MediaShift

Legal Drama

It's Now or Never For Citizen Journalists and Federal Shield Law

by Rob Arcamona

When Sen. Charles Schumer amended the Senate's bill to exclude unpaid reporters, bloggers, and citizen journalists from a proposed federal shield law, many in the Internet and journalism community were outraged. In the wake of the change, MediaShift published an article that argued Why Bloggers and Citizen Journalists Deserve a Shield Law. [Ed. note: please see update at the bottom...

• October 30, 2009
• No comments

Thought Leader Q&A

Harold Evans Sees Bright Future for Print-on-Demand Newspapers

by Mark Glaser

Evans is the editor-at-large for The Week magazine. He has written numerous books, but his most recent is called "My Paper Chase," a fascinating memoir covering his early years as a cub reporter, copy editor and eventually editor and publisher over decades of distinguished work. He connects what happened in those early years to the changes wrought by technology and the Internet, and what he sees as he watches his wife, Tina Brown, co-found and manage The Daily Beast.

• October 29, 2009
• 1 comment

Legal Drama

Why the Future of Online Speech Depends on Net Neutrality

by Clothilde Le Coz

Late last week, the Federal Communications Commission announced it was seeking public input on draft rules that would codify and supplement existing Internet openness principles. This was another chapter in the ongoing "Net neutrality" debate. On one hand, the White House was calling for a "free and open Internet" and endorsed a bill called the Internet Freedom Preservation Act. Yet,...

• October 29, 2009
• 6 comments

MagazineShift

Did the Web Kill Gourmet Magazine?

by Susan Currie Sivek

The murder happened in the kitchen with a laptop. That possible explanation for the death of Gourmet magazine sounds like a solution from the game Clue. The 68-year-old food magazine met its end this month when publisher Condé Nast cut it and two other magazines. Some blamed Gourmet's demise on the Internet and its theft of the print audience. It's...

• October 26, 2009
• 26 comments

4MR

4 Minute Roundup: Twitter's Real-Time Search Deals; Bloomberg Rising

by Mark Glaser

Here's the latest 4MR audio report from MediaShift. In this week's edition, I look at the deals Microsoft made recently with Twitter and Facebook to incorporate tweets and status updates into its Bing search engine. Google quickly announced a deal with Twitter too, but why should we care? Also, Bloomberg bought out BusinessWeek magazine, but the jewel might well be...

• October 23, 2009
• 1 comment

Philosophy

The Right Way For Media Companies to Create Social Media Policies

by Stephen Ward

Swimming in the roiling sea of online journalism, increasing numbers of newsrooms have decided to take up the challenge of articulating editorial policies for social media. Over the past year, news organizations from the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times to the BBC have issued protocols for staff on Facebook, Twitter, and personal blogs and websites. Recently, the...

• October 23, 2009
• 3 comments

Media Usage

Kicking Ink: The Guilty Pleasures of Print

by Mark Glaser

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C. for "Public Media Camp," it happened again. I was tempted by print. Starting in May, I gave up my print newspaper subscription, and then compared how the iPhone beat the Kindle when it comes to reading periodical publications on electronic devices. My fingers have remained relatively ink-free each day because I get my...

• October 22, 2009
• 11 comments

NewspaperShift

Cats Sleeping with Dogs? Rival News Orgs Share Content, Revenues

by Craig Silverman

Next month, newspapers all over the United States will begin sharing sports stories online and in print as part of an initiative that sprung from the Associated Press Sports Editors. Then, early next year, the Washington Post and Bloomberg will unveil a new co-branded business section on the paper's website that will offer content from both organizations. These are just...

• October 21, 2009
• No comments

Public MediaShift

PubCamp Examines New Models, Philosophy for Public Media

by Jessica Clark

"Public Broadcasting has a future and its all about YOU," tweeted Jonathan Coffman at the close of this weekend's bustling Public Media Camp. Coffman, the product manager for PBS Engage, was a key organizer of the event, along with Andy Carvin, a senior strategist at NPR's Social Media Desk, and Joe and Peter Corbett, two brothers who run iStrategy...

• October 20, 2009
• 2 comments

NewspaperShift

Can Programmers, Journalists Get Along in One Newsroom?

by Megan Taylor

One of the explanations for the emergence of the programmer/journalist is the move of news organizations from print (or radio or TV) to the web. While some newspapers have gone online-only, and many are still trying to move to a "web-first" mindset, there are still newsrooms that view the web as a secondary medium. I remember when every step forward...

• October 19, 2009
• 18 comments