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Nieman Reports | Taking the Big Gulp
"Before the Web existed, there was (and still is) the Internet. From the get-go, the Internet was a solution-oriented medium: Ask a question, get an answer. And it was an interactive medium: No longer were you sitting back and waiting to be told what you needed to know. You asked the question. The Internet was participatory: You and all of those other people out there were connecting—and sharing and talking—with everyone else.
Along came the Web, and not only were these basic traits—solution-oriented, interactive and participatory—expanded with new technologies, but other facets emerged. Rather than go through the chronology, here are the characteristics as they apply to news organizations: "
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Before the Web existed, there was (and still is) the Internet. From the get-go, the Internet was a solution-oriented medium: Ask a question, get an answer. And it was an interactive medium: No longer were you sitting back and waiting to be told what you needed to know. You asked the question. The Internet was participatory: You and all of those other people out there were connecting—and sharing and talking—with everyone else.
Along came the Web, and not only were these basic traits—solution-oriented, interactive and participatory—expanded with new technologies, but other facets emerged. Rather than go through the chronology, here are the characteristics as they apply to news organizations: -
Solution-Oriented Stories: No longer can news organizations just point out the problem. They've got to address a solution, including looking at other communities that have solved the problem.
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Follow The Developments In Iran Like A CIA Analyst - The Atlantic Politics Channel
I've overdone this metaphor, but I really do see the panoply of sources we have about Iran as an intelligence service to the masses.
We've got reliable Humint -- on the ground sources. We've got open-source reports from broadcast and newspaper media. We've got analysis, in the form of great aggregation by smart observers. We lack, um, signals intelligence, but Twitter is really a form of SIGINT, isn't it? There's plenty of misinformation out there, like rumors that Ahmadinejad is going to stage an assassination attempt, so we need to be careful about how we judge the information. If we're a savvy analyst, we need to be careful about the weight we attach to photographs and video accounts. They're the most immediate and emotionally powerful, but they can distort our understanding of the situation, particularly of about the importance of specific developments.
MediaShift . Building the Ideal Community Information Hub | PBS
Problem: Where can people find the local information they need, whether it's about a school board meeting, a new construction project or a nearby robbery? Solution: A community hub, with all the information aggregated in one online source and pushed out via libraries, in-person meetings, community radio, small run print publications and cable access TV.
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Problem: Where can people find the local information they need, whether it's about a school board meeting, a new construction project or a nearby robbery? Solution: A community hub, with all the information aggregated in one online source and pushed out via libraries, in-person meetings, community radio, small run print publications and cable access TV.
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8 Steps to Build the Ideal Community Information Hub
1) Crack open government data and access.
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MediaShift Idea Lab . Maps for Social Change and Community Involvement | PBS
2008 was the year of aggregating data related to local communities and displaying that information on maps. Knight News Challenge grantee EveryBlock, for example, labored to convince city governments to make their data more open and accessible, and then created a beautiful map interface to display what is happening where in real time.
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2008 was the year of aggregating data related to local communities and displaying that information on maps. Knight News Challenge grantee EveryBlock, for example, labored to convince city governments to make their data more open and accessible, and then created a beautiful map interface to display what is happening where in real time.
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Other examples of projects which have set out to add geographic locations to information found on the internet, and to display that information on map interfaces, include outside.in, WikiMapia, Flickrvision, HousingMaps, Oakland Crimespotting, and hundreds of others.
Many of these projects also make their data available in KML format, which is what Google Earth uses to overlay information on a rich three dimensional interface of our planet. By selecting multiple layers in Google Earth and zooming in on a single neighborhood block, I can quickly filter through what information is most relavant to me including recent photos taken by Google Street View and live streaming webcams aggregated by Webcams.travel.
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FrontlineSMS: Instantly turn your mobile phone and computer into a communications hub
WHAT IS FRONTLINESMS?
This is an image of a woman checking a text message she has received from someone using FrontlineSMS in Korea. FrontlineSMS is used by many NGOs in Asia.
FrontlineSMS is free software that turns a laptop and a mobile phone into a central communications hub. Once installed, the program enables users to send and receive text messages with large groups of people through mobile phones. What you communicate is up to you, making FrontlineSMS useful in many different ways.
MediaShift Idea Lab . Going Beyond SMS for Cheaper Cell Phone Journalism in Africa | PBS
This is part of the reason why Mxit, an instant messaging/chat room type application is so popular in South Africa, and elsewhere on the continent. Any instant messaging system, or email-based medium uses data connections and not voice/SMS transmission routes. Costs are a tiny fraction, per message, of the cost of SMS.
That's also why, in Grahamstown, as part of the Iindaba Ziyafika citizen journalism project, in addition to using SMS to send and receive citizen-generated news/photos and information, we are also exploring the use of social networking sites, including Mxit and Facebook, to get stories and photos to the local community newspaper, Grocott's Mail, and Grocott's Mail online.
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This is part of the reason why Mxit, an instant messaging/chat room type application is so popular in South Africa, and elsewhere on the continent. Any instant messaging system, or email-based medium uses data connections and not voice/SMS transmission routes. Costs are a tiny fraction, per message, of the cost of SMS.
