Leonard Witt has started a great conversation over at PJNet’s blog about what is required of reporter writers:

Think of any position on the field; who would want the pitcher to be the catcher too? But that’s what we want from our best reporter writers. We want them not only to play any position but also to play the equivalent of two or three sports — and video,  audio and writing for the page are indeed different sports.  

My advice to the journalism student who wants to be a great writer above all else is to then concentrate your energies in that area. Get some exposure to the other mediums media, but don’t let them turn you into another cog in the machine. Seek your passion. Do all that is necessary to become a great literary journalist, our democracy for sure, and maybe our trade, needs you as much and probably more than we do need all the jacks of all trades.

However, if great nonfiction literary writing, with all the reporting, research and observation skills it entails, is not your first passion, then follow the advice of Curley, Owen, Conley and Murley, learn all the web skills you can because that is where most reporting jobs will be.

The distinction Witt makes between “reporter” and “literary nonfiction writer” earlier in his post is key.  As media tightens its belt, though, “literary nonfiction writers” are going to be the people able to get and secure jobs.  These are the writers who not only can write what sells but gets into the areas of a story that is usually missed by reporters, the cracks filled lately by bloggers.  It’s a matter of adapting to the times, and the times ask for these things.

Reporters are going to be asked more and more to pitch and catch in order to keep up with the times and the market.  As traditional media starts seeking more ways to hold onto an ever shrinking number of readers, engagement will be key, and the “literary nonfiction writer” might be the one that fits.

The unofficial Google Operating System blog has some screenshots of potential integration between gTalk and AIM.  As a user of gTalk through my gMail and AIM once in a while, this is gonna be awesome should it happen.  Makes it easier than having to open different windows or programs.  Then again, further integrating things and making gMail and Google a one-stop-shop for all things web makes me a bit uneasy.  Not that I’m doing much to resist it…

On Saturday, Delegate Rob Wittman won the Republican nomination for the 1st House District special election this December 11th.  He will face Democratic nominee Phil Forgit.  Some Democratic blogs are already trying to attack Whitman instead of sing the praises of Forgit, so that kinda tells ya they know they’re playing catch-up here.  Virginia Virtucon asked Del. Wittman a few questions before the nominating convention if you wanna see how an issues based campaign works.

Update: Thanks to NLS for politely correcting my misspellings via comments.  Kudos, Ben.  Now don’t you have someone to go libel?

Patrick Ruffini has a new project: ECorps:

ECorps is a collaborative, blog-based effort to network conservative web geeks across America. From graphic designers to hardcore developers, ECorps will serve as a community for people just like you, providing a venue for discussion and connecting you to exciting projects.

You don’t have to be especially political to join. We’re looking for the best new talent, not inside the Beltway political junkies. And you don’t need to have architected a Fortune 500 website either: a snazzy personal blog will do just fine.

Tired of the liberal tilt on Slashdot? Does it seem like every other Flash designer like you is a Michael Moore-addled lefty? Then join ECorps!

Creating a network like this is a great idea, especially leading into 2008.  Not just so like-minded folks can collaborate on projects, but also to provide a ready and waiting pool of capable people that campaigns and activists can tap into if need be.

 Update: Be sure to check out the ECorps Facebook group ”Code Red”.

Electronic Arts has announced that it will donate the original SimCity for installation on every One Laptop Per Child computer:

The original SimCity game, which won numerous awards and paved the way for an immensely successful franchise, transforms the player into the mayor of a virtual city. The simulation encourages cultivation of problem-solving skills and requires users to plan elaborate city infrastructure and respond to the needs of virtual citizens. The idea of including SimCity on the OLPC XO laptop was conceived by Electronic Frontier Foundation cofounder and OLPC advisor John Gilmore.

The game is currently being ported to the OLPC by Don Hopkins, the man responsible for the original multiplayer Unix port of the game. Hopkins created the Unix port of SimCity—which uses TCL and Tk—for DUX software in 1991. When the ten-year distribution contract between Maxis and DUX expired, Hopkins contacted Maxis parent company EA and attempted to negotiate for licensing rights so that he could adapt the program for educational uses and continue distributing. He didn’t succeed at the time, but now that EA is gifting the program to the OLPC project, Hopkins finally has a new chance to reinvent SimCity for academic uses.

As a fan of the SimCity franchise I think it’s great to see it get cracked open and be tweaked for educational purposes.  It’ll be interesting to see what happens to it.  (OLPC)

If you’re a university, Congressional Dems want you not just to stop illegal filesharing but buy into DRM alternatives or the government’s gonna hold back your monies:

The U.S. House of Representatives bill (PDF), which was introduced late Friday by top Democratic politicians, could give the movie and music industries a new revenue stream by pressuring schools into signing up for monthly subscription services such as Ruckus and Napster. Ruckus is advertising-supported, and Napster charges a monthly fee per student.

The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) applauded the proposal, which is embedded in a 747-page spending and financial aid bill. “We very much support the language in the bill, which requires universities to provide evidence that they have a plan for implementing a technology to address illegal file sharing,” said Angela Martinez, a spokeswoman for the MPAA.

According to the bill, if universities did not agree to test “technology-based deterrents to prevent such illegal activity,” all of their students–even ones who don’t own a computer–would lose federal financial aid.

Does anyone smell bacon?  BoingBoing does:

This is about as ugly as pork-barrel politics can get: politicians are so in debt to four of five ailing giants from the entertainment industry that they’re prepared to deny low-income children access to a college education if universities don’t punish kids for listening to music and piss away money on a useless service that no one wants to use.

The congressmen behind this are Reps. George Miller from California and Ruben Hinojosa of Texas and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. These three men are proposing to make colleges into a subsidy system for the MAFIAA. Remember those names come election time — and if you live in their districts, call them today.

Don’t House Democrats have bigger things to debate than how best to peddle to thuggish entertainment interests?

From experience, I can say that Ruckus is a piece of crap service that really doesn’t deliver.  VCU uses and promotes it (at least the SGA does, maybe it’ll be more hip if the kids push it) and I don’t have any figures, but I’m all but certain no one uses it.  Either iTunes still wins out or there are plenty of other, less legal means that students can still use to get their music.  Forcing colleges to spend money buying into programs that won’t work does nothing except continue to enrich a failing business model.