Benet For NABJ VP-Print

Why Does the New York Times Have Trouble with the Word Plagarism?

2010-02-17T13:55:00.002-05:00

I am a regular reader of the NYTPicker blog, which covers the good, the bad and the ugly surrounding the Gray Lady. On Feb. 14, the blog mulled the curious case of business reporter Zachery Kouwe after receiving a letter from Wall Street Journal managing editor Robert Thomson.

In the letter Thomson said parts of an article written on Feb. 5 by Kouwe were “identical or nearly identical” to an article published by WSJ hours before the NY Times version was printed. After an investigation, Times editors investigated and discovered there were more examples of Kouwe lifting parts from published stories.

On Feb. 15, the NY Times’ Editor’s note acknowledged that Kouwe “appears to have improperly appropriated wording and passages published by other news organizations.” Sounds like plagiarism to me, although that word never appears in the note. When questioned about the status of Kouwe, the paper declined to comment, citing they don’t discuss personnel matters.

Fair enough. But yesterday’s NYTPicker cited a case where Kouwe was condemned for doing something similar in December 2008. So my question is – with all these accusations and pretty substantial proof, why did it take until yesterday for the Times to take action? No, I take that back, because Kouwe ended up resigning yesterday, according to the Times' own story. According to the Times, he was facing “disciplinary action, including dismissal.”

OK, call me cranky, but the first lesson you learn in your journalism class is the definition of plagiarism: “The act of appropriating the literary composition of another author, or excerpts, ideas, or passages therefrom, and passing the material off as one's own creation.” (Cited from The Free Dictionary) And the penalty for plagiarism is immediate firing. Or at least it was back in the day.

NYTPicker Blog Focuses on New York Times Foibles, Errors and Conflicts

2010-02-09T22:49:00.002-05:00

For good or bad, blogs -- and free blogging platforms -- have given a voice to a new crop of citizen journalists that focus on everything from the environment to the media. I have become obsessed with reading the NYTPicker blog, written by a group of anonymous journalists who write daily about the good, the bad and the ugly at the Gray Lady.

What makes it so interesting is that they're right about things far more than they're wrong. The Feb. 7 post reports in detail about how the New York Times is handling its coverage on the unfolding Toyota recall scandal. "But what these stories have failed to show is that the NYT been consistently late to report on details of the unfolding scandal," according to the NYTPicker. The blog also details how the New York Times' coverage -- published later than other news outlets -- seems very similar to stories published earlier by the Los Angeles Times, among others.

The Jan. 31 blog post outlines how a "puff piece" Sunday New York Times profile by Andrew Martin on "Richard Eitelberg, the founder and president of Hartsko, a company that lends money to small businesses to tide them over on pending purchase orders," was missing one important fact -- that the subject had pled guilty in May 2003 to felony charges of computer intrusion. "Did Martin had access to information about the case of 'USA vs. Eitelberg' -- which pops up as the lead item in a Google search of 'Richard Eitelberg' -- and choose not to include it, or did the reporter simply fail to adequately research his profile subject? There's been no comment yet from New York Times spokeswoman Diane McNulty and New York Times business editor Larry Ingrassia to NYTPicker on the story.

But the New York Times did respond to a Dec. 27 post that blasted regular freelance contributor Prof. Mary Tripsas, a business-management expert and member of the Harvard Business School faculty. Tripsas, who studies and writes about customer innovation, wrote a glowing piece on 3M on that very topic. The problem was, noted NYTPicker, Tripsas didn't mention that she and other researchers were flown to St. Paul, Minn., for a visit and picked up the tab on their travel and accommodations, which violates the newspaper's rules. NYTPicker's Jan. 3 post reported that Tripsas was fired, with New York Times Public Editor Clark Hoyt writing a column calling the situation "an embarrassment" and acknowledging NYTPicker's revelation. The newspaper also issued an editor's note about the situation.

But I also like the fact that NYTPicker is ready to admit when it's wrong, which happened in a Jan. 20 post about the New York Times pay meter story. It will also praise New York Times reporters on their good work, which was the case on the paper's coverage of Haiti in a Jan. 15 post.

The New York Times, like most newspapers, has had to carry out layoffs on the editorial side as it tries to balance keeping its place as one of the world's premier newspapers against the face of continued drops in advertising. It's inevitable that things will fall through the cracks at newspapers, and wecan be sure that blogs like NYTPicker -- unheard of only five years ago, will continue to grow and expand their watchdog role.

MediaShift Offers Keys To Finding That First Journalism Job

2010-02-08T08:13:00.003-05:00

In 1985, when Ronald Reagan began his second term as president, the unemployment rate hit 7.4%. There was no Internet, CNN was only five years old and the three main networks -- ABC, CBS and NBC -- only competed with newspapers on the dissemination of news. 1985 was also the year I started my career, after graduating from American University with my journalism degree.

Now, 25 years later, I have a career that I love and I've had to reinvent myself and how I work to remain relevant -- and employed. I decided to take on a labor of love, reviewing resumes from students and those just starting out who are members of the National Association of Black Journalists.

I had some great people help me out at the beginning of my career, so I strongly believe it's only right to do the same for these young people. Competition is fierce out there, and anything that can give young journalists an edge -- including an employer-friendly resume -- I'm willing to help out.

Which is why I really enjoyed this post -- Flexibility, Freelance Key for Journalism Grads in Tough Job Market -- on PBS's MediaShift blog. It is tough out there, and students need to really think outside the box to separate themselves from the rest of the pack.

The MediaShift blog post covered how students are freelancing, volunteering and taking non-traditional jobs as ways to get in -- and stay in - journalism. I see resumes that are full of work done in school. This is a good start, but you need more. Options include freelancing or even volunteering to write for local newspapers or online news sites; starting your own blog on your beat of interest; and going to graduate school.

For those just getting out of school or are stuck in that first job and are ready to move on, research the beats you write about. Are there competing publications or Web sites that may have job openings? Is there a trade association with its own magazine/newsletter/Web site you could write for? Is there an independent online news site (like California Watch, MarylandReporter or Texas Tribune) that you might consider? Is there a way to create your own journalism-based Web site, like what former Washington Times sports reporter Mike Jones has done? These are all options that are available for journalists trying to get their foot in the door.

Do you have any ideas you can share? Let me know in the comments section. And good luck with that job hunt!

Taking Your Job Hunt to the Next Level

2010-01-28T13:50:00.004-05:00

In my day job, I cover the business aviation/private jet industry. Even people with no interest in the topic have seen the beating the industry has taken in the media. That, coupled with the global economic meltdown, tight credit markets and companies scared to buy jets, has caused a large amount of people being laid off in the business aviation industry.

I became "friends" with Clint White, an unemployed corporate aviation pilot who took his job hunt to Twitter (@tdwnds1) and via his blog, Aviators' Thoughts. I would offer links to his blog via one of my company's blog. I also had the chance to meet him at a major industry trade show this fall, where he wore his uniform and networked like crazy, telling me "you never know who you might meet."

After more that a year of relentless optimism and searching, White finally got not one, but two offers during the traditionally slow Christmas holidays. And he credits hard-core networking and a social media campaign for getting him those two offers, one of which he ended up accepting.

I have recently been critiquing resumes for young people either trying to get into the market or looking to move up to the next level. Yes, the market is especially tough, but there's no reason why you can't craft your own job search campaign. And I'm happy to say that the advice I've given young people on their resumes matches well with the Web sites I'll be leading you to that offer tips on how to do this.

First, the list is long, but the Interview Angel offers up 101 Ways To Find A Job. Angel offers an exhaustive, but informative list of tips that can ramp up your job search. My favorite tips include:

Proofread your resume - during my critiques, I was amazed how many journalists had typos, grammar errors and sloppy editing.
Customize your resume - don't use one resume for 12 different jobs. Craft it for the job you want.
Use your blog as a platform - Clint White can attest to the power of this one.
Create an elevator pitch - My blog post on this tip is here.

I'm a big fan of the Mashable blog, my sherpa for all things social media. Last month, writer David Spinks did a great post: HOW TO: Boost Your Resume Over the Winter Break. Among his best tips are find a mentor, take your blog to the next level and volunteer.

Yahoo! News has a great article: Smart Networking For Job Searchers. I am not only a true believer in the power of networking, I can attest to its power when looking for a job. How? The last time I actually applied for a job was in 1992, when I was hired for my first job in aviation. Ever since then, I have either had jobs created for me or been recommended for jobs after making inquiries. You can also get some great networking tips from this Mashable post: 4 Steps for Effective Online Networking.

The SquawkFox blog tells you 6 Words That Make Your Resume Suck. When reviewing resumes, I am no longer amazed when I see writers using these six words -- and plenty of them do. I advise using strong action verbs with descriptions and the numbers (if relevant) to back it up.

I always recommend that job seekers include their social media activity -- but only if it is professional. I have managed to create a personal and professional profile on Facebook and my personal Twitter account is locked. The Digital Inspiration blog posts on Why Job Seekers Should Worry About Their Online Reputation.

If you have any other tips or tricks, I'd love to hear about them.

Life Without Print Newspapers?

2010-01-03T17:56:00.003-05:00

I spent the holidays on the West Coast with my family. As I've written in the past, I enjoy debating my father -- an avid newspaper reader -- over the delivery of news. When I'm visiting family, I will pick up the newspaper, because it's there.

So I read this post from the Comms Corner blog with interest. The deal is that blogger Adam Vincenzini is swearing off reading a print newspaper for the next year. He notes the importance of doing this, since he's a PR professional that needs to feed his news habit. Under this experiment, he will:

rely even more heavily on digital channels.
spend more time on the websites of the papers I'd normally read.
experiment with more apps, gadgets and widgets to deliver content from those outlets to me.
My Factiva alerts and the like take on greater significance.
probably read e-editions where possible (like the version of The Metro delivered to my inbox each day at 6am).

I stopped my delivery of the Baltimore Sun more than a year ago, so I have been there, done that as far as Vincenzini's experiment is concerned. The news, for me, now comes via NPR and the News Feed Elite app on my iPod Touch. For a mere $1.99, I have access to almost 200 media publications and blogs, including the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and my Sun.

It will be interesting to follow Vicenzeni this year, and it will be even more interesting to see if he goes back to reading print publications in 2011. Watch this space!

Including Those of Color in Future Journalism Efforts

2009-12-24T08:53:00.003-05:00

The National Association of Black Journalists has a very active listserve on Yahoo Groups. Some of the bigger discussion topics are about including journalists of color on all the new media sites -- ones like Mediaite, Gawker, local ESPN networks like ESPN Boston and Huffington Post -- and of giving us access to the resources needed to become entrepreneurs and create our own new media models. You can read a post about that on the NABJ Digital blog here.

So it was with great interest that I read a post on the PaidContent.org blog about NPR beginning to staff up its new local news effort, dubbed Project Argo. Project Argo won $3 million in foundation support from The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Knight Foundation to tap a dozen unnamed local stations in the NPR network and setting them loose to offer “in-depth topical coverage of issues with broad national relevance and a strong local focus,” according to the site.

The funding is still being finalized but NPR is putting the pieces in place for a summer launch of its ambitious local news effort, known internally as Project Argo. Named by digital head Kinsey Wilson with Jason and the Argonauts in mind, this project is in search of a different kind of golden fleece—armed with $3 million in foundation support and a dozen stations committed to Wilson’s explains what NPR hopes to accomplish: “We want to demonstrate that we can build both authority and audience around the coverage of particular beats in these communities.”

When this project was first announced, I remember seeing a flurry of postings on the effort and how NABJ members could become involved. NPR has been up and down with hiring journalists of color, laying off what was seen as a disproportionate number in 2009, including several right after NABJ held a fundraising event at the station’s headquarters in October. NABJ President Kathy Times and VP-Broadcast Bob Butler sent a letter Oct. 27 to NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller taking her to task over the layoffs.

In her Oct. 29 response to Times and Butler, Schiller offered a more focused breakdown of people of color on NPR’s staff. She defended her organization’s effort to maintain diversity and admitted that NPR could do better, saying she was working to boost the numbers.

To that end, NPR announced Dec. 15 that it had hired Keith Woods, currently the dean of faculty at The Poynter Institute for Media Studies, as its vice president of diversity in news and operations, effective Feb. 1. This is positive step, and we can only hope that Woods is able to back up Schiller’s commitment. Getting some journalists of color involved with the Argo project would be a great start.

Friday New Media News Roundup

2009-12-11T06:51:00.000-05:00

Three industry forecasts predict that online will take in more advertising dollars than print by 2015, reports PaidContent.org. The blog post includes several charts that illustrate the point.
A week after the Federal Trade Commission's 2-day workshop on the state of journalism, the Online Journalism Review blog asks what should the government do help journalism.
Former Time.com managing editor and new BusinessWeek Editor Josh Tyrangiel has a YouTube video on storytelling across different platform.
CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves offers his optimism on the local media business an in interview with Variety.
Now that the Comcast-NBC Universal deal has been officially announced, NBC CEO Jeffrey Zuker has only nine months to prove himself to his new bosses, reports Bloomberg.
Finally, the 24/7Wall Street blog posts about 1o brands it predicts will disappear in 2010. At the top of its list: Newsweek magazine.

Is It a Good Time to Go into Journalism? Are You Thankful to be a Journalist?

2009-12-10T15:36:00.003-05:00

I have a confession to make. Despite the love I have for my career as a journalist, I think it's pretty natural to sometimes be depressed about the prospects for my industry as we continue to read about layoffs and publications folding.

So when I saw this post on the Flip The Media blog -- Why It’s a Good Time to Go Into Journalism -- my first reaction was "what is he smoking?" But the title was intriguing enough for me to read the post, and writer Mark Briggs, CEO of Serra Media and publisher of Journalism 2.0 (free!), makes an effective case. In his post, he offers three premises:

Journalism has a bright future. "Experimental news operations are popping up all over the Web as this decade draws to a close. Some have become sustainable businesses in a very short time. Others are still searching for viability while finding new ways to cover issues and communities," writes Briggs. I have written about these organizations both here and over at the National Association of Black Journalists Digital Journalism Task Force blog. Some of the ones of interest are MarylandReporter, Baltimore Brew, Voice of San Diego, and Texas TribuneDNAInfo, to name a few.
That future is in your hands. "Journalism needs you. It needs someone who can bring a fresh approach without the baggage that burdened earlier generations," he writes. I see myself straddling between old school and new school journalism, and this old dog is working hard to learn new tricks to stay relevant in the future.
Journalism will be better than it was before. "Transformation and evolution are messy, emotional processes. When they produce advancement for society and business, they are seen as healthy and worthwhile, but not necessarily to those on the front lines," writes Briggs. I have seen first hand my old school brethren continuing to resist making the changes needed to be relevant. They want to stick to the old ways, convinced that the old ways are still the best ways. I firmly believe that you can stick with the basic tenants of journalism while taking advantage of all the tools and technology out there that enhance your journalistic efforts.

And this gives me the perfect transition, to a post I saw on the Knight Digital Media Center's Online Journalism Review blog: How thankful are you for your role in journalism today?

The poll, done by Robert Niles, is completely unscientific and only had 58 respondents. But I still think the numbers are worthwhile as media companies continue to adapt -- sometimes painfully -- to the new journalistic world order. Thirty percent say they have a job in journalism, working for someone else, and are thankful for it. Fifteen percent say I have a job in journalism, working for myself, and am thankful for it.

I encourage you to take a look at the poll and take your own temperature on the issue. Despite everything, I still love journalism in general and my job in particular. I don't know a whole lot of people who are paid for their lifelong hobby, like me!

Friday New Media News Roundup

2009-12-04T16:35:00.002-05:00

For those of you keeping track of layoffs, here's the latest: Thomson Reuters has cut 240 staffers at its legal publishing division, reports PaidContent.org; Washington Times has cut 40% of its 370 employees as it moves toward an online format, reports the New York Times; the Miami Herald cuts 24 jobs, reports the New Times; and Gannett lays off 37 and brings back furloughs, reports PaidContent.org.
YouTube has launched a channel dedicated to citizen journalists, reports the Telegraph. The new channel lets media organizations "request, review and rebroadcast YouTube clips directly from YouTube users.”
Bloggers can now get free legal help from the Citizen Media Law Project, reports Online Media Daily. The project targets independent journalists who write about matters of public interest, with those adhering to standards of "truth, fairness and transparency" receiving first priority, according to the program's FAQ.
The Telegraph has a profile of Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington. And you can read her thoughts on the new path for journalism, written for this week's FTC 2-day workshop here. You can also see my NABJDigital blog post on that topic here.
And former National Association of Black Journalists president Bryan Monroe's guest post on Huffington Post -- Why New Media Looks A Whole Lot Like Old Media -- is a must read.
Do journalists actually look like this? asks the 10000 Words blog. None that I've ever worked with!!

Hey! People Are Still Reading Newspapers!

2009-11-30T13:00:00.003-05:00

I just spent the Thanksgiving week home in San Antonio with my family. My Dad loves to walk out to the driveway and pick up his San Antonio Express newspaper and spend time in the morning with a cup of coffee reading it from cover to cover.

I tease him about being a dinosaur, but I admit I do enjoy doing the same once he's finished with the paper. But it's something I don't do at home, having recently canceled my subscription to the Baltimore Sun. A new report from Scarborough Research find that my Dad is not alone: 74% of U.S. adults, or nearly 171 million people, read a newspaper ‐‐ in print or online ‐‐ during the past week, it found. Other findings include:

79% of adults employed in white collar positions read a newspaper in print or online
82% of adults with household incomes of $100,000 or more read a printed newspaper in print or online
• 84% of adults who are college graduates or who have advanced degrees read a printed newspaper in print or online

This is a bit of good news for those working at newspapers. But looking at the bigger picture, my question is -- how long will it last? We've all seen the statistics about the younger generations relying strictly on the web -- and not necessarily newspaper sites -- for their news.

And even if we have this glimmer of hope, are the ad revenues needed to support readership ever coming back? I don't think so, as witnessed by media publishing companies continuing to scramble to find ways to bring in new revenue. To me, finding new ways to sustain the traditional newspaper business model is the real puzzle that needs to be solved moving ahead.

