Building Trust in Journalists

Lately I have been reading a lot of about the publics distrust in media organizations, studies showing that they are at record highs. With this in mind a new website has been created for journalists called NewsTransparency.org.

This site allows the public to get to know those who produce their news better. It is comprised of “journalist profile pages”, which are different from a typical profile page

Similar to the way Wikipedia operates, anyone can add or edit information found on a page. There is also the option to write a review on the journalist, and a collection of the journalist work is available.

I think this is really great idea in today’s journalistic age. You always believe information from those who you trust. Getting to know a journalist better, and seeing what others have to say about them can help build this trusting relationship.

At the same time though, this site could ruin a journalist. Too many bad reviews or negative comments could end a career.

Another hope of the website creator is that NewTransparency.com will improve the quality of journalism by holding people accountable. 

I think this kind of program is a step in the right direction for strengthening people’s trust in today’s media.

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Photo Courtesy of Photo Bucket

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Paywalls: Newspaper's New Best Friend

Earlier this year, the New York Times set up a paywall to limit the number of free views people could have for their online articles. Many people believed this would be a complete failure thinking people would simply refuse to pay for online articles, but the New York Times has proved those non-believers wrong.

At the end of it's third quarter, released October 20, 20ll, the Times revealed a quarter of a million readers payed at least $15 to access the online content of this paper. This shows it is possible to make a profit by implementing the paywall strategy.

This is a huge success for now just the Times, but the journalism industry as a whole. Because the Times showed they could profit off their online content, it is expected that many other media outlets will follow their lead.

The success of the paywall helps ease the mind of those who believed newspapers to be a dying entity. Newspapers are not dying, they are simply evolving with the new technologies introduced to the world.

Although the paywall has the potential to benefit the journalism industry, what does this mean for readers? If other newspapers begin to charge for their online material, will readers still be able to access those breaking stories immediately? Or will this slow down the rate at which news travels?

The way in which the paywall strategy has been implemented by the Times will help keep casual readers interacting with the online content. The Times allows each person 20 views per month before they demand their payment. This allows those who are not news enthusiasts to view the few articles that catch their attention without first having to hand over their credit cards.

With it's success at the Times, it can be predicted that many other major news companies will set up paywalls similar to this one to help raise their profits. This will enable the journalism profession to keep up to speed with the fast paced world we now all live in.

photo by DRB62 from creativecommons.com

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Putting it all Together

Journalism students do vast amounts of writing throughout their college years. They dabble in a variety of formats and topics in order to gain exposure to as much as possible. Before receiving that diploma and bringing their college days to a close, they should begin to think about job hunting.

Even if you don't plan on actively searching for an employer, there is one tool that is essential for every journalist. This tool will be your best form of marketing and could even land you an interview that you don't ask for. The creation of an online portfolio is essential for any professional journalist, and perhaps even more essential for the graduating student.

This is the place where casual readers and potential employers will come across samples of your finest work. This is the place where your name can be linked to other work you have done, and where people can learn more about you. But what exactly should be in this online portfolio?

The CUNY Graduate School of Journalism gives some great advice on how to create a top-notch journalism portfolio. It mentions to only display the work you want to show off, which is great advice. If you think the article isn't great, it is likely that others interested in you will think the same thing and come to the wrong conclusions about your work. That article also advises to make the design of your portfolio your own and to set-up all your social media pages in a similar style.

An article on Poynter adds some more advise for designing your portfolio. Apart from linking to your best work, you should also link to news on the web about you. The more things you link to, the higher your portfolio will rank on search engines. Just be certain that the links are good and relevant.

Also include links to your various social media accounts, and a good sample of photos and video to add variety to the blocks of text. In today's world it is important to showcase the ability to write good stories and create multimedia that supports it.

If this course had been longer, it would have been beneficial for us to take a few weeks and develop our own online portfolios. I have heard only benefits when it comes to journalists and online portfolios. And if it helps you land your first major job, wouldn't it be worth a few hours of effort now?

Photo courtesy of creative commons.

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Where is the Money?

In 2011 the revenues from online advertising overtook print advertising. This shift signifies that more companies are placing their faith in the future of the internet, yet for the newspaper industry most of their revenue still comes in from print advertisements. But according to an article on Reuters, 46 percent of Americans get their news online at least three times a week versus 40 percent in print.

Where are the online advertising dollars for newspapers?

According to that same article most online ad spending is in search advertising, little of which finances news. Even though newspaper advertising has dropped 46 percent in the past four years, it is still more than seven times the revenue of online advertising for newspapers. Thus the print newspaper is the financial backbone that allows the newspapers to expand and explore online options.

According to a new study by Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project and Project for Excellence in Journalism, in partnership with the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, readers are willing to pay for a print newspaper but not the online equivalent. 23 percent of respondents to a survey conducted for the above study say they would pay, but no more than $5 a month. A month of receiving the Seattle Times, for example, costs $22.40 a month. Only 5% of people who currently get their news online pay for the content.

According to the Reuters article, three dozen newspapers have moved to an online pay model. Of those newspapers, only one percent of readers opted to pay for the service.

This leaves a dark shadow hovering over newspapers. If the printed news no longer becomes profitable, can they find a way to survive online? Or will the world resort to dependance upon citizen journalists who blog and tweet about the news?

Photo courtesy of Creative Commons.

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Why the New York Times Online Strategy Will Fail

If you are interested in news business, you all know that the New York Times has decided to offer online content only to those who subscribe.

The subscription is $35 per month to access the site on a computer, a smartphone and an Ipad, when it is only $15 dollars to get computer access only.

