The Fifth Annual Izzy Awards

Last night, the fifth annual Izzy Award was presented to Mother Jones. David Corn, Washington bureau chief, released a video this past year of Mitt Romney's 47 percent video. Mother Jones's coverage of this exemplifies the necessity for independent media outlets. Without independent outlets such as Mother Jones, controversial issues would not be covered in depth, and important information that is overlooked by the mainstream media would not reach the public.

I was honestly disappointed in the turn out for the Izzy Awards. The audience mostly consisted of residents of Ithaca, I'm assuming, but I did not see many students in attendance. I wish the independent media community was bigger at Ithaca College, and that there was more support. The Izzy Awards are fairly new, having only been around for five years, but I would like to see a bigger crowd of students at the awards next year. The Ithacan quoted Professor Cohen talking about how "When you see the kind of impact that independent media is having, it makes you realize that independent media is more important than ever." Mother Jones is the example of this, and I hope to see the Ithaca College community develop interest in this.

Colbert Has a Sister!?

While we're talking about TPM, how about Elizabeth Colbert Busch, Stephen Colbert's sister, winning the Democratic primary in South Carolina and earning a spot on the general election ballot! According to TPM, Colbert Busch "always dreamed of a career in politics." This is pretty cool, considering "The Colbert Report"is a better place to get truthful information than mainstream media outlets. TPM also points out how Colbert "parodies a conservative commentator." Love it.

Freelance to Succes

Josh Marshall is a motivational success story for journalists. Quitting his job at The American Prospect, Marshall decided to become a freelance journalist. I don't know if I would have the confidence to quit my job without another one lined up, especially at a time like this. The early 2000s were a different story though, I guess. Since the blogosphere was just taking off, bloggers were learning how to succeed from each other. Wanting to cover the primary in New Hampshire, Marshall needed the means to do so. His idea came from Duncan Black, who asked his readers to send him money for a new laptop. I honestly still find it hard to believe that readers so willingly donate money to bloggers for their personal needs. It shows how much of an impact bloggers, such as Marshall, have on the Internet. If it wasn't for the following that Marshall had built, Talking Points Memo would not be in existence. After he raised thousands of dollars for his trip to cover the primary, Marshall went on to ask his readers to help him hire journalists to assist him with TPM. This is when the site really took off.

Advertisers are a big source of revenue for blogs, but readers play an even greater role. Building a loyal following is everything, and Josh Marshall is the perfect example of someone who utilizes all that the Internet has to offer to maintain success.