Thursday squibs

My bout of RSI has passed, my right arm is almost fully workable again, I can type with both hands, so let the blogging recommence.

• Actress Jolie promotes press freedom, but censors reporters. I really have a hard time getting excited about this. Reporters are free to walk away from the press junket and the world will not be a poorer place for the lack of their coverage. Via Jim Romenesko. Related NY Times article: A Deal Too Far: Interviewers Balk at Jolie’s Terms.
• NFL sayeth ‘we do not need video coverage from any stinkin newspapers.’ Sportswriting blogger Joe Gisondi calls efforts by the league to restrict coverage ridiculous.
• Be patient: The future isn’t coming so fast you can’t catch up. Another good post from Ron Sylvester. I particularly like the headline as a reminder that panic is not a good operating state. It does fit well with William Gibson’s oft-cited observation that the future has already arrived, it’s just unevenly distributed.
• Solution to training problem for P&S videos. Angela Grant outlines a possible plan for training reporters to start adding video to their storytelling skills. Related: Tips for shooting better online video at Online Journalism Review.
• Robin Good TV Calls For Grassroots News Reporters. TV is (generally) running behind newspapers in many of the areas of internet experimentation and innovation, but with moves like this, they may be starting to catch up.
• Why newspapers should get out of the internet business before it kills us all. John Duncan, the Inksniffer, has a great series of posts going that question some of the fundamental assumptions newspapers are making about both print and the net. This post should be required reading, but only if you pledge it will kick off a lot of thought and discussion and, eventually, action. Follow-ups include Newspapers and the internet: The dinosaur fights back… and Newspapers and the internet: Or let’s get off the floor, roll up our sleeves and kick Craigslist for a change. Then who wants to steal YouTube’s lunch money.