Bringing back my podcasts
Donation protected
When I was trained as a broadcast correspondent many years ago, it was drilled into me by my teachers and mentors how important the accuracy of my reports had to be. It was explained that the lives of millions of people would, quite literally, be affected by what I told them. Not necessarily in ways that would change the course of history, but in ways that would affect their everyday lives. People — average people — would be making life decisions on how they perceived the world and its future. New jobs would be taken or turned down; families would move to new towns or stay in place; children would be born or not born; and so on. Millions of decisions would be made, millions of lives altered, by a few seconds of a news broadcast I would be delivering.
It was a prospect that scared me to death, and a lesson I never forgot. I was taking on a lot of responsibility and if you believe in such things, karma. To me, it felt more like joining a priesthood than taking on a profession.
But that was many years ago. These days the mainstream media and, to be fair, many of those in the alternative media are completely ignorant of how much damage they are doing. What I have been seeing, hearing, and reading these days would have gotten me ruthlessly fired. Once a bulwark of civilization, most of the Fourth Estate has become just another form of cheap entertainment. A distraction. A cynical parody that has replaced a needed tool for free people to be able to maintain self-government, and, by extension, build a better future for themselves and their decedents.
Recently, I’ve started a blog called The Aurelian Column. It’s named for one of the Roman Emperors considered to have been among the noblest, and decent of them all: Marcus Aurelius. Suffice it to say, some of us in this world believe that a strong moral center and a personal code of honor should be the guide to all of our endeavors — especially if they affect other people.
In keeping with this namesake, my objective is to put together a quality source of relevant news and commentary for average people who wish to keep informed of the goings on in our world, and how it affects them. It will be based here in the Metropolitan Washington, DC area, where first-hand accounts of significant developments are more easily accessed. Traditional, quality journalism, delivered using the latest technology.
Although I had planned on starting the podcast later this year, the costs to do it right are beyond me at the moment. Those of you who know my story, know that the past few years have been a time of trial and tribulation from which I am just now emerging. Thus, obtaining the capital needed to start the broadcast part of The Aurelian Column is not immediately available. But given the recent events in the news, and the appalling way that news is being presented, I think it’s urgently needed to get the ball rolling sooner than later.
Although I have some of my old equipment to contribute to the cause, additional gear is required. A new, broadcast-quality computer is at the top of the list, along with the many odds and ends needed to adequately and professionally produce a quality podcast.
But there’s more. The plan is not just to do another podcast consisting of little more than options. But to combine the talents of several individuals with substantial news gathering and reporting experience and produce something of quality anyone, of any age, will be able to appreciate. And if The Aurelian Column is successful, it will be possible to take on students and apprentices to whom skills, experience, and know-how can be passed on. To teach young people who will carry on the tradition of true journalism.
The Aurelian Column may turn into something big, but it will certainly turn into something good. Help me make this a reality, and soon.
If you’re tired of what passes for journalism these days and want to see a change, here is your chance. Please contribute what you can and put me on the air.
It was a prospect that scared me to death, and a lesson I never forgot. I was taking on a lot of responsibility and if you believe in such things, karma. To me, it felt more like joining a priesthood than taking on a profession.
But that was many years ago. These days the mainstream media and, to be fair, many of those in the alternative media are completely ignorant of how much damage they are doing. What I have been seeing, hearing, and reading these days would have gotten me ruthlessly fired. Once a bulwark of civilization, most of the Fourth Estate has become just another form of cheap entertainment. A distraction. A cynical parody that has replaced a needed tool for free people to be able to maintain self-government, and, by extension, build a better future for themselves and their decedents.
Recently, I’ve started a blog called The Aurelian Column. It’s named for one of the Roman Emperors considered to have been among the noblest, and decent of them all: Marcus Aurelius. Suffice it to say, some of us in this world believe that a strong moral center and a personal code of honor should be the guide to all of our endeavors — especially if they affect other people.
In keeping with this namesake, my objective is to put together a quality source of relevant news and commentary for average people who wish to keep informed of the goings on in our world, and how it affects them. It will be based here in the Metropolitan Washington, DC area, where first-hand accounts of significant developments are more easily accessed. Traditional, quality journalism, delivered using the latest technology.
Although I had planned on starting the podcast later this year, the costs to do it right are beyond me at the moment. Those of you who know my story, know that the past few years have been a time of trial and tribulation from which I am just now emerging. Thus, obtaining the capital needed to start the broadcast part of The Aurelian Column is not immediately available. But given the recent events in the news, and the appalling way that news is being presented, I think it’s urgently needed to get the ball rolling sooner than later.
Although I have some of my old equipment to contribute to the cause, additional gear is required. A new, broadcast-quality computer is at the top of the list, along with the many odds and ends needed to adequately and professionally produce a quality podcast.
But there’s more. The plan is not just to do another podcast consisting of little more than options. But to combine the talents of several individuals with substantial news gathering and reporting experience and produce something of quality anyone, of any age, will be able to appreciate. And if The Aurelian Column is successful, it will be possible to take on students and apprentices to whom skills, experience, and know-how can be passed on. To teach young people who will carry on the tradition of true journalism.
The Aurelian Column may turn into something big, but it will certainly turn into something good. Help me make this a reality, and soon.
If you’re tired of what passes for journalism these days and want to see a change, here is your chance. Please contribute what you can and put me on the air.
Organizer
Thomas Caldwell
Organizer
Alexandria, VA
