Times publisher compares the newspaper to the Titanic

New York Magazine recently asked the New York Times publisher, Arthur Sulzberger, his advice for young people wanting to get into journalism. Here is his response:

"Um, what I would tell them is the industry is in the midst of a massive transition. But the core of the fundamental job is critical. We have to re-create ourselves, but the heart of what we're going to re-create is still journalism. The way people get information is changing, but the need for information will remain constant."

I think his response is spot on. Instead of going into the "bloggers are ruining traditional media," poor us, territory, Sulzberger acknowledges that it is traditional media that needs to change to please consumers. I also like that he points out that the need for information isn't changing, that the public aren't just simply giving up on reading the news.

He also uses a great analogy for the fate of physical newspaper:

"What was the critical flaw to the Titanic?," he asked NY Magazine. "Even if the Titanic came in safely to New York Harbor, it was still doomed. Twelve years earlier, two brothers invented the airplane."

The Washington Post is in for some competition

The Huffington Post got hold of a memo from Politico's publisher, Robert Allbritton, announcing to Politico staff that he is launching a local DC news site that is hoping to compete with the Washington Post. I wonder how the Post will feel about the new competitor being run by former Washingtonpost.com editor Jim Brady?

The memo says that they will be merging "the current WJLA.com and News8.net websites into a site whose aim is to set a new standard for media coverage of local news, with a staff of more than 50 people."

Read the rest of the memo on the Huffington Post here.

"the age of the amafessional" - Wall Street Journal

Despite using the questionable term "amafessional," this article on bloggers for the Wall Street Journal is surprisingly positive. While acknowledging the threat they pose to almost all professions, the writer says that bloggers, with their talents, are providing trained professionals with some strong competition. The article ends on this note:

"In recent years we've experienced the growth of the professional class as the nature of work and American aspirations have shifted. But now come the amafessionals, who could produce even greater growth."

Side note: The article quotes a recent op-ed in the New York Times saying that the "shuttering of Gourmet [magazine] reminds us that in a click-or-die advertising marketplace, one ruled by a million instant pundits, where an anonymous Twitter comment might be seen to pack more resonance and useful content than an article that reflects a lifetime of experience, experts are not created from the top down but from the bottom up." - Harsh

Censoring Twitter?

In keeping with today's discussion on censorship, check out this article on Mickey Kaus's blog, Kausfiles, for Slate. In the article, Kaus wonders why Twitter searches on celebrities almost always turn up positive "tweets". Is there absolutely no criticism against celebrities on Twitter?, he asks. Infact, insulting "tweets" against celebrities are dissapearing from search results. Kaus argues that, perhaps, Twitter "curates" the comments (deletes negative tweets) to look after the celebrities.

Why?

Well Kaus, citing Nicole LaPorte's article in The Daily Beast, points out that celebrity publicists have connections at Twitter HQ, and suggests that:

"Celebrity Twitterers like Milano, Moore and Kutcher have been very important to Twitter's growth. They take care of Twitter. Twitter takes care of them. At least that would be the equation"

While this could just be Kaus' own conspiracy, I wouldn't be suprised if it turned out to be true...

Mother Jones, Slate, The Atlantic, Wired, Propublic to join forces for investigative reporting into climate change

Mother Jones editor Clara Jeffery has revealed in an interview for Advertising Age that she is negotiating with Slate, Grist, The Atlantic, Wired, Pro Publica and others to collaborate on investigative reporting into climate change.

Jeffery reveals that the outlets are hoping to delve into bigger, ongoing climate change coverage coverage - more than they could individually pull off.

25 of the best undderated bloggers

Mediaite has put together a list of 25 of the best underrated bloggers that readers should know about.

The site says:

"If they aren’t themselves household names in a few years, the odds are good that they will continue to smartly analyze the news, break stories, serve as role models for others, and put their stamps on the flow of information far beyond the Internet."

The article explains why Mediaite has chosen each blog. This is definitely an article Indy Media students should check out.

