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Maryland Sen. Benjamin Cardin wrote in today's Washington Post about the reasons he submitted the Newspaper Revitalization Act, a bill to assist newspapers in becoming non-profits. He argues that, while a non-profit structure might not be optimal for some newspapers, many smaller and more local newspapers would benefit from the creation of a IRS category of "qualified newspaper corporation." You can read Sen. Cardin's article in the WaPo here…….Continue Reading Sen. Cardin makes his case for Newspaper Revitalization Act

More than 100 Members of Parliament (MPs) have signed a motion that encourages the government to support local journalism, but not the media conglomerates who "have already extracted millions of pounds from their businesses whilst cutting investment in editorial resources." Though the motion does not carry the weight of law, it does indicate that Parliament is unlikely to heed Newpaper Media Alliance's request for governmental assistance. Perhaps the US should be taking notes on these proceedings. You can read the full article on UK government funded news from the Guardian here…….Continue Reading MPs issue statement of support for local journalism

Editor and Publisher suggests a new profit model for newspapers — Low-Profit Limited Liability Company, or L3C. An L3C is "a corporation that qualifies as a charity under IRS rules but runs as a for-profit business." An L3C is allowed to take money from charities and nonprofits because it serves a social benefit. The Newspaper Guild is currently lobbying Congress for legislation that would state explicitly that newspapers serve this social benefit. You can read the Editor and Publisher article in its entirety here…….Continue Reading Newspapers as L3Cs?

InDenverTimes.com, the online subscription news site, may be shy of its goal of 50,000 subscribers by April 23, but it has added six more staffers to the original 30. One-year subscriptions cost $4.99, and the site drew more than 100 subscribers within its first hour. The staffers are volunteering their time until the site goes live on May 4. You can read the Editors' Weblog post here…….Continue Reading Online news site staff grows

In England's northwest, two free monthly newspapers are starting publication. The Bury Independent and the Bolton Independent each will employ local freelance journalists but will have no paid editorial staff. These launchings follow the success of the Cheshire Independent in the region. You can read the post from the Editors' Weblog here…….Continue Reading Monthly newspapers get their start in England

Phil Trounstine and Jerry Roberts assert newspapers are in a death spiral. They contend that there are two ways to save local reporting: most newspapers should abandon national news in favor of local coverage so as to become indispensable to residents; or, they say online businesses like Google and Yahoo! might pay local reporters to produce content. You can read the CalBuzz blog post here…….Continue Reading Survival options for newspapers

An article from the Vancouver Sun discusses the limitations of citizen journalism compared to traditional media. For one thing, amateur journalists often produce content on a narrower range of topics, and the sourcing is often more superficial. A Pew Survey also found that bloggers are no more likely to focus on substantive issues, despite their criticism of the mainstream media, and traditional outlets are actually more innovative in the providing interactive online content. You can read the article in the Vancouver Sun here…….Continue Reading Limitations of citizen journalism

Eduardo Hauser in a post for The Huffington Post makes his defense of The Daily Me, the customizable nature of online news. He argues that we have always filtered news according to our interests, and now only the means have changed. The Daily Me might actually increase interest and engagement with the news, which in turn would lead to more informed citizens. You can read Hauser's blog entry on The Huffington Post website here…….Continue Reading In defense of The Daily Me

Amy Gahran of Poynter Online suggests some of the ways that the news media might be able to use Google Earth street view in their stories. She cites a Taiwanese blogger who created a virtual tour of National Taiwan University's campus. Gahran argues that news organizations could use these kinds of street images to document the damage of natural disasters or explain the current environment. You can read Gahan's Poynter Online post here…….Continue Reading How journalists can use Google street view

Hewlett Packard has developed a new Web service called MagCloud, which makes it easier and cheaper to produce magazines. The printing costs 20 cents per page, and the producer is charged only if someone orders a magazine. MagCloud hopes to provide service to any niche market magazine. So far, the site is in testing and has produced nearly 300 magazines on topics from food photography to the history of aerospace. You can read about MagCloud in the New York Times article found here…….Continue Reading Niche magazines may become cheaper to produce