Online Journalism Review» Aarthi Sivaraman

NBC contemplates blogs for news anchors

Aarthi Sivaraman — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 23:49:04 +0000

Via CNet News: NBC may create blogs for its top news anchors and celebrity interviewers, according to NBC Universal Television Group President Jeff Zucker. Embracing the online media will be an attempt to maintain the appeal of U.S. network news, he said. Cable, online news sites and blogs are changing the face of media culture as competitive news sites and cable shows replace popular network TV shows. Around 74% of high-speed Internet users access the Internet to get news from different standpoints, according to a survey conducted by Yahoo and Mediaedge, which is why “we should be looking for a more interactive component … and be experimenting more,” Zucker said.

Craigslist owner ponders improvements to newspapers

Aarthi Sivaraman — Tue, 19 Apr 2005 01:13:15 +0000

Via Globe and Mail: Craig Newmark, of the famed Craigslist, is pondering ways to improve upon newspapers. Some news publishers are thinking about those issues, as well, despite resistance from some. “There are pockets of people within every [newspaper] who think we should be doing more on the Internet … [and] other pockets of people who wish it would just all go away,” said Ian Murdock, senior vice-president of the San Francisco Chronicle.

The article also noted recent online acquisitions by major news publishers as “old media” and “new media” companies continue to compete for reader attention — and advertisers’ dollars — online.

[This item has been edited from its original version due to a mischaracterization of Newmark's comments. OJR apologies for the error. -- Ed.]

Jewish site hosts articles by college journalists

Aarthi Sivaraman — Mon, 18 Apr 2005 00:01:10 +0000

Via The Commentator: CampusJ.com, a Web site for college-level Jewish students that hosts articles about Jewish events in college campuses in the country, has been witnessing an increasing number of readers since its launch a month ago. Steven I. Weiss, editor and publisher of the site, said such a publication was needed in campuses where the newspaper catered to the general university community. “We’ve got a highly-specified beat that can’t survive as its own publication at most schools,” Weiss said.

Malaysian cabinet gets serious with news site joke

Aarthi Sivaraman — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 23:17:14 +0000

Via New Strait Times: This time, no joke. The Malaysian cabinet has asked the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry to enforce the Multimedia and Communications Act of 1998 against the Web site, Malaysiakini, for their practical joke of Apr. 1. The news site published a story claiming that three ministers and a chief minister were being investigated for corruption. An explanatory article ran three minutes later, but the powers that be had already been irked. “You cannot just relay news which is not accurate,” said minister Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz. “It is irresponsible and tantamount to slandering the Government.”

Boeing to facilitate Internet access on board aircrafts

Aarthi Sivaraman — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 22:36:29 +0000

Via Sify.com: Online news has really taken off with its audience, quite literally. Now passengers aboard one of nine global airlines that use Boeing aircrafts may be able to access the Internet for news and other information via the Connexion in-cabin service. The company has roaming agreements signed with 11 leading telecom and wireless service providers, allowing passengers to use their existing user name and password for service access and receive a single consolidated bill through their existing service provider. The availability of Internet access seems to be vital in improving the future of airlines. “Nearly 85 per cent of passengers surveyed recently indicated that availability of high-speed Internet access will affect their future choice of airlines,” said Kala Iyer of Connexion. The move might take instant delivery of news via the Internet to a whole new dimension with even people 40,000 feet in air able to access information as quickly as those on ground.

University introduces e-learning for journalists

Aarthi Sivaraman — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 09:47:02 +0000

Via AScribe: After 18 months of design and development and 2000 experimental users, News University launched a Web site formulated to help journalists improve their skills. The site is to be the answer to the urgent need for more training for journalists, after a study revealed that eight out of 10 journalists are inadequately equipped with basic skills. Course topics range from basic reporting and writing skills such as interviewing and lead writing to visual journalism and lessons for newsroom managers. The site is managed by a team from The Poynter Institute. “E-learning is new. But because of the wonder of the World Wide Web, we all can watch it unfold together,” said Eric Newton, Knight Foundation’s director of Journalism Initiatives. “NewsU is a place where journalists and teachers will get to try new ways of learning and teaching.”

OhmyNews opens up for international contributions

Aarthi Sivaraman — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 09:27:49 +0000

Via dotJournalism: Korean news site OhmyNews has opened the site to citizen contributions from around the world. The five-year-old news aggregator site currently has around 37,000 reporters from all over Korea and recently shot to fame with its work with electing the country’s reformist president. An English version of the site, OhmyNews International, was launched last year and is expected to attract online news contributions from all over the world. The updated plan includes a new login system that can monitor the number of hits and also enable readers to send money to reporters for good stories. Contributors who want to visit Korea are asked to watch out for a planned conference for global citizen reporters to be held in Seoul in early July.

Traditional media: give up blogging debate

Aarthi Sivaraman — Sun, 10 Apr 2005 22:03:49 +0000

Via the LA Times: Debate as much as we may about whether bloggers enjoy the same privileges as journalists, they are here to stay, so get on with it, said Rory O’Connor, president of Globalvision, an independent international media company. “No one owns journalism,” Jeff Jarvis wrote on BuzzMachine. “It is not an official act, a certified act, an expert act, a proprietary act. Anyone can do journalism. Everyone does. Some do it better than others, of course. But everyone does it.” O’Connor also noted that even though bloggers in some cases can be irresponsible and misleading, it was the possible lowering of journalistic standards and more Dan Rather-like discoveries that mainstream journalists are worried about. Blogging is clearly not going anywhere so traditional media are being urged to give up the rather worn-out debate and focus more on “how the newly transformed news environment can best function.”

Online news network gears up to pay for citizen contribution

Aarthi Sivaraman — Sun, 10 Apr 2005 21:39:00 +0000

From ZDNet via CNet News: For all bloggers who contribute valuable material to Web sites and get nothing for it – things are changing. GetLocalNews.com, a nationwide network of 6,000 local news sites, is poised to share its advertising revenue with its freelance writers. The amount generated in ad revenue, which is determined by each story’s page views, is to be shared in equally by the company and its writers, working out to 2 dollars to 5 dollars per 1,000 page views. All writers who earn 25 dollars or more will be sent quarterly checks. The move is expected to motivate more contributions, increase traffic and improve the quality of writing. Steve Outing of the Poynter Institute journalism school said it was a trend that could be the next big wave in the sea change that online news is experiencing. The news site posts around 4000 stories everyday, mostly submitted by volunteers around the country.

News aggregator site relaunched with special NYT focus

Aarthi Sivaraman — Wed, 06 Apr 2005 12:19:47 +0000

Via the Internet Daily: BlogRunner, a news aggregator site that was introduced in 2003 and faded away last year, has been relaunched. Replete with news stories and links to related blogs, the site’s highlight is a special link to New York Times related blogs at New York Times Annotated. BlogRunner also features blogs of news links in six categories including media, politics and the economy.