Authors — once an elite minority — will soon be a majority.

An article on Seed Magazine discusses the finding of a recent study on authorship. The study, which claims to be the first of its kind, compared the number of published authors since 1400 to now.

To be considered published, an author’s text (book, magazine, journal and now more recent social media – blogs, Facebook, and Twitter), must have been read by at least 100 people.

The two researchers, Denis G. Pelli and Charles Bigelow, found the number of published authors per year increased nearly tenfold every century for six centuries, and that by 2000 there were 1 million book authors per year.

But now authorship, with the advent of new media, is growing nearly tenfold each year. The graph predicts that by next year 1 percent of the world’s population will by publishing and that nearly 10 percent will be the following year. If the “twitter-author curve” proves to be accurate, every person will publish by 2013.

The researchers state that even if they were to change the criteria for publishing to texts that were read by 1,000 readers, it would only delay the predicted 100 percent participation by a year under their model.

While many of you might cringe at all this data, the study shows how media participation is becoming an everyday part of society. It is evidence to support, in the authors words, “[that] our society is changing from consumers to creators.”

Interview with Paul Krassner of the Realist

Image courtesy of The Rag

For my research into alternative newspapers of the '60s counterculture I stumbled across an interview with Paul Krassner, the creator of the Realist. The interview is from February this year in The Sun Magazine. It's great to hear what he has to say about his experiences of the underground press, and also just to see what he is up to these days. The interviewer asks some good questions about being an editor and publisher and maintaining credibility.

Political bloggers

With the popular political blogs backed major media outlets, Michah L. Sifty from Tech President asks if the days of independent political bloggers is over. Read the article here.

A bit of Monday narcissism

Here is an article I wrote about fashion and culture bloggers for an independent fashion site, Melbourne Street Fashion.

There is nothing wrong with getting a bit of online lovin’. But as tempting as Matchmaker and RSVP can be on a lonely winter’s night, it’s not the various seedy online dating sites that we’re all falling for – it’s our great Australian fashion bloggers.

You stumble across them after hours of browsing the tedious copycats or egocentric duds. You judge them on what they have to offer, go back for some more, and, the next thing you know, you’re getting all anxious when you haven’t heard from them in a few days.

With the newspaper in its deathbed, the magazine has been given the all clear. But so often when picking up the latest issue of your favourite glossy, you may notice that 80 percent of it is ads, that there are runway reports from shows that were months ago, and that all the trends seem outdated. And it’s this which seems to make the newest phenomenon of fashion blogging make all the more logical sense.

To read the rest of the article click here

Get some articles published!

Again, this post is for people in Indy Media interested in writing for an independent fashion website. I just stumbled across Style Sample Magazine whose main focus is to give fashion bloggers an opportunity to get published. As well as writing for them, you can be featured in the magazine, which profiles up-and-coming bloggers. Check it out and hopefully you will get a chance to build up your portfolio or get exposure.

About Style Sample Magazine

"Style Sample Magazine is a free digital magazine for and about fashion bloggers. The magazine contains articles and editorial stories featuring a diverse array of well known and up-and-coming fashion bloggers and independent online entrepreneurs in the fashion and beauty space.You'll also find tips and information about technology, promotion, marketing, design, content creation, and networking communities as they relate to the needs of fashion bloggers.All content--editorial contributions, design and layout, graphics and illustration, etc.--is created by fellow fashion bloggers. Interested in contributing? Fill out the information form or contact the editor!"

Splice Today says Politico has reached a sensational low

Has the Politico turned tabloid? asks Splice Today writer Andrew Sargus Klein.

The mainstream media and gay marriage

Australian independent media website, Crikey, has an article about how the British mainstream media are not referring to a to the partner of a boyband singer who died this week as his husband. The gay couple married in 2006, yet the media refers to them as being 'partners'. The British tabloid, The Mirror, didn't even mention that he was at a gay bar when he chocked on his vomit and died. The article questions what language the media should use when the law does recognises the union as a 'civil ceremony' rather than marriage.