Do you think this marketing strategy will work?

Obviously, it is understandable that the New York Times is losing when people read their articles online and don't buy the print version anymore.

The New York Times hopes that the most online frequent readers will subscribe to get their news because they are used to read those online.

But the problem is that readers could still have access of New York Times articles through links all over the web. For example, news aggregators provide links that lead right to the article while keeping it free.

Some New York Times readers explain why they won't pay to access site online.

"There are other reputable sources that are free, and the editorials on the Times page, if they are worth, will be passed around via social media," says Ditto, a 29-year-old attorney.

Some people think that this is a strategy to sell more print version rather than make money online strategy. The New York Times pricing seems designed not to get people to subscribe digitally, but rather to discourage existing subscribers from canceling their print subscriptions.

Photo credits: Paris, Museum Of Arts, Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons.

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Different Types of Journalism

So I was thinking recently about all the different types of journalism. There's television; there's radio; there's newspapers; there's online; there's photojournalism.

I thought it might be a good idea to do a quick overview of all the different kinds and some specifics for each.

Broadcast journalism includes all types of journalism in which the news that is being reported is being aired or shown in some way. This obviously includes television, radio, and even podcasts and Youtube newscasts. These all include the use of voice(sound) and/or appearance(visuals) to help enhance the news that is being shown.

Print journalism includes journalism that is only found in a form that you can read, but not watch. This obviously includes newspapers, magazines, and online text publications.

Photojournalism can be utilized by both print and broadcast. It focuses on images that help enhance the news story by displaying the emotions, color, reality.

Within each type of journalism, specifically television, newspapers, and radio, there are different levels: local, national/international. There are various overlaps between these categories, but typically local news stations (like KCCI) or local papers (The Des Moines Register) focus on news that cannot be found anywhere else.
National stations and papers (Fox News, USA Today) focus mostly on news that is important throughout the company, which many times also includes national news.

Nearly all types of journalism are now catering towards online as best they can in order to attract new readers or viewers. However there are still the specifically online publications such as blogs, Youtube videos, and podcasts.

Photo credit: creativecommons.org

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Why Should We Blog?

At the beginning of enrollment in BNR class, a majority of Simpson College students had never contributed to a blog in their life.

Many students pondered about this whole blogging business at the beginning of this course. Why would we need blogs? What are we going to write about for our blogs? How are we going to know what we're blogging about is useful? How do people even use blogs?

Traditionally, blogs started out as being a sort of online diary for people across the world. However, as blogging became more popular, many businesses and journalists decided to contribute to the blogging world to gain publicly.

Blogging has helped the journalist world in all different aspects. Once writers have exposed their work online, they are easily able to catch reader's attention. In result, they can receive feedback and gain subscribers to read their daily postings.

As you continue to blog, you will notice an improvement in your writing skills. For those who have previously blogged, think back to the very first blog you wrote. Now snap back to the present. Your writing portfolio and skills have improved tremendously because of your frequent interaction with writing.

What if you aren't interested in blogging for journalist purposes and promoting business? There are still many different reasons you can post your blogs online.

One last pro of becoming a blogger is you can even make profit from blogging. A lot of people blogging have not found themselves becoming a blogger to make money, but find out later that will end up doing so.

An unknown author once said, "Blogging is the new poetry."

If you have never blogged before reading this article, please consider the benefits of blogging. Go ahead and give starting your own blog a shot.

Photo Credit: Tutor2U @ Creative Commons

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Print Dies, Journalism Lives On

Technology is rapidly advancing, and everyone must evolve with it. Just as radio stars became film stars when television was invented, journalists today must adapt from print to digital.

This article, titled "Journalism not dead, just evolving as a medium" explains that newspaper companies are making drastic changes to approach this situation.

Since 2000, print circulations have decreased by 26 percent. At the International Newsroom Summit last week, newspaper executives discussed ways to remain profitable as the decline in print continues.

Sulzberger, chairman of New York Times, stated, "We will stop printing The New York Times sometime in the future, date TBD." This article, about the conference discussed the economics of these shifts. It informs that starting in 2011, New York Times will still allow readers to access some information free, but will start charging those who use the site heavily.

As news moves from paper to the web, the number of publications charging for their online content will skyrocket. Users may be unwilling to pay for information that's free elsewhere, so companies must take caution to assure that they're accomodating their customers online.

With sites such as Flickr and Twitter and devices like the Kindle and iPad, it's possible for journalists to share news from anywhere, and for readers to access it anywhere and anytime. This instant interaction creates endless benefits for journalists.

As the article author puts it, "Though physical newspapers might soon be doomed to the fate of sheepskin scrolls, journalism itself survives as a highly marketable, in-demand
commodity." The transition from print to digital is inevitable. I believe it will be a long and complicated road, but journalism will continue strong if this evolution is handled strategically.

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SEO is More Important Than AP Style

Robert Niles of The Online Journalism Review makes a compelling point. As journalism shifts more to online content, so should the style in which it is written. So say good-bye AP style and hello SEO.

Some may wonder, what is SEO? SEO stands for search engine optimization. This allows readers to find you based on the information they are searching for, instead of you going to readers through ads.

Instead of you ad just popping up at random, it will pop up because you have posted something with several keyword matches the potential reader has been searching for.

SEO techniques help to provide clear cut writing that stays to the point and on topic. It also helps to frequently reference words and phrases that match the articles topic.

This would be great if, like AP style, there was a book to tell writers how to do this effectively. One day though, SEO might just be the new AP style and taught to journalism students through out the country.

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