What New Media Journalists Can Learn from Sarah Palin's Book

2009-11-24T12:24:00.002-05:00

Ok, I'm going to admit it -- I did watch Oprah's show interviewing former VP candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin on her new book "Going Rogue." And I have marveled at how she is steely in her resolve to use said book to go after everyone (yes, that's you, Katie Couric) she feels has wronged her.

During last year's election, I became addicted to the St. Pete Times' PolitiFact blog, which fact-checked the promises, pledges, statements and "truths" told by the presidential campaigns. The Internet has made that job a lot easier for anyone, not just journalists.

To this end, I really enjoyed this post on the Talking Points Memo blog on the Associated Press's fact-checking of Palin's book -- even before it hit the shelves Nov. 17. In its fact check, AP found a virtual treasure trove "that detailed where her claims didn't line up with reality," said TPM. You can see some of what AP unearthed in the book here.

"[AP editors] bought a copy, ripped it from its spine and scanned it into the system so it could be read and electronically searched. A NewsNow moved within 40 minutes, followed quickly by multiple leads as details were gleaned from the 413-page manuscript," wrote Mike Oreskes, an AP senior managing editor in an internal memo obtained by TPM.

The point is, with all the tools out there -- free and low cost -- any reporter worth their salt can do similar checks on all types of stories. This kind of work does 2 things -- it helps sharpen our investigative skills, and, most importantly, it gives us a way to offer that extra value to readers -- who might even pay for it!

Friday New Media News Roundup

2009-11-20T06:54:00.002-05:00

Folio magazine offers up the latest on layoffs at BusinessWeek magazine as it makes the transition to new owner Bloomberg.
The Associated Press ends up laying off 90 employees to meet its goal to cut payroll by 10%, reports AP. And the Gawker blog is updating a list of those being let go.
AOL is handling its layoffs of 2500 employees a bit differently. It's asking for volunteers, reports the Mashable blog.
The nonprofit Investigative News Network has raised another $500,000 in a bid for more than 20 nonprofits to collaborate on journalism, fundraising, and back-office operations, reports the Nieman Journalism Lab blog.
News organizations including the Washington Post and Huffington Post are using the new YouTube channel dedicated to citizen journalism, reports the Telegraph.
The Techdirt blog asks why "The Daily Show" -- a fake TV news program on Comedy Central -- has better fact checkers than some real media outlets.
Two brothers are hoping to compete against the Detroit Free-Press and the Detroit News by launching the Detroit Daily Press, according to the Isak blog.
And eBay founder Pierre Omidyar is launching a similar effort in Hawaii.
The excellent 10,000 Words blog has a funny post about the types of pictures stock photo agencies use to portray journalists. I've never seen these people in my newsrooms!

Why You Need that Career Blog

2009-11-16T16:11:00.005-05:00

Lately, I have been doing resume reviews for young people. Most of them have pretty good resumes, but I've had to help them on putting them in order and getting them to show off what they can really do. I was surprised at how many of them did not have career web sites or blogs to be the home of their professional work.

With the explosion of the Internet and myriad tools to self publish, there is no reason why everyone -- especially those seeking a job -- can't have a professional web presence. And it doesn't have to cost money. Some people will pay for a professional web site, while most will just use free platforms like Blogger or WordPress to create a blog.

The professional web site/blog serves as your calling card. You can connect it to your Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts. It's especially important to use it for LinkedIn, as more employers look to that site for hiring. A trend I'm seeing is companies using LinkedIn exclusively to hire new employees.

There is no one way to create a career site, but the Personal Branding Blog offers four tips to follow when you decide to start one. And don't forget to include direct links to your best work.

Friday New Media News Roundup

2009-11-13T12:26:00.002-05:00

There is just way too much news going on in journalism these days. I had 34 items for roundup this week, but that's just too much, so I managed to whittle it down to 12. Enjoy!

Anthony Moor, deputy managing editor/interactive at the Dallas Morning News has been wooed away by Yahoo to head up its local news page, reports Editor & Publisher.
The Mental Floss blog posts about 9 times they should have stopped the presses. Events cited include a profile of Pakistani Prime Minister candidate Benazir Bhutto on why terrorist fear her-10 days after she was gunned down by terrorists.
It seems surprising sometimes, but Google CEO Eric Schmidt is actually a fan of newspapers and print journalism, as outlined in this interview with the Nieman Journalism Lab blog.
Speaking of Google, it has launched a function that allows users to customize and curate their own news feeds using targeted key words, reports the Mashable blog.
The New York Times has launched something similar to what Google has done, allowing readers to create custom RSS feeds of its stories, reports the Resource Shelf blog. Did I mention the venture has 30,000 tags for you to choose?
The Times also reported a story that the company is laying off at least 25 editorial jobs next year and shipping them to the Gainsville Sun. The Sun is owned by the Times and its editorial staff is not represented by a union, the article noted.
The TweetMeme offers up the top 100 Twitter news sources, including BBC, CNN, LA Times, Reuters, Chicago Tribune and Education Week.
That Rupert Murdoch! First he plans to put up pay walls at all his newspapers. Then he announces that he will "hide" News Corp.'s Web sites from Google Searches, reports Mashable.
Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital blog reports that News Corp. is looking at joining Time Inc. on its "Hulu for magazines" venture.
WYPR's The Brian Lehrer Show has TechCrunch columnist Paul Carr and Jeff Jarvis, professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and author of the blog BuzzMachine.com, discussing the merits of citizen journalism in the wake of the Ft. Hood shootings.
A copy editor at the Toronto Star shows the Torontoist blog why copy editors -- who are being outsourced at the paper -- are still needed.
And last, but not least, the UK's Times Online has an interesting column on how the Internet is killing storytelling.

Tips to Future-proof Your Journalism Career

2009-11-10T16:23:00.002-05:00

In the past week, we've heard about big job cuts at Time Inc.'s myriad publications, along with AOL and the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, among others. Right now, we're standing at 14,366 layoffs and buyouts at newspapers in 2009, according to the Paper Cuts blog.

While nothing is guaranteed in life -- or in one's journalism career -- there are things you can do to make it much harder for the powers that be to lay you off when that time comes. Most people don't realize it, but companies tell you what skills and knowledge they value. But some people do not listen.

Back in 2006, our company leadership told us that all things digital was where we were heading for the future. They specifically told us they wanted blogs, podcasts, video, photos and whatever else it took to get us from point A to point B. I heard them loud and clear and began scrambling to attend seminars, conferences, workshops, webinars and whatever else it took to learn these skills.

Am I perfect? No. But in the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed woman is king. I've done enough to show my bosses that I heard what they said, took it seriously and took it upon myself to do what was asked. We have not been immune to layoffs. During the last round, I actually got a promotion, and my digital skills were cited as a big reason.

So I read this post -- 25 things journalists can do to future-proof their careers -- on the eConsultancy blog with great interest. A lot of them had to do with using digital media tools. I won't comment on all 25 recommendations, but I will touch on a few of them.

Number one on the list was Blog, and I agree. "Start your own personal blog today. Or better still, start a subject-themed blog. This will be very empowering if you haven’t done it before." I am a big fan of blogging. I've had a personal blog since 2004, which has morphed into this one. I started our publication's first official blog -- Towers and Tarmacs -- in 2006 (thanks to training from the National Association of Black Journalists). And I'm now posting regularly to the new NABJ Digital blog.

Write About Your Passion is number 4 on the list. I am blessed in that I get paid to write about my hobby and my passion -- all things aviation. But if your current beat doesn't do that for you, eConsultancy advises: "Try to write about a passion at least once a week. It will help build out your portfolio. You’ll feel happier about your work. You’ll be able to express your opinions. And you may engineer a way out of a dead end job."

Number 5 is Feeds FTW. The blog recommends setting up RSS feeds for search terms on sites including Google News, Twitter and Digg. For a great primer on RSS, check out this post on the 10,000 Words blog. It also recommends setting up Google Reader to push content to you directly. I don't know what I'd do without mine, which is split between aviation, social media and journalism sites.

Numbers 16 and 17 -- Objectivity Is Overrated and Subjectivity Kicks Ass -- can be a bit hard for some journalists to embrace, especially those used to the old rules. I still write by the rules in my publications, but on the blog, anything goes. We all have opinions, and the industry is moving toward a more personalized style of writing.

Be Platform Agnostic is Number 24. Gone, thank goodness, are the days when there were strict lines between the online and published product. These days, I write a story and decide where it will best fit. My unit has a monthly magazine, a weekly PDF newsletter, a daily premium subscriber web site, a free news site and a blog. I have learned to slice and dice an overall big story and funnel it to the most appropriate place.

And last -- but certainly not least -- Do It Now. "Don’t fear the web. Don’t wait for your boss to tell you to learn some new skills. If you have a mental barrier and have filed yourself under ‘offline’ then slap yourself about the face, have a stiff drink, and then reset your watch." I was scared to death when I started my journey. I am an old school journalist who started her career on electric typewriters. But I love journalism, I love my job and Mama has a baby to feed, so I had to suck it up and jump in with both feet.

I did a quick count of the list and found I was doing 19 of the 25 tips. A nice goal for me for 2010 is to hit all 25! Again, there's no 100% foolproof guarantee that doing all this will protect you from layoffs. But it will make it harder for the boss to target you in cuts, and if the worst happens, you have skills that put you ahead of the game.

They Pitch -- But You Don't Want to Catch

2009-11-09T08:44:00.004-05:00

While the vast majority of my career has been in journalism, I have worked on "the dark side," public relations, public affairs and corporate communications. Let me start by saying that I have nothing but respect for the HARD work that they do. If things go well, others usually take the credit. But if things go badly, the finger is usually pointed in their direction first.

Now that I'm back on the journalism side, I go out of my way to be respectful to PR professionals (not that I wasn't before). I thank them for relevant pitches, I send links/PDFs for the stories they pitch (they have to have something to show the client) and I praise the good ones to their bosses. And when I get a pitch from a professional that has nothing to do with my current beats, I send a very polite letter asking them to take me off their media list, since I don't cover what they are handling.

But like with any profession, there are good ones and bad ones, and I think the proliferation of digital and social media tools -- Facebook, Twitter and site-scraping tools, to name a few -- has exacerbated the problem of misdirected pitches. My beat is pretty simple -- anything to do with business aviation/corporate jets. But with so much information and so much technology, I'm seeing a virtual flood of press releases for everything from dating sites to movie reviews (none aviation related) and everything in between.

Recently, I ended up in what became a battle to get myself removed from a list that promoted restaurants. At one time, I covered the airports industry, and in that beat, I did cover new restaurant concepts coming to airports. But I left the airports beat last December. No names will be used (although I'm sorely tempted).

I received several copies of the exact press release on a new restaurant opening in a major airport. It would have been a piece of news to interest for the reporter covering airports, so I replied to the PR person and told her this, also giving her the name, phone number and email address for that gentleman. I didn't hear a peep back. But as the event got closer, I kept getting email blasts pitching the event and asking me if I was going to cover it.

I emailed again several times and tried to go to the firm's web site to remove me from their lists. No reply to the email and I was still getting the releases. I even tried calling the name on the press release and kept getting a community mail box. The releases were coming fast and furious and no one was returning my calls or emails.

So I went for the nuclear option -- I called the firm's client directly and explained what happened, complete with copies of emails, calls made and attempts to remove myself from the list. I assured them that despite their overly aggressive PR firm, a story about the new restaurant would probably appear in the newsletter.

About 10 minutes after the call, I got an email from the PR person blasting me for going over her head and "tattling" to a client. I called her and tried to explain what had happened, but all I got was a string of expletives and threats. I hung up and called her boss, who was much more reasonable.

I did finally get my name off the list, but was all this necessary? No. And it looks like I'm not the only one with this experience, as posted on The Bad Pitch Blog. We're all professionals and we all have a job to do. And those jobs are getting scarcer and requiring us to all do much more with much less. I just hope we can all learn from situations like this and work together for mutual benefit when we can.

Friday New Media News Roundup

2009-11-06T14:33:00.002-05:00

It's Friday, so it must be time for the news roundup. Yee HAW!!

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Laura Washington has blasted the new Chicago News Cooperative for a lack of diversity. The for profit/nonprofit CNC will provide Chicago news to the New York Times. Chicago journalist Andrew Patner, in his The View From Here blog, noted that CNC had "no younger people (except a board member, Michael Davies, who owns a website service company with his father), no Blacks, no Latins, no one from the Sun-Times, no investigative reporters, no one from the Reader, no one who doesn't already know everybody else from other boards or service in the Tribune Tower."
How desperate are some newspapers to bring back print readers? New Zealand's Stratford Press has begun publishing at 3D edition, reports Scoop.
UK-based B2B publisher Emap has announced plans to introduce pay walls for its publications -- including Drapers, Health Service Journal and Retail Week-- within the next two weeks, reports Media Week.
Speaking of paywalls, long-time Newsday columnist Saul Friedman quit the newspaper, using his last column to publish a letter on why paywalls are a bad idea, reports Techdirt.
In an interesting experiment, the Chicago Tribune this week decided not to use any Associated Press content, reports PaidContent.org. But the paper still used copy from other publications, including AFP and Bloomberg.
But PaidContent.org reports that AP has managed to keep 50 newspaper clients, including the New York Daily News, after revising its service plan. But another 130 newspapers are keeping their 2-year cancellation notices in place.
Alltop's Holy Kaw blog outlines the six types of new journalists. I put myself in the major shift category.
Al Jazeera English has launched new blogs covering the world.
Last, but certainly not least, Roland Martin, CNN/TV one journalist and National Association of Black Journalists secretary, used his blog to blast conservative columnist Rod Dreher over his remarks after NABJ sent a letter to National Public Radio expressing concern over its diversity efforts. “Rod, if you have an ax to grind about diversity of thought on NPR, fine. Keep complaining so they can hire a conservative voice like yours. But if you’re going to choose to write about ethnic diversity and dismiss it as not important, learn to do what real reporters do, and that is gain the facts, and write from a position of knowledge and not ignorance," he wrote.

Why Now, More Than Ever, You Need To Network

2009-11-04T05:06:00.001-05:00

I got an email from my boss yesterday telling us that a mutual acquaintance had just lost her job in journalism. I had just seen her 2 weeks ago at a big industry conference, so I dropped her an email to see if it was true. Of course, it was. I offered my sympathy and said I'd do what I could to help her.

And, amazingly enough I was able to help her. I put in a good word for her with a hiring manager who was looking to fill a job dealing with social media. I was also able to get her a talk with a company looking for a consultant. I was able to do that for her because I have always taken care to cultivate -- and feed -- my network.

I work in aviation, which is an industry where people tend to stay, even as they shift from company to company. I joined the industry in 1992. The last time I've actually had to apply for a job by submitting a resume and being interviewed was in 1993. Every job I've had since then has been because of my network.

Back in the late 1990s, I worked for a company that was sold, and the new management team changed things drastically. I wanted to move on and when I informed my network, I had 3 jobs to choose from. And it's been like that ever since. Even though I am perfectly happy in my current job, I still get calls from companies and people who offer me opportunities. Part of the care and feeding of the network is to reciprocate whenever possible.

As a reporter, I hear about things all the time and I will pass them along to people in my network. No matter how busy I get (and I am busy), I will call or email key people that have helped me in my career just to see what's going on. And you are also responsible to help people in your network who may have fallen on hard times, because you never know when that person may be able to return the favor.

Why You Need That Elevator Pitch

2009-11-02T13:49:00.002-05:00

Last week, CNN did a networking/job search event in Washington, D.C. I went because I was hoping to pitch myself as an aviation expert for CNN on future stories. As such, I had a chance to watch as others chatted with the various CNN representatives at the event.

One thing that was glaringly apparent was that many job seekers did not have a good elevator pitch. Mine, at exactly 15 seconds, was simple and to the point -- I wasn't looking for a job, aviation is a big topic of interest to CNN, they needed to have some new -- and more diverse -- people speaking about the industry, and I could help with my expertise in business/corporate jet aviation, airports and airport security and the airlines, tossing in that I've also worked for 2 airlines and an engine manufacturer. I gave them my card, asked for theirs, thanked them for their time and moved onto the next person. Using this method, I was able to get 10 business cards.

But it wasn't easy. The format of the networking was people sprinkled across the room and you ran up to a person with a CNN name tag. The process was a bit chaotic, and it didn't help when people used the time to either tell their life story or drag on about what CNN needed. Had I been searching for a job, I would have visited the CNN job site -- TurnerJobs.com -- to see what openings were available to see what CNN was looking for before going to the event.

I then would have matched my current skills set to what they were looking for and created my elevator pitch around that. One person really stood out, because I kept seeing him say the same thing to every CNN person. He blathered on about how "I can do everything" and "I want to go where I can fit best" then peppered them with questions on exactly where the jobs were in CNN. He didn't seem to have a clue on exactly what he wanted to do. I saw variations of this scenario throughout the night.

These are busy people who know exactly what they need. One, they probably don't know exactly all the jobs available at CNN, and two, they should not be telling you what is available unless they are doing the hiring directly.

You never know when you're going to get that chance to pitch yourself, so you should have one ready. For tips on how to create the perfect elevator pitch, I recommend this post on the Harvard Business Publishing blog. Good luck!

Friday New Media News Roundup

2009-10-30T09:24:00.002-04:00

It's Friday, so it's time for the news roundup. Here are my picks for the week.

The 10,000 Words blog (you know I love this blog) offers 10 Ugly Truths About Journalism. My two favorites? Journalists are biased and no one has all the answers. On a side note, please vote for this blog in Mashable's 2009 Open Web Awards' "Best Site for Journalists" category.
As many journalists mull the decision to stay or start a new career, this new poll from Monster.com finds that most job seekers are open to career changes.
The PaidContent.org blog posts about a topic I've covered regularly here: hyperlocal news blog start-ups. This post follows the trials of Justin Carder of Instivate, maker of the free Neighborlogs publishing system for local news sites, and founder and owner of the Seattle neighborhood blog CapitolHillSeattle.com.
And speaking of start-ups, the Washington Post's Howard Kurtz takes a look at others out there, including VoiceofSanDiego.org, Baltimore Brew and Chitown Daily News.
I recently saw a post on one of my journalism listserve asking whether someone should write for free. A post on the Editor Unleashed blog offers 5 questions to ask before you make that decision.
And I'll finish this post with 5 Things to do before submitting a magazine article, from the Urban Muse blog.

