Ticker: Beruit’s lost treasures, Roman ruins knocked down for development

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[Story Ticker] August 04 update

Afternoon, bloggers.

Our story ticker updates again today with a story that may prick the conscience of those interested in preserving history.

Here’s the full pitch from Kit on our main Global for me website:

• Beruit’s lost treasures by Austin Mackell

LEBANON – In downtown Beirut and further across the Middle East a desecration is occurring. Rebuilding in Lebanon by a construction company has uncovered a series of Roman ruins along the way. We’ve seen them…

So what happens once they find them? They knock ‘em down and build on top.

How has this been allowed to happen? Is there a blatant abuse of political power going on? Is the building company connected with other ongoing projects in archaeologically significant areas like Baghdad, Ammam and Agaba, what further treasures has the region lost? Critics are incensed.

Who is behind this? Are there murkier dealings going on?

Global for me correspondent Austin Mackell is ready to investigate. Having seen the ruins first hand, spoken to critics and looked into the history of the company and deals involved, he believes there is a story to be told. Help him here at Global for me by pledging to make a donation for this story, now. Read the page.

This story was suggested by Austin himself. If you’re interested in helping make this story come to light, here’s what you can do:

• First, spread the word.

Global for me is crowdsourced – in other words, we need your support. Help build a crowd that will support and help produce this story. E-mail, tweet or call your friends that you know would be interested – get the story out.

• Second, Suggest & Fund.

Global for me is crowdfunded, meaning that the money that produces the stories comes from interested users like you. Donations can range from pennies to pounds or euros or dollars, it’s all about supporting the journalist for their work.

• Third, get the word out.

We’re not kidding. We need you to spread the fire on each of our suggested stories so they may come to light. For more info about how this works and what we’re trying to do, visit our FAQ and Mission & Challenge pages.

• Fourth, be apart of the process.

Send us your feedback. E-mail us. Comment on the blog. Tweet us. Send us a smoke signal on Facebook. Let us know what you want from the story, when you want it, and how. We’re working alongside you.

Also, if you may notice, our story ticker page has updated with little thermometers that look something like this:

This little thing is a Fund-o-Meter, you may have seen the likes of it before. It’s a new indicator of how much has already been donated to a story, and how close the story is to production.

We’re growing, but we still need help. That is what crowdsourcing and crowd funding is about. Many thanks to those that have e-mailed, commented and supported us thus far. It’s appreciated more than you know.

Thanks for your support,

Kim

–GFM Team

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E-mail your story ideas to  

Join our discussions on Twitter. @GFMEditor

• Read our Global for me mission and challenge. Make the news work for you.

• Check our story ticker daily for updates.

• Help out by suggesting or funding a story.

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Ticker: child kidnapping, bombs in Philippines, Lebanese-Israeli border and 16 new ministers for Bulgaria

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[Story Ticker] July 29 update

Afternoon again, bloggers.

Our story ticker has been updated today with 4 new additions.

For newcomers, Global for me is a crowdsourced, crowdfunded journalism project by Global Radio News. Our mission is connecting you, the user, to the reporter behind the news desk.

Read our mission as well as challenge to the journalism industry for more information, and feel free to contact us with questions.

Also, the ticker has been condensed into one, singular post that will be updated daily. Have a look, we hope we’ve made it easier for you.

Onto the stories…

• Child sacrifice and kidnapping in Uganda by Duncan Woodside

KINSHASHA, Congo – The abduction of children in Uganda has surged by nearly 40% compared to figures for 2006. The country has long been bedevilled by kidnapping, with the notorious Lord’s Resistance Army specialising in the enslavement of children as soldiers. But the latest rise in abductions – to an annual rate of more than three hundred – is not due to the rebels, who have been largely exiled to neighbouring Congo; instead, it seems that the rising popularity of ‘child sacrifice’ is to blame. Read on.

• Despite peace pledges, bombs in southern Philippines by Simon Roughneen

Singapore – Government and Muslim rebels in the southern Philippines both signed ceasefires over the weekend, renewing hopes that a stalled peace deal could be implemented, giving autonomy to Muslim regions in the largely Catholic country’s south, after three decades of on-off fighting and multiple kidnaps of foreigners. Read on.

• The Lebanese-Israeli border by Austin Mackell

TEHRAN, Iran – Tensions are escalating along the Lebanese border with Israel. A new Israeli outpost on the border has apparently upset both Hezbollah and the Lebanese army and reports suggest that they have come very close to engaging with Israeli’s near the outpost. Read on.

