New York Times Paywall

As everyone knows, The New York Times paywall went into place for online content March 28th.

Recently, I gave a group presentation on the paywall activation. One thing that really stands out to me is that the cheapest option for The New York Times readers is to get a print subscription. If someone has a print subscription the online access is still free. So why not go with that option?

When talking to fellow classmates about the online costs, it seemed like an overwhelming majority of the students wouldn't pay for online access. And not only to The New York Times, but to any print newspaper or magazine they might read.

Our generation and others expect news to be free, so most people are not willing to pay for it. If publications impose paywalls, that will send the average person elsewhere to where they can still get it free.

Not only were students close-minded about the idea of having to pay for online content, they also said they wouldn't pay for Facebook. This surprised me, but they had good logic behind it. If no one was on Facebook anymore because they were unwilling to pay, then why stay on Facebook if no friends are?

In my opinion paywalls at most publications will not work. Publications like the Wall Street Journal have been able to enforce paywalls since they have material not found elsewhere, and a dedicated following.

Newspapers like USA Today, The New York Times, or other national newspapers may have trouble with paywalls, but I am looking forward to see how this pans out.

Photo Credit: New York Times via Creative Commons

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Voice to Text

A new article on Technology Review discussed the upcoming Google Chrome browser version that will be able to translate voice into text entirely on the Internet.

The article notes that there are still many problems getting the software to work reliably and not turn sentences into random jumbles of letters, but the browser is also in its early beta stage where bugs are ironed out and refinements are made.

The applications for journalists in all of this are endless. Many phones already have considerable support for voice commands and recognition, but an actual web browser capable of doing so means that any access to the Internet means a journalist can dictate entire portions of a story or notes on the fly.

Reporters might not have to glance down when taking notes and can instead focus all of their attention on the events happening in front of them. Computers might be able to transpose speeches for them.

At any rate, technology like this can be a real game changer for everyone involved, and journalists will have to keep an eye open to make sure it doesn't take them by surprise.

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Two British Journalists Suspected of Phone Hacking

Two tabloid journalists suspected of phone hacking were released on bail last night.

Neville Thurlbeck, chief reporter for the tabloid newspaper News of the World, was questioned voluntarily at Kingston police station.

Ian Edmondson, former news editor of the same paper, was questioned separately at Wimbledon police station. Neither man has been charged.

The two men are accused of illegally intercepting voice mail messages left on cell phones. The two men allegedly were involved in a large scheme to tap into cell phones of movie stars, professional athletes and other celebrities, even including the royal family.

Another former reporter for the paper has already served jail time for accessing messages left by Prince William and Prince Harry.

The entire case has been embarrassing to both the British police and the government.

News International, publisher of the News of the World, said, "we will not tolerate wrongdoing and continue to cooperate fully with police."

Celebrities who claim that their cell phones have been hacked include Sienna Miller and former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott. The News of the World is currently the subject of several breach-of-privacy lawsuits.

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World Press Freedom Day

Considering the recent conflicts in the Middle East and in Northern Africa, and considering all of the journalists who have been restricted, had their rights confiscated or lost their lives, World Press Freedom Day this year is a significant event.

May 3 is the date, and you can expect to see papers across the world commemorating the special day. A special bundle of editorials and other news material will be made available from WAN-IFRA, or the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers.

According to Editor's Web Blog, the material's function is "to remind readers of the central role a free press plays in democracy and in economic, cultural, social and political development."

The slogan for this year's event is "Silence Kills Democracy but a Free Press Talks." The words ring out with a special importance this year.

The website for the WAN-IFRA is filled with other ideas for newspapers who want to join in the efforts to remind people everywhere of what the press allows democracies to accomplish.

This year, there has been a special challenge issued to newspapers worldwide. The WAN-IFRA has asked newspapers to run the first page of their papers without any text, showing only white space to demonstrate what the world would be missing without free press.

If you unwrap your newspaper on May 3 and are shocked to see no text, remember what it symbolizes. Without news resources and journalists to give the content, the world would be very different- and inarguably worse off.

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Mistakes

Everyone makes mistakes, including journalists too. Although some mistakes may seem minor, they are all important because you can learn from them in the end.

The worst mistake that a journalist can make is to spell names wrong in some peoples opinions. Irene Epstein asks, "How would you like it if the newspaper misspelled your name?" She follows this rule so close to heart that if one of her students misspells a name they get 0 for that assignment. Another mistake with names is mixing up the names.

The next big mistake is to misquote someone. It is important to get what they say correct, especially since it is worth quoting in the first place.