Have a great weekend!

Journalism to PR: NOT As Easy As You Think

2009-10-24T21:11:00.003-04:00

I know that I have a very unusual career as far as journalism goes. First, I've always worked for independent B2B/trade newsletters. I've never worked for a general media newspaper or a magazine. I've also taken several breaks from journalism to work on the public relations/public affairs side of the business.

Oh, the grief I took from my journalist friends for going over to "the dark side." I heard things like "you're selling out" and "you're going to miss journalism" and "how can you actually flack for INSERT NAME HERE when you wrote about them for so long?" I have always taken jobs because I've seen an opportunity to learn a new skill or just shake things up, and it has always worked for me.

But as journalism continues to hemorrhage jobs -- 13, 868 so far in 2009, according to Paper Cuts -- I now hear those same journalists who pilloried me for my trips to "the dark side" saying they now want to look at public relations as an option. I also heard this a lot when I attended this year's National Association of Black Journalists annual convention, and I've been meaning to do a post on this very topic. What I have to say to these journalists is -- PR is not as easy as you might think it is.

The biggest mistake journalist make is thinking that just because they can write, they can just take those skills right over to PR and smoothly transition in. No, no and NO. Some of the skills do transfer over -- writing/editing, attention to detail and curiosity.

But in the end, you are the slave to the company you're working for. If you don't believe in the company/organization, you will never last. As such, you will have to write things that you'd never write as a reporter. A PR person's job is to put the best face on all news, no matter how bad. When you do a good job, everyone but you gets the credit. When it's perceived that your efforts didn't go well (with it NOT being your fault 9 times out of 19), the s**t rolls down hill -- right on you.

Example: I worked for a company where an executive, on his own, decided to accept an interview request from a major newspaper. When we found out, we first tried to talk him out of it, because there were a lot of things going on that didn't make it a good time to do an interview. But he was hell bent on doing it, so we tried to prep him the best we could. But he had an ego and thought he could "handle" the reporter and refused to do any prep. So the interview went ahead and it was pretty much a train wreck.

The CEO was unhappy with the interview, and the executive blamed our team for not prepping him. So even though we had emails that showed that he had tried to prep him, we ended up getting blamed for the fiasco.

I urge you to read this post from The Bad Pitch blog entitled "The Axed Hack's Guide to Flacking: Are Journalists Meant For PR?" I also recommend this post from BNET's Catching Flack blog.

And if this is really something you're considering, please -- talk to people who have made the same transition and get advice. Email me if you don't know anyone else. I'm happy to pass along my experiences.

Friday Fast Five

2009-10-23T16:54:00.003-04:00

It has been a busy week. I've just come back from Orlando where I covered the biggest show of the year for my little slice of the aviation business. But I didn't want to go a whole week without posting anything. Every Friday, I do the "Friday Fast Five" for the National Association of Black Journalists' Digital Journalism Task Force, which I co-chair. So I decided to share them with you this week. Enjoy!

Seven Things to Consider Prior to Launching Your Business Blog: it's geared more toward marketing, but I thought the tips would be appropriate for journalists thinking about starting a work-related blog;
25 things I wish I’d known when I started blogging: I wish I had known at least 15 of them when I started my company's first approved blog back in 2006;
7 Unique and innovative maps: NABJ Region VI director Mark Luckie strikes again on his 10,000 Words blog. Just save the time and subscribe to his feed here;
Five Great Sites for Writers: She offers links to sites that offer everything from freelancing help to the craft of writing; and
Eight Public Media 2.0 Projects That Are Doing it Right: the Media Shift blog shows us eight public service/non- profit organizations doing journalism in a whole new way. These examples can serve as a template for all of us looking to take our craft to the next level.

Have a great weekend!

Friday New Media News Roundup

2009-10-16T14:42:00.002-04:00

There's a lot going on out there that I would just love to blog about, but the time constraints in my life preclude me from doing so. So here's the week's roundup of links on new/digital media trends I thought would be of interest. Have a great weekend, and enjoy!

I am now addicted to the 10,000 Words blog, written by NABJ Region 6 Director (and multimedia God) Mark Luckie. I really enjoyed his recent post on 10 ugly truths about modern journalism. I'm especially struck by numbers 6, 8 and 10.
First we have professional sports -- the National Football League and Major League Baseball -- starting their own television networks. Now we have the L.A. Kings hockey team hiring its own reporter -- Rich Hammond -- to cover the team, reports the Paul Oberjuerge sports blog. The emphasis is on reporting, just like Hammond did in his previous gig at the LA Daily News.
The Media Shift blog makes the case for why we need a shield law for bloggers and citizen journalists.

What's In Your Mobile Multimedia Bag?

2009-10-13T07:08:00.004-04:00

I am a regular reader of the Oyster Hotel Review blog. Oyster, which started in January, hires journalists to do extensive, independent hotel reviews, including hundreds of pictures. Check out this review of the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City (full disclosure-one of my best friends is a hotel consultant who works there).

A recent blog post caught my eye: An Oyster Reporter’s Mobile Workspace. Writer Paul B offers pictures and the 17 items he carries in his multimedia back pack. It includes the normal stuff, but it also has items including pen and paper, Advil and Zeiss wet lens wipes and cleaning cloths.

I'm in Austin, Texas, this week covering an industry show, and I get many comments about my own Swiss Army Multimedia back pack (bought at Sam's Club for $40), so I thought I'd share what I carry in my own bag.

FujiFilm S800 FinePix camera with 2 sets of 4 Kodak rechargeable AA batteries;
Allegiant Air mouse pad;
1 4-pack each of AA and AAA batteries
Olympic digital audio recorder with hand mike, USB mike and lapel mike
Bag of plug adapters that cover the world
Ethernet cord
Victorinox SwissCard with nail file, ruler, scissors, toothpick, tweezers and screwdriver (the size of a business card)
4 ink pens (1 with 1GB thumb drive) and 4 reporter notebooks
2 1GB thumb drives
Hand sanitizer
Hand lotion
Business cards
Umbrella
Belkin 3-outlet, 2 USB port mini surge protector (cheaper on eBay)
iPod Classic
iPod Touch with iBend holder
Sharper Image noise-canceling headphones (for flights and editing podcasts)
Apple iPod recordable headphones
Universal iGo charger for Blackberry and iPods
Flip Video Camera
Mini camera tripod
Business cards
Breath mints
Sewing Kit

Some of my journalist friends laugh at my bag -- until they need something they've forgotten. Click here for my past post on multimedia bag choices.

I was a Girl Scout growing up, and you know their motto: Be Prepared! What's in your bag?

Friday New Media News Roundup

2009-10-09T12:52:00.002-04:00

It's been awhile since I've done one of these things, and I had a lot I was saving. So let's get started.

I just discovered Mark Luckie's 10,000 Words blog on journalism and technology. Where has this blog been all my life, combining 2 of my current passions? In this post, he offers up 10 ugly truths about modern journalism.

I have a friend who recently graduated from college and is frustrated by the lack of journalism jobs available. I heard that a lot from young people at the National Association of Black Journalists conference in August. So here's a post from the Journalism 2010 blog on 5 reasons you should go to grad school.

Are you looking for ideas on what makes a great media site? B2B Online offers its thoughts are the 10 best, including the Wall Street Journal, BusinessWeek and PoliceOne.

The DVAFOTO blog offers examples of the newspapers it thinks are still producing great journalism. "Ian Fisher: American Soldier" by the Denver Post was amazing! With all this bad news, it's nice to see that someone is acknowledging good work.

I've been blogging quite a bit lately about the debate on how to use social media in journalism. A new survey from Middleberg Communications finds that 70% of journalists use social media to help them with reporting, according to the Journalistics blog.

The Christian Science Monitor's New Economy blog posts the 10 biggest magazine closings of 2009 so far. I'm still in mourning the death of Gourmet magazine.

I'll end the week with this gem from the TechDirt web site on the Austin American-Statesman's pitch on why you need to buy a print newspaper. Enjoy!

To Credit or Not to Credit Blogs: That Is the Question

2009-10-07T11:08:00.003-04:00

I am a reporter and a blogger. I get a nice salary to search out and write stories for subscribers who pay a healthy amount of money to read what I and my colleagues write.

One of my big pet peeves is when I see a blogger take stories that I have put in the time to write, write about it with their own spin and don't offer acknowledgment of my work or even a lousy link to my original story. As someone who writes about a very specific corner of the aviation industry, I can tell when a blogger has done original work or has taken what's already been written out there.

But now I learn that some bloggers have the same concerns. I have a friend who has been writing online about the aviation industry since the mid 1990s. She has developed some great sources (I'm sometimes jealous) that give her information leading to some major scoops. On more than one occasion, I've seen major media outlets take what she's written wholesale and written their own stories with not a whit of credit. These media outlets have good reporters too, but they don't cover aviation exclusively, making it hard to understand how they could have gotten the same story as my friend just 1 day later.

The Nieman Journalism Lab writes about the case of a blogger named Miss Heather, who uncovered a major zoning violation in her Brooklyn neighborhood and wrote about it on Aug. 19. The New York Post picked up the story and wrote about it on Sept. 2. Ok, I know what you're going to say--maybe the Post reporters learned about the story on their own.

But one of the reporters -- Alex Ginsburg -- actually credited Miss Heather for her scoop on the story in the comments section of her blog. “Post policy prevented me from crediting you in print,”he wrote. “Allow me to do so now. You did a fantastic reporting job. All I had to do was follow your steps (and make a few extra phone calls).”

And here's another example. New York University has two blogs dedicated to its community. NYULocal, which says it wants to offer information on what’s happening in the neighborhood, "the most recent J-Sex fumbles and the worst Lil Wayne videos." The other is NYUNews, which is the companion blog to Washington Square News, the independent student newspaper of New York University.

It turns out that NYULocal has a bone to pick with with NYUNews, accusing the latter of "leaving with things that we sought out, claiming them as your own and never acknowledging their source. I’m talking, of course, about our posts." You can see the entire open letter, here.

“`Link economy' means you shouldn’t be reporting on printing charges at NYU two days after NYU Local without a single reference to the fact that you found the story on our site. When we miss important stories that WSN reports on, we post them on Local with a link to the original. Aside from the fact that crediting with a link is common courtesy, we share a lot of readers these days, and realize it would look rather silly if we didn’t acknowledge your existence by linking to stories you’ve scooped us on.

NYU Local The Demise of Free Printing At NYU

Two Days Later…

WSN Changes Eliminate Free, 24-hr. Printing

My own policy is to link and credit any blogs I use in my own work. There are bloggers out there doing some great work, and to me, it seems foolish to act like they're not there.

What Are Newspapers' Social Media Policies

2009-10-05T14:21:00.002-04:00

Late last month, the Washington Post came out with its guidelines on how its reporters and editors should handle the use of social media tools. Social media gurus came out en masse to blast the Post's policies, even blasting the fact that the policies were actually leaked by PaidContent.org.

The big issue was with this quote from the memo released by senior editor Milton Coleman: “Personal pages online are no place for the discussion of internal newsroom issues such as sourcing, reporting of stories, decisions to publish or not to publish, personnel matters and untoward personal or professional matters involving our colleagues. The same is true for opinions or information regarding any business activities of The Washington Post Company.”

SocialMedia.biz writer J.D. Lasica said: "Transparency, it appears, is a foreign idea at the Post. So is humanity — the opportunity to show readers that news is not a commodity produced by a faceless institution but a rich, collaborative process where a lot of fast-moving decisions affect how a story is written and played."

Here's what the Post said in answering a question during an online managing editor chat Sept. 28:

Alexandria, VA: Is the newspaper's new social media policy unnecessarily restrictive? Isn't this a case of management that doesn't understand social media overreacting after seeing Raju Narisetti's tweets?

My worry is that instead of the give-and-take that followers are used to having with Post reporters like Rick Maese, HowardKurtz, and Dan Steinberg, we'll just get bland links to articles without any of the interaction and commentary that is the real value of a service like Twitter.

Followers of ABC's Jake Tapper and the New York Times' David Carr on Twitter benefit from their employers' common-sense approach to social media. Why does the Washington Post feel there's a need for a restrictive written policy?

Liz Spayd and Raju Narisetti: We had been discussing coming up with guidelines for several months so that our staff is on the same page in terms of using social networks. These guidelines will continue to evolve as new technologies continue to emerge and become popular. The guidelines we have announced seem to make sense for now.

Many publishing companies either don't have policies or are in the process of developing them. For me, I use a common-sense approach to my social media activities, dividing my personal and professional lives. Click here for guidelines for the Associated Press. Click here for the New York Times guidelines. And here's the Wall Street Journal's guidelines.

Social Media's Place in the Craft of Journalism

2009-10-01T14:09:00.002-04:00

Regular readers of this blog know I have fully embraced some of the social media tools out there enhance my journalistic efforts. I know that many of my brethren are still suspicious about using things like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, CoverItLive and YouTube, among dozens of applications.

The fall 2009 edition of Nieman Reports argues that social media is not a "tool" for journalists, but "the ocean we’re going to be swimming in—at least until the next chapter of the digital revolution comes along. What needs our attention is how we’re going to play roles that bring journalistic values into this vast social media territory," writes Geneva Overholser.

But another writer for Nieman Reports, Robert G. Picard, questions whether all these new technologies and platforms really a good idea for news organizations. "Is each one equally useful? What are the real costs in staff time and the operating costs to be on the various platforms? What is actually achieved for the news organization in being there? Does every news organization need to be active on all of the platforms? Finally, how can a news organization achieve optimal benefit across platforms?" he asks.

Picard does see a benefit of journalists using online tools to get "information, ideas and feedback." While social media and blogs allow the public and and journalists to interact and bring up topics that may have been overlooked, he feels it could become a double-edged sword.

"In many instances, the content that news organizations produce (at a cost) is distributed by others, thus removing the need or desire for many people to seek out the original sources of the information," Picard wrote. "This circumstance, of course, threatens the commercial model because of its deleterious effects on revenue and cost recovery."

Evidence is growing that news organizations’ Web sites are offering some benefits, said Picard. "Less evidence has been found to show that social media activities do likewise, especially for newspapers," he mused.

The thing about social media is there's really no handbook for journalists -- or anyone else for that matter -- on how to use it most effectively. It's all just trial and error. I try different things all the time; some things work, and some things don't. But as a journalist colleague recently told me: don't be afraid to fail. And you'll never know what works best for you if you don't at least try. You can click here to see a dizzying array of the Web 2.0 tools and applications out there. Have fun!

Journalists as a Brand

2009-09-24T08:23:00.002-04:00

In the past two weeks, I have had lunch and coffee with my social media guru friends. Leah Jones (@leahjones) runs her own company, Nativ Media, where she teaches musicians and artists, among others, how to use social media to promote themselves. During lunch, we talked about how social media was also a way to brand yourself, and how journalists are reluctant to brand themselves.

And my coffee partner Ludo Van Vooren, an aerospace social media consultant told me that it was too late -- I was already a brand because of my efforts on my company blog, my Twitter account (@AvWeekBenet) and Facebook, among other things. You can see my video interview with Ludo on social media here.

So if you're a branded journalist and the worst happens, you can either start your own business based on that brand or sell your services -- complete with a blog, a Twitter account and your Facebook/LinkedIn accounts -- to the highest bidder.

Which is why I found several posts on this topic quite interesting. First is a post on the Personal Branding Blog specifically for journalists entitled "Creating an Online Presence to Develop Your Brand." Writer and journalist Vadim Lavrusik encourages us to take advantage of tools available to help build your online presence, "which results in further shaping and developing your brand."

First, journalists need to have a personal blog where potential employers and the public can get a sense of your professional credentials and you have a home "where all your online personalities meet," writes Lavrusik. It can also be a place for people to contact and connect with you, he adds. I've had this blog since August, and will continue to use to to highlight my work and discuss ongoing changes in journalism.

Lavrusik calls out those who are still afraid of Twitter. The microblogging service is ideal because it allows you to stay in contact 24/7 and connect with like-minded people. "No one cares about what you had for lunch or that you’re going to sleep now," he says. "Instead share your expertise, your professional ideas, articles you’re reading about the industry you’re in and of course the blog posts you write or are articles you are featured in."

I use my @AvWeekBenet handle to connect with aviation, social media and journalism professionals around the world. I also use it to post links to my work, retweet other articles and news of interest and offer my own thoughts on what's going on in my three worlds. I have gotten story tips, ideas and pitches that I think have enriched my work.

Then there's Facebook. "Remember that 45 percent of employers now screen applicants’ social media sites, " writes Lavrusik. "Be careful about your statuses and how they reflect your character and professionalism."

I have a friend who has waited to join, and has taken a very measured approach to how she uses it. I wish I had that guidance when I created mine. I would have made it strictly professional. Every day I'm deleting some people and putting people into separate categories and different feeds. But once that's done, it should be a great tool. I also am an administrator for our publication's fan page, and I've created several aviation-related groups.

Lavrusik ends with LinkedIn, what he calls "Facebook for professionals." "What I often find is that journalists and professionals don’t take advantage of using LinkedIn or maintain it. They simply create the profile and expect the magic to happen," he writes. "Building a strong network takes a lot of work and a real desire to stay in touch with people that could have a business proposition for you, a job, or simply some professional advice."

I attended a seminar with Sree Sreenivasan, dean of student affairs and a professor at Columbia Journalism School and noted guru on these issues. He covered Twitter and Facebook in his session, but he offered a great primer on the potential of LinkedIn for journalists. His best advice? Keep your profile updated and 90%+ completed. I've also joined aviation and aerospace-related groups that have helped me in my work.

For more reading on this topic, see the articles below.

And there are some journalists out there who have done a great job creating their personal brand. Some of the ones I read are:

Eric Deggins, The Feed;
Natalie McNeil, The Frugalista Files;
Brett Snyder, The Cranky Flier;
Jon Fine, Fine On Media;
Ben Mutzabaugh, Today in the Sky;

Good luck and have fun out there creating your own brand!

Online Journalism Review: Eight things that journalism students should demand from their journalism schools

2009-09-21T11:47:00.002-04:00

I am a big believer in speaking with journalism students and mentoring them whenever I can. I am on the board of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University's aviation communication program. I go back regularly to my alma mater -- American University -- to speak with students on new media and job issues. One of my favorite things to do at the annual conference at the National Association of Black Journalists is to speak with students.

As you have read here, I am passionate about journalists making the move to new/digital media. I've shared my experiences and am very active with NABJ's Digital Journalism Task Force. Students are in a position now to learn from the ground level what I had to -- and still am -- learn on my own.

I have to say that I was shocked when I was speaking with students at this year's NABJ that their schools were not teaching new media skills. And I'm not talking about mid to lower level colleges -- I'm talking about big-name journalism schools.

One conversation went like this: Thanks for your card. I see you go to BIG NAME JOURNALISM SCHOOL. How are your classes coming along? Great. What kind of courses are you taking? (She lists the courses). I notice you don't have any digital media classes on that list. Are you taking those courses? Um, no. Why not? We only have a few of those classes, but I haven't gotten to them yet. Do you have a web site to highlight your portfolio? A web site? A portfolio? I do have a resume, and I've done some work on the NABJ student project the past few years. You should put that in your portfolio. OK. When do you graduate? May 2010. What do you want to do? Be a journalist.

I could go on, but you get the point. Which is why I was happy to see this post from Robert Niles on today's Online Journalism Review blog on eight things students should demand from their journalism schools. While all of them are important, three really stood out for me:

A mentor. Niles recommends that students get mentors outside the university/college setting, and I agree. And please, students -- keep up with your mentees. We are working professionals and while we want to help, we don't have time to chase after you, so do the right thing and keep up with a person that could help you when it's time to get that job.
A place to hack. I developed my digital media skills by experimenting with all kinds of tools and technology, and your school should offer you the same. As Niles wrote, "And online publishing will not look the way it does today 10 years from now, just as it looks little now like it did 10 years ago. Students need forums in which to explore and test their interactive publishing skills."
Getting your name out there. With all the tools out there, there's no reason a student can't create their own web site or blog on a topic of interest and make a name for him/her self that will impress employers once they graduate. I have used social media to brand myself in aviation. I love where I work now and have NO plans to leave, but if that changes, I already have a brand that is known in my industry, which will make my job search much easier.

If your school isn't giving you any of Niles' suggestions, you have a choice -- go to another school that does or work with faculty, administrators and other students to get your school to offer them. And a bonus? It's something you can put in your work portfolio! Good luck!!

Journalists vs. Bloggers: The Battle Continues

2009-09-18T09:42:00.002-04:00

I am currently working on a column about the joys and pains of blogging for the National Association of Black Journalists Journal. I’m talking with reporters who blog as part of their jobs. I’ve been doing this blog (and a previous incarnation of it) since July 2004. I started a work-related blog on the airport/security industry in August 2006 and currently contribute to Aviation Week's Things With Wings and Business Aviation Now blogs and write guest posts for other industry-related blogs.

Two questions seem to always come up when journalists talk about blogging: are bloggers as responsible as us and why should I do it? I’ll answer the second question in my Journal article. Today’s column will tackle the first question, which was spurred by a blog post from one of my Twitter followers – Nomadic Matt’s Travel Site – who asked “Is Travel Blogging Real Journalism?”

The simple answer is yes – and no. Just like journalists, there are good and bad bloggers out there (Matt happens to be one of the good ones). “Journalists think bloggers aren’t as good and bloggers don’t want to be associated with the `old media,’” writes Matt. “Clearly blogging is a new form of writing. But to me blogging is a more casual style that discusses your thoughts, hobbies, feelings. Journalism denotes a bit more research, formality, and neutrality in your writing.”

Since I am steeped in aviation, I’ll use what I see out there to illustrate this point. One of my good friends is Brett Snyder, who writes The Cranky Flier blog. Snyder is a self-described airline geek who uses his blog to demystify the industry via details and humor.

Back in April, Snyder, along with around a dozen other aviation reporters, attended the Phoenix Aviation Symposium, a must-attend event for the industry. While he was there, he snagged an interview with JetBlue CEO David Barger. JetBlue is among a handful of airlines that treats respected bloggers like Snyder with the same respect as journalist.

Snyder lives in Long Beach, Calif., and has followed JetBlue’s efforts to get a new airport terminal in that focus city. In what he called a throwaway question, he asked Barger about the progress being made.

What happened next ended up getting Snyder – and his blog – national coverage. Barger used the interview to blast Long Beach Airport’s management for dragging its feet on the promised expansion. You can read my post about it here. Long story short, the story got picket up by the Long Beach Press-Telegram, the LA Times, BusinessWeek and USA Today, stirring up a debate on bloggers as journalists.

What is lost in the noise of this conversation is that like it or not, bloggers — especially one with the good reputation of Snyder — are doing the same hard work that I do as a journalist. It is dangerous for people and organizations to just blow off Snyder and other bloggers. After all, it was Snyder that actually broke this story; only then was it picked up by the “regular” media.

The Long Beach Press-Telegram even wrote a story entitled "Don't Shoot The Blogger, In This Case." “Not all blogs are reliable, but Snyder's certainly seems to have a good reputation,” said the story. “So while the [Long Beach city] council may not always like the news, it shouldn't shoot the messenger.”

Yes, there are thousands of industry-related blogs out there, and 90+ percent of them aren't worth reading. But Cranky is not one of them, and there are many other airline/aviation bloggers out there doing great reporting. The ones on my Google Reader include:

In the end, it’s all about who you trust, whether you are a journalist, a blogger or both. I am a huge fan of social media rock star Chris Brogan, who coined the phrase “trust agent.” He defines it as: “people who use the web in a very human way to build influence, reputation, awareness, and who can translate that into some kind of business value.”

Friday New Media News Roundup

2009-09-11T15:53:00.004-04:00

The Economist is testing a cellphone-based delivery service in New York City, reports PaidContent.org. Subscribers will get a text message with stories in the next issue, including a link to order. You have until 9 in the evening to have delivery by 6 in the morning, even beating the newsstand. Response to a similar test in the UK was “moderate,” said the web site.

Online magazine pioneer Salon is mulling a revamp of its current form from longer magazine pieces to shorter, more real-time posts, reports PaidContent.org.

The Almighty Link blog offers up the top 10 journalism links on Delicious. I’m happy to say I’ve read 6 of the top 10 links. My favorite? “Top 10 Lies Newspaper Execs are Telling Themselves,” from the SimsBlog.

Patrick LaForge, an editor at the New York Times, offers up his list of third-party apps he uses on his iPhone at his Palafo blog. The ones on his list that I use on my iPod Touch are: Google, Might Docs, Facebook, TextPlus, Yelp, Urbanspoon, NY Times, Wall Street Journal, NPR News, Pandora, ITv and Midomi.

If you’re not subscribed to Mindy McAdams’ Teaching Online Journalism blog, you really need to be. Her latest post offers up the Reporter’s Guide to Multimedia Proficiency, a step-by-step guide giving you the tools to teach you all the tools and tricks.

Kudos to St. Petersburg Times TV/media critic Eric Deggans on his The Feed blog post calling out the Tampa Tribune for using others blog posts without paying for them. He outlines the case of LA-based writer Tina Dupuy, who made her case on YouTube and got the newspaper to cough up $75 for her submission.

I file this under “don’t hate the player, hate the game.” Jeff Jarvis’s Buzz Machine blog blasts two reporters for dumping on the use of Twitter as a reporting tool. Put me down as in favor of Twitter.

Writing headlines and subheads has always been the bane of my existence. That’s why I was thrilled to see this post on Copyblogger covering 5 Sure-Fire Sources for Headline Inspiration.

Journalism Online now plans on charging a 20% commission on subscription fees from members who join the pay-for-news venture founded by Steven Brill and 2 other partners, reports the Nieman Journalism Lab blog.

And speaking of pay for news, the Mashable blog reports that the Google has submitted a plan to the Newspaper Association of America on a micropayment system to charge for news based on its Google Checkout model.

The Internet Manifesto has published 17 declarations on how journalism works today. Numbers 5, 6 and 25 are my personal favorites.

Newspaper Mantra: Must...Raise...Cash

2009-09-09T16:35:00.002-04:00

I remember when journalists were all abuzz after it was revealed in a Politico story that Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth had canceled a series of health care salons. The Post was selling spots to these exclusive salons -- which they said would feature the paper's health care reporters, Obama administration officials working on the issue and key members of Congress -- for upwards of $250,000. We were all gasping about what we saw was a blatant blurring of the sacred line between church and state -- editorial and sales. At first, the Post stonewalled and refused to cancel the salons. But after the controversy started to grow, Weymouth was forced to cancel them. "Absolutely, I'm disappointed," Weymouth said in an interview in the Post. "This should never have happened. The fliers got out and weren't vetted. They didn't represent at all what we were attempting to do. We're not going to do any dinners that would impugn the integrity of the newsroom." But the bigger question was why did the Post feel it needed to do this in the first place? Simple - to bring in cash. We've all read ad nauseum about how newspapers large and small are being decimated by a precipitous drop on ad revenue, causing a collapse in the advertising-based model that has been in place almost since the beginning of newspapers. The Post itself has admitted that its Stanley H. Kaplan Educational Centers now provide almost half its revenues. Which is why I found this post on the Nieman Journalism Lab so interesting. The New York Times is using its three-year-old Knowledge Network to offer online classes to readers for between $125 and $185 a pop. But the real news is that 3 of its well-known columnists -- Nicholas Kristof, Gail Collins, and Eric Asimov -- would teach classes in the network. A spokeswoman said that only "a handful" of reporters participate in the nearly 100 courses offered. But it makes me wonder -- if these 3 courses take off, how will the New York Times resist the temptation to tap other star reporters and columnists to participate in the Knowledge Network? And one has to wonder what the sales people at the Washington Post and other newspapers are brewing up to bring in revenue to replace that lost by the drop in advertising. Food for thought...

Entrepreneurial Models Can New Life for Old School Journalists

2009-09-08T18:47:00.003-04:00

I have to apologize-I am way behind on my posts after dealing with my entire family-- including me--getting sick last week. But I'm medicated and rested, so here we go.

As we continue to read/hear about journalism job layoffs and buyouts, we all have to ask the question -- is there still a way to do our craft and still get paid? Buzz Machine blogger Jeff Jarvis has come up with an intriguing idea: instead of laying off your talented journalists, offer them a blog, sell ads and split the profits 50-50. In Jarvis's plan, the journalist would actually own the blog, and the newspaper could actually be an investor if the writer wanted to start a business.

I like this concept on paper, but I'm thinking it would only work with certain beats that have a strong, built-in ad base already. I could see it working in my beat of aviation because there are myriad companies/suppliers out there that would potentially be interested in supporting a knowledgeable blog.

CNN/Fortune's Brainstorm blog has a post about a group of ex-AOLers who are actually putting this concept into practice. Lewis Dvorkin, a former news content manager has launched the True/Slant blog. True/Slant calls itself the digital home for the “Entrepreneurial Journalist,” allowing "knowledgeable and credible contributors" to build their digital brands "using tools that enable them to easily create content and craft stories filtered through human perspective."

“That could be a journalist, or it could be an academic, anyone with incredible subject-specific knowledge, who blogs under their own name,” Dvorkin told Brainstorm. Two names I know well are Miles O'Brien, CNN's former aviation and space reporter and Rolling Stone reporter and "Real Time With Bill Maher" contributor Matt Taibbi.

Former AOL programming chief Jim Bankoff created SBNation, a home for more than 200 individual sports communities covering baseball, basketball, college sports, football, hockey, soccer and general sports. I clicked on the Silver and Black Pride created (hard to find these days) blog to check on coverage on my beloved but beleaguered Oakland Raiders. It seems I'm far from alone in my pain! LOL Last, but certainly not least, former AOL vice chairman Ted LeonsisSnagFilms, a site dedicated to getting bigger distribution -- and revenue -- for independent filmmakers.

It will be interesting to watch how these experiments develop, and how journalists will tap their inner entrepreneur -- either willingly or forced by circumstances -- and take advantage of these opportunities. I was pleased to see that this year's National Association of Black Journalists had several workshops for those interested in creating their own entrepreneurial models, and new president Kathy Times has made that a cornerstone of her two-year term.

Friday New Media News Roundup

2009-09-03T16:14:00.002-04:00

It's Friday, and I'm glad to see the end of the week. And I'll end this week with the usual news roundup. There's a lot to cover this week, so here we go.

From the Social Media Biz blog, Cali Lewis, the host of GeekBrief.tv offers 7 great tips for those of you wanting to jump into the wonderful world of podcasting.

Don't we all get tired of bad news about the gloom and doom in the media industry? That's why I was glad to see this article in Media News on five media outlets that actually work in this economy: Family Circle, MSLO, Clear Channel, Gawker and HBO.

Boston Globe columnist Alex Beam writes about all the things that were supposed to be the future of journalism -- but ended up not quite making it. Does Knight-Ridder's VuText ring a bell?

Having worked on the journalism and public relations/corporate communications sides of the business, this article in the Agency Spy blog caught my eye. It reported that ad agency Crispin Porter + Bogusky has hired USA Today advertising reporter Theresa Howard. She answered an ad for the job. Interesting...

Ladies and Gentlemen: it is now time for your Journalism Online LLC update. You can see past posts from me on the concept here and here. The Techdirt blog is reporting that one of the venture's founders, Steven Brill, is now predicting "10% to 15%" of online readers will pay for a subscription to Journalism Online. That is up from the 5% to 10% when the venture was first announced.

Mashable writer Leah Betancourt offers tips on how journalists can use YouTube to upload and share news. "News videos fall into three categories: rebroadcasts of current material; original videos and distribution of news; and archive of older video footage. Media companies, indie news organizations, and even citizen journalists are putting YouTube’s voluminous video database to work in all three ways, and the lines between these three uses tend to blur and overlap," she wrote.

The Nieman Journalism Lab blog has an interesting post about how four local neighborhood papers that use editors to train volunteer reporters.

And finally, Popular Science magazine has dumped the paid model for its digital ezine, reports Media Week. Using Zinio, the publisher "hoped to get 900,000 downloads for the first four issues combined. But the first issue, priced at 99 cents, sold just over 5,000," said Media Week.

Artisanal Cheese, Artisanal News? Why Not!

2009-09-02T12:29:00.003-04:00

Among my many interests, I am a foodie. I've always enjoyed eating different types of cheeses, but a trip to Paris in 1995 began my love affair with artisanal cheeses. Local grocery stores are now offering cheeses from all over the world.

And my office in Washington, D.C., is mere blocks from Cowgirl Creamery, considered one of the finest artisanal cheese stores in the country. Which is why this article from the Nieman Journalism Lab caught my eye: "If it’s good enough for cheese: What would artisanal news look like?"

Writer Gina Chen writes about what the future might hold for news organizations that decided to take the artisanal approach. Components would include:

Story focus would be niche, not mass;
Journalists would use different skills and would handle a story from start to finish;
Publications would put responsibility in the hands of "a few overseer-type facilitators," along with writer/editors "who lead rather than manage;"
The focus would be online first, with regular story updates;
News web sites would offer readers "just about everything someone needs to navigate their community, aggregated and easily searchable;" and
The print publication turns into a magazine offering "local community, full of in-depth, change-the-world pieces."

Chen doesn't know if the concept would work, but says that maybe it's something more publications might consider. The University of Missouri's Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute web site has an interesting article on Web-based niche news sites and links to one that are making a go of it. Ones I read regularly are TravelingMom.com, Baltimore's own BMoreNews.com and the award-winning investigative journalism site VoicesofSanDiego.com. This is just more food for thought as the transformation of journalism continues.

Your Stories: Do Blogs Steal or Promote Them?

2009-09-01T13:13:00.002-04:00

I write about a specialized section of the aviation industry. Except for a few stories, you rarely see the issues I cover appear in the mainstream media. I read with interest this post from the PBS Media Shift blog about whether other blogs steal or promote original stories.

The question came up after Washington Post reporter Ian Shapira was originally happy when Gawker did an excerpt on his July 9 story about how to speak to Generation Nexus. Granted, the Gawker piece was actually very snarky about the job of "business coach," and the Shapira's story got a link at the very end.

The Media Shift blog reports the following: According to Shapira, his editor told him: "They stole your story. Where's your outrage, man?" Stealing is a serious charge in the world of journalism, even though story ideas, scoops and angles are stolen daily. If a blog is excerpting content from a news story and crediting and linking to the original, isn't that so-called stealing really a form of promotion?

So Shapira wrote his own piece in the Aug. 2 Washington Post, blasting Gawker for rewriting and republish his story," cherry-pick the funniest quotes, sell ads against it and ultimately reap 9,500 (and counting) page views?" He talked about all the labor and time spent to write the story and how it took the Gawker writer a half hour to write his post.

Shapira then looked at the hits on his story, noting that Gawker was the second-largest referrer of visitors to his story. But he also questioned whether those visitors were helping improve the bottom line for the Washington Post.

And the Post is not the only one doing this. The Techdirt blog reports on how CNN allegedly ripped off the work of Radley Balko, a reporter with Reason who did a major investigation into the work of Steven Hayne, a Mississippi medical examiner whose practices were questioned in the magazine. Techdirt notes that "Anderson Cooper 360" used Balko's research, and sources interviewed by CNN even acknowledged that research, but did not give him credit in its report.

So back to the Media Shift blog. Writer Mark Glaser discussed his own experience with a blog that covered his work. He decided to create the Steal-O-Meter, "to help denote where a practice falls between "stealing" and "promoting."'

Looking at the Post/Gawker stories, Glaser noted the following: multiple quotes were lifted from the story, usually the best ones; a summary of the rest of the story was added to the blog post. In the end, he determined that the Gawker post appears to promote the original Washington Post story, "but doesn't give people many reasons to check out the original."

The Gawker post fell under what Glaser called the Drive-By Summary. Other categories are: Summary with Spin, Deceptive Excerpt, Retold with Story Credit, Aggregator Blurb, Reuse without Authorization and Link Love. So now we have a guide, for what it's worth.

Veronis Suhler Stevenson Study Offers Industry Check-up

2009-08-25T06:54:00.004-04:00

Back in 2000, the company I worked for was bought by New York-based Veronis Suhler Stevenson (VSS), a private equity firm that focuses on the information, education and media industries.

Ever since, I have followed what the company has done with interest. One of the things VSS does is a 10-year study looking at growth patterns in the communications industry. The study came up with four observations:

Institutional End User And Alternative Media Growing As Traditional Media Advertising Declines
Institutional End-User Spending Expected To Remain Largest, Fastest Growing Sector –5.6% Future Annual Spending Gain Driven By Business Information Services And For-Profit Higher Education
Communications Will Be The 3rd Fastest-Growing Economic Sector Going Forward, Rising From the 4th Position
Communications Industry Forecast To Decline 1% in 2009, But To Grow Faster Than GDP In ‘09 And Over Next 5 Years
Marketing Services Spending To Grow 3.4% Annually, Primarily In Alternative Marketing Segments

The VSS study predicted that total communications spending will decline 1% in 2009 to $882.6 billion, but grow 3.6% per year over the next five years to more than $1 trillion, making communications the third fastest-growing sector of the U.S. economy over that period. Segments driven by end-user spending and targeted marketing services are gaining even as traditional advertising is shrinking.

This is no surprise to any of us in the business, but the study found that 2008 and 2009 witnessed a major shift in the spending patterns in the communications industry as advertising became the smallest of the four major sectors in 2008 -- a first for advertising since VSS began tracking the industry in 1986.

“While this period culminated a decade-long trend away from traditional advertising vehicles and towards institutional and consumer end-user spending and marketing services, it also highlighted the emergence of institutional and consumer communications as the dominant sectors in U.S. communications spending,” said the study.

The current challenges facing the industry are largely the result of the current cyclical economic downturn, which is exacerbating the impact of structural and secular changes already underway, said the report.

“Over the five-year forecast period, 12 of the 20 major industry segments are expected to show positive growth, with the most challenged segments clustered in traditional advertising,” it said. “However, the long term secular demand for information, education and entertainment will continue, and the bright spot for advertising going forward will be in digital and other alternative and targeted advertising businesses.”

I thought the chart below sums up the current status of the industry nicely:

“The prolonged economic downturn has accelerated changes already underway in the communications industry. Notwithstanding significant declines in traditional media, the industry taken as a whole will continue to show relatively solid performance compared to the overall economy,” said Jim Rutherfurd, Executive Vice President and Managing Director at VSS. “These changes are driven by a confluence of factors – primarily the growth of digital end-user businesses and the shift from broad reach traditional advertising to targeted alternative advertising and marketing services.”

We are all watching as the segments and sub segments that are shrinking continue the struggle to adapt in a world that is rapidly moving toward the growth parts of the business. According to the Paper Cuts blog, we’ve lost more than 13,000 people to layoffs and buyouts. And there’s more pressure on those who remain as the industry continues to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Journalism Online Signs Up Newspapers, But Offers No Names

2009-08-24T05:15:00.000-04:00

Back in April, I did my first post on Journalism Online LLC. The venture is the brainchild of Steven Brill, founder of Court TV, American Lawyer and Brill's Content; Gordon Crovitz, a former publisher of The Wall Street Journal; and Leo Hindery Jr., who led communications companies like Tele-Communications Inc., Global Crossing and the YES Network.

The partners want to allow publishers the Holy Grail in the news business now: the ability to charge for online content. With Journalism Online, a reader would go to a member newspaper to read a story on its web site. After the reader reached a certain point, Journalism Online would step in and ask for payment to see more of a story.

For those readers who read at many different web sites, you'd go directly to Journalism Online's web site and pay a one time fee -- Brill said $15 a month -- to read an unlimited amount of stories. Again, I'm all for models that help monetize the content we all work hard to get and get paid to produce.

The big question is how the venture would get newspapers interested in what they’re offering. It appears that interest is out there, as PaidContent.org reports that Journalism Online “has letters of intent from newspaper publishers representing 506 newspapers, magazine and leading global news sites.” But none of the names of the 506 had been published, although PaidContent.org speculated that its parent company, Guardian News & Media, is one of the signers.

“By creating a platform of flexible hybrid models for paid content that maximizes online advertising revenue while creating a new revenue stream from readers, Journalism Online has helped shift the debate over charging for online news from ‘if’ to ‘when and how,’” said Journalism Online co-founder Steven Brill in an Aug. 13 press release. “And now large numbers of publishers have moved past that abstract debate and are rolling up their sleeves to figure out with us exactly what kind of package is right for them.”

And then the Neiman Journalism Lab blog reported that Journal Communications, which publishes the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, has signed up for Journalism Online’s services. Signing with Journalism Online doesn’t necessarily mean the Journal Sentinel will decide to charge for more of its website, the blog said.

“We’re in the due diligence stage,” Sharon Prill, senior vice president for interactive media, told Neiman. “For now, it means they’ll receive consulting assistance and perhaps better technology for charging readers if they decide to go that route.”

Calls to industry players Dow Jones, McClatchy and Tribune found that none have signed up for the service yet. I'm all for models that help monetize the content we all work hard to get and get paid to produce. But here are my questions about Journalism Online:
• What incentives are there for a newspaper/online publication to participate?
• How many publications would need to participate to make the venture viable?
• How will the venture wean enough people away from the vast amount of free content out there to make money?

It will be interesting to see how this potential new revenue stream will evolve when – or if – more publications and news web sites sign on for Journalism Online’s services.

Friday News Roundup

2009-08-21T15:29:00.002-04:00

Below are commentary and links to stories I thought were interesting, but not big enough to sustain a separate post.

Our good friend and multimedia maven Dr. Syb passed along this post from Fast Company: "Where are the Women in Tech and Social Media?" The article notes that gatherings in these industries tend to be filled with white men and bemoans the lack of diversity.

I have turned into a real technology/software geek, always looking for the newest and the best to be had. So I loved this post on the SocialMedia.biz blog on "Coolest power tools of some top geeks." In it, the geeks wax poetic about the tools they can't live without. Some of my personal favs are: HootSuite and Tweetdeck for Twitter, Google Blogger for this blog, Flickr to manage my more than 4,000 pictures, my Flip Video camera (I hope to be a power user like Charles Robinson when I grow up), my Belkin 5-Outlet Mini Surge Protector, my iPod Touch and Skype to record my podcasts. What can you not live without?

This story brought up some interesting questions for me, someone who has almost 5,000 photos on Flickr. The UK's Sky News was searching for a photo to use in a story about a shooting at the Waterloo Tube station, according to the Online Journalism Blog. it ended up using shots it found on Twitpic taken by Joseph Neale. The problem was, they didn't tell Neale they were doing this. Neale found out and emailed Sky News for 2 weeks about compensation, to no avail. So he posted the following Tweet: “Newscorp use your photos without permission but have plans to charge for reading their content." He used the #skypic hashtag and it was the Tweet heard 'round the world. In the end, Sky News paid Neale.

Looking to create your own new business model for the newspaper industry? Let the City University of New York (CUNY) help. CUNY's graduate school of journalism blog has an interesting post with information on those business models, along with dowloadable documents and resources to help you on your way.

Speaking of business models, the U.K.'s Financial Times is feeling vindicated over its decision back in 2002 to charge for content on its web site, according to a New York Times interview with chief executive John Ridding. “It was pretty lonely out there for a while in paid land,” he told the Times. “But it has become pretty clear that advertising alone is not going to sustain online business models. Quality journalism has to be paid for.”

Let's file this item under nature-abhors-a-vacuum: the Techdirt blog asks "But Who Will Do Investigative Reporting Without Newspapers?" Why, sites like The Smoking Gun, which nailed a group of telephone pranksters causing mayhem across the country and outing them all, said the blog.

And we'll end this post with an interesting gem from the Nieman Journalism Lab blog. Writer Zachary Stewart offers gems from a media conference on the future of journalism featuring New York Times publisher Arthur Sulzberger, Jr. and Time magazine's Walter Isaacson. "Sulzberger indicated awareness that online competition would force newspapers to focus on unique and and in-depth reporting over easily replicable contentm" wrote Stewart. And Isaacson said: "We’ve not yet decided or announced how we’re going to charge, but we are going to charge, and I think we feel comfortable with a monthly subscription charge that involves a certain loyalty to a product, probably to a package of products initially." Why are these quotes interesting? They were made back in 1995. And Stewart notes the same issues are being argued some 14 years later.

Enjoy your weekend!

Let's Get Hyper(Local)!!

2009-08-18T16:50:00.003-04:00

I have written extensively in the previous iteration of this blog about the promise -- and questions -- surrounding hyperlocal news sites. Some see them as a savior for local news as newspapers continue to slash their coverage, while other wonder how the model can make money.

So I read a post on the PaidContent.org blog with interest. Media behemoth MSNBC has decided to dip its toe in the hyperlocal pool by buying EveryBlock, a site that uses public records to offer news in 15 cities, from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. The price paid was not revealed.

EveryBlock was created by former WashingtonPost.com reporter Adrian Holovaty, who was supported by a two-year grant from the Knight Foundation. You can read my previous post about that here.

Speaking of the Washington Post, it has decided to close its own effort in the hyperlocal arena, LoudonExtra, reports PaidContent.org. A spokesperson told PaidContent.org: “We found that our experiment with LoudounExtra.com as a separate site was not a sustainable model.”

A post on FastCompany.com asks "Can Anyone Tap the $100 Billion Potential of Hyperlocal News?" The article focuses on the efforts of AOL and the New York Times to join MSNBC in the hyperlocal pool. AOL acquired the Patch hyperlocal site (my post on that is here), while the Times is "mentoring" the community web site The Local.

So now that these three hyperlocal sites have the deep pockets of MSNBC, AOL and the New York Times, it will be interesting to see if the site can make a go at it and also make some money.

12 Things Newspapers Should Do to Survive

2009-08-17T14:00:00.000-04:00

We have been having an interesting discussion on the NABJ Digital Journalism Task Force listserv. The discussion is about Rupert Murdoch announcing that his media properties will move to the paid content model by July 2010, according to Time magazine.

And like everyone else, we're trying to discuss how to monetize the current journalism model so we can all keep our jobs. So it was interesting to come across this post from the Mashable blog - "12 Things Newspapers Should Do to Survive." You can read the list at your own leisure, but a few of the suggestions, written by Columbia University grad student Vadim Lavrusik, struck me.

Suggestion #2 - Go Niche - is something that trade and B2B publications have already been doing. He cites Politico.com as an example, but I wonder how newspapers could make that work without alienating the readers they still have left that rely on general news.

Suggestion #4 - Journalists as curators and contextualizers - is one I like, and 1 I do every day on my own company's web site. Traditional newspapers have been loath to offer links to other publications considered competitors, but what I've learned is that when I offer the link love, my competitors actually return the favor.

Suggestion #9 - Investing in mobile: E-Readers or smartphones - is another good idea. I have a Blackberry Curve smartphone and an iPod Touch, and I use them both to peruse publications including USA Today, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and Associated Press. And have you seen the new iPhone NPR News app? It rocks, and will be a game changer.

Suggestions #10 and #11 - Communicating with readers and Building community - have become key for me in my work day. I reply to every comment on our blog and interact with readers on my company Twitter account (@avweekbenet) and Aviation Week Facebook Fan Page. I also try to meet with readers at industry events to put faces to names.

I'm not saying that all these recommendations will serve as the magic wand that will instantly fix the print journalism industry. I'll end this post with some food for thought from my friends over at the Techdirt blog: Why Newspapers Are Failing (Hint: Failure To Get Users To Pay Is NOT The Reason). Enjoy!

A Field Guide to Bags for Multimedia Journalists

2009-08-14T16:12:00.014-04:00

In my previous job, I covered the airports and security beat. One story I covered was when the Transportation Security Administration released new parameters for laptop computer bags. With these new parameters, travelers no longer had to take laptops out of the bag when putting it through the x-ray machine.

I needed to speak to an expert on laptop bags and sent a request to Help A Reporter Out. I ended up getting great commentary from Kate Trgovac, a social media and digital marketer, president of LintBucket Media and a bag reviewer on the Skiddo web site. We became online friends and have kept in touch ever since.

When I learned that I was going to do my "Becoming a Multimedia Journalist" panel at the National Association of Black Journalists meeting last week, Kate was one of the first people I called. I wanted her to do a guest blog post with her thoughts on the best bags for multimedia journalists. For me, you would have to tear my Swiss Gear Computer Back Pack from my cold, dead hand.

So below is Kate's take on the best bags, along with photos. Enjoy!

Journalists are a varied species – and the tools of the trade they carry are just as varied. So when Benet asked me to put together some recommendations for bags for journalists, I got a little concerned. But after some field research, I’ve been able to identify these four sub-species of journalists and the bags that would be appropriate for each. First up, Journalist Maximus, or “I carry everything with me at all times”. These folks were likely Boy (or Girl) Scouts and want to always be prepared – so they bring all their reporting tools with them. And the best bags for these folks: backpacks. Now, the type of backpack bag best for Journalist Maximus depends upon species variation:

Some JM’s are a little clumsy and need to protect their most sacred of tools – the laptop. But they also want plenty of room for their other gear plus easy access to recorders, notebooks, granola bars, etc. For the JM whose laptop is primary and perhaps prone to bashing themselves and their bags around, I recommend the Smart Alec backpack and Brain Cell from Tom Bihn. I have fallen backwards while wearing my Tom Bihn with Brain Cell and my laptop was totally unscathed.
Say you’re the type of Journalist Maximus for whom the camera is the thing. And your backup camera. And your backup backup camera. Plus tripod. And some other gear that you like to have with you “just in case”. And that laptop you have to carry so you can file the story. Well, the Aura Backpack from Slappa is a good choice. Slappa has a long history of making awesome bags for the toughest of gearheads – DJ’s. They’ve now translated that expertise into bags that are perfect for camera-ladden journos on the go. They’ve included lots of padded pockets for cameras and lenses as well as straps for tying on tripods and other misc gear. Plus you can slide a laptop in.
Finally, there are some Journalist Maximus who are, well, a little girly – and don’t want to carry around a big, bad backpack. These ladies are possibly a little in denial about how much they carry. Luckily, they have a hero in Melissa Beth Designs. Melissa Beth has created a startlingly roomy backpack, called the Piggy Back, for a laptop and other gear that has a very slim silhouette and sits well on a smaller frame that often comes with this variation of the JM sub-species.

The second type of journalist I identified is at the opposite end of the scale as the Journalist Maximus – it’s the Journalist Simplicus. The JS doesn’t want to carry a lot of gear (or if they do, it’s small gear – netbook, point and shoot camera, iPhone - and needs to move quickly. Plus JS likes to have easy quick access to their tools – no taking off a backpack and digging around. The bag is preferred to be worn across the front of the body.

Waterfield Designs has created the Muzetto (personal size) that is perfect for the JS. Can be worn across the body – has no clasp to fumble with (the weight of the flap holds it down) so that interior pockets can be reached quickly. It will even hold a netbook so if you do have some gear, it can go with you. Also, it’s a little sexy because it’s made of soft-oiled leather.
Tom Bihn manages to cater to both ends of the journalist spectrum – first with the Smart Alec above and here with the Ristretto Vertical Messenger. The Ristretto is a light-weight, across the body bag that offers easy access to its interior contents. Plus, it has a built-in padded sleeve for your netbook. Very stylish and well made.
A rare variant on the JS is the Journalist Retroicus – often seen sporting a fedora, this journalist eschews any and all equipment besides their trusty notepad. Well, we even have a “bag” for them – this Smart Folio from Rickshaw Bags. It will hold their Moleskin notebook, passport, some currency and a few pens.

The third type of journalist I encountered in my field study is perhaps the most complex of journalists – Journalist Impatiens Paranoicus. This sub-species is generally a traveler – roaming to far-flung, exotic locales to ply their trade. Consequently, their tolerance for waiting in line, particularly at airport security checks is low. Plus, they’re inherently suspicious. This is what makes them good journalists, but it also makes them edgy in the lineup as well – worrying about their laptop and other gear. The solution – checkpoint friendly laptop bags that speed up time through the line and keep a laptop protected the whole time.

Skooba Design offers the Checkthrough Messenger as a panacea to the JI. A roomy messenger that will hold an assortment of gear (except, perhaps, for LOTS of camera equipment), the Checkthrough Messenger has a special way of storing your laptop and making it available to be easily scanned in a security line. No more taking your laptop out of the bag – alleviating the fear of someone walking away with it at the end of the line (they’d have to take your whole bag – much harder) as well as the dings that can happen putting it in and out of those bins. And, it actually speeds up your progress through the security line – just a touch.
Mobile Edge caters to a number of variations on the JI sub-species with their Scanfast line of messengers and briefcases. Their Scanfast Onyx Backpack really stands out because it will accommodate the paranoia of the JI AND the needs of the JM – lots of room for gear, special checkpoint friendly compartment – plus it looks good.

For those JI’s who are tired of sacrificing style for function. I hear you, sisters! And an extra added bonus of the Mobile Edge bags: they have a “Wireless Security Shield” [tm] on one of their pockets – so you can safely store your RFID passport or your Bluetooth devices without worrying about them being surreptitiously scanned. How’s that for a paranoia buster?

Finally, there is the most unpredictable and flighty of all journalists sub-species – the Journalist Fashionista. She (typically, this species is female – though not exclusively) wants it all. Capacity for all her gear, comfort in the carrying and style in the look. She wants to fit in on the pages of Vogue yet write for Newsweek. Fortunately, there are a few designers that can meet the JF’s needs.

Rainebrooke Designs has just come out with the Black Candy laptop tote. A stylish bag that is deceptively large. You can fit a 17” laptop in it, plus a good-sized camera. Even your tripod plus some recording equipment would fit. And with the generous handles, it is a dream to carry over your shoulder. And you don’t look like you’re carrying around an MSNBC newsroom in your bag.
CareerBags offers the Geisha Rolling Laptop Bag that should satisfy the most discriminating JF. It too is roomy enough to hold a laptop, tripod and camera equipment. An unusual spin on the Geisha is that it is a rolling laptop bag. However, the extra bits that usually make a rolling bag unpleasant to carry aren’t part of the Geisha. The wheels and handle are fashioned from very light material and aren’t obvious. So, if you wanted to carry it as a shoulder bag, you could. But then, through the airport, you could wheel it to save a fashionista’s back.
OK, this one isn’t super roomy – but it IS super stylish, for the JF who might want to divert attention from her probing questions. Clark and Mayfield’s Rosemont holds a laptop up to 17” as well as some peripherals. It’s not a bag for an embedded Iraq reporter, that’s for sure – but it is a solid piece of craftsmanship and will definitely bring a tinge of pizazz to any story you’re filing.

So You Want to Be A Multimedia Journalist?

2009-08-13T12:19:00.003-04:00

Last week, I moderated a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists annual conference entitled “Becoming a Multimedia Journalist.” Anyone who has read this blog on a regular basis knows that multimedia journalism – along with B2B/trade journalism – is a passion and a calling for me.

The session was designed to show attendees all the tools and techniques available to take reporting to the next level. Panelists Dr. Sybril Bennett of Belmont University and Washington Post reporter Theola Labbe-DeBose (photo, right, courtesy of Dr, Syb) offered tips on the technology and tools out there to make the complete multimedia journalist.

The first question people always ask is what is multimedia journalism? Of course, I Googled this question, and came up with this answer: “A multimedia story is some combination of text, still photographs, video clips, audio, graphics and interactivity presented on a Web site in a nonlinear format in which the information in each medium is complementary, not redundant.” --Jane Stevens, journalist & educator

I then offered three examples of what I thought were good displays of multimedia. Example one was a large series done by the Washington Post last March on the state of Washington, D.C. schools. It was a seven-part series that included an interactive map on the District’s schools, photos, profiles of teachers, Q&A transcripts and reader comments.

Example two came from Vanity Fair magazine. I am a long-time subscriber of the magazine and have been following its coverage of the Bernie Madoff scandal. As a subscriber, I also get access to the magazine’s web site, which delivered seven powerful and poignant videos of victims of Madoff speaking out about the scandal.

Example three comes from my own company, Aviation Week. The Paris Air Show, held every other year, is the largest air show in the world. This year, Aviation Week had its usual group of reporters and editors covering the show. But we also created a special web site that contained all our coverage, including stories, blog posts, photos and videos. We also had a Facebook fan page and Tweeted all our coverage from the show.

So how does one become a multimedia journalist? Every journey is different, but mine was a mix of free and low-cost learning opportunities, insightful and helpful blogs, NABJ and social media gurus to help lead me. Below are some sites that can help:

Mashable – this is at the top of my Google Reader. It has served as my social media Sherpa, and I always get tips that help me do my job better.

Media Shift – this is a blog sponsored by PBS and its tag line says it all: Your Guide To The Digital Media Revolution.

The Multimedia Maven blog – this is a must-read from panelist Dr. Syb, full of helpful videos and tips.

Podcamp – these series of free or low-cost unconferences give you the tools to create, edit and produce your own podcasts. I attended Podcamp Philly and I’ve been off to the races ever since!!

I hope this has helped. Please keep following this blog, because I intend to continue posting and sharing whatever knowledge I can pass along. And if you attended my NABJ session, I thank you.

National Geographic Hires Social Media VP

2009-08-12T15:05:00.003-04:00

Back in May, the New York Times named Jennifer Preston as its first social media editor. Now, National Geographic has named Robert Murray as its first vice president of social media, reports PaidContent.org.

These appointments pleased me because it shows that companies are seeing the benefits of social media as a way to help plump up the bottom line. I have incorporated various tools -- blogging, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr -- to help promote my work at my current company. I am a journalist, not an accountant, so I can't quantify how what I do adds to the bottom line. But I feel like it does because I am spreading my company's brand way beyond its normal customer base.

And my company has created a council among its business units -- I am a member -- to explore how we can use these tools to make us more productive -- and, of course, make money. It will be interesting to see what my company and other media companies continue to do to make that balance work.

Time For A Change

2009-08-10T15:17:00.003-04:00

This used to be my candidate blog for the National Association of Black Journalists Region II Director race. The campaign is over (I lost, by the way), but I'm still really interested in the latest in journalism trends. So now the blog will be all about that. There were a lot of great sessions at this year's NABJ, which was held last week in Tampa. But today, I'll talk about a few items that showed up on my Google Reader.

First up, former CBS News anchor Dan Rather used a column in the Washington Post to ask President Obama to create a commission to study the "perilous" state of America's news media. "I am not calling for any sort of government bailout for media companies. Nor am I encouraging any form of government control over them," he wrote. "I want the president to convene a nonpartisan, blue-ribbon commission to assess the state of the news as an institution and an industry and to make recommendations for improving and stabilizing both"

While I applaud Rather for his passion on this issue, I have to wonder how much it will really help. The media got into this mess by not addressing the unleashed power of the Internet when it first started growing, and I doubt that a presidential commission will stop that movement.

Next, I read with interest two items -- one from PaidContent.org and one from Beet.tv -- on getting readers to pay for content. Paid Content posted about a plan being considered by FT.com to "unveil a pay-as-you-read model loosely based on Apple’s iTunes" as a way to boost online revenue. An executive says the plan could be introduced in about a year, and can work "as long as it’s easy for readers to pay and at the right price."

Beet.TV has posted a video interview with Josh Tyrangiel, Managing editor of TIME.com, who says in the future, "there will an upside for highly valued, niche content, and that subscribers will pay for "indispensable" information."

As newspapers and magazines scramble to put the genie back in the bottle and stop readers for getting news and information for free, it seems smart that readers will pay for information they see as "indispensable." It will be interesting to see how those payments are calculated and if readers will take the bait in the future. But whatever happens, someone needs to come up with a monetization model to stop the continued job losses in journalism.

NABJ Voting Goes Down to the Wire-VOTE!!

2009-08-03T12:08:00.002-04:00

Today is Monday, Aug. 3, and the National Association of Black Journalists conference is fast approaching. For those of you who haven't voted yet, please don't forget to vote when you arrive in Tampa. On site voting ends on Friday, Aug. 7 at 5:00 p.m. sharp!! With the current turmoil in the journalism business, I feel that this election could be the most important in the association's history.

I have blogged here extensively about, among other things, the job losses, monetizing the business model and journalists adapting their skills to fit into an ever-changing industry. As such, I believe it is very important that we have a board that can hit the ground running to handle these and other challenges our members will face in the next two years. No matter who you vote for, I would encourage you to seek out the candidates in Tampa or attend the candidates forum to hear their platform and vision for NABJ moving forward.

Here are my endorsements today for the NABJ candidates I believe will best serve our membership moving forward. I'll start with the person I believe should lead us for the next 2 years. That person is Kathy Times, currently the board's VP/Broadcast. I have admired Times' advocacy and drive to help NABJ's Media Institute grow and flourish. I have become a strong proponent of training NABJ members to handle the move to new media, and Kathy has made that a priority on her platform. I also appreciate her commitment to providing more communications to NABJ members.

Next up is VP/Print, and I am heartily endorsing current NABJ secretary Deidre Childress. I have always been impressed with Childress's responses on the NABJ Listserv to questions from the membership, no matter how difficult the question. And having looked at the board minutes for the past 2 years, Childress is detail and task oriented, skills that will be critical as print journalism continues its painful -- and interesting -- transformation. I have blogged about NABJ forming partnerships with the businesses that are transforming the print journalism model and she is committed to doing that moving forward.

I am throwing my support behind Andrew Humphrey for VP/Broadcast. As an active member of the NABJ Digital Journalism Task Force, I have had the pleasure to see Humphrey's work up close and personal. Among the planks in his platform is his commitment to push for members in the digital frontier and is also committed to expanding NABJ partnerships with new media businesses.

Sherlon Christie is my choice to take over as NABJ secretary. Christie has been actively running for the office, reaching out to the NABJ membership with his blog, Facebook page, online live chats and appearances at association events. In his platform, he has two planks that especially appeal to me and should to the rest of the NABJ membership. First, he is emphasizing the importance of new media, with the goal to encourage all members to get up to speed with those skills, since that is the future of journalism. Second, he has committed to continue with Childress's efforts to be more open and offer regular information updates to the NABJ membership.

Although I can't vote for Region IV director, I am supporting the candidacy of Keith Reed. Reed has been very active in creating and maintaining his multimedia profile and serving as a commenter with national media outlets on money and finance. In his platform, he pledges to work with the NABJ board to help members find renewed purpose in a quickly changing media landscape.

And last, but not least, I hope those of you in Region II will consider my candidacy for director. I understand that I am running against an incumbent, but with the rapid changes in the industry in the past two years alone, I feel some change could only do the board good.

As Region II Director, my priorities will be to:

Offer a yearly Region II conference and quarterly webinars on hot topics;

Ensure more is done to offer training/advice/learning for members trying to adapt to new business models; and

Increase the contact of the regional director to better serve as a bridge between local chapters and the board.

During these times of rapid change, it's important for NABJ members to look at all the candidates and see which ones you feel will best guide the association in what will most likely be another two years of turmoil. Again, I feel the candidates I'm endorsing are the ones who will do that best moving forward.

Taking A Look at Hyperlocal Web Sites

2009-07-07T06:12:00.004-04:00

I've done several blog posts on how hyperlocal web sites are popping up to fill a gap being created as newspapers continue to cut staffs and their focus on local news. The big question with hyperlocal sites is although overhead costs can be low, how do you make enough money to be financially viable?

The answer could be what's happening at WestSeattleBlog.com, a hyperlocal site that covers "the bedroom community of West Seattle (over 65,000 residents) seven days a week, 365 days a year," reports the News Innovation blog, run by the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism.

The site is run by a husband-and-wife team where Tracy Record handles editorial and Patrick Sand handles advertising. The site now has 60 regular advertisers, just enough to support their family, including a teenage son, and to pay for an occasional freelancer. But the work is hard, said Record in the interview.

Sand has worked very closely with the blog's advertisers by being active in the community, including joining the local chamber of commerce, offering free seminars to help local businesses use the Internet to help with sales and work with them to explain how advertising works on a hyperlocal site.

"Also, when people join, we offer them the chance to have a little advertorial story published, just a couple of paragraphs and a picture. We thought the most interesting reaction came from readers who say it helps them learn about local businesses they didn’t know were here," Record told News Innovation.

Unlike other hyperlocal sites. WestSeattleBlog.com takes pride in the fact that they don't depend on unpaid volunteers to help write news for the site, said Record, noting that her local newspaper does do this. "If you’re going to write something for us then we’re going to pay you. So, if there’s something that needs news coverage that’s what we do, or we’ll pay a freelancer," she told the blog.

And recently, NPR news station WAMU-FM, 88.5, did a lively segment on "The Kojo Nnamdi Show"on hyperlocal sites in the Washington, D.C. area to write about specific neighborhoods. All three panelists emphasized that the local newspapers did not really do much coverage of their specific neighborhoods, so they created their sites to fill that gap.

What will be interesting is what the NABJ board and staff will do to accommodate those who may want to take this track to mix entrepreneurship with journalism. I'm pleased to note that this year's convention has several workshops to address this very question, including:

But these and other topics and training need to be included as part of the permanent structure of how NABJ does business. The NABJ Media Institute, championed by current VP/Broadcast (and NABJ presidential candidate) Kathy Times, is the perfect vehicle to do just that. As Regions II director, I will work with the board and local chapters to ensure that members have all the tools they need to survive -- and thrive -- in this rapidly changing industry.

Journalism News Roundup

2009-06-30T07:37:00.003-04:00

There's a lot going on out there, so I decided today's post would be a series of items I've been saving from my Google Reader on the changes facing the journalism industry. I decided to focus only on the good news, and I'm pleased to note that there's plenty out there to report. Seattle's PublicCola blog has received a "significant" amount of funding from from Rajeev Singh, president and COO of Concur Technologies, and Greg Smith, a green developer, reports PaidContent.org. Creators of the politics and local affairs blog would not disclose the amount, but says it's enough to keep the venture afloat for some time.” As the debate rages on among journalists on Twitter (I am a believer), the PBS's Media Shift blog has come up with its own rules of engagement for those who choose to use the microblogging tool. Tips include: think before you Tweet; be an active Twit; and establish your Twitter identity. Don't look for the current ad slump for traditional media to ever go away, warns Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in EditorsWeblog.org. Saying media companies need to reset, media companies must completely rethink their business models to keep up with the changing landscape of publishing, he observed. Today Show news anchor Ann Curry recently spoke at the Twitter 140Conference in New York City. In an interview with SocialMedia.biz, she compared Twitter with an electronic newspaper to tout stories that didn't air, via her handle@AnnCurry. The Techdirt blog has a post about how Reuters, unlike the Associated Press, is embracing the future direction of journalism. I was struck by a quote from Reuters Editor in Chief, David Schlesinger: Fundamentally, the old media won't control news dissemination in the future. And organisations can't control access using old forms of accreditation any more. Those statements mean what they say and not necessarily more. I am not arguing that newspapers and magazines and news services will die. No, just that they must change.

I'll end this point on a humorous note. This past Friday was the last day for Paul Merkoski, executive editor of the Press of Atlantic City. He offered a top 10 list of the things he'd miss most -- and least -- after leaving. What he'll miss most: hearing and sensing the hum of human energy that builds and washes across a newsroom when a significant news story begins to unfold and the newsroom's coverage scramble begins. What he'll miss least: Hearing local radio stations that don't employ ANY reporters shamelessly stealing the work of Press reporters and passing it off as their own "news reports."

Meanwhile, here's a few NABJ housekeeping notes. You can still vote online through Aug. 7. The webinar for the board secretary candidates is tomorrow from 1-2 p.m. Click here to sign up to listen to the candidates -- Sherlon Christie (who I've endorsed), Roland Marting and Jacqualine Williams -- offer their platforms and answer your questions.

And last -- but not least -- July 1 is the last day to register in advance for the annual conference Aug. 5-9 in Tampa. Click here to register, and I hope to see you there!!

NABJ Wins Grant for Multimedia Training

2009-06-24T10:07:00.001-04:00

I was heartened to see an email in my box yesterday from NABJ announcing a $150,000 grant from the Ford Foundation "to increase educational and training opportunities for journalists of color." You can see the full press release here.

Back in March 2006, my employer held a weekend editorial retreat where it was announced that we were moving -- quickly -- into new/digital media. There was a big talk about the future of print journalism and how we all had to get on board in order for our publications to survive.

I enjoy my job, but more importantly, I have a family to provide for, so I began then and there my quest to transform into a multimedia journalist. We have had some training in this, but I have taken a lot of initiative to get those skills, and I've been rewarded nicely for my efforts.

I have NABJ workshops I've attended in the past three years to thank for major parts of my training. I've also taken advantage of of some great free social/new media conferences on the East Coast to beef up my skills in things including blogging and podcasting.

NABJ will use the Ford grant in three areas: increase multimedia workshops and educational programs in 2009 and 2010; create a professional scholarship program for recently laid-off members desiring professional training and networking opportunities at the NABJ Annual Convention & Career Fair; and help facilitate NABJ’s move to a new state-of-the-art facility at the Philip Merrill School of Journalism on the campus of the University of Maryland.

This will help some NABJ members in the next few years, but $150,000 is not enough to help all those who need it. I have always been a big fan of the "teaching a man to fish" mode of operation. And this post in PBS's Mediashift blog is about how students can teach themselves social media skills when journalism schools fail. But the tips in this post will work for anyone looking to beef up their skills in a hurry.

Writer Roland Legrand offered two models for those looking to gain these skills: informal networked learning, which asks participants to use social media "to acquire skills, knowledge and connections on an ad hoc basis;" and communities of practice, where professionals invite apprentices to learn new skills.

I have used both methods and have been blessed to gain knowledge from social media superstars including Josh Hallett of Voce Communications (and founder of BlogOrlando); Chris Heuer, a social media consultant and founder of the Social Media Club (with chapters across the country); David Parmet, a PR and social media guru and owner of Marketing Begins at Home; Leah Jones, owner of Natiiv Arts & Media, which advises musicians and artists on using social media to promote themselves; and last, but certainly not least, NABJ member Lisa Campbell, owner of Lisa Campbell Media (see my interview with her here).

NABJ has shown its commitment to offering its members social/new media training with workshops at the annual convention, the Media Institute and informative webinars. And the Ford Foundation grant will help. But with record numbers of journalists of color losing their jobs, the next NABJ board will have to step up and redouble their efforts to help members get training in their local areas. I stand committed to do that if I am elected as Region II director.

And don't forget -- today is the NABJ Candidates Webinar for Region II. Click here to register. The webinar is from 1:00-2:00 p.m. Hope you can make it!!

UK's Guardian Newspaper Brings Crowdsourcing to the Forefront

2009-06-23T15:40:00.002-04:00

My June 17 post was about the Knight Foundation grants to organizations trying to report news in different ways. The winner that caught my eye was DocumentCloud, a crowdsourcing effort to allow the media, watchdog groups and the public can find, share and analyze source documents.

Crowdsourcing asks the public to help with a task, and the U.K.'s Guardian newspaper has brought the effort to the forefront in journalism. How? The U.K. government is in the middle of a huge scandal where Members of Parliament were caught charging taxpayers for expenses that had nothing to do with their official duties.

The Guardian asked readers to help them dig through 700,000 pages of MP expenses they think should be investigated. The mess has already forced six ministers in Prime Minister Gordon Brown's cabinet to resign, and with crowdsourcing, the story could go on for months.

The Nieman Journalism Lab blog has a post today on four lessons learned from the Guardian's crowdsourcing experiment. The newspaper has already had 20,000 readers sift through 170,000 pages of documents -- in the first 80 hours the request was made. The four takeaways from the post according to developer Simon Willison:

Your workers are unpaid, so make it fun.
Public attention is fickle, so launch immediately.
Speed is mandatory, so use a framework.
Participation will come in one big burst, so have servers ready.

