So as we continue to contemplate the effects of new media on reporting, it might be useful to define new media. I found this video to be enlightening:
But wait, what was that about Web 2.0? What the heck does that mean? Check out this very good explanation:
Andrew Keen has a very good point, but I can't completely agree that user generated content is a detriment to the traditional news and information values of the Web. For instance, how many times have videos taken with camera phones been the only visuals of certain events?
I believe more interaction on the Web can only lead to a more connected community. A more connected community will hopefully lead to a more informed and involved community.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
Jumping on the bandwagon
It seems like journalists are always the last to get with the times. An example is a trend article in the February/March issue of American Journalism Review that discusses journalists joining Facebook.com, a social networking site (for those of you who are really, really behind the times).
When I joined the Emerald in fall of 2006, one of the first pieces of advice I was given was to join Facebook because it is an invaluable tool for the college journalist. People use it to find others who are interested in the same things, they post phone numbers (many of them cell phones) and they RVSP to events, so it's easy to talk to them for a preview. Facebook is a way to judge sentiments on campus, to find and follow trends and locate people associated with newsmakers you don't know.
It makes me wonder, reading these articles, if that's the way it will be when I graduate. Will I always be on the heels of the innovators? College journalists seem to be on the cutting edge, and I firmly believe that I have attended one of the best journalism schools in the nation. But thinking back to when I was shopping for a university, I was sold by the campus publication as much as I was the school itself.
So college is almost over and I will soon learn the ways of the professionals. I hope that I can also stay on top of new things. Won't that make me even more valuable to my profession? It is stressed so much in classes that it is important to leave school with as many sets of skills as possible, to make oneself more appealing to potential employers. It's said journalists are increasingly asked to do more than just report, they must take photos and understand a little html and be videographers who can edit sound and bloggers as well. Sometimes you hear you don't have to do all those things, just a few.
While this is reiterated in class like a broken record, what is also said is that our instructors can't predict what is happening to our business. Newspapers are laying off employees left and right and the need to figure out how to make money using the Internet is constantly looming. Another article in AJR demonstrates the feeling resounds throughout the industry. It is an uneasiness about what lies ahead.
So how is one to stay on top of trends and be the most diverse employee they can when no one knows what to expect in our industry?
When I joined the Emerald in fall of 2006, one of the first pieces of advice I was given was to join Facebook because it is an invaluable tool for the college journalist. People use it to find others who are interested in the same things, they post phone numbers (many of them cell phones) and they RVSP to events, so it's easy to talk to them for a preview. Facebook is a way to judge sentiments on campus, to find and follow trends and locate people associated with newsmakers you don't know.
It makes me wonder, reading these articles, if that's the way it will be when I graduate. Will I always be on the heels of the innovators? College journalists seem to be on the cutting edge, and I firmly believe that I have attended one of the best journalism schools in the nation. But thinking back to when I was shopping for a university, I was sold by the campus publication as much as I was the school itself.
So college is almost over and I will soon learn the ways of the professionals. I hope that I can also stay on top of new things. Won't that make me even more valuable to my profession? It is stressed so much in classes that it is important to leave school with as many sets of skills as possible, to make oneself more appealing to potential employers. It's said journalists are increasingly asked to do more than just report, they must take photos and understand a little html and be videographers who can edit sound and bloggers as well. Sometimes you hear you don't have to do all those things, just a few.
While this is reiterated in class like a broken record, what is also said is that our instructors can't predict what is happening to our business. Newspapers are laying off employees left and right and the need to figure out how to make money using the Internet is constantly looming. Another article in AJR demonstrates the feeling resounds throughout the industry. It is an uneasiness about what lies ahead.
So how is one to stay on top of trends and be the most diverse employee they can when no one knows what to expect in our industry?
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
First on the scene
I know exactly how it might play out. Something big is breaking in your town. The phone tree is blazing as cells ring throughout the city. "Drop what you're doing. Get over to the square. I want you to call in every fifteen minutes. Chris is in charge of writing up your stuff. Are you on your way?"
Reporters and photographers are on heightened alert, trying to observe everything, senses piqued for every nuance, eyes darting to take in all they can.
Back at the newspaper office, your partner Chris is scouring the Internet to see who will get it up first. She can't write anything until you confirm what's going on. The blog is open, ready for the first information to float back from you.
In my last post I talked about the Oregonlive blog with breaking news. This blog sits at the ready for real breaking news when they need it. The newspaper uses it to post just about anything considered news throughout the day, weather, documents, photos, as long as it's news it might just show up on there.
Perhaps by posting just about anything that qualifies as news, the Oregonian is training me to expect this constant flow of information through its continuously updated scroll. Where do we, the journalists, want our readers to turn when a story breaks in our town? Do we want them to trust us to get them accurate information quickly?
Yes.
While I would have expected that when the bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, the Star-Tribune had coverage on a breaking news blog, I can't seem to find one on their Web site. They have plenty of special interest blogs though. You also have to pay for their archives, which are anything older than 14 days.
