Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

You are the Free Republic—Enhancement and Initiative Announcement

Posted on 05/08/2012 3:35:15 PM PDT by Admin Moderator

We can’t rely on the media, even the alternative media. Free Republic is announcing a new initiative that gives you a platform. We want to leverage the most powerful minds on the right to make a difference. To do this, we want to bring a new level of activism, the citizen investigator. In the spirit of 1750’s The Pennsylvania Gazette published by Ben Franklin and of Andrew Breitbart.

For the longest time, our primary focus has been on looking at what the media presents and investigating it or discussing it. We have been missing something, YOU!

Jim has created a new news category, “FReeper Editorial” (freepered) for you to post your investigative reports. We are working on getting this promoted to a sidebar and other ways to promote your work but here are the basics.

No longer will quality vanities posted in this topic be frowned upon. Free Republic needs to become about you. We are tired of waiting for the media to come around to us, it is time we take our many, many members and become an army. What was once was your vanity is now your megaphone.

To do this right, we need your help. Initially, we are trying to have this as a smooth launch, and creating the new news category is a baby step towards something big. We ask just a few things.

  1. Keep this to stories you personally uncover or are a part of. This isn’t about saying what someone else has already said.
  2. No blog pimping. This is for exclusive Free Republic articles.
  3. Think about our big battle now. Please continue to post personal thoughts on history, religion, science, or whatever isn’t happening now news, in their appropriate categories.
  4. Keep it civil. Need we say more?
  5. No “hitting it”.
  6. Talk to us. Please let us know your ideas, thoughts, and suggestions for this.
  7. Be open to the cultural change this means for the site. This is good, but it does involve change. This doesn’t mean that the Dan Rather case is a once in a decade event, but the model for a thousand similar events.
  8. It is up to you. Take part. Take Action. Have fun.

Stay tuned for more change, enhancements, and opportunities that go along with this. - Your friendly neighborhood Mod Squad with blessings of the big dog himself. We are not quite legion, but we are a bag of kittens.


TOPICS: Announcements; Breaking News; FReeper Editorial; Free Republic
KEYWORDS: 2012; adminlectureseries; citizenjournalist; editorial; elections; enhancement; fr; freepered; freepereditorial; freeperjournalists; freepthispoll; freerepublic; frjournalism; jimrobinson; keyword; modlectureseries; originalarticle
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 141-160161-180181-200201-211 next last
To: Jim Robinson; Admin Moderator

Here’s a point you may want to consider: the old media is unlikely to publish FR-produced content, so its influence will be largely determined by the extent to it is picked up by other conservative blogs. Unfortunately, FR has earned a reputation for being extremely hostile to the bloggers who post here - especially those who excerpt their articles, something that virtually all other media sources require.

It won’t immediately eliminate the problem, but an official moratorium on greeting external bloggers with contempt and ridicule would be a useful start.

Interesting Times


181 posted on 05/09/2012 2:59:22 PM PDT by Interesting Times (WinterSoldier.com. SwiftVets.com. ToSetTheRecordStraight.com.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Interesting Times
Unfortunately, FR has earned a reputation for being extremely hostile to the bloggers who post here - especially those who excerpt their articles, something that virtually all other media sources require.

Just my 2 cents, but bloggers who post 3 word ticklers, steal graphics from others, paraphrase or plagiarize from other sources, use a you tube video as their blog content or post and run at FR (with no participation) deserve ridicule.

182 posted on 05/09/2012 3:18:37 PM PDT by Fundamentally Fair (Pictionary at the Rorschach's tonight!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 181 | View Replies]

To: Fundamentally Fair

What of those bloggers who research and write quality stories, excerpt them here, and are treated like rabid skunks?


183 posted on 05/09/2012 3:32:44 PM PDT by Interesting Times (WinterSoldier.com. SwiftVets.com. ToSetTheRecordStraight.com.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 182 | View Replies]

To: txhurl

NNNOOOOO!!!!!!! (sob)


184 posted on 05/09/2012 3:39:13 PM PDT by Deb (Beat him, strip him and bring him to my tent!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 34 | View Replies]

To: Interesting Times
What of those bloggers who research and write quality stories, excerpt them here, and are treated like rabid skunks?

I'm sure there are some. My non-scientific sample says there few. Can you point out a few? I'd like to see example of those that were unfairly ridiculed.

185 posted on 05/09/2012 3:54:39 PM PDT by Fundamentally Fair (Pictionary at the Rorschach's tonight!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 183 | View Replies]

To: Fundamentally Fair
My non-scientific sample says there few...

...they're...

186 posted on 05/09/2012 3:57:59 PM PDT by Fundamentally Fair (Pictionary at the Rorschach's tonight!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 185 | View Replies]

BTT


187 posted on 05/09/2012 6:12:55 PM PDT by Admin Moderator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 175 | View Replies]

To: Admin Moderator; Jim Robinson

I love the idea.

Can we continue to use our Freeper labels or do we have to post investigative journalism with a real name attached?

I have always been very protective of cyber privacy concerns.

