Archive for the ‘Future is now’ Category

Stop the presses: Jobs for journalists popping up everywhere

The economic winter for jobs in journalism has thawed. But if you’re still waiting for traditional news organizations like newspapers to begin hiring again, you’ll be left out in the cold and might miss the massive shift to online. Recently I wrote about a handful of recent college grads who parleyed digital skills into full-time […]

Four things I learned at ONA

You could write a book about all the amazing projects, technologies and ideas that were shared at the Online News Association conference last week. But it takes a while to write a book (trust me) and by then, the moment would have passed. So in lieu of a definitive analysis of the best ONA conference […]

Yes, there are still good journalism jobs to be had

One of the most frequent questions I’m asked when speaking to college journalists or young professionals is about jobs. How do I get one? Do they exist? What kind should I look for? It’s natural to worry about how you will take your passion and training and turn it into a salary so you can […]

Are you waiting to be anointed?

It’s classic workplace culture: employees shake their heads and curse the inaction of management (whether under their breath of with colleagues around the water cooler). In times of stability, it’s a drain on innovation. In times of disruption, it’s dangerous (and quite possibly fatal.) I visited the newsroom of the Wichita Eagle yesterday and gave […]

News21 exploring – and producing – the future of news

News21 is an ambitious project, attempting to chart a course of innovation for news coverage that is both “immersive” and “socially powerful,” in the words of Jody Brannon, News21′s national director. Brannon, who has been working in online news since 1995 with stints at washingtonpost.com, USAToday.com and MSN.com, has been leading the project for the […]

Sacramento Press thriving, looking to expand

Like a lot of people, Ben Ilfeld and Geoff Samek were frustrated with the quality and quantity of local news available in their town. And, like more and more entrepreneurial journalists, the duo decided to turn frustration into opportunity by launching a new local news site to fill that perceived gap. But this is no […]

Got a great idea? Pitch it at ONA conference

Do you have a great idea for an innovative product or business? Are you a media entrepreneur? Come pitch your idea at ONA to a panel of seasoned Silicon Valley venture capitalists and media entrepreneurs for the chance to meet with a product developer and a VC. Susan Mernit and I are helping to coordinate […]

Part 2: Content vs. journalism – the education debate

How long will colleges continue to offer journalism as a major? I ask this question as someone with two journalism degrees, who just finished writing a journalism textbook and who as the word in his URL. But as bullish as I am on the future of journalism, I’m skeptical that traditional college journalism programs can […]

Content vs. journalism: the great debate

Journalists prefer their craft not be cheapened with a label like “content.” But what if that’s what’s been killing the business? Do consumers (readers) differentiate between a product called journalism than one simply known as news or content? They pay for this content with their time and attention, which is why plenty of web sites […]

How much more ‘social’ can the news get?

A few days ago I received an email from Publish2 announcing a new set of tools that will create “social journalism.” The very next day, an email hit my inbox from a site proclaiming to have created a “first-of-its kind ‘social newspaper.’” Which got me thinking: how much more social can news and journalism get? […]