news – Gary Goldhammer — Strategic storytelling for brands, organizations and executives

“We’re Landing in 20 Minutes”

THERE’S A TIME AND A PLACE. The time was 8:47 pm. The place was the Potomac, on approach to Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C. A U.S. Army helicopter collided with an American Eagle flight, killing all 64 passengers and three military personnel. The river was on fire as politicians and pundits cried havoc. BodiesContinue reading ““We’re Landing in 20 Minutes””

Newspapers at the Tipping Point

THIS ISN’T POLITICAL. I don’t talk about politics online. If you know me then you already know where I stand — and if you don’t know me, then you really shouldn’t give a shit what I think. Hell, I barely give a shit what I think. But like I said, this isn’t political, so IContinue reading “Newspapers at the Tipping Point”

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”

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”

Eleven Things That Won’t Happen in 2011

Tis the season for predictions, prognostications, suppositions and, let’s be honest, some downright guessing about what’s in store for next year. Rather than join the fray, following are 11 things that I boldly predict will not happen in 2011: — Print won’t disappear — Rupert Murdoch won’t get less creepy — Social media won’t cureContinue reading “Eleven Things That Won’t Happen in 2011”

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”

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”