After the editor of News & Record in Greensboro, N.C., proposed that news sites charge micropayments for users who wish to comment on their stories, the Editor's Desk blog follows up. The media experts interviewed seem skeptical of the idea, which might limit public discourse. At best, they say it would work only for a few online sites. You can read the Editors' Desk post on their blog.. Postscript (7/13/10): This week, The Sun Chronicle, a news website that had begun charging for users to comment returned to a free platform for its users…….Continue Reading Micropayments for commenting?
News
Huffington Post to fund investigative reporting
Liberal news blog The Huffington Post is launching a new initiative to fund investigative journalism, called the Huffington Post Investigative Fund. The non-profit news organization will pay journalists for original content, which in turn can be posted anywhere online. The fund will be distinct from the online news site in both legal terms and in editorial content. You can read the PressThink blog entry and Arianna Huffington's announcement of the HPIF…….Continue Reading Huffington Post to fund investigative reporting
Twitter seeks new profit model
Twitter is hoping to start turning a profit by offering a premium version of the site for commercial users. The plan remains short on specifics. Some have criticized the site, which reaches 7 million unique users accounding to a Nielson estimate, for being slow to find a profit model. Twitter just hired its first staffer to focus on monetization this month. You can read the Editors' Weblog post here…….Continue Reading Twitter seeks new profit model
Will community news sites keep growing?
A few of my newspaper editor friends have tweaked me recently about the reporting I've done on community news Web sites. All had the same question: Given these sites' mostly tiny size (audience, news content, revenue), haven't I been hyping their impact a bit? It's a fair question. So is a related one that also comes up. Aren't many of these sites likely to fail because, despite valiant efforts by their creators, they'll be unable to generate sustainable advertising revenue? Since coming to USC Annenberg last fall, I've reported extensively on the rise of community Web sites, in posts at……Continue Reading Will community news sites keep growing?
Reviewing media cross-ownership
The acting chairman of the FCC, Michael Copps, has said that the agency may need to reevaluate current cross-ownership restrictions in light of the current struggles in traditional media. Copps has not endorsed Nancy Pelosi's suggestion that the restrictions on cross-ownership of media be relaxed, but has indicated he is willing to consider adjusting the rules. You read the article on the Multichannel News website here…….Continue Reading Reviewing media cross-ownership
Josephson: three steps for profitability
Mark Josephson, the CEO of news aggregation site Outside.in, proposes a simple mantra to save newspapers: aggregate, curate, and network. First, newspapers should start to aggregate local content to attract readers with stories that affect their lives. Second, newspapers are uniquely poised to curate the information available online, by supplying their own editorial voice and separating the wheat from the chaff. Finally, newspapers need to partner with local media, blogs, and businesses to generate profits from their work. You can read the Business Insider article here…….Continue Reading Josephson: three steps for profitability
Should newspapers publish once a week?
Theodore F. di Stefano suggests in the E-Commerce Times that newspapers begin publishing weekly rather than every day. By publishing in-depth coverage of current news that is not available on the Web or in current weekly magazines, newspapers could offer a unique perspective that could prove profitable. It would require a change in the way newspapers cover the news, but could save them from going under, he says. You can read di Stefano's article here…….Continue Reading Should newspapers publish once a week?
Could the Kindle encourage micropayments for news?
Daniel Finkelstein of the London Times muses on the possibility that the Kindle will prompt people to pay to subscribe to newspapers. He even suggests that the newspapers could give the Kindle away and then charge for content, noting that it costs the New York Times more to print and deliver their newspaper than it would be to purchase Kindles for its subscribers. You can read Finkelstein's entry on the Times…….Continue Reading Could the Kindle encourage micropayments for news?
Resistance to government’s role in saving newspapers
The response to Sen. Benjamin Cardin's proposed legislation to help newspapers become nonprofits has been met with some criticism. James Taranto of The Wall Street Journal argues that the guidelines for nonprofits would prevent them from writing commentary on legislation and candidates, and thereby have a chilling effect on journalism. You can read the full Wall Street Journal article here. In the Cleveland Plain Dealer, columnist Kevin O'Brien goes farther, saying that newspapers must reject Cardin's proposal. You can read the column in Cleveland Plain Dealer here. Still others, including the editor of a Southern Maryland paper, note the prohibition……Continue Reading Resistance to government’s role in saving newspapers
Former newspaperman starts watchdog site
Jim Walls, formerly of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, has started a new site devoted to ethics and transparency in government. Atlanta Unfiltered will focus on public records, and shy away from any interpretation or opinion. You can read the post from Altanta Unsheltered here…….Continue Reading Former newspaperman starts watchdog site