hominem attacks first and much more vicious ones at that.

I am, however, interested in the books you referred to which say the pope did all he could to help Jews during the Holocaust. Please tell me the titles of these books and I would be more than happy to read them.

Re: Pope Francis I is Really, Really Opposed to Gay Adoption

Anna Tarkov — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 07:18:18 -0000

I don't knoq if that's the worst pope in histpry. Qhat about the guy who ignored the Holocaust?

Re: Reporting weather news

Anna Tarkov — Wed, 26 Dec 2012 22:41:37 -0000

I once thought the opposite: http://annatarkov.com/what-...

Re: The newsonomics of going deeper

Anna Tarkov — Fri, 30 Nov 2012 15:37:10 -0000

Let's not scrub Journatic's reputation clean just because they have a better idea for how to compile community events other than having an Editorial Assistant sort through emails. As I understand, their process works in much the same way, only the person doing it makes $10/hr, is called a Lead Generator and doesn't live anywhere near the community.

What exactly is the big deal about their system learning how to process the information quicker next time? I would also like to see this in action or understand exactly how it works when I have been told it's just Gmail inboxes that are having stuff directed from an email address printed in the paper. That's not exactly high-tech, I'm sorry.

If any of this has changed since I reported on Journatic, I'd love to hear the details.

Re: Generals Have Sex!

Anna Tarkov — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:58:09 -0000

Of course not. I'm just trying to explain the thinking that leads to the blackmail angle which I know you've dismissed, but I still think is newsworthy. Not newsworthy for days-on-end-round-the-clock coverage, no, but still newsworthy.

Re: Generals Have Sex!

Anna Tarkov — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:54:44 -0000

I didn't say that all those offers would be seriously entertained by anyone in their right mind. As you can well imagine, the vast majority are not all coming from charming, eligible men.

Re: Generals Have Sex!

Anna Tarkov — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:48:28 -0000

I can't speak for all women, but if I were to seek a position of power it would be for the power, not for the potential for sex (would be true even if I was single). Anyway, for a woman to get offers to have sex we don't need to be in Congress or run the CIA. We need merely walk down the street, run errands or take public transportation. Or, of course, post things online.

Re: Generals Have Sex!

Anna Tarkov — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:44:03 -0000

It adds the fact that it was in secret, hidden. People hide things they don't want others to know about and thus they may go to extraordinary lengths to keep them hidden. Especially if they are prominent government figures to whom the information, if known, would prove an embarrassment/end their careers/etc.

If it makes you feel any better, I haven't gotten the blackmailing idea from any of those channels. I don't watch cable news unless there's some big event or disaster happening. I came to that thought on my own. That said, the amount of coverage being devoted to this (by the sound of it) is of course moronic and there are worthier topics to discuss. Like you, I love Newsroom on HBO. Enough said :-)

Re: Generals Have Sex!

Anna Tarkov — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 13:26:38 -0000

Generals certainly have sex and so do the rest of us and that's not news. What IS news is that a man heading the CIA was having a clandestine extra-marital affair. The sex itself isn't the issue, though of course that's what a lot of "news" people focus on for obvious reasons.

The issue is that here is a person in an extremely powerful position critical to U.S. national security who could have potentially been blackmailed with this information, forced to do things to keep it secret, etc. I gather that no one has brought this up in the coverage, which would not be surprising.

Re: First Beta Release - Robin Blog

Anna Tarkov — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 10:12:23 -0000

This is looking AMAZING guys, great work! So far I notice automatic spelling corrections, auto capitalization after a period, etc aren't working. Will report other stuff as I run across it.

Re: How to Succeed in Journalism when You Can't Afford an Internship

Anna Tarkov — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 16:05:07 -0000

Other than not having a Master's and a PhD, it's like I could have written this. It has been a long struggle for me too and it continues to this day. I actually have a spouse who is able to support me and it's still very difficult to make career progress. I have often thought that if I didn't have his financial support, I would have surely quit long ago.

Re: Does the New TribLocal Deserve Time Out Chicago’s Trash Talk?

Anna Tarkov — Mon, 23 Jul 2012 13:05:01 -0000

Sandra, you have other avenues for doing that. Most importantly, you should do them on your own. On your own website, Facebook page, Twitter feed, etc. Be your own promoter. That's the way it should be anyway.

Re: Journatic problems are like lead paint that taint journalism but won’t stop progress

Anna Tarkov — Wed, 18 Jul 2012 18:24:07 -0000

From personal experience, it has been difficult to get information on Journatic, period. Thus that means it's difficult to get both the good and the bad. No company is perfect and perhaps a lot of what has been written here has been negative. If there are positive things, like Julie said, we need someone to talk about them on the record, provide examples. We need to hear from Journatic or BlockShopper employees who like the work they're doing, we need to hear from the founders, etc. You can't just decide not to talk to reporters anymore if something less than stellar has been written about your company.

