Monday Note

For many of us involved in the transition from digital to print media, Jim Romenesko was an early warning of what was about to happen to the industry. On his blog — always spartan — he has been gathering information at various stages of elaboration, from gossip to more fact-checked content. In his excellent column of Portfolio magazine, Howell Raines (former editor if the New York Times), recounts his virtual interview with this influential blogger, paid $170,000 a year, who scans 100 blogs a day. A “fact-free journalism” according to Howell Raines.

Related columns:

1. Murdoch’s competitive metabolism TweetOn the same subject, Howell Raines, former editor of the New York Times, reminds us of the true drive of the new owner of the Wall Street Journal: competition. In 2002, in a discussion about how to compete against the WSJ, Murdoch gave Raines a piece of advice : “You ought to hit them where [...]...
2. Substituting pennies for dollars TweetFor each dollar it gains in online advertising revenue, the New York Times looses six dollars in print ads. See the first quarter financial results released last week by the company Q1 2008 yielded a loss of $335,000 for the period compared with a net income of $23m for Q1 2007. Advertising revenue is down [...]...
3. When non-profit empowers good journalism TweetLater this month a new website, based in New York, and devoted to investigative journalism will hit the net. It bears something special : ProPublica will be the first news organization entirely and generously funded by a private foundation. Three things will make this experience interesting to watch. - First is the scope of the [...]...
4. Redefining journalism TweetWith the violently agitated context of so many platforms and of a potentially unlimited supply of agents, how do we update the definition of journalism? Where do craft or trade begin, where do they end? Inevitably, the profession reacts by circling the wagons, hoping to hold its own against hordes of writers now fragmenting what [...]...
5. Wired chief’s harsh views on future of journalism TweetChris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired and author of the Long Tail concept spoke recently at a media forum at the University of Central Lancshire (UK). His takes on evolution of journalism are blunt, but rather difficult to argue with: - As an alternative to “commodity news” that is pointless to pursue on the Internet, he [...]...