(via Sparrows & Spools)
Love this blog post from Glenn Gilbert.
I wouldn’t use the phrase “punched their ticket” in reference to these two teams, but Mandel did.
I don’t remember the first time my father brought a newspaper home, but I do remember that it used to happen every day. I grew up to the smell of newspaper and to the sound of a news radio. I couldn’t be anything else but a journalist, It was my dream and now that Greece is going through such tough times I don’t even come close to the thought of quitting. As an online editor, I am thrilled to cover the news real time as it happens. Given the current situation in my country, it’s almost as history in the making.
I am a journalist. And damn proud of it.
This is pure comedy…
The problem with canned TV news
Local TV-news stations across the country seem to think their viewers are having trouble with overwhelming tides of email.
It should come as no surprise that local TV news stations use a lot of canned material from syndicators. TImes are tough, and budgets thin. But a video montage aired on “Conan” last week, which has since gone viral, shows just how pervasive the practice has become, and just how indiscriminate many stations are about which reports they choose to air.
This was host Conan O’Brien’s lead-in last Tuesday night: “A lot of people think that Super Tuesday is the big story of the day. Well, judging by local news, apparently there’s an even bigger story that’s sweeping the nation right now.” The montage was then shown, with about 30 different anchors asking: “Could this be the end of email overload?” The report focuses on Shortmail, a program created by a company called 410 Labs. The product, which has been called “Twitter for email,” promises to solve the supposed “overload” problem by limiting emails to 500 characters.
At least 225 stations aired the report. It was produced by CNN Newsource, which is sort of like an Associated Press for TV news (and which, like Fortune, is owned by Time Warner (TWX)). The montage included the introductions to 30 of those reports. The hilarity grew as the well-coiffed anchors’ identical intros piled up. The report has the benefit of meeting the minimum definition of “real news.” Meaning, it wasn’t a video news release dressed up to look like an actual report; nor was it stealth product placement presented as news.
Read the entire story at Fortune.
This is why figuring out how to do journalism that reads and engages readers on phones and tablets is so important.
Excerpt of Jeff Sonderman of Poynter article called “New iPad app aggregates only long-form journalism”
The Longform iPad app aggregates editors’ picks of long-form journalism from Longform.org, as well as long stories from 25 sites known for such work, including The Atlantic, Slate, Mother Jones, and Esquire.
The essential role of an aggregator is to make choices for readers, usually about which topics, sources or issues are worth paying attention to. A new aggregation and reading app launching Wednesday for the iPad holds a different standard — length.
For most sources, the cutoff is 2,000 words, Longform co-founder Max Linsky told me, though editors can exercise discretion to include a great 1,500-word story or cut out a 4,000-word item that doesn’t belong.
you can check out the whole article at Poynter. I think it’s a great idea to highlight long form writing but the app is $4.99 and I wonder is the news companies are getting any of that. ~Chao.
(via futurejournalismproject)
Love this piece by Julia Kasdorf.
I ran 7 miles on the last day of 2011. I spent most of it thinking how lucky I am.
Lucky to live in Goshen.
Lucky to be married to the woman I am.
Lucky to be part of a community of faith.
Lucky to have a great job at a community, family-owned newspaper/news company.
Lucky to eat well.
Lucky to be able to run.
It’s not pretty. If I ate or drank less, I’d run faster.
But I keep running. People smile at the two dogs who run with me. I smile, whether they see it or not, because they’re focusing on the cutest two-thirds of the trio on the trail.
I ran right at 500 miles in 2011.
Around 100 times, I put on shoes and went for a run.
Nearly all of them were outside. I try to avoid treadmills because they remind me of belt sanders and I don’t want my feet sanded off the bottoms of my legs.
I could have run more. I could have run less. But I kept running. And I’m grateful for the life I have as a new year starts. Running is a part of that.
Awesome or scary? scanwiches:
Boxing Day Sandwich AKA Christmas Leftover: Ham, Dark Meat Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, Sweet Potato Pie, Cranberry Sauce, Santa’s Cookies, Candy Canes, On a Dinner Roll. Scanned for NOWNESS!
