http://www.hypercrit.net Michael Becker writes about journalism, new media and digital culture in general. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 17:07:12 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Journalism has become about the journalists, writes Jeff Jarvis. The press has become journalism’s curse, not only because it now brings a crushing cost burden but also because it led to all these myths: that we journalists own the news, that we’re necessary to it, that we decide what’s ... http://www.hypercrit.net/2009/07/04/the-hubris-of-the-paid-news-curator/ This morning, I went down to the City Clerk's office to get copies of the e-mails that the City of Bozeman has received about its now-repealed policy of using applicants' social networking passwords in pre-employment background checks. I knew the documents were public record; City Commissioner Sean Becker said so during ... http://www.hypercrit.net/2009/07/02/e-mails-to-city-of-bozeman-about-privacy-fiasco-not-yet-available-to-the-public/ What happens when you apply for a job with the City of Bozeman? What is the city looking for in its job candidates? What should those candidates know before going in to the hiring process? Thankfully, the city provides a few pointers on its HR Web site — things that people ... http://www.hypercrit.net/2009/07/01/a-look-at-a-few-tips-bozeman-gives-its-job-applicants/ Just when the City of Bozeman thought it had the privacy fiasco taken care of -- and just when I thought the issue was settled and we could move on -- something new crops up. Late last week, a city employee sent an e-mail to Bozeman city commissioners, claiming that the ... http://www.hypercrit.net/2009/06/30/not-quite-done-with-bozeman-yet/ Part of a concrete breezeway connecting my building and several others on campus collapsed last week. No one was hurt. No one even reported seeing it happen, so quiet is campus in the summertime. It was a surprise to me, though. I walked back into my building at 2 p.m. ... http://www.hypercrit.net/2009/06/29/breezeway-goodbye/ The City of Bozeman privacy fiasco is over. Last week -- after a media storm that brought a sledgehammer of bad publicity down on the city -- Bozeman suspended its policy of asking job candidates for Web usernames and passwords on its background check form. At its regular meeting Monday, ... http://www.hypercrit.net/2009/06/26/last-word-on-bozeman-privacy-fiasco/ Okay, not much to say on this post. Just experimenting with Posterous for the first time. We'll see what turns up as time goes on. Posted via web from Hypercrit http://www.hypercrit.net/2009/06/21/first-post-to-posterous/ In case you haven't yet heard, the City of Bozeman has rescinded the part of its background check form that asked for applicants' passwords for social networking and other Web sites. "The extent of our request for a candidate's password, user name, or other Internet information appears to have exceeded that ... http://www.hypercrit.net/2009/06/20/bozeman-backtracks-on-privacy-matters/ According to KBZK's afternoon update, Bozeman city attorney Greg Sullivan said he had met with the city's human resources department and that "the matter is being discussed." Reporter Dan Boyle's report goes on to say: Officials said they are looking into the legality of the requirement. They also said they are ... http://www.hypercrit.net/2009/06/18/aggregated-media-coverage-of-bozeman-privacy-fiasco/ As I've already written today, the City of Bozeman, Montana, has been doing some questionable stuff when it comes to background checks on job applicants. The city has asked applicants for the usernames and passwords to their social media accounts for "three or four years," the city attorney told KBZK ... http://www.hypercrit.net/2009/06/18/late-afternoon-bozeman-fiasco-update/