Another mistake is mixing up the facts. Although, it may seem like a minor detail it could make or break the story.

The last common error I am going to bring up is AP Style Book errors. Typing email instead of e-mail or not capitalizing or capitalizing a word.

The most important part of making a mistake is correcting it as soon as you know it is wrong. This will keep you a crediable and respected journalist.

"Mistakes are part of being human. Appreciate your mistakes for what they are: precious life lessons that can only be learned the hard way. Unless it's a fatal mistake, which, at least, others can learn from." -Al Franken "Oh, the Things I Know" 2002

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Come One, Come All!

Have you ever wanted to connect with other journalists? Have you ever wondered why social media has not yet embraced this idea? Worry no more.

According to a report from Mashable, the use of Facebook in the newsroom is no longer obsolete. The page, Facebook for Journalists, allows media-driven people to connect with others in a way which no other site as done before. Although the number of journalists on Facebook isn't monumentally dominant, this page allows those who want to connect with other writers and broadcasters do just that.

The growth of the world's leading social network in the world of journalism was only a matter of time. Everything in media has to adapt nowadays in order to stay successful. The advantages Facebook presents in the news world are great. It can be a landmine of sources, it can help you share your story, fill a reporter's toolbox with new opportunities, and can be distributed in newer ways in which the original forms could not.

Using this new venture can help us all as media students tremendously. The power of networking, to me, is very undersold to college kids like us. If all of us "like" the Journalists on Facebook page, it may open brand new doors that we may never have imagined. I ask that you do go like the page and explore it, because if you love journalism as much as I do, then you'll appreciate what this newbie can do for your vocation as well.

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Some Tips for Future Journalists

So seeing as we are all in BNR together, we are technically all journalism students.

I have been thinking recently about some ways that we could improve our chances of getting a job once out of college, and I ran across this article with a list of tips on how to improve our future success.

The main tip I took from this article is to utilize campus opportunities. This includes everything from on-campus media to internships to talking to professors and upper classmen.

By joining on-campus media, it will give you a chance to get hands-on experience before being tossed out into the professional world, which can give you a boost in the job market over those who did not get involved in on-campus media.

Internships can also help boost your status in the job market, and they can help you create a network, which is another essential part of being a future journalist.

Networking can be enhanced by getting to know your professors and upper classmen as well. By learning from the experience of those who have already been through the media and been involved with it can be very helpful to learning how to do and how not to do things in the future.

The other tip that I found very essential is to have an open mind. Without a willingness to learn new things, especially such things as how to use new media, you are much less likely tobe successful than if you immerse yourself in new media.

For more tips, and more in-depth discussion of the tips that I have mentioned, be sure to visit the article posted above.

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Social Media and Journalism

Nowadays, our society is full of technologies that help people to communicate with each other. The entire world is linked by what we call social media.

Some people and especially journalists consider social media as a source and use them to write stories.

But are social media legitimate sources to journalists?

It is fine for journalists to use social media to spread the information, but journalists should not use social media to find news or at least they have to be really careful during their process.

In journalism, there are six basics sources that can be find through social media

-Newsmakers: people who cause a story to happen

-Spokespeople: people who represents other people

-Experts: specialist in one or several fields that are related to the story

-Official records

-Reference material: online or library sources

-Ordinary people

The last source is the one journalists should be wary.

Indeed, anyone can create a fake story simply to attract attention. That is one power of social media: create a buzz to reach popularity.

It is easily understandable that journalism will become more and more dependent on social media, just as society became dependent of them.

News companies create social websites where people can chat and comment the news.

This is a revolution created by the emergence of the Internet and the tendency people have to use social media everyday for everything.

One day Twitter, Facebook and other social media will be considered as real sources to journalists. They are media after all.

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Edit Efficiently

After working hard on an article, the last thing you want to do is edit your story right away. Editing is viewed as a challenging task at times because not all of us know right from wrong. Therefore, I am going to share with you some tips about how to make editing more efficient.

1.The story arc matters. It is important that you make sure you catch the viewers’ attention instantly. Make the information you are sharing appealing throughout the whole article so you don’t lose your viewers’ interest.

2.Numbers need to be specific. Using the statement “about” never clearly clarifies what you are trying to say. Therefore, be specific with your numbers so your explanation of your statistic is defined clearly.

3.Give attributions. “According to” is not a good statement to use because it is not supportive with your information. Instead, it makes readers hesitant about whether or not you are stating an actual fact. If you do use the words “according to” make sure that the company or person you name after is a known source.

