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March 2006
Steve Outing on the move (at least virtually)
2006-03-01By Robert Niles: Longtime online journalism leader Steve Outing has left the Poynter Institute to work on his own Internet company, Outing announced in Poynter's E-Media Tidbits blog.
In the mid-1990s, Outing was one of the first reporters to write regularly on the emergence of online journalism, through a daily column on the Editor & Publisher website. That column decreased in frequency over the years, and Outing, who lives in Boulder, Colo., joined Florida-based Poynter as a full-time employee in 2001, bringing his group blog with him.
Now Outing will devote more time to his Enthusiast Group LLC, which he calls a "publisher of a network of citizen-media-driven websites about adventure sports and activities."
WSJ on 'made-for-ads' Web content
2006-03-01By Robert Niles: Lee Gomes in the Wall Street Journal today looks at the rise of 'made for ads' websites, where publishers use lightly-rewritten evergreen articles to game their way to the top of the search engines' results pages for valuable keywords and phrases.
These publishers make money when search engine users click through to their sites, then click on the ads served there. Gomes writes:
"Search engines are more like a TV camera crew let loose in the middle of a crowd of rowdy fans after a game. Seeing the camera, everyone acts boorishly and jostles to get in front. The act of observing something changes it."Which is what search engines are causing to happen to much of the world's "information." Legitimate information, like articles from the WHO, risks being crowded out by junky, spammy imitations."
Call these publishers "spammy" and "junky," if you will. But they are not "boorish." There's nothing clumsy about their work -- it is shrewdly calculated to make them money, using the rules of the game, as dictated by the search engines.
Legitimate news publishers can play the same game -- and win. But journalists have to be willing to restructure the way they produce content to publish it in forms that will be better recognized by both automated search agents and web-savvy human readers.
Yahoo to scale back original content plan
2006-03-02By Robert Niles: A report in today's New York Times says that Yahoo! plans to scale back its once-amibitious plans for original content on the Web portal.
Few efforts have made it online to date, most notable being Kevin Sites' In the Hot Zone, which will remain on the site. Plans for a TV-style online reality show, among other ideas, are being shelved.
The report quoted Yahoo's Lloyd Braun as saying that Yahoo would shift its focus to providing opportunities for readers to create their own content and show it to other readers.
OJR 2006 kicks off Friday
2006-03-02By Robert Niles: We're getting ready for tomorrow's OJR 2006 conference here at USC.
Lisa Stone will be moderating the first discussion session, and blogs her agenda on Surfette.
OJR 2006: Finding an ad rep for your website
2006-03-05By Robert Niles: We will have a full recap of OJR 2006's third session, on business issues, Tuesday morning. But I wanted to raise what was one of the questions that emerged from that session: Where can an online journalist publishing his own website find a sales rep to sell sponsorships for his site?
We addressed a variety of ad network options during the session, but at the conference and over drinks afterward, several publishers expressed interest in finding a person to make sales pitches on behalf of their sites to potential sponsors.
This is different than looking for an ad network to join. These journalists are looking for someone to make a pitch for *just* their specialty niche sites. But none of them are large enough to afford a full-time rep. And most of them expressed fear at trying such pitches themselves. After all, the folks at OJR 2006 were journalists, not sales people. Asking one of us to make a sales pitch is like asking a salesperson to write a feature story. Forget the ethical implications for a moment: The result would be just plain ugly.
So there's a market here for a freelance sales rep, someone who pitches sites the way a freelance Web designer creates them. Someone who understands niche online media and who is willing to work with a string of unrelated small business clients.
Just as we found dozens of former old media journalists who have moved online to start their own businesses, surely there must be some folks on the other side of the advertising "wall" who have made the same move to online entrepreneurship. If that describes you, or someone you know, holler this way. We're looking for you.
Share ad, tech and management tips on OJR's discussion list
2006-03-06By Robert Niles: OJR has opened an e-mail discussion list for readers to address issues and problems they face in publishing news websites. The list is open to all, but special emphasis will be on independent, entrepreneurial online journalists.
