How have the Internet and other digital media changed the audience for news? And how has journalism changed its view of the audience, if at all? Those were two of the key questions on day two of the Phil Meyer…
Considering the audience
Author: Deborah Potter
Something strange and possibly dangerous
Technology has changed journalism in ways that journalists themselves don’t understand. Phil Meyer, known to many as the father of investigative reporting and a longtime leader in journalism research, says we’d better figure it out if we want to survive.…
Raising the ante
How has the Internet changed journalism? Can journalism survive in a world where there are no longer any “gatekeepers” and if so, what will it look like? I’m at a symposium in honor of Phil Meyer, author of Precision Journalism,…
Faked out (again)
The Los Angeles Times has apologized for a recent story that it says was partly based on fake documents. The story quoted records obtained from the FBI as saying that associates of rap producer Sean “Diddy” Combs set up the…
Good news on the job front
The economy is reeling, news organizations are contracting, and journalists are losing their jobs. At first glance, you’d think this would be a terrible time to look for a job in news. But there’s a silver lining if you’re a…
Generating audience through social networks
Journalists who blog and encourage their readers to comment can learn a lot from their audience. But if you really want to build an audience, says senior producer Shawn Smith of the Michigan newspaper site MLive.com, you also have to…
Messy online structure pays off
The most-read news site in Norway may have something to teach the rest of us. By its editor’s own admission, VG is “the world’s ugliest news site” but it’s making a bundle. Kristine Lowe at Journalism.co.uk quotes editor-in-chief Torry Pedersen…
Context counts
The scandal involving New York Gov. Elliot Spitzer brought out a raft of commentators and “expert” analysts, which is to be expected. But viewers should also expect to be told a little bit about who these experts are and why…
Cleaning up comments
Any news organization that really believes in serving the public has to listen to its audience. In the old days, that meant taking phone calls and letters. More recently, it has meant providing email addresses and actually reading the stuff…
Live in 3-D
A rugby match in Scotland made news this weekend, and not just because the Scots stomped the English 15-9. According to published reports, it was the first international sports event ever to be screened live in hi-def 3-D. The London…