That's also why, in Grahamstown, as part of the Iindaba Ziyafika citizen journalism project, in addition to using SMS to send and receive citizen-generated news/photos and information, we are also exploring the use of social networking sites, including Mxit and Facebook, to get stories and photos to the local community newspaper, Grocott's Mail, and Grocott's Mail online.
In Italy, An Earthquake Tests Social Media | Personal Democracy Forum
It was 3.32AM (01.32 GMT, EDT Sunday) when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in Abruzzo, a quake-prone region in the center of Italy, killing 150 people and causing severe damages to several cities. The epicenter was about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of Rome.
Surprisingly, it took one hour and a half for the news to be reported by national television and more than three hours before the main newspapers did the same in their online edition.
People awakened by the quake used Twitter to spread the news even before news agencies. For a couple of hours Twitter was the only source available to Italian people to share news and information and, most of all, try to contact friends and relatives living in Abruzzo.
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It was 3.32AM (01.32 GMT, EDT Sunday) when a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in Abruzzo, a quake-prone region in the center of Italy, killing 150 people and causing severe damages to several cities. The epicenter was about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northeast of Rome.
Surprisingly, it took one hour and a half for the news to be reported by national television and more than three hours before the main newspapers did the same in their online edition.
People awakened by the quake used Twitter to spread the news even before news agencies. For a couple of hours Twitter was the only source available to Italian people to share news and information and, most of all, try to contact friends and relatives living in Abruzzo.
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For the first time social networks also played a role during the whole day spreading information about ways to make donations and give blood, food and help (Italy's Civil Protection agency reported at least 1,500 injured and 50,000 without shelter).
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Beyond Twitterfeed: Innovative uses of Twitter in the newsroom :: 10,000 Words :: multimedia, online journalism news and reviews
As many newsrooms have discovered, Twitter is a great way to break news as it happens and to share stories with a large audience as they are made available. However, many news organizations fall into the trap of simply posting links to stories with no context and no interaction with their followers, thereby turning Twitter into a glorified RSS feed. That is the old media way of disseminating the news, one that won't survive. What follows are examples of newsrooms embracing Twitter as a new media, Web 2.0 way of spreading and sharing the news and listening in return.
One of the simplest ways to increase reporter interaction with communities is to sign up as many as are willing for Twitter and have them cover and share news on their beat with Twitter followers. In order to make it easier for readers to find their favorite reporters, many news organizations, including the Austin American-Statesman, Cincinnati Enquirer, Grand Island Independent, and Des Moines Register (pictured below) have set up landing pages for potential followers to find every tweeting journalist or news section in one place.
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As many newsrooms have discovered, Twitter is a great way to break news as it happens and to share stories with a large audience as they are made available. However, many news organizations fall into the trap of simply posting links to stories with no context and no interaction with their followers, thereby turning Twitter into a glorified RSS feed. That is the old media way of disseminating the news, one that won't survive. What follows are examples of newsrooms embracing Twitter as a new media, Web 2.0 way of spreading and sharing the news and listening in return.
One of the simplest ways to increase reporter interaction with communities is to sign up as many as are willing for Twitter and have them cover and share news on their beat with Twitter followers. In order to make it easier for readers to find their favorite reporters, many news organizations, including the Austin American-Statesman, Cincinnati Enquirer, Grand Island Independent, and Des Moines Register (pictured below) have set up landing pages for potential followers to find every tweeting journalist or news section in one place.
MediaShift . California Wildfire Coverage by Local Media, Blogs, Twitter, Maps and More | PBS
The last few days have shown that online resources, social media, and collaboration on the Net can make a huge difference in a natural disaster. As the wildfires have spread in Southern California, the evacuees and local residents have utilized the Internet not only to connect and get updated information; they have used it to tell their stories, share photographs and video of the fires with the outside world.
Probably the most heartening aspect of the online coverage is the way that mainstream media and individual citizen journalists have worked together
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The last few days have shown that online resources, social media, and collaboration on the Net can make a huge difference in a natural disaster. As the wildfires have spread in Southern California, the evacuees and local residents have utilized the Internet not only to connect and get updated information; they have used it to tell their stories, share photographs and video of the fires with the outside world.
Probably the most heartening aspect of the online coverage is the way that mainstream media and individual citizen journalists have worked together
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It stretches from local news sources to video on YouTube to photos on Flickr to message boards on Craigslis
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For-Profit Approach to World News at GlobalPost - NYTimes.com
Overseas reporters have been a casualty of budget-chopping news organizations, leaving an opening for the online start-up GlobalPost. But at a time when many news executives are exploring nonprofit business models to keep specialized reporting flowing, GlobalPost, which made its debut on Jan. 12, is intended to be a moneymaking venture.
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Overseas reporters have been a casualty of budget-chopping news organizations, leaving an opening for the online start-up GlobalPost. But at a time when many news executives are exploring nonprofit business models to keep specialized reporting flowing, GlobalPost, which made its debut on Jan. 12, is intended to be a moneymaking venture.