I think I will save that discussion for a different post. Archives should be free.
Reporters and photographers are on heightened alert, trying to observe everything, senses piqued for every nuance, eyes darting to take in all they can.
Back at the newspaper office, your partner Chris is scouring the Internet to see who will get it up first. She can't write anything until you confirm what's going on. The blog is open, ready for the first information to float back from you.
In my last post I talked about the Oregonlive blog with breaking news. This blog sits at the ready for real breaking news when they need it. The newspaper uses it to post just about anything considered news throughout the day, weather, documents, photos, as long as it's news it might just show up on there.
Perhaps by posting just about anything that qualifies as news, the Oregonian is training me to expect this constant flow of information through its continuously updated scroll. Where do we, the journalists, want our readers to turn when a story breaks in our town? Do we want them to trust us to get them accurate information quickly?
Yes.
While I would have expected that when the bridge collapsed in Minneapolis, the Star-Tribune had coverage on a breaking news blog, I can't seem to find one on their Web site. They have plenty of special interest blogs though. You also have to pay for their archives, which are anything older than 14 days.
I think I will save that discussion for a different post. Archives should be free.
Monday, February 18, 2008
To be a blogger, you must read blogs
I've set out to find blogs I enjoy reading. One thing I hardly even think of being a blog is the constantly updated news on the Oregonian Web site. But it is a blog, one I read several times a week. I find mistakes in it pretty often, in fact last term during a copyediting class we had to find a certain number of editing mistakes in newspapers, and since the blog is published by the Oregonian, those errors counted.
I also get some great news tips from blogs. Sometimes it seems like the authors are the only ones paying attention. Other blogs I ignore entirely when they pop up on a Google alert. While it is amazing that so many people can have such a loud voice, there is plenty of room for abuse.
Conversational tone is essential for a blog to be popular. Hot Spots, published by the Tampa Bay Times has the tone I would like to strive for. Easy going and like a conversation, many photos with the information one would want to know, this blog acheives both an informal tone and informative content.
I also like the idea of explaning to readers the process that goes on inside the editorial board meetings. The Spokesman Review allows readers to ask questions of the editors and responses are posted on this blog. Now that's community journalism.
I also get some great news tips from blogs. Sometimes it seems like the authors are the only ones paying attention. Other blogs I ignore entirely when they pop up on a Google alert. While it is amazing that so many people can have such a loud voice, there is plenty of room for abuse.
Conversational tone is essential for a blog to be popular. Hot Spots, published by the Tampa Bay Times has the tone I would like to strive for. Easy going and like a conversation, many photos with the information one would want to know, this blog acheives both an informal tone and informative content.
I also like the idea of explaning to readers the process that goes on inside the editorial board meetings. The Spokesman Review allows readers to ask questions of the editors and responses are posted on this blog. Now that's community journalism.
Friday, February 15, 2008
On becoming a blogger
For every story I do, I use the Internet in some fashion. The Internet is crammed with information I need to quickly and effectively do my job. It is hard to imagine a world, not so distant, in which reporting was without this invaluable tool. The Internet is home to databases of every sort, contact and directory information and analysis of every topic known.
So it is only right that newspapers provide their services through this medium, and use it to enhance their commitment to public service. Blogs are an excellent way to accelerate that, as more newspapers realize that community journalism is about more than telling stories, it’s about having a conversation.
On the Oregon Daily Emerald site, there is space for blogging. One of the most exciting ideas is to write about things that have happened that can’t make it into traditional news stories or have to be scaled down because of space limitations. An example of this would be the journalist’s experience while researching a story. Recently, Mike O’Brien of the Emerald wrote a story about a training studio for cage fighting in Springfield. While there, he donned the protective padding and took a kick from an Ultimate Fighting Championship participant. He, as the observer, is not allowed by journalistic conventions to put his experience into the story because the story is not about him, but the experience is still worth sharing. Normally this would be carried out in casual conversations with people he knows (like me), but in the realm of the blog, he can share with the reader how it felt to be kicked by the owner of the studio. See the blog here.
I think the thing that most often inhibits me from making regular blog posts is time. Thoughts and information take time to gather, and in a world where I am working, studying and maintaining relationships, time for reflection suffers.
But, I have to join this world of communication because that is what drives my livelihood, not blogging per se, but communication, my field of supposed expertise. And as all journalists are being forced to admit, the world is driving us to utilize the Internet everyday.
So it is only right that newspapers provide their services through this medium, and use it to enhance their commitment to public service. Blogs are an excellent way to accelerate that, as more newspapers realize that community journalism is about more than telling stories, it’s about having a conversation.
On the Oregon Daily Emerald site, there is space for blogging. One of the most exciting ideas is to write about things that have happened that can’t make it into traditional news stories or have to be scaled down because of space limitations. An example of this would be the journalist’s experience while researching a story. Recently, Mike O’Brien of the Emerald wrote a story about a training studio for cage fighting in Springfield. While there, he donned the protective padding and took a kick from an Ultimate Fighting Championship participant. He, as the observer, is not allowed by journalistic conventions to put his experience into the story because the story is not about him, but the experience is still worth sharing. Normally this would be carried out in casual conversations with people he knows (like me), but in the realm of the blog, he can share with the reader how it felt to be kicked by the owner of the studio. See the blog here.