Following last week's OJR conference, the list will be a place for OJR readers to share notes on advertising networks, publishing platforms and forum moderation techniques as well as to ask for and get tech support from other OJR readers who are active in Web publishing. We will also post to the list first notice about upcoming OJR conferences and offline events.
Sign-up instructions are on our e-mail delivery page.
Different factual standards at LATimes.com?
2006-03-07By Robert Niles: I found a highly interesting question at the end of an editor's chat at the Editor & Publisher website today.
A sharp-eyed reader found different headlines on the same story at latimes.com and the Los Angeles Times's print paper. This isn't uncommon, especially at papers that publish multiple print editions. As a headline moves around the page, it can expand and contract to fit the available space in different editions. The web gets one of those, and readers of the other print editions see a different headline online.
But this does not appear to be the case in this example. From the chat transcript:
"Here's one example:Online edition: 'Book: Bush Proposed Provoking War'
Paper edition: 'Book Casts Doubt on Case for War'I wrote to the Times' readers' representative inquiring
about the differences, and received a reply that said in
part, '...some of the language I see online wouldn't be
allowed in the newsroom -- not because it's 'dumbing down'
the headline, but because the headline goes a bit further
than editors here in the newsroom might think is accurate.
For example, the 'provoking' headline probably would be seen
as pushing the facts a bit more than editors want. The
headline used in the print edition was more neutral so that
readers could decide for themselves after reading the
article.'"
Wow. Is the LA Times' website edited to be "less neutral" than the paper now? Would any of our friends from the LAT like to respond?
Funding or no, site continues to grade Bay Area news
2006-03-08By Carly Goldsmith: The creators of Grade The News, a site that critiques news media outlets in the San Francisco Bay Area, will attempt to keep the site up and running after their funds run out in the beginning of March.
“The frequency of new material will gradually decline,” McManus said. “But myself and [other volunteers] will try to keep the site up for as long as possible.”
Grade the News was previously funded by several foundations, but its staff has since spent all the money it was allotted. Now, the site will stay afloat with contributions from McManus’ pocket and through any donations the site receives.
McManus also said that his work to raise the quality of Bay Area news is not done. Still to come on the site is 2005’s report card, a section that will detail the grades of popular Bay Area news sources.
The site, created in 2000, gives letter grades to several of the most popular broadcast and print news sources in the Bay Area. Here, select newspapers and television stations are rated based on seven yardsticks of journalistic quality. These include newsworthiness, fairness and context, according to site creator John McManus.
“The site helps the public distinguish high from low quality news,” McManus said. “We aim to encourage the public to make good choices about the news they rely on.”
These days, it is as profitable -- or even more profitable -- to churn out low quality news than it is to provide high quality stories, according to McManus. Many people are attracted to the “flash and trash” approach to news, and this, McManus said, creates an economic incentive for low quality reports.
“[News outlets] are sacrificing quality for a larger audience,” he said.
Although Grade the News finds many problems with the media, McManus said one of the most prevalent issues is not properly labeling advertising sections. Among the culprits of this offense, he said, are the Contra Costa Times and the Oakland Tribune.
After being exposed on Grade the News, most news sources correct their ethical errors, McManus said. For example, this was true for the Contra Costa Times, which properly labeled its advertising sections after receiving its critique from Grade the News.
“We try to enlarge the audience for news providers who are doing a good job and following the ethical standards of journalism,” McManus said.
“There is no site that looks as intensely at the quality of local media as we do.”
Pork in the blogosphere
2006-03-13By Jennifer Haughton: From step-by-step, finger-lickin' recipes to the latest high-tech grills, BBQ Junkie keeps Southern Californians up-to-date on developments in the barbecue scene.
The blog was set up by Luis Ramirez in 2005 in an attempt to fire up the online barbecue world.
"I’m a big fan of blogging and an even bigger fan of barbecuing," he said. "I work at an advertising agency in the Internet department, and this was a chance for me to have my own little hands-on project."
One of the highlights of BBQ Junkie is its restaurant review section, which Ramirez sees as beneficial to the typical barbecue-loving Angelino.
"Sometimes you get home and just want to grill up some chicken. And, when you don't have the time to BBQ people need to know where they can find a decent BBQ restaurant in Los Angeles," Ramirez wrote in a follow-up e-mail.
