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Archive for October, 2009

The politics of a magazine: Where print and online overlap

In Russia, journalism, media, newspapers, online content on October 26, 2009 at 6:20 am

Visit NYTimes.com and you will see  what is believed to be one of the biggest advantages of online newspapers—the easy navigation between different sections. The sidebar on the left-hand side enables readers to select news on topics varying from travel and technology to business and fashion.

Visit the Russian Itogi.ru and you will recall what it was like to read a print newspaper. With no topic sidebars, readers have to scroll down to the bottom if they want to read about arts and entertainment or sports.

The Web site design, like the newspaper lay-out, determines the reader’s behavior, highlighting certain news and undermining others. When all article suggestions are listed on top, people are empowered to choose the news they want to read. This freedom for individual selection and trust in the reader’s judgment reinforce a set of democratic values. When no article suggestions appear on the main Web page, however, the public is forced into a less democratic reading behavior. Then, people follow an already established news hierarchy that very much reminds of  reading the print press where you have to list through pages five and six to read the article on page eleven.

For better or worse, the New York Times as well as many other mainstream American publications, such as Newsweek and the Economist, have chosen the first model. The Russian Itogi, however, is one of the few publications that adhere to the second model. Could that be related to the magazine’s history?

Itogi, Russia’s first news magazine, was launched in March 1996 by editor in chief Sergei Parkhomenko and deputy editor Masha Lipman. It partnered with the New York-based weekly magazine Newsweek. In 2001, Itogi, which means “results” in Russian, experienced tremendous turmoil as the publisher fired the entire staff under the excuse of personnel cuts. The real reason for the cuts, however, was closely related to the Kremlin’s control. As Lipman wrote in a Newsweek article, “After a year of attacks, the government’s surrogates finally took it over.” Kremlin could no longer allow its enemy, tycoon and media conglomerate Vladimir Gusinsky, to own this independent and liberal press. That same year Newsweek canceled its partnership with Itogi.

Whether Itogi’s history is related to its current Web page design might be overblown. But asking online readers to browse through the economics and health news before reaching the technology and sports sections definitely says something about the magazine’s politics.

Photo credit: mfophotos

Micropayments and the newspaper business

In advertising, journalism, media, newspapers on October 22, 2009 at 2:49 am

“There is a desperate need for innovation in publishing,” said Larry Marion, CEO and Editorial Director of Triangle Publishing Services Co yesterday in my multimedia journalism class. A writer and editor with over 30 years of experience in publishing, Marion gave a guest lecture about the new business models in journalism.

Having worked at BusinessWeek, Forbes and Software Magazine, among other places, Marion was passionate to give us the insider view of the publishing business. Publishing is facing a secular decline, he told us, and the present economic models cannot sustain the industry.

“What is the most important role of journalism?” Marion asked each of us before he began his presentation. Informing the public, breaking news, providing local information and unearthing social injustices were some of the answers we gave. Marion wrote all of them on the blackboard, turned around with his hand pointing up and down the list, and said, “If you don’t make money, nothing else matters.”

Though the Internet ranks third after newspapers and TV in advertising share, Marion expects to see a crossover two years from now. Online, vendors see a clear Return On Investment (ROI) as opposed to the obscure data provided by print and broadcasting. The potential for pay-for-performance advertising on the Web is beyond the capabilities of traditional media. Online, analyses of target markets provide tempting ROI statistics about specific marketing initiatives. “You show me your numbers, and if they are good enough, I will buy an ad,” Marion said.

Yet, the typical newspaper makes only 10 percent of its revenues through online advertising. How can we make this business model sustainable?

Micropayments, Marion said, are one way to look at the future of online newspapers. Readers see the beginning of an article for free and decide whether they want to keep reading. If they click on the “Read More” button, they make a payment of, say, five cents. Individually, it is a small enough sum that won’t fundamentally change the readers’ behavior. In totality, it is a big enough sum that will pay staff.

Micropayments introduce us to one business model that might prove viable in the newspaper industry. Standing at the threshold of the new media era, eventually we will have to choose a sustainable economic solution because, as Marion said,  “As a journalist, I want to see that my work has value.”

Photo credit: dichohecho

Do blogs constitute original journalism?

In blogging, journalism, new media technologies on October 19, 2009 at 9:15 pm

On Dec. 5, 2002 Mississippi Senator Trent Lott outraged bloggers when he gave a startling speech at Strom Thurmond’s birthday party. Lott wished that Thurmond, known for his pro-segregation platform, had won the 1948 presidential race. Bloggers like Joshua Marshall and Duncan Black held Lott responsible for his statement and prompted the critical response of the mainstream media. Fifteen days later, Lott resigned as a Senate majority leader.

This story illustrates that professional journalists are no longer alone in watching the public sphere and reporting the news. As the cost of communication tools collapsed, bloggers have joined them in this endeavor. Citizens are covering local events and unearthing stories underrepresented in the mainstream media. They have assumed the journalists’ role of bearing witness and spreading news. They haven’t, however, accepted, the journalists’ responsibility of fully investigating and verifying their stories. Do blogs then constitute original journalism?

