On NPR:

NPR is a private, not-for-profit news organization that has a unique relationship with the national and international media industry.  This is due to the optimization of local research and production within the communities in where content is accesible, be it through podcasts or radio.  NPR has multiple sources of revenue with this connection and can withstand economic capriciousness.  According to Ms. Schller, the news industry lost 1.6 million reporters while surveys indicate that 70% of participants feel that the news media is overly biased while 71% are also confused about the intention of their content.  These sentiments have allowed NPR to leverage their strong public trust into a growing market share of European followers, especially since the Gulf War of 1999.

On European cyberspace use:

Both news executives have seen some growth in the European market, with success stories in the former Yugoslavia as one example in gaining radio followers.  European news corporations are also more reliant on sales and advertising revenue than the States, while providing more partisan content.  Governments offer cheap utility rate subsidies for news media, which assists with corporate stability.

They, however, discussed a couple of impediments to accelerated growth in Europe’s future.  Consistent web usage in traditional Western European powers is largely limited to mobile devices, affecting browsing time and online advertising growth potential. Northern Europe, especially in Denmark, has nearly double the cyberspace traffic of Germany. Secondly, the government subsidies allow for greater hegemony over content and distribution, which is nonexistent Stateside. Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi owns a large share of Italy’s media networks and been able to defray a term filled with various scandal. President Nicolas Sarkozy deftly used French media to portray his innocence in the Bettencourt situation.  In short, the European media landscape is embracing a digital future, but at a slower pace.

NPR’s Digital Outreach and Influence:

As a purveyor of civic information, NPR has been inventive in their news outreach.  Both executives also go into more depth in their discussion on the network’s strategy. They have used interactive marketing with several key issues to solicit feedback which could ultimately lead to policy development. During the election of 2008, their digital section created a Google Maps application and offered a Twitter stream for users to share polling issues.  Social media users also wrote their thoughts on the Facebook fan pages when news of the Haiti earthquake reached the newswire.  Planet Money, a finance blog covering local business measures, was instrumental as a hub for local demographics during the financial crisis of 2008, and visitors remain strong to this day.  Some concern has grown about the behavior of online visitors to NPR being somewhat belligerent and sophomorific, but the moderators keep control.

NPR’s livestream shows the inventiveness of their leadership.  The unique bond with local communities allowed NPR to make a seamless transition into the hyperactivity of digital media.  They have a stronger pulse on the audience and can tailor programming to meet their listening demands.  The executives also feel that the mobile industry will be a natural transition for the network, as smartphones gain sophistication.  NPR breathes life back into the radio, when once we all thought video won.

The report first surfaced on a conservative political website called BigGovernment, then was broadcast on Fox News.  Media figures on both sides of the party ledger distilled information, supported with fervent discussion.  Online users called for Sherrod to be reinstated by the end of business on Monday.  Tuesday, Roger Spooner, the 87-year old farmer from Albany, Georgia, and his wife Eloise, spoke with CNN to heap praise on Sherrod.  The Huffington Post chronicled her lengthy contributions to the Civil Rights movement.  On Wednesday, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and Tom Vilsack, the Agriculture Head, issued formal letters of apology. Vilsack offered a new position to Sherrod, and at press time today, she remained undecided.

The most striking thing to me about the whole controversy is the immediacy of its timeline.  I found a short article touching the front section of today’s Wall Street Journal, and it has a benign tone, which truly belies the power of digital media. Or does it? The fire burned online through various sources, yet was quietly put out by live figures.  Honestly, I had never heard of Shirley Sherrod before the controversy surfaced on Monday, and it’s arguable, despite the presence of social media integration, if many more know her name today. Beltway politics continue to remain an insiders’ forum despite the growing accessibility of online media and Obama’s legendary campaign of 2007-8.  Race is even more taboo than with prior administrations on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue these days.  America’s longstanding wooden dialogue on race continues, with little more engagement to promise education. I guess that even on a viral scale, controversy starts and ends with a click.