I also think the first person account part is critical. That doesn’t mean the person can’t have opinions about what he or she has heard/seen/done, but the facts come first. Thanks for that. It is right on the money.


188 posted on 05/09/2012 6:58:01 PM PDT by xzins (Vote Goode not Evil (the lesser of 2 evils is still evil))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: xzins

Right now, posting is no different than posting anything else, just the category and the type of content. It is your choice if you use your real name in the author field. I don’t see this ever being a requirement or even suggestion.


189 posted on 05/09/2012 7:33:40 PM PDT by Admin Moderator
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 188 | View Replies]

To: eastforker

Perhaps you could offer to be the editor in chief?


190 posted on 05/09/2012 11:15:34 PM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 101 | View Replies]

To: onyx; bray

Doesn’t Bray write on the Sunday Morning News threads....she’s also quite the writer.


191 posted on 05/09/2012 11:17:19 PM PDT by caww
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 135 | View Replies]

To: Lazamataz
Driveby ...

Hi there, Laz! Thanks so much for the vote of confidence and the invitation -- high praise, coming from you!

192 posted on 05/10/2012 12:20:31 AM PDT by JohnHuang2
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 31 | View Replies]

To: JohnHuang2

Good to see you.


193 posted on 05/10/2012 1:15:20 AM PDT by Vigilantcitizen (Dave Mustaine for president.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 192 | View Replies]

To: Admin Moderator
kewl.. this sounds fantastic!
"boldly going where no Liberal (or RINO) has trod before...to the truth.
"Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel."
- Socrates

194 posted on 05/10/2012 1:29:34 AM PDT by skinkinthegrass (WA. DC E$tabli$hment; DNC/RNC/Unionists...old Brazilian saying: "$@me $hit; different flie$". :^)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Interesting Times
its influence will be largely determined by the extent to it is picked up by other conservative blogs.

What do you mean, "other" blogs? Do you think FR is a blog?

FR has earned a reputation for being extremely hostile to the bloggers who post here - especially those who excerpt their articles

That's because the little wankers are using FR as advertising to get hits.

an official moratorium on greeting external bloggers with contempt and ridicule would be a useful start

If they don't excerpt their material they never hear a word of criticism.

195 posted on 05/10/2012 5:24:14 AM PDT by humblegunner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 181 | View Replies]

To: humblegunner

I wasn’t talking to you.

You contribute nothing of value here, and do significant damage to FR’s reputation on the Web.


196 posted on 05/10/2012 5:39:01 AM PDT by Interesting Times (WinterSoldier.com. SwiftVets.com. ToSetTheRecordStraight.com.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 195 | View Replies]

To: Interesting Times
I wasn’t talking to you.

Too bad, I read it anyway.

197 posted on 05/10/2012 5:43:11 AM PDT by humblegunner
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 196 | View Replies]

To: mnehring
I have a totally different view of this---and, btw, I'm not pinging everyone, so feel free to re-ping---I think it is precisely the drift toward "critical thinking" that is killing education.

We have gotten entirely away from content. If you go to the McGuffy Readers, they didn't teach "critical thinking." They taught straight up morals, patriotism, Biblical truths, etc. The notion that you can teach "critical thinking" outside of a vast body FIRST of information and basics, is flawed.

The fact is, when we taught "only" facts, we had far smarter and more innovative people (on the whole) than we do today.

Further, "critical thinking" ALWAYS assumes two points of view, that any position has "some validity" that we must "critically analyze." Well, no. Once a truth is established as a truth, you don't continually revisit it. We don't test anew gravity every year (ie., seeking to prove it). It is now a building block upon which we rest other ideas.

So I'm extremely skeptical of teaching "critical thinking" as an end. If you teach content correctly people will learn to think critically.

198 posted on 05/10/2012 9:12:49 AM PDT by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually (Hendrix))
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 137 | View Replies]

To: LS
We have gotten entirely away from content. If you go to the McGuffy Readers, they didn't teach "critical thinking." They taught straight up morals, patriotism, Biblical truths, etc. The notion that you can teach "critical thinking" outside of a vast body FIRST of information and basics, is flawed.

Having taught each of my four sons to read via McGuffey Readers, I must emphatically disagree. McGuffey did not teach straight up morals, etc., he offered well written literary pieces that illustrated proper behavior--behavior that actually worked for the benefit of the doer, his family & community; and foolish behavior that did not work--at least not for good--so that the child learned the critical thinking behind the ancient truths being illustrated.

The present debased educational structure does not work that way. Rather it assumes undemonstrated--and clearly false premises--that are treated as sacrosanct. The result, instead of the principled youth of McGuffey's day, we have the chanting Egalitarian automatons at a 2008 Obama rally, chanting in unison for changing America. The automatons may be on the attack, but they most certainly do not illustrate "critical thinking."

William Flax

199 posted on 05/10/2012 9:46:36 AM PDT by Ohioan
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 198 | View Replies]

To: nutmeg

bookmark


200 posted on 05/10/2012 10:27:40 AM PDT by nutmeg (Rest in peace, and thank you, Andrew Breitbart)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 101 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 141-160161-180181-200201-211 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson