Nov
22
Rupert Murdoch: The man who might teach Google a lesson in humility
November 22, 2009 | Comments Off
Rupert Murdoch has threatened to pull the content of his newspapers from Google’s search engines. The results could be paradigm-shattering.
Here are some things to think about. Web only accounts for 10 percent of the revenue at many print newspapers. And only a fraction of local readers visit a newspaper site through Google. (Most readers type the name of the home page in their browsers or have it bookmarked, or use an RSS feed.) Murdoch has little to lose by bailing out of Google, because the site is responsible for a minute fraction of News Corporation’s revenue.
On the other hand, Google stands to lose substantially. Every time readers search for news results on Google, they see advertising alongside the articles that Murdoch’s newspapers and others have provided for free. New-economy types argue that traffic and links are valuable, as opposed to information. But if other newspapers follow Murdoch and pull their news articles from Google, people will have to link and search for something else. The question is whether that something else will interest people as intensely and regularly as today’s news.
The showdown will force the central questions that have dogged newspapers for a decade and a half: If information is valueless, why are they paying so much money to produce it, and why is everyone but them profiting from the information they put on the internet? In the aftermath, look for for newspapers that publish a separate web edition, funded only by the revenue that comes in through the Web site–a formula that answers techies by adapting to the supposedly “new” economics of the Web, but also satisfies bottom-line-watchers by not forcing the print edition to subsidize Google.
The upshot is that whether newspapers stay or go, citizen journalists will be busy, because either outcome somehow results in a paucity of local news somewhere and someone has to provide it.
Nov
16
A new community journalism site in Livingston County, Mich.
November 16, 2009 | Comments Off
LivingstonTalk.com was founded by two former staffers of the Livingston County Press & Argus. I heard about this one from the lady who cut my hair.
Online news sites are really gaining momentum–it’s hard to believe that only about five years ago conventional wisdom said that it was impossible for anyone but Google to make money by online advertising. Here in Ann Arbor, the Chronicle makes enough money to support the publisher and editor (Mary Morgan and her husband Dave Askins, respectively) solely by selling advertising space.
Oct
15
AnnArbor.com progress report
October 15, 2009 | Comments Off
The Ann Arbor Observer reports that AnnArbor.com is meeting is projections for revenue and circulation. No word on whether it has turned a profit.
Oct
1
New citizen journalism site in Grand Rapids
October 1, 2009 | Comments Off
The Rapidian is a new citizen journalism site in Grand Rapids, Mich. There is also an article on Mlive.com.
This new site contains reporting exclusively by civilians, and it is partially backed with funding from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. It seems that journalists are getting used to the idea of ordinary people writing news.
Jun
23
NPR interview about citizen journalism
June 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment
By Clarence William Cromwell
Stephen Lacy, journalism professor at Michigan State University, was interviewed by Christina Shockley, host of Michigan Radio’s Morning Edition. The podcast is at the Michigan Radio site.
I’m reposting my comments to the interview below: Read more
Jun
17
CJ’s carry the day in Tehran
June 17, 2009 | Leave a Comment
By Clarence William Cromwell
In Tehran, foreign journalists have been all but shut down. Citizen journalists are posting everything online. Protests against what citizens call a rigged election are being put down by aggressive police action.
fhashemi’s Flickr photostream.
And check out the #iranelection thread on Twitter.
Jun
1
Bukowski gets probation and a fine
June 1, 2009 | Leave a Comment
By Clarence William Cromwell
A Michigan Messenger story, by MINEHAHA FORMAN reports that Diane Bukowski got a year of probation, 200 hours of community service and $4,000 in fines for photographing the deadly results of a police chase by Michigan State Police on Election Day last year.
The judge acknowledged that police testimony did not agree with Fox 2 news footage. Bukowski plans to appeal.
Anyone who wants to contribute to her legal defense fund can send money to:
Committee to Defend Diane Bukowski and Freedom of the Press,
Care of Michigan Citizen
1055 Trumbull, Detroit, MI 48216
May
18
Copy editing for the journalist blogger
May 18, 2009 | Leave a Comment
By Sarah Rigg
I’ve been on both sides of the copy desk- both as a reporter who was bitter about the way a copy editor had hacked up my prose and as a copy editor who has had to justify why I trimmed a piece mercilessly for space consideration.
If you’ve spent any time in a traditional newsroom, you probably know that reporters have a love-hate relationship with the copy editing team. As a blogger, you may feel relieved that you don’t have to go through the traditional newsroom process and have your beautiful words picked apart by the copy desk. Certainly, having the final say on the shape of your piece is satisfying, but I would ask you to consider the importance of either recruiting a copy editor for your blog or learning to be your blog’s own copy editor.
Why do you need a copy editor?
A few copy editors live to nitpick or are frustrated writers who take out their annoyance by totally rearranging your prose. But, mainly the job of a copy editor is to make you, as a writer, look good. A good copy editor saves you from factual and grammatical mistakes and, as time allows, helps you tweak your copy to make it not merely good but great. If you have copy-editing experience, you have a head start over other bloggers in terms of making your blog posts punchy and fun to read. If you don’t have copy-editing experience, you may want to consider picking up some of those skills.
Recruiting a copy editor for your blog
If you have a bit of a following on your blog, you probably have a few readers who act as volunteer copy editors anyway, catching your mistakes for free and emailing you about them. Instead of feeling embarrassed or annoyed with them, harness their power! You can write to some of the least obnoxious and smartest of them and ask them if they’d be willing to look over posts before you publish, especially if you know you have weaknesses in spelling or grammar. It’s possible to be a stellar reporter who is a bad speller, and rather than beating yourself up about your weaknesses, it’s important to ask for help from those who have strengths in your weak areas.
Becoming your own copy editor
If you think you have a pretty good grasp of grammar and spelling, you may just want to act as your own copy editor. Some tools that will help you do this include:
a) A good grasp of AP style. As a blogger, you may want to bend or break some of the rules of AP style, but it’s better to break them in a knowledgeable way. Learning AP style will make your posts look more consistent from week to week and will help lend your blog legitimacy. You can either buy a copy of the AP Stylebook, or just check one out of the library and memorize some rules that you’ll be referencing frequently. If you need a refresher, the AP Stylebook’s online “Ask the Editor” resource may allow you to research your style question for free.
b) A good word processing tool. Right now, I am being lazy and am typing this post directly into the blog tool. However, before I post it, I will copy and paste it into a word processor and will run a grammar and spelling check. If you’re using a blogging tool that has a good grammar and spelling check, make sure you use it! It will not only catch homophones like “their/there” but will also help you catch passive constructions that make your writing seem limp or weak.
c) A “back burner” habit. You may be itching to get a post out right now because you’re feeling passionate about the topic or because you want to scoop your local rivals. But most pieces of writing can benefit from putting them on the metaphorical back burner after a first draft. This doesn’t have to take days- it can involve just taking a lunch break or a five-minute walk around the block. When you come back to that initial draft, you’re more likely to catch mistakes or see ways that rearranging a couple paragraphs will make it easier to read. Taking that small break allows your brain to reset and see the piece in a new way. If you just keep plugging away at editing and re-drafting without that mental break, your eyes tend to glaze over, and you’ll skate over missing words or confusing transition sentences.
If any copy editors are reading, feel free to contribute additional ideas in the comments.
May
7
Bukowski convicted
May 7, 2009 | Leave a Comment
By Clarence William Cromwell
It’s an obvious case of political retaliation. And there are now accusations that several police officers and other law enforcement officials have broken the law, committed perjury, or suborned perjury, all to prevent a reporter from photographing a news event.
Anybody heard of the First Amendment? Wouldn’t it have been better to admit that the police chase was less than perfect?
Check out articles in the Michigan Messenger and the MetroTimes.
Apr
23
Successor to Ann Arbor News will gather personal data, use it to target ads
April 23, 2009 | Leave a Comment
By Clarence William Cromwell
AnnArbor.com will generate revenue through targeted advertising, according to a key member of the management team.
The web site, created to replace the 174-year-old Ann Arbor News when it ceases to publish in July, will gather information about readers and then use data mining techniques to target ads to those readers who will most likely be interested, said Laurel Champion, executive vice president of AnnArbor.com LLC.
Champion said the innovation would give the company “the ability to be much more targeted with our advertisers and their messages.”
The site itself states: “We believe that done right, AnnArbor.com will offer better solutions for advertisers. Deep community engagement and a stronger neighborhood focus will allow for smarter targeting, better ability to connect with customers and ultimately a better return on investment.” Read more