This question has long busied Big Media and sharpened its interest in the blogosphere. Traditionally, media has supported a one-to-many broadcasting model in which readers act as consumers of information. Now that the community wants to collaborate in the newsgathering and production process, however, Big Media feels threatened. “CNN.com prefers to take a more structured approach to presenting the news. We do not blog,” a CNN spokesman told the Online Journalism Review in 2003.

Despite this resistance to innovate, mainstream media has recognized the increasing role of blogging. It reinforces democratic values as it enables new voices to contribute a richer set of news stories. While Big Media lacks the resources to cover many local and smaller-scale events, citizen activists gladly accept this task. “My newspaper,” wrote Gillmor in We the Media, “does the best job it can in covering local news, but we can’t do it all.” Amateurs equipped with new media tools can bear witness and tell the world about their community activities. On the Web, publishing space, broadcasting time and editorial judgment cannot restrict them.

Nor do bloggers face the challenge of the standard news cycle. After Lott delivered his speech, for instance, bloggers kept the story alive until the mainstream media picked it up. Once the 24-hour lifetime of the story had passed, it became old news for the press. In the blogosphere, however, it remained just as important. “The bloggers kept researching the story. Over time, more and more instances of the same ‘misspeaking’ emerged,” wrote Stanford law professor Lawrence Lessing in Free Culture. Eventually, Lott responded to the accusations and gave Big Media the news-worthiness it needed to take up the story.

Lott’s speech wasn’t the first story bloggers brought to the traditional newsroom. In 1998, Matt Drudge broke the news of the affair between then-president Bill Clinton and White House intern Monica Lewinsky. While Newsweek held the story to verify last sources, Drudge posted it on his news aggregation site The Drudge Report. Three days after he had written about the affair, Newsweek published the story and prompted other media to follow suit. The Lewinsky scandal demonstrates the changing dynamics between technologically empowered communities and professional reporters.

Yet, the story raises some serious ethical questions in journalism. While it follows a bottom-up model of news dissemination, blogging also overlooks the importance of source verification. In 2004, in his attempt to break news, Drudge spread rumors about a non-existent affair between John Kerry and intern Alexandra Polier. Mainstream media outlets like Time magazine, the Wall Street Journal and the Associated Press had investigated the story and dismissed it as untrue. Drudge, however, ran with it without verifying the accounts of his source, a computer programmer known as Stephen VanDyke.

Thus, producing and disseminating news is not enough to make a reporter out of the blogger. In order to constitute true journalism, blogging needs to inherit all journalistic elements, including a standard ethics code.

Image credit: Kristina B

Ask for recommendations the painless way

In college, education, jobs, new media technologies, online content on October 12, 2009 at 9:56 pm

Asking for recommendations has always been out of my comfort zone. But asking the same people for multiple recommendation letters seems worse than gulping a shot of honey mustard (and I equally dislike both honey and mustard). That is why I felt truly relieved when I found out about Interfolio.com, an online service for dossier and credentials.

The website enables users to store and repeatedly distribute confidential academic and professional credentials. In other words: you ask for a recommendation letter once, the writer uploads it to Interfolio for free, and you can send it to multiple institutions digitally or in print. Sounds so simple, right? Yet, the site came to existence only in 1999 and has been gaining popularity in recent years.

In addition to saving letters of recommendation, the Interfolio community can also build online portfolios and send other application materials worldwide. That is why it is particularly useful to people in higher education and in search of job opportunities.

Naturally, applicants need to pay for all these services. It costs $19 for a one-year account, $39.90 for a three-year account and $57 for a five-year account. Although I won’t pay $1 to listen to Pandora radio for a month, I am willing to pay $40 for using Interfolio for three years. Now this is an investment worth its money!

Photo credit: FotoRita [Allstar maniac]

How fast can you untag this?

In college, facebook, online content, social media on October 8, 2009 at 4:23 am

Scandalous photos of drunk girls and the question “How fast can you untag this?” made the most capturing on-campus event flyer this week. Posted on bulletin boards in various academic buildings, the flyers promoted “Sloppy’s Never Sexy,” an event about the harmful effects of excessive drinking.

It is no longer only you and your college buddies who will know about your inappropriate behavior—now it is all your Facebook contacts who will see you acting like a fool. “Don’t Let Your Face Become Fair Game,” read another flyer from the series, emphasizing that your reputation is at stake on photo-sharing Web sites.

As immoderate alcohol consumption in college is a frequent phenomenon, student organizations ask young people to drink responsibly. The Network, one of my college’s largest student organizations, achieved this goal. It attracted long lines of students to its educational event by showing the effects of public humiliation and offering discounts to the largest on-campus party.

Naturally, there is a difference between promotion and incentives. While publicity aims to capture your attention, incentives actually call you to action. In this respect, the Network achieved both its goals. It used to its advantage people’s familiarity with social media and, in particular, obsession over Facebook pictures. But it also offered the student body perks to participate in the event.

Photo Credit: Bistrosavage