Blogging for cash (or cars) May 4, 2009
Posted by Jonathan Hewett in : delicious links , add a commentPaid-for editorial not an option, says Huffington Post — unlike others?
"But an article in The Wall Street Journal on April 23 made clear that part of that future was already here. According to The Journal, Jessica Smith, who blogs at JessicaKnows.com, has written for and about Wal-Mart Stores and Electronic Arts. In reviewing the Ford Flex crossover, she said, “It was love at first sight. The Flex also proved to make me feel safe and secure while bringing out the exciting and rebellious side of me at the same time.”
That’s just the kind of rebellion Ford can get behind, and they gave Ms. Smith a Flex crossover vehicle for a year and a gas card. If it turns out it’s not as much of a dream as she first thought, don’t look for Ms. Smith to write that up. She told The Journal she does not write negatively about products she is asked to review because “I choose not to be critical.” "
Journalists must change thinking to change industry | Save the Media April 29, 2009
Posted by Jonathan Hewett in : delicious links , add a commentGina Chen on the need for change in journalism:
Much of what gets done in newsrooms is reflexive — done almost without thinking: We do it because we’ve always done it. We do it because that’s what newspapers do. We do it because we don’t want to have to come up with our own ideas. We do it because we don’t want to get blamed if a higher-up complains that we didn’t do it. [...]
I challenge all journalists and bloggers — and I include myself in this — to ask Jarvis’ question — Am I adding value? – before doing anything on the job. In my experience, the hurried newsroom culture doesn’t encourage deep thinking. In my 20 years in a variety of newsrooms, I’ve found decisions on what to cover or how to cover it are often rooted in journalistic routines, which is a fancy way of saying “that’s how we always do it.”
The Media Business: THE OVERBLOWN JOURNALIST EMPLOYMENT CRISIS April 29, 2009
Posted by Jonathan Hewett in : delicious links , add a commentIt is not the mere number of journalists that matters; it’s the choices that editors and publishers make about how to use the journalists available to them. [...] Few newspapers have cut sections or types of coverage, choosing instead to cut throughout the newsroom and not to reassign journalists to the kinds of journalism that matters most to society.
It should also be noted that decisions where to cut employment in newsrooms have not been equally spread among employment categories either. According to ASNE statistics the number of newsroom supervisors has declined only seven tenths of one percent since 2000 [...] the numbers seem unusually lopsided to me. If there are fewer reporters and photographers to be supervised and edited, one would expect that fewer editors and supervisors would be required and warranted.
Maybe it’s about time that journalists stop whining about their troubles and initiate some internal discussions about how their own newsrooms are structured and operated.
NY Times To Launch Local Blogging Initiative (Brownstoner) February 27, 2009
Posted by Jonathan Hewett in : delicious links , add a commentNY Times gets into local blogs, it seems, with help from journalism students:
"Look out, local bloggers, the Gray Lady is moving in on your turf. Starting mid-day on Monday, The New York Times will be rolling out a neighborhood blog initiative.[…]
Each site will be helmed by a writer/editor from the paper, a Times official told us, but will draw upon contributors from the neighborhood as well as some free labor from the CUNY journalism program. Readers will be able to post everything from short films to wedding announcements…"
Times Labs Blog February 27, 2009
Posted by Jonathan Hewett in : delicious links , add a commentSome nice examples on this Times Online blog of what online journalism can do, including interactive packages and creative visual representations.
The blog describes itself as "a space where we’ll be writing about innovations in web journalism, and sharing some of our own experiments".
Poynter Online – New York Times' Policy on Facebook and Other Social Networking Sites February 27, 2009
Posted by Jonathan Hewett in : delicious links , add a commentNYT takes a cautious line on the potential risks:
"Be careful not to write anything on a blog or a personal Web page that you could not write in The Times — don't editorialize, for instance, if you work for the News Department.
Anything you post online can and might be publicly disseminated, and can be twisted to be used against you by those who wish you or The Times ill — whether it's text, photographs, or video. That includes things you recommend on TimesPeople or articles you post to Facebook and Digg, content you share with friends on MySpace, and articles you recommend through TimesPeople. It can also include things posted by outside parties to your Facebook page, so keep an eye on what appears there.
Just remember that we are always under scrutiny by magnifying glass and that the possibilities of digital distortion are virtually unlimited, so always ask yourself, could this be deliberately misconstrued or misunderstood by somebody who wants to make me look bad?"
Maybe own job fear will put reporters on big story | ajc.com February 20, 2009
Posted by Jonathan Hewett in : delicious links , add a commentAn editor made redundant, Ken Edelstein, reflects on the coverage of job losses in the media:
“Reporters cover their own industry’s problems differently than they do those of other industries. Stories on the auto industry have focused on management’s poor decisions and union shortsightedness. But coverage of newsroom layoffs is weighted heavily with angst about the grave consequences for our entire society. […]
Maybe, the journalists who might any day find themselves among them [queuing at an unemployment office] finally have their own selfish reasons for demanding some answers.”
School chief's spelling howlers on internet | The Sun |News February 5, 2009
Posted by Jonathan Hewett in : delicious links , add a commentAt least it suggests that the education minister writes his own blog posts… but doesn't use a spellchecker. It's also another of that genre of news stories based on someone spotting something online (often on Facebook) with the potential to embarrass. How many journalists are now checking MPs' blogs etc. Might boost their site hits a little.
"EDUCATION minister Jim Knight was warned yesterday that he must try harder after his internet blog was found to be littered with spelling mistakes.
The Cambridge-educated Government chief’s website also contains uncorrected typing errors and a grammatical clanger.
But it appears the howlers have gone unnoticed for months because no one reads the minister’s blog."
Fun with tax data? — See the data underlying our tax database | Business | guardian.co.uk February 4, 2009
Posted by Jonathan Hewett in : delicious links , add a commentThe Guardian has released its data on FTSE 100 companies' pre-tax profits and how much they paid in tax — xml file available. Interesting to see what others do with it…
"Here is the data for the four-year totals, converted into pounds for those companies who state their accounts in another currency. This file also contains other information about the companies, including comments they made to the Guardian, and links to their published annual reports."
Digital Doorstepping Done Right January 17, 2009
Posted by Jonathan Hewett in : delicious links , add a commentAdam Tinworth (RBI) on digital doorstepping, “the practice of media diving into blogs or social networks looking for quotes and interviewees for their stories, particularity in the aftermath of a tragedy”.
He recounts “an example of digital doorstepping done, as far as I can see, right” — using interviewees/quotes found through (RBI’s) Community Care magazine forums [fora?].