Re: Journatic worker takes ‘This American Life’ inside outsourced journalism

Anna Tarkov — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 12:50:26 -0000

If you ever want to discuss further, you can email me at tooter2 (at) gmail (dot) com.

FWIW, I don't think "news consumer" and "reader" are interchangeable of course. A reader might be a news consumer and some news consumers read the news while others listen to the radio, watch TV, etc. As to demand for better quality coming from workers, I can't think of a single example in the history of capitalism where that has happened. If you know of one, please share it. Workers can organize into unions to better their employment situation, but that's about it. The consumer always has been and always will be the one driving the quality and characteristics of the product. Even in a non-profit system, someone is paying the money and they will naturally want to influence what gets produced.

Re: Journatic worker takes ‘This American Life’ inside outsourced journalism

Anna Tarkov — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 09:29:40 -0000

I think you are incorrect. Is what you say true about some people? Sure. But it's not true of many others and I think we are increasingly seeing the news consumer become empowered. Will people read borderline useless crap online? Sure. But will they pay for it online or in print? Nope. When they shell out money, people want quality.

Despite all the free stuff out there, people are still paying for print, online, tablet, etc. subscriptions. People are supporting public broadcasting. Some do it out of habit. But again, I believe increasingly people are making these choices more carefully, especially when money is tight. They ask themselves if a publication is really indispensable to them. Why do you think newspaper subscriptions have dropped off so much? It's not just because a lot of content is free online although that's part of it of course. It's because people have come to find little use for a paper or magazine they once read religiously. And why? Because there is a gigantic media ecosystem now and so many choices. And if your paper is giving you the same thing you can get in 20 other places, you're going to value it less.

I could go on, but you get the idea.

Re: GateHouse to end outsourcing relationship with Journatic

Anna Tarkov — Sat, 07 Jul 2012 12:17:22 -0000

Thanks for the comment Marie. I too am saddened that local reporters are considered not worth the expense. To be fair, I think there IS some unevenness in the quality of local reporters, but that's true in any profession. Not every dentist as as good as the next for example and it doesn't mean we should eschew their services entirely and go to some guy practicing dentistry in his basement who charges less.

Re: Adventures in Groceries, by Stacey Ballis

Anna Tarkov — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:06:34 -0000

Produce at Whole Foods is without a doubt superior. I don't know how they do it. I just had some (conventional) cherries from there at my 4th of July party and someone said they were the best cherries they had ever eaten. I have to agree.

Trader Joe's for sure is better for more budget-conscious folks and the frozen section is indeed like heaven. Foodie heaven it's not, but I leave there having spent $200 and I have enough dinners for 2 weeks and other foods too. $200 at Whole Foods buys you a whole lot less.

Re: Adventures in Groceries, by Stacey Ballis

Anna Tarkov — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 15:51:26 -0000

So silly. Not everyone who shops at WF and TJs is in the 1%. Those companies wouldn't make a lot of money if that was the case.

Re: GateHouse to end outsourcing relationship with Journatic

Anna Tarkov — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 07:56:37 -0000

Ryan knew full well what he was getting himself into when he came forward. It's not like it came as a surprise to him. And for the record, he wasn't even fired. He got his assignments as usual this week, but decided to resign. Friday will be his last day working for Journatic.

I promote my stories, because I actually want people to, you know, READ them. I would think you would be glad I'm doing it because it seems like you too want this story to continue getting out. Also, I'm a freelancer and I have to promote my work in order to 1) get more work and 2) let people know what I'm working on so if anyone has any information, they know I'm someone to contact.

As it happens, I already had Howard's name. So thanks, but I don't need any more advice about pursuing my stories from someone who's frustrated this isn't getting reported quickly or accurately, but who also won't come forward to help the process.

Re: Five things The New York Times learned from its three-year hyperlocal experiment

Anna Tarkov — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 07:47:09 -0000

For news like that, I can see how Facebook would be a hub. But I'm guessing no one is doing reporting of the local city council or school district or development plans on Facebook. But of course if your local paper is doing a great job of it, maybe you're covered.

Re: Five things The New York Times learned from its three-year hyperlocal experiment

Anna Tarkov — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 07:44:40 -0000

Surely you know that Block by Block is working on this problem? Have you ever been to one of the conferences? Anyway, here's the site:
http://www.blockbyblock.us/