Mexico Expert(?) I saw this intereview a few days on ago on CNN and I still can't stop thinking about it. Hurricane Dean was, at the time, either approaching or already interacting with Mexico and CNN was interviewing this guy, this "Mexico Expert." No disrespect to CNN, or to the guy in particular, but he (to me at least) didn't look like a Mexican. In fact, he looked and sounded very North American.

This made me wonder, what qualified him to bill himself as an expert on Mexico? Did he live in Mexico for a period of time, did he study there, does he have family or relatives from, or living there, does he vacation there frequently? Is he familiar with the plights of Mexicans? Has he slummed around in Mexico, that is, has he lived the good life and the bad life? Is he aware of Mexico's history, is he up-to-date on Mexican current events and so on and so forth.

In the interest of full disclosure, with the exception of border crossing, illegal immigrants, cheap mexican labour issues, sombrero's, middle america, tacos, enchiladas and something about the water not being safe to drink, I haven't a clue about Mexico. As such, you'll never find me proclaiming to be an expert on that country or any other country for that matter.

So that's what made me wonder...how does one go about claiming to be an expert on Mexico in particular and other countries in general. There's obviously a way, if not, then why would he be called a "Mexico Expert?"

Labels: life, Mexico, MSM, news, World

9:56 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

The Bajan Reporter Celebrates 400th Post! Ian Bourne, chief cook and bottle washer, over at The Bajan Reporter celebrated his 400th post on July 30.

Covering local as well as Caribbean news and events, Ian also serves up his own brand of opinion and analysis. Besides the obvious title of his 400th post, he barely made much of it and instead published a little exposé (including pictures) on the sad state of handicap parking in Barbados.

I ran into Ian at The Woodpecker Pub a while ago and we had an interesting conversation that covered MSM (main stream media) and bloggers. Ian knows all about MSM. He used to be on Barbados' CBC TV (as an anchor, right Ian? Can't remember...) Ian still works for a Government entity, but in a different capacity.

Ian blogs publically, as in, everyone knows The Bajan Reporter is published by Ian Bourne. No veil of secrecy. Unlike the folks at Barbados Free Press and Barbados Underground who have to be extra-special secret when it comes to their real identities. Spend a few hours reading through their blog posts and you'll see what I mean. The topics and issues that BU and BFP cover are a bit more sensitive and risqué (and that's an understatement right there).

That night, I told Ian that he should get his own domain name. Try making a go of the whole thing. He is in a unique position. People know him, he has nothing to hide, nor fear. Provide more local coverage and get good people to contribute their own personal voices or to source news for the outfit. Laws and ethics must not be forgotten. See if you can convince businesses to advertise because this is the way forward, it's the new way.

Citizen journalism is here to stay and you can still keep your day job (or night job). Manage and co-ordinate everything over the Internet. Use Wordpress or Blogger. Setup free e-mail accounts. Have team meetings using IM (instant messaging). It's not easy, but it can be done.

Old school media houses need to realize that the writing's on the wall, or better yet, that the posts are on the blog and must act accordingly. Evolve, or die. Don't take my word for it, have a look at WIRED magazine's article: "To Save Themselves, US Newspapers Put Readers to Work."

Ian, congrats on your 400th post!

Labels: blogging, media, MSM, news

10:35 AM 0 Comments Links to this post