I think the thing that most often inhibits me from making regular blog posts is time. Thoughts and information take time to gather, and in a world where I am working, studying and maintaining relationships, time for reflection suffers.
But, I have to join this world of communication because that is what drives my livelihood, not blogging per se, but communication, my field of supposed expertise. And as all journalists are being forced to admit, the world is driving us to utilize the Internet everyday.
Online journalism
As the realm between traditional journalists and bloggers blurs, how important is it to keep the boundaries visible? Should bloggers be split into categories? Is this need for distinction why so many journalists resist the move to online journalism?
A couple of intuitive Poynter.org articles by Steve Outing provide some perspectives on the line separating traditional journalists and bloggers, and what can be gained from one another’s techniques.
In “What journalists can learn from bloggers” Steve Outing suggests that some of the parts of blogging that often make traditional journalists scoff could enhance traditional journalism. Outing suggests that journalists are more confined than perhaps they need to be.
I must say that I think the restraint that journalists exhibit in publishing unconfirmed information is an asset to the profession. Some believe that speed is of the essence and as long as a blogger is upfront about his or her sources and is quick to correct any mistakes, then anything goes.
While this may lead to mistakes, there are mistakes in all facets of journalism. People want to know things instantly in today’s world, and the Internet has given them that reality. Television broadcasts often must report whatever information is available, just like any other news outlet, which may not be exactly accurate. The information is continuously updated and clarified as it becomes available. That is the truth of the news.
But then there are things that can be verified, and should be before being reported.
A second article, “What bloggers can learn from journalists” explores some of these potentially detrimental consequences that bloggers may face in what could be called their careless postings.
I believe Outing’s most valid arguments are the ones about protecting oneself from libel charges. When successful, these lawsuits can be financially crippling, and as Outing points out, most bloggers aren’t protected by a news organization that can pay for a costly lawsuit.
I have no idea how many bloggers are familiar with the strongest defense against libel, which incidentally is one of the biggest criticisms traditional journalists have with bloggers: the truth. The problem is bloggers may not expend the energy necessary to confirm the truth before publishing.
Some of the other points in Outing’s second article are too preachy for me to agree with. As an editor, I am very acutely aware of grammar, punctuation and spelling errors. They irk me any time I encounter them on the web. But I believe that the majority of the population doesn’t care nearly as much as I do about these things.
I also don’t think bloggers need to adhere to a code of ethics. I think it is more important for consumers of knowledge to be consumers in the same sense as going to the grocery store. When one shops for information, as one would do with a can of soup, comparisons should be made and the source of the product should be considered. How much nutrition, sodium and fat are in this can of soup?
A couple of intuitive Poynter.org articles by Steve Outing provide some perspectives on the line separating traditional journalists and bloggers, and what can be gained from one another’s techniques.
In “What journalists can learn from bloggers” Steve Outing suggests that some of the parts of blogging that often make traditional journalists scoff could enhance traditional journalism. Outing suggests that journalists are more confined than perhaps they need to be.
I must say that I think the restraint that journalists exhibit in publishing unconfirmed information is an asset to the profession. Some believe that speed is of the essence and as long as a blogger is upfront about his or her sources and is quick to correct any mistakes, then anything goes.
While this may lead to mistakes, there are mistakes in all facets of journalism. People want to know things instantly in today’s world, and the Internet has given them that reality. Television broadcasts often must report whatever information is available, just like any other news outlet, which may not be exactly accurate. The information is continuously updated and clarified as it becomes available. That is the truth of the news.
But then there are things that can be verified, and should be before being reported.
A second article, “What bloggers can learn from journalists” explores some of these potentially detrimental consequences that bloggers may face in what could be called their careless postings.
I believe Outing’s most valid arguments are the ones about protecting oneself from libel charges. When successful, these lawsuits can be financially crippling, and as Outing points out, most bloggers aren’t protected by a news organization that can pay for a costly lawsuit.
I have no idea how many bloggers are familiar with the strongest defense against libel, which incidentally is one of the biggest criticisms traditional journalists have with bloggers: the truth. The problem is bloggers may not expend the energy necessary to confirm the truth before publishing.
Some of the other points in Outing’s second article are too preachy for me to agree with. As an editor, I am very acutely aware of grammar, punctuation and spelling errors. They irk me any time I encounter them on the web. But I believe that the majority of the population doesn’t care nearly as much as I do about these things.
I also don’t think bloggers need to adhere to a code of ethics. I think it is more important for consumers of knowledge to be consumers in the same sense as going to the grocery store. When one shops for information, as one would do with a can of soup, comparisons should be made and the source of the product should be considered. How much nutrition, sodium and fat are in this can of soup?
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