Tim MakIf I were to launch a new journalism venture focused on covering the war in #ukraine what would you want it to cover?
What are the big and small questions you’d want it to answer?
And what sort of relationship should it have to Mastodon?
Stay tuned here for news on this next week!
I’ve decided based on the warm reception I’ve got from Mastodon that I’ll be posting the news here first.
FallsMom 🌻@timkmak Glad to hear this!
john lehet@timkmak Grateful for that. I’ve been off the other place for a while! I followed you there, will be glad to see more of you here.
Somcak@timkmak I can hardly wait. Keep the news coming!
Leisureguy@timkmak And I, for one, will see immediately what you post because:
a. I follow you (that sounds sort of stalkerish, but I mean "follow" in the Mastodonian sense); and
b. I clicked the notification bell next to the follow button, so each time you post it shows up in my notification column (in the Advanced Web Interface I use in my browser).
Looking forward to your posts.
alexmak
Bill Sherman@timkmak -- this is fantastic. Well worth boosting. Love your work.
Yohannon@timkmak I know, right?? After decades of being online (from BBS', usenet groups, IRC and beyond) Mastodon appears to be one of the better environments I've encountered. I hope it lasts! 🤞🏻
@yohannon there’s a lot of searching for a post Twitter alternative and I hope it is here
Bodhipaksa@timkmak Woohoo!
Mary trying to cope@timkmak Thank you! Please let your fellow journalists know how good it is over here.
ASP ¯\_(ツ)_/¯Awsome!!! 😎
pablo@timkmak tooting ftw!
Jeri Dansky@timkmak So glad to hear that!
Colin Cowie@timkmak looking forward to it!
MettEagle@timkmak excellent!
Alx 🐈@timkmak thank you for your effort to understand the community here and how to use this platform at its best. I’m also quite new and discovering Mastodon requires all a new kind of communication mindset, but saw few journalists really engaging in discovering its potential. I like your threads and followed them before on Twitter and now here, they are always so informative and empathetic, showing a lot of respect for your reporting and the people and animals you encounter on the way. Thank you so
Dave Porter@timkmak Mastodon is where a lot of us are so if it isn't posting here it won't reach e.g. me
@timkmak which would be sad for e.g. me
hammancheez@timkmak The interests of Oligarchs on all sides (how 2014 happened, how the puppet regime came to be and was driven out, and what happened to those people before the war kicked off)
how business interests are competing for Ukraine resources and Russian influence and how are they using economic power to drive the political endgame
on the human side - how are NGOs tracking the displaced, esp. children, and what are the prospects for family reunifications
Tabatha@timkmak I like to know generally how things are going, what needs to happen to drive Russia out, who is helping each side, how we can help Ukraine.
Keith Ammann@timkmak I'd want to see maps. Lots of maps. For folks not closely familiar with the geography of Russia and Ukraine, the place names we hear have little meaning, and the significances of battles over particular locations are lost. Show the course of the war in maps. Not just flat political maps—topo maps with clearly identified rivers.
And—crazy notion—don't just use rectangular projections and put north at the top all the time. It's important to show how Ukraine joins Russia to Europe.
Steve's Place@KeithAmmann @timkmak Sky News' expert is very good with maps of the changing battle lines. Maybe a summary of the back-and-forth b/c it changes, sometimes hourly.
John McCain was there. I agree with hammancheez. I'd like to know more about the lead-up. What was he doing in Maiden? Was he helpful?
And I like Frank T's idea, learning more about Russia's information warfare. Our servers have been under siege for years to steal info - now it's social media used to deceive.
SamuelJohnson@timkmak The experiences of both Ukrainian and Russian diasporas as well as on the ground reporting of the conflict; I think they may be important after the war ends.
prolixious@samueljohnson @timkmak Diaspora and refugee issues are definitely something I want to follow as well
GlenG🌻 - Support UkraineWould highly welcome such a venture.
I'd like to see more articles on Ukrainian history - especially since 1991 - focusing on their struggle for democracy, independence, and their efforts to weed out government corruption.
Also, on Ukraine / EU and Ukraine / NATO politics.
Also articles on Ukrainian cultural history and customs, religion, and attitudes toward women and the LGBTQ community.
And articles on their rising IT industry and as a supplier of energy to the EU.
@timkmak I'm most interested in how ordinary Ukrainians are coping with the war. Also I don't think we get enough information about how people in Russia are faring, regarding the economy, their relationship to propaganda, etc. Whatever you do, please share it on Mastodon!
Strawanzen@timkmak
I'd be interested in a description of economic status in Ukraine. The economic situation will also define the start and stability of a potentially democratic and corruption-aware post-war state of Ukraine. The question of wealth and the permeability of the systems of education and economic participation will always define the acceptance and stability of a democracy. How successful is Ukraine preparing for post-war reconstruction?
I'd be interested in a description of economic status in Ukraine. The economic situation will also define the start and stability of a potentially democratic and corruption-aware post-war state of Ukraine. The question of wealth and the permeability of the systems of education and economic participation will always define the acceptance and stability of a democracy. How successful is Ukraine preparing for post-war reconstruction?
The Animal and the Machine@timkmak A path to victory military and a path to prosperity economically.
Mastodon relationship like the @KyivIndependent updates.
I would follow and subscribe.
Bruce Acton 🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦@timkmak Hi I’d like to see the impact on the citizens and how effective the aid programs are. So on Mastodon, I’d see the headlines but expect to pay to click through to the detailed articles. So first paragraph of the article only here for me to decide if I want to read it. I suspect a subscription would work best. Oh I’d like to see contributions from other journalists as well.
Matthew Nadler@matthewmuses hi don’t know what post is, is it on Mastodon or is it an external link out?
