Journalist takes toddler's murder too lightly

By: Kathryn Lisk

I have always found some journalists to be a bit numb and unyielding when it comes to finding and delivering news stories. They make a living from being constantly exposed to intense situations, so they may start to lose the intensity most of us experience in difficult situations.

But a reporter from Rocky Mountain News took insensitivity to a new level last Thursday, when he covered a toddler's funeral live on Twitter. 

 I understand using a cite like this to report national news regarding politics or celebrities, but it seems violating to use it regarding the death of a child. 

It may be more convenient for readers to get a snapshot of what happened via a website like Twitter, which has a word limit of 140 characters, but it is absurd to cover a funeral live through a blog site. Where is the respect for the family?

The mistake that Rocky Mountain News made shows a lack of respect from those who are grieving and makes the reporter look extremely insensitive to the situation.  

As we've heard, newspapers are having a difficult time making money now that people have the internet to get news, but I hope that this isn't the direction of the journalism industry.

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BreakingViews.com enters multiple partnerships

By: Allison McNeal


A boost in confidence for online financial news.

BreakingViews.com is planning on partnering with other newspapers, magazines, and other online Web sites to appeal to a new audience.

According to Christophe Favre, executive vice president of sales and marketing for BreakingViews, "the new agreements will cover titles in the US, Canada and Australia and a national newspaper in the UK." This agreement means ending the partnership with the Wall Street Journal Europe and adding other companies such as Le Monde, El Pais, The National, La Stampa, and Singapore’s Business Times (journalism.co.uk).

This Web site will also be starting a new online site called BreakingViews Briefing, which will be a free news site that reports what has happened the day before. The public can then access the information without subscribing to the actual online site.

Another initiative this company is bringing is online news to Blackberries and other mobile devices. The company believes by expanding their news stories to mobile devices that they could lead the world with online newspapers.

This story presents a huge question: What will happen to print newspapers? Will they die out completely or chug along and attempt to gain speed?

With so many print newspapers converting to online Web sites, the newspaper industry cannot seem to keep up. Web sites, like BreakingViews.com, give financial news at the touch of a button, where print newspapers do not always write about stocks and financial news that happen each week.

Cell phones are another technological factor that are causing the newspaper business to dwindle. Most everyone has some kind of a mobile device, which can allow people to receive news even faster than the Internet.

Even though technology seems to be speeding up faster than newspapers can print a news story, many people are not complaining. If consumers are not happy with the rise of technology, they will need to voice their opinions, otherwise online newspapers will become the dominant force in newswriting.

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