What is newsworthy? Everyone has an agenda

Media are the gatekeepers and agenda-setters. They are largely in control of what is and is not disseminated to the masses. This may be a burden of responsibility too great for any media to handle.

This holds true for individuals, smaller and mid-sized media outlets and especially conglomerates.

It’s cliché, but there’s value in Lord Acton’s warning that “power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” Who's out there competing with media? Who's keeping the media in check? Should we believe what we read in the newspaper, see on television and listen to on pod casts? Who's there to make sure the media isn't over stepping its bounds? Who can you trust?

All of these are valid questions. They are also questions I ask myself daily as a member of the media. But because I seek to honor what I consider to be journalistic basics – honesty, fairness and courageous in gathering, reporting and interpreting information – I have started this blog.

That’s my agenda.

I encourage consumers of the media to scrutinize the information disseminated to you. Examine the information you receive critically; find alternative sources. Let’s be frank: there is no such thing as objective reporting. We’re human; we naturally have biases, which can show in our reporting. Thinking for yourself and analyzing how information is presented to you is responsible media consumption.

At the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, there are three newspapers, the UWM Post, the Leader and the UWM Times.

The UWM Post has been charged with being liberal; the UWM Times, conservative. In the spring semester of 2006, the Leader stepped up its news coverage so much that it scooped both publications and surpassed the "arts and entertainment newspaper” label it wears. Do people see the Leader as liberal because of its emphatic coverage of the arts? Because of that emphasis, should its news be accredited?

That's your decision to make. I encourage you to make it responsibly and actively.

It's hard to decide which paper to read unless you read them all. I’m here to offer news that isn't covered -- or isn't covered adequately -- in the mainstream press (and to scoop other newspapers from time to time).

However, my reporting won't be entirely objective as I'll offer my criticisms and commentary on the media and their reporting as we move forward.

My name is Bradley Wooten. I look forward to reporting to you.