Crowdsourcing is not going away anytime soon. The question is how journalists will use this as a tool moving forward.

Social Media and J-schools

2009-06-22T12:17:00.001-04:00

I have always been a glass-half-full, look-ahead-to-the-future type of girl. So it was interesting for me to read this post from the Mashable blog, which is a staple on my Google Reader. The post was entitled "10 Ways Journalism Schools Are Teaching Social Media."

Writer Vadim Lavrusnik emphasizes this is NOT teaching students how to use Facebook and Twitter, since they are already experts on these tools. It "means that professors are delving into how these tools can be applied to enrich the craft of reporting and producing the news and ultimately telling the story in the best possible way," he wrote.

While all 10 tips were important, three jumped out at me as a way not only for students to have a competitive edge when they enter the world of work, but they are also ones that we "old school" journalists can use to give us the same edge.

Number one was Promoting Content. Ironically enough, the person Lavrusnik points to as his example is Sree Sreenivasan, dean of student affairs at Columbia Graduate School of Journalism. I recently had the chance to sit in on Sree's lecture on how journalists can use LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter for work when he was here in Washington, D.C. You can see my post -- and listen to the lecture -- here.

Social media tools are bringing readers to news sites and in many cases are increasing their Web-traffic, wrote Lavrusnik. I use these tools to promote my own work, and the numbers show that my traffic has increased. I'm also reaching aviation enthusiasts that may not have been aware of our publications.

Number two is News Gathering and Research. Lavrusnik cites Jeff Jarvis, a professor and director of interactive media at the City University of New York’s Graduate School of Journalism, who says students need "to know how to use real-time searches to gather information and keep up on what is breaking." Those searches can be done using tools such as Twitter, FriendFeed, OneRiot, Tweetmeme, Scoopler and SearchMerge, said Lavrusnik. Twitter has become an invaluable tool for story ideas and sources.

And last -- but certainly not least -- is Building Community and Rich Content. "Sure a journalist can use social media tools to have a conversation with their audience, but what’s the point? The greater goal is to build a community through engagement," writes Lavrusnik. "Crowdsourcing, live blogging, tweeting — it’s about building a network around issues that matter to the community." And Jarvis notes that social media should help journalists, but not take over.

I have used Twitter (@avweekbenet) and Facebook to a lesser extent to promote my work and contribute to the conversation during challenging times for aviation. My readers feel a connection to me, which helps me do my job better. I see that my hard work is paying off, in this recent blog post about Aviation Week's coverage at the recent Paris Air Show versus our competitor, Flight Global. I was called "the Aerospace & Defense Social Media Queen."

I know I may be sounding like a broken record, but it does bear repeating-- these days, journalists MUST use every tool available to them to keep relevant in a business (and it is a business) that has become ultra competitive. NABJ has been moving to remedy this situation with the Media Institute, but drastic times call for drastic measures, and training for members should be a priority for the new NABJ board, a board I want to be a member of, representing Region II.

American University-The Center for New Journalism

2009-06-19T15:44:00.002-04:00

I graduated from American University in Washington, D.C., back in 1985. My degree was in broadcast journalism, but an internship at a local TV station was enough to permanently drive me over to the print side of the business.

At the time, I had my choice of universities with good journalism programs and got into all of them. I chose AU for several reasons: one, it was in D.C., which I felt provided plenty of opportunities for internships and even post-graduation jobs; and two, the program was small enough to have personal interaction with professors but also have the advantages of a larger school.

I go back to AU regularly to guest lecture on my 2 favorite topics: trade/B2B publications as a career option; and preparing yourself for the new world order of digital media.

Which it was with great pride that I read this article on PBS's Media Shift blog on why my alma mater has become "such a hotbed for new forms of journalism." Writer Mark Glaser cited the following factors:

Dean Larry Kirkman was an alchemist, a producer who brought people in from across disciplines;
The student body is interested in social justice and change; and
Washington, DC, is a great place for academics to be part of the political action.

Glaser also includes a series of video interviews with key players that have made American University the center for new journalism.

Although NABJ is headquartered at the University of Maryland-College Park, there is nothing stopping the organization from partnering with American University and other universities on the cutting edge of new media. As Region II director, I pledge to work with the board to make collaboration like this --which only benefits members-- happen more.

Knight Foundation Funds Future of Journalism

2009-06-17T16:39:00.003-04:00

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation today released the winners of nine projects that will use crowdsourcing, mobile technology and digital investigative journalism to bring news and information to communities in new ways in the 2009 Knight News Challenge. I am heartened by this news, because projects like these are going to help transform the future of journalism.

The largest grant recipient was Document Cloud, for $719,500, according to the Knight press release. The team, made up of the New York Times and ProPublica, a nonprofit investigative newsroom, will create an easily searchable, free, public online database of public records.

Other winning ideas included:

Helping citizens around the world use cell phones to report and distribute news, using the wisdom of the crowd to accelerate investigative reporting and enhance breaking news reports.
Developing a mobile media toolkit where media organizations and citizen journalists worldwide can easily download mobile applications to create and broadcast local news;
Launching a digital space where the public can report errors in media reports and track the ensuing dialogue and possible results.

The Knight Foundation has been a leader in getting journalists trained in the latest techniques of new and digital media. The next round of grants will be available for submission on Sept. 1. With so many NABJ members out of work, the board should consider developing a project and applying for a grant. The project could help in several ways: one, putting members to work; two, creating something that could benefit all of journalism; and three, raise NABJ's profile further as an organization that can help shape the future direction of journalism.

I have been passionate -- and vocal -- about making sure journalists are prepared for the new world order, and when I am elected Region II Director of the NABJ board, I will encourage members to look at these and other opportunities to keep us all employed.

Voting is now open for the 2009-2011 board of directors, and I hope you will read the campaign materials of all the candidates and support those who are serious about making sure members have the skills they need to survive in an industry that has become hypercompetitive. You can see who I've endorsed, here.

The Region II candidates webinar will be held Wednesday, June 24 from 1:00-2:00. Click here to register, and I look forward to your questions and comments.

Is Time Warner Offering New Hope for Hyperlocal Coverage?

2009-06-15T12:39:00.003-04:00

I read with great interest a post on today's Nieman Journalism Lab on Time Warner's $10 million purchase of Patch, 6 New Jersey-based hyperlocal online news sites. Debate has been raging in the journalism community on whether hyperlocal sites are a potential savior for newspapers being battered by editorial cuts and plummeting advertising revenues.

Patch had already announced plans to expand to Connecticut, and the front page of the web site says it's hiring local editors. On the one hand, it seems that readers enjoy hyperlocal sites. But on the other, these sites, like newspapers' online sites, struggle to find models that will help pay the writers and support the site.

Nieman notes that a transaction like this shows that there can be some value for local news and information. But it also warns that sites like Patch and other sites like it still need to find ways to fund ventures.

It's news like this that the NABJ board needs to follow as members continue to lose jobs. By partnering with such efforts at the ground floor, NABJ members can benefit by being the first ones in the door when these efforts begin hiring. There's no disagreement that online news is the wave of the future. What is important is that we have a board that is sensitive to this shift and work with companies like Patch for future job opportunities. I hope I will get a chance to be a part of that transformation as Region II Director.

And please mark your calendar -- the "NABJ Candidates Forum - Region II" will be held Wednesday, June 24 from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT. I hope you'll join the webinar for what I think will be a thoughtful and interesting debate.

Workshop: How Journalists Can Use LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter

2009-06-12T14:17:00.002-04:00

I had the chance to attend a free workshop June 11 in Washington, D.C., on how journalists can use LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter for work. The speaker, Sree Sreenivasan, is a Columbia Journalism School professor, the Dean of Student Affairs and a social/new media expert. He also is co-founder of the Southeast Asian Journalists Association.

Sree gave us some great tips and tricks on using all three social media applications. All were interesting, but I found the LinkedIn tips the most helpful. I'm on LinkedIn, but frankly, I haven't done much with it. Meanwhile, check out Sree's Twitter Tips for Newbies and Skeptics here .

The list of Sree's upcoming workshops is here. I strongly urge you to attend if he's coming to a city near you. I want to thank NABJ Digital Journalism Task Force chair (and VP Broadcast candidate) Andrew Humphrey for passing along the details of the D.C. workshop.

I'm hoping that we can get Sree to give his talk, either live or via a webinar, to NABJ members sometime before the end of the year. It's knowledge like this that will help our members remain competitive in an ever-shrinking field.

Finally, you can click here to listen to Sree's 1 hour, 35 minute session. Enjoy!

Taking a Look at the Pay-for Play Business Model

2009-06-09T13:21:00.002-04:00

As the debate continues on how to monetize the online news industry as newspapers continue to bleed red ink, two recent blog posts caught my eye. The first was an announcement from ESPN The Magazine announcing plans to merge its web site with its $39.95 a year subscription to ESPN Insider service, reports PaidContent. org. The second was from the Nieman Journalism Lab, which outlines an experiment by Rhode Island's Newport Daily News to charge for all news using a 3-tiered structure.

On the one hand, ESPN is betting that its rabid sports fan base won't mind paying extra to gain access to even more news and insider information, ESPN Publishing general manager Gary Hoenig told BusinessWeek magazine media columnist Jon Fine. "Why is it, in this business, we are apologetic when asking [consumers] to pay for what we give them online?" asked Hoenig. "It's not like people in the milk business who think 'we should give it away for free—we can make money on the cartons.'"

The details are still being worked out, but the company emphasized that ESPN.com will still be free of charge. ESPN is still working out the details, but I'm sure many in the print business will follow the changes with interest.

And speaking of interesting, that's what I call the 3-tiered payment system being used by the Newport Daily News. The paper is charging $145 a year for print delivery, $245 for home delivery and online access and $345 for online-only access. But the twist is that Daily News is pursuing a "print-newspaper-first strategy,” said executive editor Sheila L. Mullowney. The paper is offering free access to its site for 30 days to get people used to the change.

Despite the high prices, the Daily News does have advantages that larger newspapers don't, including reduced state coverage by the Providence Journal and the fact that the newspaper only puts " a limited selection of its stories on its web site."

Love or hate these models, at least ESPN and the Newport Daily News are at least being aggressive about chasing a monetizing model. Only time will tell if these models will be able to sustain a viable news operation, but the NABJ board needs to follow experiments like these closely. If they work, there may be opportunities for members as we all continue to fight for survival during these trying times.

Voting for New NABJ Officers Begins Today

2009-06-08T13:10:00.002-04:00

Today is Monday, June 8 which means it's the first day of online voting for the new board for the National Association of Black Journalists. With the current turmoil in the journalism business, I feel that this election could be the most important in the association's history.

I have blogged here extensively about, among other things, the job losses, monetizing the business model and journalists adapting their skills to fit into an ever-changing industry. As such, I believe it is very important that we have a board that can hit the ground running to handle these and other challenges our members will face in the next two years. No matter who you vote for, I would encourage you all to contact the candidates you're interested in and speak with them about their platform and vision for NABJ moving forward.

I am going to offer my endorsements today for the NABJ candidates I believe will best serve our membership moving forward. I'll start with the person I believe should lead us for the next 2 years. That person is Kathy Times, currently the board's VP/Broadcast. I have admired Times' advocacy and drive to help NABJ's Media Institute grow and flourish. I have become a strong proponent of training NABJ members to handle the move to new media, and Kathy has made that a priority on her platform. I also appreciate her commitment to providing more communications to NABJ members. I believe Kathy is the person most qualified to lead NABJ moving forward.

Next up is VP/Print, and I am heartily endorsing current NABJ secretary Deidre Childress. I have always been impressed with Childress's responses on the NABJ Listserv to questions from the membership, no matter how difficult the question. And having looked at the board minutes for the past 2 years, Childress is detailed and task oriented, skills that will be critical as print journalism continues its painful -- and interesting -- transformation. I have blogged about NABJ forming partnerships with the businesses that are transforming the print journalism model and Childress is committed to doing that moving forward.

As Region II Director, my priorities will be to:

Offer a yearly Region II conference and quarterly webinars on hot topics;

Ensure more is done to offer training/advice/learning for members trying to adapt to new business models; and

Increase the contact of the regional director to better serve as a bridge between local chapters and the board.

Journalism Online LLC CEO Chats With Top Newspapers on Payment/Micropayment Model

2009-06-01T07:49:00.003-04:00

In what has become the world's worst secret, around dozen dozen top executives (and an antitrust lawyer) met in Chicago last Thursday to talk about “to discuss how best to support and preserve the traditions of newsgathering that will serve the American public,”according to the Nieman Journalism Lab blog. The executives were walking a very fine line, since they can't talk about things like creating pay walls without breaking antitrust laws.

And one of the speakers was Steven Brill, founder of Journalism Online, LLC, which will offer tools to publishers that will allow them to charge for online content. You can see my April 22 post on the venture here. Journalism Online is scheduled to launch this fall, Brill told PaidContent.org.

What did Brill tell the executives? He called his venture a "hybrid model" that "allows publishers can keep 88% of page views and 91% of online ad revenues while adding significant online circulation revenues (80 cents to $1.00 x 10% of monthly unique) AND boosting PRINT circ revenue (with bundled offers) while lowering PRINT sub acquisition and retention costs,” wrote Paid Content.

And speaking of paying for content, writer Tim Windsor of the Nieman Journalism Lab blog asks a very simple question: Is news content gasoline, or is it bottled water? With that question, he asks if free online news is something that people must buy -- like gasoline -- because they have to? Or is it like bottled water, a commodity that people can get for free but pay for it because they like the packaging and branding?

There are thousands of people -- like me -- who pay for bottled water and things like music in iTunes. Yet, writes Windsor, "almost universally, when asked, they say they won't pay for digital news content at any price." Which is the very question the newspaper executives were pondering at that recent meeting.

The answer, of course, is that someone must develop a model that gets the news out there and allows companies to pay their journalists and also make some money. Or do we have to consider moving to non-profit models like VoiceOfSanDiego.org? Either way, the incoming NABJ board will have to make itself a part of this debate to ensure that its members have career options under both models.

Journalism News Roundup

2009-05-29T15:25:00.002-04:00

It's the end of the week, so I decided instead of focusing on one journalism topic, I'd do a roundup of interesting stories that have piled up in my Google Reader.

First up is this article in the Wall Street Journal on five magazines that are pushing the boundaries of print to engage and interact with their readers. I really liked the story of T-Post, a Swedish "magazine" that every six weeks gives subscribers a tshirt with stories on the inside and an interesting illustration for the story on the front.

The Chicago Tribune, which has been working hard to expand its social media footprint, has unveiled the Chicago Now web site. The site is a series of blogs on all things Chicago, including: sports, the police beat, the social scene, gardening and dating, among other things. The official launch is in July, but they're adding blogs every day. I'm not sure how it's making money, but it's nice to see a newspaper thinking outside the box. My friend and social media guru Leah Jones offers her thoughts on the venture here.

The May 26 post on Poynter Online discusses Scribd, a web site that allows journalists and other writers to publish their work -- and get paid for it. With Scribd, writers get to keep 80% of the revenue when their material is sold. Unless you spend 24 hours a day promoting your work, you probably won't make enough to pay your rent, but these days, every penny counts.

As publications continue to struggle on how to get readers to pay for online content, we're seeing a lot of experimentation out there. This post at PaidContent.org talks about a new joint venture between the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI) and a group of media entrepreneurs. Under the effort, the JV -- CircLabs -- will offer online news and social media packaged together and sold under a multi-tiered payment system, wrote PaidContent.

I'll end this with a post from PBS's Media Shift blog. Writer Mark Glasser posts about his struggle to adjust after cancelling his print subscription to the San Francisco Chronicle. He offers up the pros and cons of getting rid of his newspaper, and gives some food for thought.

Nieman Journalism Lab Looks at 5 Newsrooms of the Future

2009-05-28T07:36:00.003-04:00

With all the massive changes going on in the profession of journalism, I feel that part of my job duties these days are to read different blogs and web sites that cover what is happening. One of my favorite sites these days is the Nieman Journalism Lab blog. The site was specifically created to figure out how quality journalism can survive and thrive in the Internet age.

The blog's May 22 post was entitled "Inside five newsrooms that H.L. Mencken wouldn’t recognize." It offers video tours of five media outlets: Talking Points Memo; Gawker; the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph; the Spokesman Review; and the Valley Independent Sentinel.

The first newsroom I worked in was an open style, with desks facing each other. It was noisy, with electric typewriters always going and a television playing CNN. My current newsroom is similar, minus the typewriters.

My favorite by far was the Daily Telegraph, which has brought its web and print products together on one floor into what it calls a media group. The key word for the operation is integration. The narrator notes that it's one newsroom for all platforms and everyone key to the operation is on the same floor.

I earned my B.A. in broadcast journalism from American University's School of Communication in Washington, D.C. The school is currently spending $20 million to upgrade the classic McKinley Building on campus to create the next generation of journalism learning space, including a converged newsroom that will handle print video, audio, online and multimedia storytelling covering journalism, film and public relations.

And NABJ is also stepping up to the plate for its membership as it prepares to move into its new space this fall at the University of Maryland-College Park. The new offices will include classrooms, news labs, professional training centers, a theater, a resource center, a multimedia lab and space for meetings, among other things.

With so many NABJ members out of work, having access to these resources to improve skills and become more competitive in the work place is more important than ever.

Journalism and Social Media

2009-05-27T10:21:00.002-04:00

In my current job, I not only write for our print and online publications, I oversee the social media aspects of what my team is doing. I'm also one of the founders of an ad hoc group at my company of reporters/editors that have Web 2.0/social media duties. We formed the group to offer tips to newbies and help create guidelines for the company.

So it was with great interest that I read on the Mashable blog that the New York Times has hired a Social Media Editor. Jennifer Preston, previously editor of the Times' Regional Section, has been charged with... well I'm not exactly sure. You can read the memo, which is on the Nieman Journalism Lab web site, here.

It seems that publications and media outlets are hiring people to oversee their social media efforts and the titles -- and duties -- vary widely. My official title is Online Managing Editor-Business Aviation. Other titles I've seen are community manager; social media manager (Social Media Explorer has a great post on that position here); and my colleague Shirley Brady over at BusinessWeek is the magazine's first community editor.

