Category Archives: journalism

Journalists to Brands: Don’t Give Us “Content,” Tell Us Stories

ALTHOUGH I CAN’T TRACE THE ORIGIN with any certainty, I’m nevertheless pretty sure that the word “content” was first used by a marketer, not a by a journalist. Journalists are in the business of stories. Always have been – and despite the 24/7 streams of info-snacks and feeds forced through ever-congested virtual pipes, they alwaysContinue reading “Journalists to Brands: Don’t Give Us “Content,” Tell Us Stories”

From Interest to Identity: Social Media and Local Journalism Will Lead Us Back

Pinterest is the latest but not the first. For that title you need to go back to Compuserve and AOL 1.0, back even to the Usenet and BBS systems. You need to add blogs and communities like iVillage to the list, and countless groups, services and platforms dedicated to one thing: Creating Communities of Interest.Continue reading “From Interest to Identity: Social Media and Local Journalism Will Lead Us Back”

Digital is a Platform

Digital is not a “publication.” Digital is a “platform.” Publications are static, one-way, monotone. They live in comfort. Publishing is an act of control, and in that sense, it is little more than anachronism. You can publish via digital, but digital is not a publication. Digital is a platform. Digital is a relationship reset, anContinue reading “Digital is a Platform”

In Search of the “News Particle”

Scientists this month said they are a step closer to finding the Higgs boson, commonly referred to as the “God Particle,” which is widely believed to be the key building block of, well, the entire universe. The God Particle is what allows matter to have mass – in other words, what allows matter (and us)Continue reading “In Search of the “News Particle””

Introducing “PEARL” – A Tool for Determining What People Will Pay for Online News

The easy answer to how much consumers will pay for online news – if there is such a thing as an easy answer – is “they’ll pay what it’s worth.” Of course that’s’ the problem: In a world where free access to news is a presumed birthright and stories have been reduced to commoditized piecesContinue reading “Introducing “PEARL” – A Tool for Determining What People Will Pay for Online News”

Murdoch, The Daily, and Journalism as Art

“I do certainly see the day when more people will be buying their newspapers on portable reading panels than on crushed trees. Then we’re going to have no paper, no printing plants, no unions. It’s going to be great.” — Rupert Murdoch, Sept. 14, 2009 “Thanks for the trial subscription, but so far, it isContinue reading “Murdoch, The Daily, and Journalism as Art”

The WikiLeaks Saga: Transparency without Judgment is Gossip, not Journalism

Everyone is talking about the WikiLeaks disclosure of confidential diplomatic cables revealing the oft prickly relationship nations have with each other. That this comes as a shock is almost as shocking as the messages themselves, which, stripped of the Bond/Bourne intrigue and hurt pride, amount to little more than high school gossip and in-fighting amongContinue reading “The WikiLeaks Saga: Transparency without Judgment is Gossip, not Journalism”

Two out of Three is Best for Online Journalism

You all know the rule. No, not the Golden Rule, which of course is never speak to John Hamm unless Hamm speaks to you first, no matter how handsome and inviting he looks. Seriously, Hamm is like Bieber for MILFs. I mean the “Pick Two” rule — cheap, fast, or good. Most people when hiringContinue reading “Two out of Three is Best for Online Journalism”

Ten Steps for Moving Journalism Forward

The Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ) has a problem — it's still a "society" (the oldest of its kind), but the terms "professional" and "journalist" are not what they used to be. Digital media and bottom-up news models have forced SPJ to re-evaluate its role and how it best can help today's journalists survive andContinue reading “Ten Steps for Moving Journalism Forward”