As legacy and new media folks convened to discuss the future of news at last week's Journalism That Matters conference, an entrepreneurial spirit filled the air as journalists discussed elements within the industry they find necessary and those they can live without.The conference ended on an upbeat note when journalists were urged to avoid thinking, "How can I save a newspaper." Instead, Mark Briggs, CEO of Serra Media, advocated for reporters and editors to, "[focus] on a form of journalism that is entrepreneurial…and if it doesn't help save the institution, at least it will position the journalist to continue the……Continue Reading Entrepreneurial spirit necessary for news future
News
Media Cloud, a new way to analyze and visualize Web news
The Berkman Center unveils the Media Cloud, a new set of analytics for watching how news develops on the Web. When fully developed, Media Cloud could help analyze and visualize how news travels on the Web, how news coverage compares among media outlets and what news organizations are leaving out of their coverage.The developers are inviting us to go to Media Cloud, take a look and leave suggestions. You can read the Nieman blog post here. Postscript: Media Cloud is now fully operational as of March 19, 2009…….Continue Reading Media Cloud, a new way to analyze and visualize Web news
Buddy, can you fund a reporter?
Pioneering news site MinnPost is extending its business model with a new strategy: Asking followers to contribute specifically in support of a staff writer, David Brauer. MinnPost CEO Joel Kramer explains: "If it works, we'll brag about it all over the country, and pay some of our bills, too.. What you will NOT get is public recognition…because David Brauer does not want to know which individuals are supporting him." So far, contributors have given $1,415. You can read Leonard Witt's blog here…….Continue Reading Buddy, can you fund a reporter?
Obama plans to pour $8 billion into broadband development
The Obama administration introduced its plan to distribute $8 billion through grants to developing broadband projects by September 30, 2010. Though information regarding eligible recipients and other details remains unknown at this time, funded organizations will have two years to complete projects. From non-profit organizations to Telecom, the stimulus package has attracted interest from those eager to help the government spend their money. You can read the entire story at the Washington Post website…….Continue Reading Obama plans to pour $8 billion into broadband development
Foundations bankroll site on ‘The Business of Bribery’
PBS' Frontline and Frontline/World have partnered with UC Berkeley's Investigative Reporting Program and ProPublica to launch an online investigation into the world of bribery. Foundations such as the Fund for Investigative Journalism, Shell and the MacArthur Foundation funded the project that will exist as a site entitled, "The Business of Bribery." The investigation will take place over 10 weeks and include video, reports and in-depth interviews. You can read the Editors' Web Blog here…….Continue Reading Foundations bankroll site on ‘The Business of Bribery’
Broad wants his foundation and others to own the LA Times
Philanthropist Eli Broad once expressed interest in buying the LA Times. Though he said Monday night that he has "regained [his] sanity since then," he also mentioned that newspapers should not be in the business of earning profits. "If several foundations are involved there is likely to be journalistic freedom," he said at a forum in New York. You can read the full article on Reuters here…….Continue Reading Broad wants his foundation and others to own the LA Times
The Guardian launches API ‘Open Platform’
The Guardian has launched a new API that is playing to immediate mixed reviews. The API (Application Programming Interface) will allow all of the Guardian's content to be repurposed, but in a way that it hopes to advertising revenue. In the Guardian's Open Platform API, partners can build their own applications in exchange for carrying Guardian advertising. Guardian columnist Jeff Jarvis calls it a great deal but another digital leader, Dave Winer, begs to differ. You can read the full story on the Guardian website here…….Continue Reading The Guardian launches API ‘Open Platform’
Google’s Eric Schmidt: micro-payments will have a future role
Against all the indictment of micro-payments from the new-media crowd comes this from Google's Eric Schmidt: For Web audiences in the 2 million to 20 million range, he told PBS' Charlie Rose, "you can imagine that you'll have micropayments, not advertising, where you'll pay a one cent, three cent, five cent for a view. And those tools and techniques are being developed now in the industry and I think are likely to be successful." You can read InfoValet's analysis of Schmidt's comments here……Continue Reading Google’s Eric Schmidt: micro-payments will have a future role
New York Times goes ‘Local’
Who would have guessed? The New York Times launches its "Local" Web site covering five communities in Brooklyn and the New Jersey suburbs. It's The Times' first big foray into citizen journalism and exploration of the Web's "hyper-local" space. You can read the article on Wall Street Journal's blog. Postscript (07/12/10): Unfortunately, the NYT experiment has not shown the success that the paper was hoping for, and has been shut down it's New Jersey division since the blog post was first published…….Continue Reading New York Times goes ‘Local’
Newspaper tonic? Good old collusion
The New York Times' David Carr isn't giving up on his idea of newspapers forming a pay wall around their content. His recommendation: A bit of good, old-fashioned collusion. You can read the New York Times article here…….Continue Reading Newspaper tonic? Good old collusion