What I see here is opportunity. My company told us three and a half years ago that digital is our future. So I saw my opportunity to get those skills and leverage that expertise. As companies continue to mull their new media options, those that have these skills are putting themselves in a position that makes them less likely (but not immune) to layoffs/buyouts.

I was happy to see that this year's NABJ Annual Conference has plenty of workshops and seminars for people to beef up their skills. I encourage you to attend my workshop -- Becoming a Multimedia Journalist -- at this year's conference. I have digital media guru Mario Armstrong and Washington Post journalist Theola Labbe-DeBose talking about how new media has changed their game and tips and tools of the trade.

I'm heartened by the regional conferences held in Philadelphia and New York that are focusing on this, along with the efforts of the Media Institute. But NABJ needs to do more. There needs to be more training and more mentoring for those who want to consider this as a career. Multimedia journalism has become a passion for me and will be a major focus if I am elected as Region II Director for the NABJ board.

Refresh, Reinvent, Recharge: Lisa Campbell

2009-05-26T14:30:00.001-04:00

Editor's note: I am starting a series of interviews with NABJ members who have done 1, 2 or all three of this year's conference theme. I "met" Lisa Campbell via Facebook when she was doing work for Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and I was still covering the airport beat. We continued to keep in touch, and I have been inspired by her personal and professional wisdom. Below is my interview with her on career change.

Why did you originally decide to become a journalist?
I was actually studying Psychology in college (Southern University BR) and went to the local radio station with a friend who'd won an "album" (remember those?). The staff there struck up a conversation with us and the Program Director commented to me that "we're looking for a News Person and you have a great voice". I went to my apartment that night, watched Peter Jennings broadcast and recorded it on a cassette player (remember those?). I re-wrote the newscast, recorded it on a cassette (lol) and took it to the radio station the next morning. I was given the Morning News Anchor/Co-Host gig almost on the spot, switched my major to Mass Communications with a minor in PR, and the rest, as they say is herstory.

Give me a 1-2 graf summary of your journalism career.
Wow. It's a long a storied one. Started in radio and have done almost EVERYTHING ELSE in the business. I've reported (radio/tv), anchored (radio/tv), been a News Director, Executive Producer for Television, Assignment Editor (both). I've worked in network news (CNN/WCNN, Alanta), ABC, NBC - owned my own Public Relations Agency. All from picking up Gabrielle's album in 1982 at WXOK. Who knew!!

What project/product are you most proud of in your journalism career?
Oh, there are many! I will tell you that the ones that left the largest impressions were my coverage of 9/11 (market: Atlanta), the Space Shuttle explosion (market: BR, LA), and the Bombing at Centennial Olympic Park (market: Atlanta). These were BIG stories that made an indelible mark in my memory. Many of them have. I'll never forget where I was when I heard about the bombing during the Olympics (1996). I'd had dinner with a friend and we were lingering after Olympic pin trading at Sean Combs (Puffy's) restaurant Justins on Peachtree Street in Atlanta. At around midnight, I noticed above the revelry in the place that an emergency situation had occurred at the park. I asked the bartender to turn up the sound, and then the entire restaurant began to watch in horror. I jolted out to run to our station and began all night broadcasting of the events that followed. The entire staff intuitively followed suit. We were an INCREDIBLE team at WSB. Excellence in broadcasting is not a superlative.

When and why did you decide to leave the business?
I decided to leave traditional media in 2007. I've always been an entrepreneur at heart, but for my entire 24 year career have worked non-stop in radio/tv. I'd longed for many years to run my own Media Consulting agency -- and so one morning nearly two years ago, finally got the courage to resign and "Just Do It". Haven't looked back.

What are you doing now?
I am a docuMEDIA film producer, Media Consultant and Marketing Technologist. I consult businesses and individuals on unique 21st Century ways to market and expose themselves, their businesses and services. I also own a Personal Development Consortium called The Create Yourself Company that helps people find their "purpose and passion" to re:Create their lives. It's working for many! Very proud of it. (And you can check her out here.)

What do you find satisfying about your current career direction? That I am helping and inspiring people to live authentic lives. MOST folks 'dream' of working for themselves but never do it because of perceived 'job security'. As we've learned lately in corporate environments, no such animal exists. Security only exists when you work for yourSELF. Think about it. When you sign a contract with an employer, you will never make any more than THAT number. When you work for yourself, the is no limit, other than those that you put on yourself.

What advice would you give for those considering what you've done? Plan.
Make a decision on what it is that makes your HEART sing, and do that! All of us have an inherent purpose for being alive. Decide what yours is - and do THAT. Nobody can do it better than you.

How do you think NABJ could help people who have chosen your career path?
Well, I found that many people considering getting into "journalism and broadcasting" saw it as a glamour career. Big mistake. I would prepare those entering the business for the "truth". Listenership and Viewership is down greatly in Radio and TV and big time in the Newspaper industry because of this new 2-ton gorilla in the room, the INTERNET. We now get News, information, and weather on our cellphones and laptops. Instantly. Don't have to wait for the 6 O'Clock news. I'd encourage people to look at the vast landscape of the "new information age" and find and define your authentic place.

Will Social Media Save The Newspaper Industry, Asks Social Media Explorer?

2009-05-18T10:42:00.002-04:00

I began my print journalism career in August 1985, after earning my B.A. degree in broadcast journalism from American University. The reason I chose print over broadcast is for another post on another day.

About 3 years ago, management at my current employer told the editorial team told us that we had to begin developing our digital media skills, as this was the direction our publications were going. I created the Towers and Tarmacs blog. I created a Flickr account that now has more than 4,000 photos. I went to Podcamp Philly and learned how to record, edit and produce my own podcasts. I created a fan page for airports and airport security on Facebook. And I have a work-based Twitter account (@bizavweekly) that covers the airline and business aviation industries that I use to promote our company's publications.

It was with interest that I read a post on the Social Media Explorer blog entitled: Will Social Media Save The Newspaper Industry? In it, writer David Finch opines that it will take more than just social media to save the industry. He noted the unveiling of the newest version of the electronic book Kindle that is being touted as a potential savior for newspapers. It was a topic I blogged about here on April 17.

I get brownie points for for Tweeting about my company's stories and blog posts, but Finch says newspapers have to recreate the user experience to make the newspaper the talk of the town again. "Perhaps, the newspaper as we know it must die, not because its content isn’t relevant, or its attempts to use social media has failed, but because the consumer no longer identifies with it," writes Finch. "In my opinion, it’s just a matter of time, but until then I can guarantee you can find me every weekend with a cup of coffee, the New York Times, and my favorite jazz artists in the background."

We have all heard what the problem is, as eloquently outlined in this article by New York Times columnist Frank Rich. But what about the solution? In a poll of 351 members of the Associated Press Managing Editors, only 17% said they believed the industry would go extinct.

The May 12 post on the Recovering Journalist blog is blunt -- There is No Magic Bullet. Mark Potts says newspapers can't:

Charge for online content;
Implement micropayments;
Rely on the Kindle; or
Punish Google

I am heartened by some of the efforts that journalists out there are doing to adapt in an ever-changing landscape. America Online has been rolling out a series of blogs that are similar to newsweekly magazines and daily papers, including PoliticsDaily.com, to fill the news gap, reports PaidContent.org. The editor is Melinda Henneberger, a former reporter from the New York Times, and has hired 21 journalists from publications including the Washington Post, Chicago Sun-Times, NPR, Politico and US News & World Report, said PaidContent.

Forty former Star-Ledger reporters who took a buyout have launched their own Web-based news site -- NewJerseyNewsroom.com -- reports Editor & Publisher. So far, it looks like the ad revenue is coming just from Google Ad Sense, but the site looks like it's covering all the news worth covering in the Garden State.

It shows that there's still hope for innovation and growth in journalism, despite the current doom and gloom. I'm hoping that the new NABJ board -- including me as Region II Director -- will study all the opportunities out there across all media platforms and work with them to ensure jobs for its members.

Tapping Social Media Tools To Land That Next Job

2009-05-15T16:03:00.002-04:00

I am a regular listener of National Public Radio's Talk of the Nation. Half of the April 29 show was dedicated to what job seekers need to do to find employment in the Job Market 2.0 we all live in now.

I have always been of the mind to have a current resume on my computer and a jump drive at all times, even though I am very happy to be working where I am right now and have no plans to leave. I say this, because you never know what opportunities are out there for you.

But a paper resume is not enough. These days, people tend to look for you online. I have a profile on LinkedIn and I have a Facebook page that I try to keep professional. I know some people -- like Andrew Humphrey of NABJ's Digital Task Force and candidate for NABJ Vice President-broadcast -- has his own branded web site that he uses for things like his bio, his resume, his videos, his weather blog and his NABJ campaign. When you Google his name, his site is the first thing that comes up.

One of the people interviewed on Talk of the Nation was Julie Weber, Sr. Director of People for Southwest Airlines. She talked about how Southwest was using social networks like LinkedIn to look for potential employees.

Fortunately, I haven't had to actually apply for a job since 1992, because networking has been an invaluable tool for me. And being on LinkedIn and Facebook have allowed me to cast the net even further.

NABJ has always been good about networking at the annual conference. But with the state that journalism is in these days, NABJ members have to step up to the plate and add these tools to help them stand out in a very competitive market. As Region II Director, I would work with board members and local chapters to offer members more information -- and tools -- to continue networking year round.

Wash. Post's Howard Kurtz Asks: The Death of Print?

2009-05-11T14:40:00.002-04:00

Washington Post media columnist Howard Kurtz wrote a column today -- and held a live chat -- asking this question. And he's not the only one. I just listened to an April 27 podcast from NPR's Planet Money on the prospects for print journalism.

When Kurtz -- a self-described industry fervent optimist -- says his belief is shaken in the newspaper business, you know things are bad, as if we didn't already know it. He cites the numerous newspapers that have cut jobs -- including my hometown Baltimore Sun -- and notes that those jobs are never coming back.

If I hear the words "platform agnostic" again, I will scream. According to Kurtz, it's become the excuse du jour for newspapers firing all these journalists, but he asks an interesting question: "How can papers with far smaller staffs and reduced ambitions stem circulation declines?"

Both Kurtz and Planet Money covered the plans of Steve Brill's new Journalism Online LLC (my post on that is here). In a nutshell. Brill proposes to offer tools to publishers that will allow them to charge for online content. And Reuters is reporting that the Wall Street Journal plans to unveil micropayments for articles and premium content.

But in the end, Kurtz asks the million dollar question -- but for the reading public: "Does it want to pony up for news, whatever the media that prevail? It's all a matter of priorities. Whatever shape journalism ultimately takes in America, make no mistake that in the end we will get what we pay for."

I know I focus on print, because that's what pays my mortgage. But broadcast is having its own troubles. Yesterday's New York Times has an article about how television stations are facing their own advertising dollar squeeze. Guess how some are trying to stem the flow of red ink? Working with newspapers. That's a nice visual.

The Tribune Company, which is operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, has merged its TV stations and daily newspapers in Miami and Hartford, and it already produces a lighthearted morning show in south Florida with the help of the newspaper’s columnists, reports the Times.

As the bad news continues, it's up to the National Association of Black Journalists board, representing its membership, to watch these trends and work with companies as the journalism industry continues to change -- rapidly. NABJ needs a board -- and active members -- to make sure that journalists of color have a seat at the table as the industry continues to transform. I want to be a part of that as Region II Director.

Journalism News Roundup

2009-05-08T16:03:00.003-04:00

Instead of just waxing poetic on on theme, I'd end the week with a roundup of news stories affecting our chosen trade.

The SFIst blog is reporting that more job cuts are coming at the San Francisco Chronicle. Among those gone are the environmental reporter, the computers/technology reporter and the 2 people responsible for Chronicle Watch, which covers the city's neighborhoods - closely.

Speaking of layoffs, one day after buying the San Diego Union-Tribune, new owner Platinum Equity laid off 182 employees -- including 50 in the newsroom -- or 18% of its workforce, according to VoiceofSanDiego.org. "[T]he ultimate goal here is to make only those cuts necessary to stabilize the business, and then to focus on growing revenue," Platinum Equity partner Louis Samson told the Union-Tribune in an interview last week.

The Poynter Online blog reports that while the Star-Ledger has not resorted to layoffs, it did implement a program where yearly bonuses will now be included in base pay and that pay will be cut. "The first $40,000 of your new combined annualized income will be cut by 5%. If you make more than $40,000, your next $40,000 in income up to $80,000 will be cut by 10%. Any annualized income over $80,000 will be cut by 15%," said a memo to employees. The paper is also requiring employees to pay more for health care insurance. Management blamed continued deteriorating ad revenues for the move.

We all have followed the negotiations between the New York Times Co. and the Newspaper Guild at the Boston Globe. A deal was made at the 11th hour, but the Guardian's Dan Kennedy asks how long will the Globe be safe? It's the same question I asked when I heard the deal had been struck.

I have become an avid reader of the Baltimore Brew blog. Among other things, it is covering what I see as the slow dismantling of the newspaper that used to be my hometown Baltimore Sun. The May 3 post on the Brew announced that the Sun would no longer publish Letters to the Editor, since the person overseeing that had been cut in the latest round of layoffs. But on May 6, the Brew reported that the Letters section is back.

Let's file this last one under "what are they thinking?" The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has spent $1 million on a new year-long ad campaign to encourage customers to take a digital break and actually read the print edition of the Sunday newspaper, reports PaidContent.org. The paper has cut 30% of its staff.

Maybe Sam Zell Should Have Spoken With Warren Buffett

2009-05-05T06:03:00.002-04:00

As I continue to mull the magnitude of Tribune Co. owner Sam Zell's statement that his acquisition of the newspaper chain was a "mistake," Berkshire Hathaway chief Warren Buffett said that newspapers face possible “unending losses” and that the company would not buy most U.S. newspaper “at any price,” according to MarketWatch and the Wall Street Journal, reports PaidContent.org.

Buffet also said that newspapers had been essential to readers and advertisers, but not any more. The Omaha-based company has holdings in several newspapers, including the Washington Post. While Buffett lauded the Post on what he called its "attractive businesses" -- including cable -- he admitted in PaidContent.org that the Post “does not have answers to the problems of the newspaper business.”

If Buffett is not so high on the Washington Post, one of the crown jewels in the newspaper business, this can't bode well for publications that are lower on the food chain. Buffett's business partner Charlie Munger responded to a question from FOX Business News's Liz Claman, calling called what's happening to the newspaper business "a national tragedy." He added that as newspapers go away, "what replaces them won’t be as desirable as what we’re losing."

If you read my May 1 post on what's happening at my hometown Baltimore Sun, it illustrates Munger's point beautifully. So what can we do? The simple answer is to find a viable financial model that lets newspapers survive -- in some form -- and the industry continues its rapid change.

And the National Association of Black Journalists has to have a seat at the table as these changes happen. With a large part of its membership in print journalism, the board needs to work with industry players to ensure that journalists of color continue to be represented in the new media model.

Some Interesting Journalism News & Notes

2009-05-04T13:20:00.000-04:00

I enjoy reading about all the things going on in my chosen profession of journalism. I feel that with all the changes going on, it's good for me -- for all of us -- to keep up. Below are some of the stories I've been gathering in my folder for potential blog material that never quite reached full posting status.

The Huffington Post has come out with its own set of Citizen Journalism Publishing standards. Among the standards: Never plagiarize - it is the hallmark of a lazy journalist. Always attribute material when using material from newspapers, Websites, TV, radio, books or other outlets; Make the greatest possible effort to get your sources to go "on the record" - which means that you can use their quotes. But if they don't want to be quoted, respect their right not to be named; and As we emphasized before, make sure to fact-check your sources, many of whom may be prone to exaggeration or have an agenda when talking to a reporter. Sounds just like what I do!

In what can be said as the understatement of the year, Tribune owner Sam Zell said in an interview on Bloomberg Television that his acquisition of the newspaper chain back in 2007 was "a mistake" in that he did not anticipate the steep decline in the newspaper business. What? We've all been hearing about the decline of tradition print media as far back as the early 2000s. Where was Zell when this was happening?

This isn't the first time we've heard all these rumblings about the demise of newspapers. Online magazine Slate points us back to 1918, when Atlantic Monthly's Oswald Garrison Villard wrote about the demise of newspapers using words that were similar to those used to mark the passing of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer and Rocky Mountain News. "The leading cause of newspaper death then as now was "the enormously increased costs of maintaining great dailies" and limited advertising," wrote Slate's Jack Shafer.

I read with great interest a recent blog post by Steven Roll, president of the American Society of Business Publication Editors on what the next phase of journalism will look like. He quotes a speech by my colleague John Byrne, editor of BusinessWeek.com, who said: "the next phase of journalism will require editors and writers to get readers involved with every step of the process, from generating story ideas to filling in the missing details of a published story. Part of being an editor or writer today is learning how to create and build communities and then how to serve them."

The Knight Digital Media Center blog had a fascinating post it called essential reading for journalists caught in the meltdown. The post includes links to four articles that "anyone concerned about the future of journalism should read."

I am a big fan of National Public Radio's Planet Money. The blog recently asked the question those of us in the news business would like to have answered - Who'll Play for News -- And How? The blog cited a story in The Wrap that allegedly had the publisher of the Los Angeles Times defending putting advertising on the front page. Planet Money cited Web portals with paid memberships, micropayments charged to readers for each article viewed, and convincing deep-pocketed patrons to endow major news organizations as not-for-profit institutions as possible future funding models.

The Techdirt blog notes that when the Seattle Post-Intelligencer went to an online-only format, its web traffic dropped 20%. But when the blog looked beneath the numbers, here's what it found: the newspaper cut 80% of its reporters but still held onto 80% of its traffic. Techdirt sees that as good news and wonders why these numbers are seen as a failure. Good question.

As our industry continues to change, it's important that the NABJ board - and more importantly its members - need to keep up with the changes in the industry so we can all prosper and continue to practice the profession we love. And this is yet another reason why I'm running for Region II director. I want to help be a part of the solution.