4.Link to sources. When explaining a study that has shown a certain statistic, you should insert a URL address in the article, or at the end. This will then allow people to see the actual statement you are trying to explain to them.

5.Presentation/organization matters. Little random facts that are similar to the topic you are discussing in the article, but not very relevant to it should be mentioned in a sidebar of the article. Do not try to force everything to go together in one piece. Organization allows the reader to follow along easily and not get frustrated with all the clutter.

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The Battle for Journalists

Move over Twitter: Facebook is becoming more journalism friendly. While Twitter has typically been known as the focus social network for journalists, Facebook is slowly making steps to give Twitter a run for its money.

Facebook has been hard at work keeping up with the media and journalism world. Their media page, Facebook and Media, is filled with the success stories of various media organizations who have used Facebook to gain publicity or a greater audience.

One post on the page for example, reads, "Learn how Facebook helped a news station climb to the number one rating spot."

Their most recently added page Journalists on Facebook, was created to help Facebook develop a stronger tie to journalists, much like that of Twitter.

The page serves as a resource for journalists to use to help them find sources, interact with readers, and advance stories. I think this is a good move for Facebook.

Anyone would agree that journalists show more love to Twitter than Facebook, but steps like these by Facebook could definitely give Twitter a run for its money.

No matter which of the two social network journalists prefer, it is no question both have significantly helped and contributed to the world of journalism.

For more information on Facebook's new push toward journalists, visit this link. Photo Credit: Creative Commons

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No More Violence

It seems that everytime I log into my Google Reader I see articles about journalists that have been attacked, are missing, or have been killed. Is journalism really that dangerous of a profession?

What is the reason journalists are at the center of violence?

Do journalists cause trouble and that leads to attacks? I'd say no, yes there was the time of yellow journalism but that isn't what I'm getting at.

In an article on Reporters Without Borders states that in a little over a year 14 journalists have been killed in Pakistan. I then have to wonder if the murders are being commited by rebels or the general public.

To a certain extent going after journalists could be viewed as shooting the messenger. Why shoot the messenger when the messenger is only wanting to get the truth out?

No more violence. It doesn't solve problems or make the world a better place.

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R.I.P Katie Couric

After five years, Katie Couric is going to be leaving her post as CBS' evening news anchor. The reason for her departure is unknown.

CBS is currently in third place when it comes to rating the nightly news stations. Couric helped CBS achieve this position.

Averaging 6.4 million viewers a night, Couric is going to be hard to replace.

CBS believes that their ratings will jump as soon as Couric leaves. They believe a new anchor will entice more consumers to watch, but only from the beginning.

New CBS News Chairman Jeff Fager is going to be the individual responsible for replacing Couric. Many people believe that 60 Minutes, Scott Pelley is going to be the one for the job.

They believe that viewers will fall back into third place shortly after he takes the thrown. First place is currently held by NBC's Nightly News anchor Brian Williams and second place is ABC's World News anchor Diane Sawyer.

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How To Write A Great Blog

Writing a blog can be tricky. Writing a great blog can be even trickier.

The point of writing a blog is to get people to read your posts. If you are writing about boring topics then there is no way anyone will subscribe to your blog.

One important thing to remember is to write about what you know. It doesn't matter if it's a hobby you enjoy or a news story that you have kept up-to-date on. The important thing to remember is to research and report the subject well.

Using a first person voice is always a good plan. It keeps your audience engaged. They will also tend to feel like they are reading something more personal as if the blog is meant for them.

The worst thing you can do as a blogger is lie. Don't act like you know everything about your subject. You don't want to get caught up in a lie and have your readers distrust you.

If you are unsure about something look it up. If you are unable to find the answer admit that you don't know it. Your audience will respect you much more if you admit that you don't know everything then if you lie about it.

Another thing you should try to develop is a voice. Creating your own personal spin on things can make your blogs more unique and distinguishable.

By using these tips in your next blog you are bound to write your way to a large following base.

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More Sites Move to Mobile

Our generation is constantly changing the way we get our information. From newspapers, computers, smartphones, iPods and iPads now we are constantly getting news and information on the go. The demand for information and news on the go is making many sites have to move to more mobile-optimized sites to keep up with the competition.

"The businesses know they need it and see the opportunity," says Jason Spero, director of mobile for Google.

The explosive growth of mobile (1.6 billion mobile phones sold in 2010) shows how important mobile optimization is for Web businesses. But most companies have yet to take the plunge. Google says 79 percent of its largest ad customers don't have a mobile-optimized site.

The New York Times has jumped aboard recently when they announced that they are making digital subscriptions to their website and also a mobile app.