• New PM Borisov has picked 16 ministers for the next Bulgarian government by Jordan Jordanovich

SOFIA, Bulgaria – Boyko Borisov, leader of the GERB party and the future Prime Minister of Bulgaria, has announced the names of the Ministers for the new Bulgarian government. At a special ceremony at the Bulgarian Presidency, Borisov handed back to President Georgi Parvanov the mandate to appoint a new cabinet. The new Bulgarian government consists of 15 Ministers. Including former senior World Bank economist Simeon Djankov as the new Minister of Finance. Read on.

All of these have been added to our growing ticker. Check it daily to see updates.

If you’re interested in suggesting or funding a story, see our Suggest and Fund page.

Happy reading,

Kim

–GFM Team

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E-mail your story ideas to  

Join our discussions on Twitter. @GFMEditor

• Read our Global for me challenge. Make the news work for you.

• Interested in helping make this stories come to light? Hop over to the Suggest and Fund page.

Ticker: X-Factor odds with special guest Tony Cowell

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Today’s freelance story ticker

Afternoon again, bloggers!

Today, our story ticker is drumming up a nice surprise for all you X-Factor and celebrity fans.

The Global for me team plus a certain special someone is proud to present the following story pitch:

• X-Factor odds by the GFM Team and special guest Tony Cowell

The new series of X-Factor doesn’t begin until next month but already the bookies have been giving odds.

Paddy Power is offering odds for a winner from one of the younger categories- 7/4 that the winner is from the boys group and 15/8 for a girl winner. No group has ever won X-Factor but they are being backed at 3/1 with the over 25’s least favourite at 4/1.

All these odds, numbers and demographics pose the question, what does it really take to win X-Factor? With huge amounts of cash at stake- is there a formula for success? Where does the power lie- with the judges or the public?

We welcome to the Global For Me team, Tony Cowell, brother of X-Factor judge and creator Simon. Tony has over the years had unparralled X-Factor access and knows better than anyone the inner workings of the X-Factor machine.

For the inside track on all things X-Factor at GFM we can deliver the backstage stories and more.

Read the original pitch on our main website.

As some may already know – yes, Tony Cowell is the older brother of famed X-Factor, American Idol, Britain’s Got Talent TV personality Simon Cowell. Read more about the endeavors of Tony Cowell on his official website.

This is another unique opportunity to connect to the reporter behind the news desk. E-mail or comment your interest to GFM right away if you’re interested… X-Factor is soon to return to television, so there’s a bit of a deadline with this one!

Also, don’t forget to browse our other story tickers for this week. Here’s a list of some of the proposed topics below:

• Will Afghanistan make it to the polls? by Jerome Starkey
• What happens after Kim Jong Il’s Death? by Jason Strother
• Sri Lankan concentration camps by Florence Muchori
• Mexico: the affects of the drug trade by Ioan Grillo
• How is Iraq coping alone? by Neil Arun
• Cyber warfare: US, S. Korea versus N. Korea? by Nancy Youssef

Interested? Drop us a line. Don’t hesitate to ask questions if you’re curious about the Fund-a-Story process.

All the best,

Kim

–GFM Team

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E-mail your story ideas to  

Join our discussions on Twitter. @GFMEditor

• Read our Global for me challenge. Make the news work for you.

• Interested in helping make this stories come to light? Hop over to the Fund a Story page.

A little blog maintenance: Challenge and Fund a Story pages are live

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Added pages: Challenge and Fund a Story

Afternoon, bloggers.

Global for me is getting a little bit bigger. We added a page for our Global for me challenge, as well as a Fund a Story page for story donations. Take a look.

Special thanks to those that’ve supported us as well as spread the word about our challenge. We thank you.

Remember, it’s all about connecting to the reporter behind the news desk. Make the news industry work for you.

Thanks for all of your support in making this endeavor grow.

Cheers,

Kim

–GFM Team

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E-mail your story ideas to  

Join our discussions on Twitter. @GFMEditor

• Read our Global for me challenge. Make the news work for you.

The Global for me challenge

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Global for me issues a challenge

Afternoon, bloggers.

Global for me has issued a challenge to news readers, watchers and listeners alike.

We didn’t need to get fancy with the title: it’s the Global for me challenge.

We drafted it, saved it and sent it to all corners of the Earth. It’s a shot across the bow, an alert to news consumers and deliverers alike. It sounds dramatic, but honestly – we mean it.

It looks a little something like this…

Read it in full. (PDF file, 59.2KB)

Spread the word. Sound it out. GFM is out to rewrite the news business.

See you in the news,

Kim & Paul

–GFM Team

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E-mail your story ideas to  

Join the day’s discussion on Twitter. @GFMEditor

Global for me: now mashed on Mashable

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Global for me in the news

Morning, bloggers!

A little press update, Global for me was featured last week on Mashable, the online social media guide.