@Bwacton it’s a separate microblogging service that allows publications to charge readers per article. It got a lot of publicity when it started up as Musk was taking over Twitter.
@matthewmuses thanks for the info.
CurtAdams@timkmak I'd take almost any information at this point.
I'm only likely to see it if posts get announced on Mastodon.
yami@timkmak I would like to read about the pre-war history, what drove us to this point?
First Russian justification of the war is based on this period of history, and a good journalistic work could counter its lies.
It could also bring interesting reflections , has "the west" been inconsequential in its alliance strategy?
Concerning mastodon, well, it can only be a way among others to reach people. Which is very important when information is weaponized.
J. Vizzard@timkmak Information on the Ukrainian government. They've had corruption issues in the past, and opponents have tried to build a narrative that the government is corrupt. We learned in Iraq and Afghanistan that hard but fair reporting on government legitimacy and capacity is necessary for assessing progress.
Cumulonimbus@timkmak
I‘d be curious to know how Ukrainian politicians, civil society actors and power brokers advance their agendas during this existential war. I‘d assume the individual’s role in the war and its (social) mediatization lead to reputational gains. (Aspiring) political actors show their volunteering and generosity on various channels. The future political elite of Ukraine will be asked how they supported the war effort.
I‘d be curious to know how Ukrainian politicians, civil society actors and power brokers advance their agendas during this existential war. I‘d assume the individual’s role in the war and its (social) mediatization lead to reputational gains. (Aspiring) political actors show their volunteering and generosity on various channels. The future political elite of Ukraine will be asked how they supported the war effort.
RojCowlesLogistic and transport network analysis is what I'm interested in and its what keeps me checking in on Twitter as some of the more active military logistics nerds are still exclusively on that site.
Also interested in speculation, at this point, as to where Russia and Ukraine go once the shooting stops. i.e. Does UKR move to ditch its Soviet era gear and re-equip/rearm to more NATO standard equipment, how might UKR society move politically either post-invasion or stalemate with some oblasts still under RU control. Doe RU evaluate itself and move to crack down on grift or keep business as usual. Can the RU Federation hold together?
Not sure if this venture should be Mastodon/Fediverse exclusive but be a major plus point if this social network had first among equals status
Pēteris Krišjānis@timkmak good solid ground view, human stories. This war has been grinding as hell. Nightmarish even. But human spirit goes on and that is something worth celebrating and sharing.
Not sure I care much about strategic maps and hot takes about frontline, considering there are already good enough sources for that.
Not sure I care much about strategic maps and hot takes about frontline, considering there are already good enough sources for that.
@peteriskrisjanis I suspect you’ll hear something about this from me soon
Cat@timkmak this is oddly specific, but now that I'm not on Twitter anymore I'm losing track of how @LiS_Timer is doing
emma@timkmak I'm missing overview summaries since leaving Twitter. Life's gotten a lot this year (personally, on top of the a lot we've all been going through for years now) so I'm not really managing to follow things in Ukraine as closely as I'd like but would still like to stay informed as to the big picture.
Phillips O'Brien's weekly summary threads were a sustainable way for me to continue to follow developments.
Phillips O'Brien's weekly summary threads were a sustainable way for me to continue to follow developments.
Sean Bala@timkmak I would like to see stories that take a bigger picture, or can capture some deeper, thick descriptions of what is going on. Longer form pieces that capture a moment in time or place. Looking forward to it!
Zoe
Carl Heath@timkmak That would be fantastic. @oksanen @anderslindberg @kallekn will be interested too, and more.
I would enjoy analysis, and preferably such that combines several perspectives of the war, not least related to disinformation, cyber, economic and political perspektives etcetera, but trying to explain their interrelated aspects.
Looking forward!
@timkmak @oksanen @anderslindberg @kallekn And why not explore the Fediverse more. Do a photo Journalism experiment on PixelFed, publish video on PeerTube. That would be a first thst could be inspirational and exciting!
@timkmak @oksanen @anderslindberg @kallekn Thats very ok :). We are all new. This by @axbom is a good primer on Fediverse https://axbom.com/fediverse/ and this from @verge is also good. https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/20/23689570/activitypub-protocol-standard-social-network
The many branches of the Fediverse
As more and more people are asking me about Mastodon I felt a need for a picture to point at, showcasing how the software known as Mastodon fits into the much larger concept of the Fediverse. I made this infographic to help myself and others explain the many different use-cases
@timkmak @oksanen @anderslindberg @kallekn @axbom @verge And for some related by me on journalism and Mastodon, this might be helpful.
https://carlheath.se/time-for-braces-and-belts-how-we-strengthen-public-discourse-together/
Time for braces and belts - how we strengthen public discourse together
Svensk version: Dags för hängslen och livrem - så stärker vi opinionsbildningen i samhället What would our democracy look like without journalism? There is no doubt that journalism has a crucial role in democracy. Journalism has an important role in holding power accountable in society. Journalists and media outlets are
Kevin Hardiman@timkmak a little late but nonetheless: tell the stories of the regular folk who are impacted by this war. Let NYT, WaPo, et al handle the military engagement; how this impacts daily lives of so many is worth hearing.
@kevin_hardiman I think that will be the focus
Steve@timkmak Tim, your work in difficult conditions is superb!
This may not fit traditional format, but I'd love to see some analytical data re: Ukrainians' opinions - you work super hard to collect info that doesn't make it into the story.
Katrags@timkmak
I would also like to see a comparison of current events with historical ones ( the Bloodlands, the Holodomor, etc) to give a better view of how this conflict is positioned in history and what we can expect in the post war outcomes.
I would also like to see a comparison of current events with historical ones ( the Bloodlands, the Holodomor, etc) to give a better view of how this conflict is positioned in history and what we can expect in the post war outcomes.