The crush of mobile consumers requires either creating a whole new site entirely or adjusting the content so it can be viewed by smartphones and tablets. This may also require them to ditch Adobe Flash software because Apple products unlike Androids can not view them.

I think it will be interesting to see how many more websites or online newspapers add mobile-optimized sites in the upcoming future. I also think it would be a good idea for media journalists and other jobs including visual creativity to learn how to make mobile-friendly sites especially if they work with graphics and photos because photos tend to get distorted and look funny when viewed on a full-site rather than a smaller version.

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Hopes For Summer

With the school year ending quickly, many students at Simpson College are lining plans up for a summer job.

Whether you are interviewing for jobs currently or getting ready to do so in the future, knowing traits employers look for beforehand helps enable your chances of getting a job.

A useful tip for a person before they even walk into an interview is having the proper attire on. Making sure you appear neat, tidy, and appropriate for the job shows you care about the way you present yourself in the work force.

Another great tip is to be assertive. Even though our days at Simpson are filled with activities that consume time, whether it's homework, class, or practice, finding 5-10 minutes out of the day to do a follow up on an application shows interest and responsibility.

Even the little things a person does in an interview can help his/her chances of getting a job.

Making sure you have good eye contact, a projecting voice, keeping your chin up, and sitting up straight during an interview does matter. Employers like seeing confidence in their workers because it shows great traits in a person such as communication and ability to develop interpersonal relationships with others.

Having a summer job also has positive impact because it helps build your resume for future jobs and internships.

When employers are looking over your past jobs, seeing that you may have experience in a field can help increase chances for a job.

Although it would be nice to lounge around this summer under the hot sun rays, having money under your name is a great way to build towards the future.

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Professionalism is for Everyone

It used to be that everyone could just assume that professionalism was something that could just be assumed, but with journalism professionalism is something that needs to be taught.

Although we have been taught as journalism students what professionalism consists of we still may feel unprepared for the world after school. Something new journalists can do in order to prepare for professionalism in the world is read the book Professionalism is for Everyone. This book provides five important ways to becoming a professional. It reinforces things such as ethics, values, and personal standards of performances.

The five different ways of becoming a professional includes: character, attitude, excellence, competency, and conduct. Each one of these ways has a lists of do's and don't's beginning at each chapter.

There are many clients that have purchased this book already, and they found many positive results already. These clients are from many different types of professional backgrounds. If they say that is has been a reliable source for them, then why wouldn't it work for you? Therefore, don't waste anymore time purchase your own copy of Professionalism is for Everyone.

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Give us the Goodies!

J-schools have a unique way of shoving it down students' throats that digital media is the way to go when it comes to the future of journalism. For most of us poor college students, buying new iPads, Kindles, and smartphones aren't always within our budget.

Here's where J-Schools can come into play.

I believe firmly that journalism programs need to put their money where their mouth is. If they want us to "believe" in digital media, then provide us with the goods. We, as students, want to know how to digitize our news. We just need a little jumpstart.

The statistics how digital use don't lie. In the State of the Media report, 84 percent of the surveyed population said they use a mobile device of some sort. In the same report, the number of tablet use is doubling by the month.

Other schools are using mobile digital media. Southern Cal's program is learning how to report news with an iPad. Abilene Christian down south was one of the first college newspapers to release their app back last April. The Iowa State Daily hopes to launch an Android and an iPad version of their paper towards mid-April.

Let us play with some new toys so we can gain an advantage. Isn't that what college professors are giving students anyway?

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A New Face to Journalism

The queen of outrageous fashion choices and bizarre performances has taken on a new identity: magazine journalist. Singer Lady Gaga announced that she will begin writing as a fashion journalist for V Magazine next month.

"Each issue, Mother Monster will put pen to the page, bringing us an editorial window into her fashion multiverse," the magazine stated.

Those who read her column will get an inside look not only at the unique character of Lady Gaga, but at her unique fashion taste and choices as well.

V Magazine promoted the column through creation of the contest entitled Drawn This Way, a play off of Lady Gaga's most recent album entitled Born This Way.

In this contest, readers and fans are encouraged to create an illustration of Lady Gaga and submit them to the magazine. The winning illustration will be featured as Lady Gaga's headshot when her column is featured in the magazine.

I think this is a good move for the magazine. As a fashion magazine, who better to have as a columnist than one of the most interesting people in the fashion industry? Lady Gaga's large, faithful fan club also known as her "monsters" will surely help her column draw plenty of attention.

Even people who may not be a fan of Lady Gaga's music will be interested in the article because of her fashion statements. Whether they like the statements or not, most people will agree that they are statements that are different and interesting.

