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11 Nov 2009 10:53

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Offbeat: Laid-off journalists in need of a pick-me-up, see this post

starmemo1111
  • Journalists are nothing if not a bunch of clever bastards. And this anonymous Toronto Star employee, looking to protect the interests of editors and copy editors, may be the most clever bastard we’ve seen in a while. (Hat tip Clint Howarth.) source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 1 Comment • Permalink

14 Oct 2009 10:38

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Tech: Digg vs. the human hand: Why the world needs an editor

Digg as a newspaper

This image, while funny, nails what (to us) is wrong with Digg. It's not that there isn't a place for funny/bizarre content or the chance to be goofy, but when it's all you've got, it seems a little threadbare. And it's not even their fault. It's how democracy works sometimes.
  • Editors vs thumbs In a lot of ways, sites like Digg can replace rooms full of journalists and editors with a single yes/no thumb system. It works on the idea of visceral impact, much like TV news does. But when visceral impact is all you got, it stops becoming what you need to know and turns into what you want to know.
  • Eating veggiesSometimes, the stories that aren’t very sexy are the most important. Newspapers spend hours debating these stories daily. But those stories can get overlooked in the hunt for a sexy headline. Editors have struggled with this very issue for years. Does it even come up for people clicking on thumbs?
  • It’s not all badWe don’t want to disparage link journalism, because it can work. We’re big fans of Y! Combinator’s Hacker News, for example, because it has this strong mix of audience, community and focus. The Windy Citizen does a great job applying it to a local market. We want to see more of this.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

30 Jul 2009 11:23

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Politics: Wired editor Chris Anderson: Total prick in interviews.

  • Sorry, I don’t use the word media. I don’t use the word news. I don’t think that those words mean anything anymore. They defined publishing in the 20th century. Today, they are a barrier. They are standing in our way, like ‘horseless carriage.’
  • Chris Anderson • Talking to a German Magazine, Spiegel, about his new book, “Free,” which makes this broad argument that information isn’t of value anymore and that everything should be free. Anderson claims not to read traditional media sources anymore and starts out the interview with this gem of a quote: “This is going to be a very annoying interview. I don’t use the word journalism.” Then he goes further, suggesting journalism – and media in general – will be a hobby. Dude, just because you’re a genius and came up with that Long Tail theory doesn’t mean you should act like a child. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 5 Comments • Permalink

07 Jun 2009 22:04

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Biz, Politics: The newspaper industry doesn’t know what it’s doing. Duh.

  • As someone who still loves newspapers and the possibilities of thriving local news organizations, I find the thinking of this industry group depressing. What does it say that these API white papers may represent the best ideas of the industry’s business leaders?
  • Former Rocky Mountain News editor John Temple • Discussing the nature of a recent closed-door summit of newspaper publishers as well as a whitepaper by the American Press Institute, both of which leaned on with all sorts of great ideas such as charging for news online, attacking copyright violators like the RIAA and taking market share from Craigslist. (Disclosure: We worked on a solution a couple months ago.) Temple (who, as the editor of a shuttered newspaper, has better insight than most) has a solid key point worth repeating: “How is the newspaper industry going to attract any of the best and brightest into its ranks if its ideas are stale, at best?” Smart stuff. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

16 Mar 2009 22:13

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Biz, U.S.: On the death, from the Post-Intelligencer’s editor & publisher

  • Tonight we’ll be putting the paper to bed for the last time. But the bloodline will live on.
  • Editor and Publisher Roger Oglesby • During the announcement, which was made today. As you might imagine, it wasn’t exactly a fun day for them today. • source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
 
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