Another Blow to Legacy Media Courtesy of Online Media

Why is it that many legacy media types are jumping ship to online media?

In an article I read today by Mark Glaser, he (Glaser) conducts an interview with the "dean of media critics" Howard Kurtz. It was announced this week that Kurtz would be leaving the Washington Post after 29 years to join Tina Brown's online only Daily Beast. Why, would a journalist/critic such as Kurtz, leave the Washington Post to join an online only media source that has been losing money since it started?

Well that just seems to be the growing trend among old fashioned journalists. Many of whom are leaving the traditional media market to join the ever growing online media market. Kurtz is quoted in the article as saying he "was enticed by the prospect of working with Brown, and helping to shape a start up."

Here's what I think. This move is definitely a blow to traditional media. Seeing a well known journalist make a move to a strictly online media source has to raise some eyebrows. In reality however I feel Kurtz has made a wise decision.

Online media is where journalism is heading. It is only a matter of time before we start seeing more and more print newspapers fade away due to lack of revenue and/or readership. As much as I wish this was not the case, it is.

Kurtz is all the wiser for making the jump now and getting his foot in the door before the proverbial herd follows. Whether or not Kurtz has success in this start up venture remains to be seen. If he does then great. If not then I'm sure there will be yet another online media source he could go to because lets face it, legacy media outlets are fading fast. Online media is quickly moving from the future to now. The only thing to ask now is who goes next?





Photo courtesy of Yan Arief, Flickr

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Patch Journalists Give Back to their Community

Patch journalist, Elizabeth Shemaria, takes advantage of Patch's "Give5" program to bring awareness of journalism to fifth grade students.

Patch, a community-specific news and information platform, has its professional editors, writers, photographers and videographers to participate in a program called the "Give5" program. This program allows Patch employees to give back to their community.

Patch is all about making your life better by giving you quick access to the information that is most relevant to you.

Elizabeth Shemaria, editor for Danville, CA Patch, shows this program in full swing.

Shemaria wrote an article on participating in the program by volunteering at Greenbrook Elementary. Here she taught fifth graders about writing and different types of journalism.

While she was there, she introduced different types of stories. They listened to a radio story, watched a video story and looked at an interactive timeline.

Other elements that she talked about how you can tell a story with writing and photos, and how sound and video clips reinforce your news story's credibility.

All in all, Shemaria was impressed with how much the students wanted to learn, and how much they already knew about her job.

Shemaria's contribution to her community has given insight to these fifth grade students about the basics behind what a journalist does. More about the local patch team for the Danville, CA Patch.

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