Archive for 2008
Does triCityNews produce news, or just ad space?
Anil Dash wonders whether triCityNews is in fact a newspaper at all. Not once in David Carr’s piece did the publisher of the triCityNews, Dan Jacobson, mention content, journalism, journalistic mission or serving readers. Instead, he talks about how “I don’t want anything that detracts from the paper and the presence of those big, beautiful full-page [...]
Social is the key part of social media
With more journalists jumping on the social media bandwagon, it’s good to remind people that the key word in social media is social and not media. Traditional journalists are used to a one-to-many publishing approach. They are used to being arbiters of what information gets disseminated. They are used to pushing information to people but [...]
Today’s Thought: What/who will be left to rebuild journalism?
Let’s be clear about one thing: 2009 will be much, much worse for journalists and established media companies than 2008. Much worse. And 2008 has already seen more than 15,000 jobs lost at U.S. newspapers. I believe 2009 will be a defining point in time for U.S. newspapers and not in a good way. Many [...]
Twitter is a great learning tool
Twitter is a great place to learn. Don’t believe me? Spend a few hours following knowledgeable people (creating a good network is the key to success on Twitter). Ask a question. See the responses you get. I started a podcast at BeatBlogging.Org a few months ago, and before I started, I asked my Twitter followers for advice. [...]
My candid thoughts on journalism
Journalism is at the beginning of a tectonic shift and massive upheaval, and yet, I consider this to be an incredibly exciting time to be in journalism. We stand on the doorstep of history. We’re watching the reinvention of a critical industry. This is not an evolution — we are a part of a revolution. [...]
I’m not a charity case. Are you?
There is a new Facebook group called, “Don’t let newspapers die.” It encourages journalists to try to get people to buy a newspaper again. Not by producing a better or a more relevant product mind you, but by badgering people to buy a product that they no longer find valuable. The official logo for this group is [...]
So, you have a blog. Now what? Vol. 1
This is the start of a new series on the JI where I discuss tips on how to blog. These will usually be short, down-and-dirty tips. If you’ve just started a blog, you’re probably wondering, “how do I get people to read my blog?” Sure, you can tell your friends and colleagues about it. You can e-mail [...]
Today’s Thought: Complacency is not an option
Complacency is a bridge to nowhere. I cannot tell you or your news organization exactly what to do. There is no magic bullet that will save floundering news organizations. But I can tell you that the status quo will end in failure. Innovation is ultimately what will save journalism. Innovation requires experimentation. Experimentation requires a [...]
Podcast: David Cohn discusses Spot.Us and community funding
David Cohn launched his new community-funded journalism project, Spot.Us, last week to much fan fare. I don’t know whether or not it can save journalism or if it will fail. My guess is on somewhere in the middle. It will probably be a viable way to fund certain kinds of journalism in certain communities. In [...]
The real challenge that journalism needs
Forget the Knight News Challenge. It’s not what journalism really needs. What journalism needs is a challenge to create local news startups with new business models — to make products that people care about again and that are sustainable without subsidies. Now, that’s a challenge. And instead of this being grant funded, it should be [...]