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That ad-supported reporting is only one part of the GlobalPost business plan. If it is to succeed, it will depend in part on how many people sign up for a separate paid section of the site, which was to have been available in test mode beginning last week but is now expected to go online in the coming days.
Called Passport, it offers access to GlobalPost correspondents, including exclusive reports on business topics of less interest to general audiences, conference calls and meetings with reporters, and breaking news e-mail messages from those journalists.
Passport subscribers, who pay as much as $199 a year, can suggest article ideas. “If you are a member, you have a voice at the editorial meeting,” although the site will decide which stories to pursue
Sensors, Smart Content, and the Future of News
Nick Bilton from The New York Times R&D Labs was at ETech today, talking about how NYT is preparing for the future of news delivery. His presentation explored how "sensors in every part of our lives [are] helping us aggregate smart content that is relevant to the device we are using".
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Nick Bilton from The New York Times R&D Labs was at ETech today, talking about how NYT is preparing for the future of news delivery. His presentation explored how "sensors in every part of our lives [are] helping us aggregate smart content that is relevant to the device we are using".
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Changes for mobile that NYT is looking at include optimizing for the increasing popularity of touch-screen devices (fueled by the iPhone) and adjusting content on mobile devices based on what the reader clicks on
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HackneyPost.co.uk | About
The Hackney Post is home to all the latest local news and views, whether here on the website or in our weekly print edition. We have every angle covered with dedicated sections for business, sport, features and arts. There are also multimedia offerings in audio or video, and our Google Map of every single story location.
The Hackney Post is run by postgraduate journalism students at City University, London. Please get in touch and let us know what you think.
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The Hackney Post is home to all the latest local news and views, whether here on the website or in our weekly print edition. We have every angle covered with dedicated sections for business, sport, features and arts. There are also multimedia offerings in audio or video, and our Google Map of every single story location.
The Hackney Post is run by postgraduate journalism students at City University, London. Please get in touch and let us know what you think.
How I want to redefine my role, and the reader’s role, in the newspaper | By Daniel Victor
If I can sell my editors on the concept, I would be the author and community manager of a new blog. My stated goal will be to have at least one originally reported story per day, usually some combination of text, photography and video. Sometimes it’ll be a three-minute video with 200-word text, sometimes it could be a great photo with 800-word text.
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Once the equipment arrives, I’ll be starting in a new position at The Patriot-News as a mobile journalist, or mojo.
What that means is, correctly, still to be determined. We do know it’ll involve video, still photography, print stories and a lot of updates for the Web. We know I’ll have a laptop and an aircard, will file most of my stories from my car and coffee shops, and will aim to be in the office as little as possible.
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If I can sell my editors on the concept, I would be the author and community manager of a new blog. My stated goal will be to have at least one originally reported story per day, usually some combination of text, photography and video. Sometimes it’ll be a three-minute video with 200-word text, sometimes it could be a great photo with 800-word text.
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Twitter to news : @JeremyLittau
Good case history of how breaking news went from rumor to verification to breaking news -- using Twitter like a police scanner
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When news sources use Twitter to follow the feeds of people in their community, they can glean what is going on in communities similar to what we have in newsrooms now, where police scanners are a window into what’s going on in the police and fire arenas.
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So in 15-20 minutes, it went from citizen tweet to verified information on the Missourian web site. This is the anatomy of using social media to break citizen news in the age of Web 2.0. News outlets still feed the Web site as the ultimate destination, but the starting point comes from a stream of discussion, and in fact uses that stream of discussion to further push the content once it’s published.
This is the police scanner at work. Rather than listening to dispatch chatter for the cop or radio channels, news outlets can subscribe to a stream of chatter from citizens in their community and mine that data for news.
Bloggasm » Original reporting featured in 13% of posts in Technorati Top 10 blogs; TechCrunch contains highest ratio
I recently surveyed all the front page posts on Technorati’s top 10 most popular blogs and found that approximately 13% of the posts involved some kind of original reporting. I loosely defined original reporting as pulling any data that wasn’t already fre
Rory O'Connor: Apture: Web 3.0 Is Now
The dream of the so-called 'semantic Web' is to use 'smart programs' to tag and link to information across media while providing context and depth to stories without human intervention. Such a deep "Web 3.0" experience is said to be just a vision on the h
Miller-McCune | Article | Deep Throat Meets Data Mining
Hamilton offers a theoretical example, taking off from EveryBlock, the set of Web sites masterminded by Adrian Holovaty, one of the true pioneers of database journalism and a former innovation editor at washingtonpost.com. If you live in one of the 11 Ame
NewsMixer: An Innovative Community News Framework - ReadWriteWeb
With the apparent death of newsprint now upon us, journalists and others in the business are struggling to come up with a new model to save their industry. One new attempt to do so is the recently launched site News Mixer developed by a group of Medill Sc
HOW TO: Track Gaza Using Social Media
As the death toll rises in Gaza, where do you turn for up to the minute information? If you’re like us, you want a mix of information from traditional media outlets and social media sites alike. You probably already know about Twitter Search, but are you
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