ProfNet Experts Available on DDoS Attacks, Al Jazeera Anniversary, More

NEW YORK, Oct. 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Below are experts from the ProfNet network who are available to discuss timely issues in your coverage area.

You can also submit a query to the hundreds of thousands of experts in our network – it's easy and free! Just fill out the query form to get started: http://prn.to/queryform.

EXPERT ALERTS

• DDoS Attacks: How Homeowners Can Work to Avoid Being Hacked
• Effectively Communicating Benefits Programs to Employees
• 20th Anniversary of Al Jazeera

MEDIA JOBS

• Editor – aiCIO (NY)
• Digital Journalist – TheStreet (NY)
• Freelance Picture Researcher – Trinity Mirror (NY)

OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES

• Media Insider: Tasty Driving BuzzFeed Videos; Gannett Reduces Workforce
• Blog Profiles: Halloween Blogs
• On PRN: Best Travel Experiences, Election Stress, Creepy Clowns

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EXPERT ALERTS:

DDoS Attacks: How Homeowners Can Work to Avoid Being Hacked
Dave Pedigo
VP of Emerging Technologies
CEDIA
"Many consumer-level products are designed with security as more of an afterthought. CEDIA and CTA are working together to identify short-term solutions and long-term strategies that will diminish the risk of network intrusion, but until those guidelines and solutions are identified and until manufacturers start designing products with security as the first concern, there are some things a homeowner can be proactive about to protect their personal information from hackers: 1) Invest in higher grade security, and I'm not talking about physical security. Installing higher grade networking and security equipment and firewalls helps protect your personal data from potential hackers. 2) Set up a virtual LAN. Setting up a virtual LAN (VLAN) means you can segregate your devices on your network, so even though they are connected to the same network, they are virtually separated. Putting different devices on different VLANs helps add layers of complexity that will keep hackers at bay."
Website: www.cedia.net
Contact: Olivia Sellke, [email protected]

Effectively Communicating Benefits Programs to Employees
Amanda Lannert
CEO
Jellyvision
"The world is bored and confused when it comes to 'anti-fun' topics like health insurance, benefits, financial wellness and debt management. To effectively communicate benefits programs to employees we believe in injecting humor into the conversation. Humor helps people de-stress so they can make better, more informed decisions about their benefits."
As CEO of Jellyvision, a rapidly growing employee communications technology startup, Lannert is an expert on a variety of topics, including open enrollment, human resources and benefits communications. She has grown Jellyvision from 30 to 300 employees in the last three years, due in part to her approach to corporate culture. Jellyvision boasts a number of culture perks, including unlimited vacation days, made up holidays like Mustache Day, a company band and an annual Work from Anywhere Week, which attracts individuals from all different walks of life to come work for the company. Lannert has been recognized on several occasions as leader for women in business and technology -- an industry that is deprived of diversity -- and for her commitment to mentoring other young women. She serves on advisory boards at 1871, Healthbox Industries, and The Starter League, where she also teaches.
Website: www.jellyvision.com
Contact: Kaitlin Myers, [email protected]

20th Anniversary of Al Jazeera
Mark Grabowski
Associate Professor, Department of Communications
Adelphi University, Garden City, N.Y.
November marks the 20th anniversary of Al Jazeera, the news media outlet based in Qatar. When the war broke out in Afghanistan, Al Jazeera was the only channel to cover the war live. Grabowski can answer: In the past 20 years, what influence has Al Jazeera truly had? Has their role in journalism changed over time? How did Al Jazeera's war coverage affect public opinion? Why was it groundbreaking? How does Al Jazeera's coverage of U.S. politics differ from that of the U.S. media?
Grabowski says: "Al Jazeera is like the CNN of the Mideast, except it's better. It has more embedded reporters and more bureaus than anyone else in the world, is ranked as one of the least censored news outlets in the world by a non-partisan western organization, is arguably less opinion-driven than any major news outlet in the U.S., and covers serious topics about world affairs that most American media outlets don't care about. And they have a lot of talented journalists working for them, including many Americans – they've recruited top journalists from major U.S. broadcast and print media outlets. Every time I tune in, I learn about things I had no clue were even an issue. They're not perfect. In recent years, for example, they have run some questionable stories and struggled to attract viewers. But what TV news network hasn't had the same problems? Critics also argue they're biased. And, in fairness, they are owned by the Qatari government, so they basically give the world Qatar's views on world affairs (which is usually fairly in line with the U.S.). Sure, they'll put their own spin on things, but all news organizations do. For the most part, they're pretty even-handed. They equally criticize Israel and Israel's enemies, such as Assad and Hezbollah. Their stories often have a power-to-the-people narrative. This free-wheeling, uncensored approach makes Al Jazeera a unique news organization in a region known for press oppression and has allowed them to attract millions of viewers and become a long-lasting success."
Grabowski teaches journalism courses, including international reporting and press and society. He lived in the Middle East when Al Jazeera launched. Previously, he spent five years reporting on news and politics for large newspapers around the country. He holds a J.D. from Georgetown Law.
Website: http://www.adelphi.edu
Media Contact: Kali Chan, [email protected]

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MEDIA JOBS:

Following are links to job listings for staff and freelance writers, editors and producers. You can view these and more job listings on our Job Board: https://prnmedia.prnewswire.com/community/jobs/

• Editor – aiCIO (NY)
• Digital Journalist – TheStreet (NY)
• Freelance Picture Researcher – Trinity Mirror (NY)

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OTHER NEWS & RESOURCES:

Following are links to other news and resources we think you might find useful. If you have an item you think other reporters would be interested in and would like us to include in a future alert, please drop us a line.

• MEDIA INSIDER: TASTY DRIVING BUZZFEED VIDEO, GANNETT REDUCES WORKFORCE. Media Insider is PR Newswire's roundup of journalism, blogging and freelancing stories. This week, we take a look at Snapchat's quest to raise as much as $4 billion in IPO; Gannett to reduce workforce by about 2 percent to help manage costs; BuzzFeed's Tasty food videos; and more: http://bit.ly/2eeJbje
• BLOG PROFILES: HALLOWEEN BLOGS. Each week, PR Newswire's Audience Relations team profiles a handful of blogs that do a good job with promoting and contributing to the conversation in their industry/space. In the latest installment, the team looks at a few Halloween blogs: http://bit.ly/2eMi659
• ON PR NEWSWIRE: BEST TRAVEL EXPERIENCES, ELECTION STRESS, CREEPY CLOWNS. With thousands of press releases published each week, it can be difficult to keep up with everything on PR Newswire for Journalists. Here are some of this week's most newsworthy releases you might have missed: http://bit.ly/2eCXiQ0

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