When assignments are due, the posts get shorter

Researching The Rag, the publication I'm profiling for our next assignment, I stumbled across a link to this article on their blog. The article, published in the the New Yorker last month, looks at whether a man was wrongly executed in Texas over arson. I just thought it was a fantastic piece of investigative feature writing if people have spare time for a read (it's quite long).

But of course he isn't an entertainer...

In an interview for the Today Show, conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh perfectly captured the need, and the reason for, alternative media. Limbaugh says:

"I'm doing my show for ratings. I want the largest audience I can get because that's how I can charge the highest advertising rates, which means what else do I want? Money."

Read the rest of the article, and watch the videos, at the Huffington Post

Murdoch's internet war

There is an article by Michael Wolff on Vanity Fair's website about how Rupert Mordoch insists readers should have to pay for his online news. With more and more people going online for news why would anyone pay for content when they can get it for free? Hopefully, this would mean readers would look for alternative news sources, and maybe increase the readership of independent media sites.

Nestle's disastrous attempt to win over influencial parenting bloggers

In an article for the Australian broadsheet newspaper the Age, Asher Moses writes about a Nestle' PR stunt to sway public opinion by way of citizen bloggers has ended up in more people than ever knowing and joining the anti-Nestle campaign.

Read how they managed to screw up so badly here.

Would Murdoch really fire Glenn Beck?

There is a great opinion piece in the Huffington Post on how Rupert Murdoch could fire Glenn Beck. The writer, Ben Cohen, suggests that Murdoch doesn't necessarily care about politics, using examples of how he has backed different political parties based on their popularity in the past, he cares about money. With advertisers ditching Fox after Beck's allegations that Barack Obama is racist, Murdoch needs to weigh up if Beck brings enough viewers to counter the loss of advertising. My thoughts are that Murdoch will see that yes he does. In the unlikely event Beck were fired, I'm left wondering what is worse? Supporting an opinionated, and generally uninformed "journalist," or selecting content and opinion to keep advertisers happy?

Google's moral responsibility

After being called a "vampire" and undermining democracy by newspapers, Google wants to help the newspaper industry. Read Google CEO Eric Schmidt's comments on newspapers and Google's “moral responsibility” to help the industry here.

For those interested in indy fashion media

I know that a lot of students in Indy Media said that they were interested in fashion journalism. I recently did an interview with an Australian fashion blogger and I thought her answers really applied to the goals of alternative media outlets. The blogger made an interesting point that we only ever got to hear about designers that magazines deemed important, but now through blogs we are able to access everything that is out there and decide for ourselves what we like etc.

Here is a grab from the interview :

Answering the question, what inspired you to start a blog she wrote:

"I think I pretty much started it out of frustration. I was sick of reading about yet another it-girl I didn't identify with or pictures of clothes I had seen five millions times in every magazine I picked up. I knew there was a lot more out there than what magazine just "made us" read, and I wanted to show a different angle: my angle. Write about what I liked, find more great designers no one seemed to talk about but that I personally appreciated, etc.."

The other side...

If you want to hear some of the arguments against independent media outlets read this article on Slate. In the article, Jack Shafer questions alternative media outlets' business models, asks whether independent outlets are inclined to cover the interests of their "donors", and says that the
students working for free at the Area News Project Berkeley is "slave labor." Whether you agree or not it's interesting to read arguments out there which question just how moral independent media outlets really are.

The future of photojournalism

Photograph: David Dare Parker, guest speaker at the conference

The future of print journalism is often discussed in the media, but what about the future for photojournalists? Is there still a career opportunity here? Are photojournalists still needed when citizen journalists providing video and still images of news events that would be near impossible for journalists to have gotten? At a recent conference in Sydney, Australia, photojournalists gathered to hear about their possible fate. Photojournalists were told about the importance of having multimedia skills and freelancing so that they could be where the citizen journalists are. There is a good summary of the event on the Walkley Foundation's website here.