Mashable’s Leah Betancourt wrestled the many issues and obstacles GFM and its fellows face in Is Crowdfunding the Future of Journalism?

A sample of the article…

Crowdfunding, or getting many people to donate small amounts of cash to fund a project, startup, or service, is nothing new. Think public radio or television pledge drives. Think political campaigns. Think tip jar. Now, as the media landscape changes and traditional revenue sources are beginning to disappear, some forward-thinking journalists and entrepreneurs are starting to apply the crowdfunding concept to the news. A new crop of sites are combining crowdfunding with volunteer and professional contributions in order to source news that people want to read.

There are two issues with crowdfunded sites that also have volunteer journalists, however: who’s going to pay for it and who’s going to write it. These sites are experimenting with ways of answering these questions…

Read on for your curiosity if it has yet to be sated. And many heartfelt thanks for our GFM readers, commentors and supporters.

Spread the word on crowd funded journalism, and connect to the reporter behind the news desk.

Cheers,

Kim

–GFM Team

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E-mail your story ideas to  

Join the day’s discussion on Twitter. @GFMEditor

Ticker: Kim Jong Il, Sri Lanka concentration camps, Mexican drug trade, Iraq withdrawal, cyber warfare

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Today’s Freelance Story Ticker

Good morning, bloggers.

We have a slew of story possibilities for our ticker today. All of these are stories submitted by our freelancers – as the drill goes, if enough interest surfaces, we can roll out the story. If not, the stories will pass on and fade out.

A lot of stories simply go unreported, simply because there is no funding for them. GFM seeks to change that by using a crowdsourcing model to fund hardworking reporters – in other words, we need you.

It’s all about connecting you, the readers and viewers, to the reporter behind the news desk. Sometimes mainstream media simply miss other stories in the world that arise. Our goal is to bring them to you, and to support our freelancers that work hard to research and produce them. No middle man or coroporate interest involved. It’s news that goes straight to your inbox – it’s you from then on who chooses how to distribute it.

Read more about our mission here, or visit our main website.

For today, here is our story ticker, courtesy of Kit of the Global for me team. Click on the links below to read the full story pitch or view each correspondent’s Global Radio News profile.

• What happens after Kim Jong Il’s Death? by Jason Strother

N. KOREA – News leaked via a South Korean newspaper that Kim Jong-Il has pancreatic cancer has been greeted by many with suspicion, despite recent speculation about his health due to recent photographs showing him looking frail. Read on.

• Sri Lankan concentration camps by Florence Muchori

SRI LANKA: At the Manik Farm in Sri Lanka, displaced Tamils from the recent civil war are being detained- 1,400 people are dying every week. The Sri Lankan government is calling them “welfare villages”. The Sri Lankan government has asked the Red Cross to scale down their operation. The government claims to have the situation under control. Is this really the case? Read on.

• Mexico: the affects of the drug trade by Ioan Grillo

MEXICO – Mexican gangs have left eight dead, tortured bodies by a motorway. At the same spot last week they left four. Since President Calderon came to power in December 2006 over 12,300 people have died in drug related violence. Is this a futile war? Whilst the US has pleged £860 million to battle the cartels, this is but a drop in the ocean- the Mexican drug trade is worth £25 billion per year. Read on.

• How is Iraq coping alone? by Neil Arun

IRBIL, IRAQ – As US troops recently withdrew from Iraqi cities, citizens celebrated. A national holiday was declared. However there has been an upsurge in violence by those who wish to derail the transition. As the regular news outlets become numb to the daily violence in the middle east, and Iraq slides down their agenda we wonder… Will Iraqi forces be able to cope? With hindsight how do the Iraqi people feel about the withdrawal? Read on.

• Cyber warfare: US, S. Korea versus N. Korea? by Nancy Youssef

N. KOREA – US and South Korean governmental websites were recently attacked by a virus known as Mydoom. It wreaked havoc, taking some websites out of action for days. Blame initially was laid at the door of North Korea. Could it really have been them? Investigations have shown that in fact a server in Britain was orchestrating the attacks. But was this just a smokescreen? Read on.

If any of these stories caught your attention, piqued your curiosity or inspired another story idea, don’t hesitate to tell us or pass the word along. We rely on word-of-mouth, not corporate advertising. It’s telling the story and supporting freelancers – in the crowdsourced way. An experiment in journalism, and one that we use for them and you.

Cheers,

Kim

–GFM Team

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E-mail your story ideas to  

View our story ticker on our main website.

Join today’s discussion on Twitter. @GFMEditor

Sound your voice…
Let yourself be heard in the comment box below. Liked a story? See something we missed? Don’t hesitate to let us know. We’re listening.