For more information on Lady Gaga's newest career, visit this link.

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Israeli Prime Minister Fights Local Media

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a long, rocky relationship with the Israeli media.

On Tuesday, March 29th, Netanyahu filed $300,000 libel suits against an Israeli TV station and a newspaper over reports of his excessive lifestyle.

Although these reports are on incidents that allegedly occured during Netanyahu's time in Parliament and unrelated to his term as prime minister, Netanyahu claims that they were false and reported to ridicule and humiliate him.

"[The reports] were disparaging," says an aide from Netanyahu's camp. "[They were] very hurtful and created a negative portrayal of him, depicting him as a felon."

The libel suit claims that Israel's Channel 10 falsely reported that Netanyahu failed to report financial contributions from foreign donors.

The suit against newspaper Maariv claims the newspaper reported that Netanyahu and his wife paid $17,000 for a meal abroad, as part of a pattern of extravagant behavior. Israel's State Comptroller has stated that these allegations will be investigated.

Other Channel 10 reports accused Netanyahu of allowing wealthy foreign benefactors to pay for private flights, expensive meals and luxury hotel rooms for him and his family. Other news outlets have published similar allegations. The libel suit does not address these allegations.

These reports and similar ones by other local newspapers, have seriously damaged Netanyahu's reputation. Netanyahu has responded with hostility, claiming that Channel 10 and other media outlets have begun a campaign to besmirch his name.

Aluf Benn, editor-at-large for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz Daily, believes this is largely unnecessary. "Netanyahu is portraying himself as a victim of political persecution on the part of the left-wing media," says Benn.

"[But] it's doubtful that Netanyahu will now be perceived as having ... seriously violated the rules of ethics, or that this episode will hang over the rest of his term of office."

Many Israeli journalists have long been frustrated with Netanyahu's suspicion of traditional news outlets. Rarely holding news conferences or granting interviews, Netanyahu has recently embraced YouTube, Twitter and Facebook to bypass local journalists and speak directly to the people.

As Netanyahu joins President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron in YouTube's World View project, answering questions directly through the popular video-sharing website, some journalists believe this is a way of evading questions that Netanyahu views as annoying or biased.

"He doesn't want to deal with uncomfortable questions and he doesn't like to be interrupted," said Nahum Barnea, a political columnist at the Yedoit Ahronot Daily. "There is no dialogue anymore. It's become a monologue, with no back and forth."

Netanyahu has also restricted access to foreign journalists as well. He took only four questions at his annual meeting with foreign correspondents in January and subjected many of the journalists there to invasive strip searches by security guards.

"He's constantly trying to find ways to bypass us," said Danny Zaken, chairman of Israel's press association. "We believe that every public servant should make himself available to journalists and their questions."

Despite these claims, Netanyahu's office maintains that this is not the case.

"We understand the importance of new media in the modern world - it allows the prime minister to speak to the people without filters," said spokesman Mark Regev. "But I don't think it has to come at the expense of the traditional media."

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Top 10 Twitter Users

Who is your favorite celebrity? Or how about musican? Are you following them on Twitter? The answer is most likely yes.

1. The most popular Twitter user at the moment is Lady Gaga, @ladygaga, with 9,127,120 followers.

2. The runner up for first place is teen singing sensation Justin Bieber, @justinbieber, with 8,492,294 followers.

3. Third place is pop star Britney Spears, @britneyspears, with 7,283,609 followers.

4. Fourth place twitter is President Barack Obama, @BarackObama, with 7,215,354 followers.

5. Fifth place is held by reality television star Kim Kardashian, @KimKardashian, with 6,962,871 followers.

6. What about former twitter champ Ashton Kutcher, @aplusk? He now has fallen to sixth place with 6,507,333 followers.

7. Top 40 singer Katy Perry, @katyperry, is in seventh place with 6,469,984 followers.

8. Television host Ellen DeGeneres, @TheEllenShow, with 6,301,221.

9. Country music superstar Taylor Swift, @taylorswift13, is in ninth place with 5,795,999 followers.

10. Tenth place is held none other than Oprah Winfrey, @Oprah, with 5,467,114 followers.

All of these famous people have the blue official Twitter symbol by their names verifying that is is the actual star. A notable mention is Charlie Sheen, @charliesheen, in 34th place with 3,331,387 followers. Remember that he started his Twitter account just a few weeks back. The number of followers that he has now is incredible.

If you want to search your favorite star follow the link to see the Top 100. Remember: that the numbers might be slightly off due to new followers every minute.

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