Ramirez said he surfs the Internet for the latest barbecue news, posting links to sites he thinks would interest Southern California’s barbecue enthusiasts.
"The blog is geared more towards Southern California," Ramirez said. "But there are some general barbecue topics that would appeal to people all over the world."
By browsing monthly archives dating back to March, avid barbecue fans can read reviews of Southern California’s barbecue joints, find out where to download barbecue-related podcasts, and can even find out where to pick up a Gucci barbecue set.
The site is offering readers the opportunity to add the blog to their personal My Yahoo! accounts, giving them daily access to new postings without having to visit the blog directly.
"BBQ in Los Angeles is pretty niche, but I am not doing it because it's the flavor of the month," Ramirez wrote.
Influenced by his father’s Mexican-style barbecuing and his mother-in-law’s Southern American approach, Ramirez barbecues year-round and said he hopes that he can inspire other Angelinos to experiment with their cooking.
"I’m a guy, and guys like to grill. ... It has been a series of trial and error [for me] and this experience is what I hope to bring to my blog," Ramirez wrote.
Vote pending on regulating political bloggers
2006-03-15By Robert Niles: David LaFontaine, a local freelancer who has written for OJR in the past, passed along this note. Tomorrow, the U.S. House of Representative will vote on H.R. 1606, a bill that would "amend the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971 to exclude communications over the Internet from the definition of public communication."
Why is this important to online journalists? I'll let David explain:
The lawyers' point of view is that unless the poorly written campaign finance bill that was passed in haste to prove that "See! Congress IS doing something about dirty money!" - unless that kludgy law is amended, in the future, if you want to have a discussion about politics, perhaps even come out in favor of a candidate you like - you're going to have to register yourself and be approved by a governmental agency.Apparently, this is already happening in Wisconsin.
Obviously, this situation is a lot more complex that just a "Hey! They're infringing on our right to free speech!" The flip side of this is that because of the unique status of bloggers and the web, they can operate like a newspaper and an arm of a political campaign at the same time... the law hasn't quite caught up to technology yet.
As usual, the lawyers are running around with their hair on fire - much like how every damn story about how a young girl gets lured by an Internet predator gets huge play on TV and in the papers - there have been great essays on how every new technology goes through a period where it is viewed with panic as contributing to the incipient downfall of Civilization As We Know It, and the Internet has certainly spawned more than a few of these.
Back on topic. The remedy to this perceived problem is HR 1606, which, as I said, has been dubbed the "Online Freedom of Speech Act." I'm hoping that that does not turn out to be an ironic title like "Clear Skies Act" or "Patriot Act" or "Protect the Forests Initiative"...
This bill has garnered the support of both Daily Kos and Red State - which is a remarkable case study of blood enemies coming together against a mutual threat. Here's a link to a pretty good round-up on Kos.
Sifry's data about the state of blogging: Is the MSM 'winning?'
2006-03-16By Diana Day: Katie Chang, intern at Harvard Law School's Berkman Center for Internet & Society, summarized (scroll down to the News section to see "Sifry’s Blogosphere Report") Berkman Fellow David Weinberger's observations on the State of the Blogosphere report by Technorati founder and director David Sifry.
Sifry pointed out in his report that MSM sites like the New York Times and CNN still dominate online news but that certain blogs are increasingly influential. Sifry brought attention to "The Magic Middle" -- about 155,000 blogs that have accrued between 20 and 1,000 inbound links. These are often niche sites "that are interesting, topical, and influential, and in some cases are radically changing the economics of trade publishing."
Berkman Fellow David Weinberger, interpreted Sifry's data about the MSM's dominance this way: "As more people blog, the sites that we all read in common remain the MSM. ... But as blogging spreads, interests get more diverse, so there are fewer blogs that we all read. ... Does this mean the mainstream media are "winning"? Nah, it just means that they remain the main stream. We don't yet know if they are a habit we're going to overcome, an institution waiting to be Wikipedia-ed, or if they will transform themselves enough to continue being our common ground."
Women's eNews: Working to achieve gender balance in the media
2006-03-22By Caitlin Mattias: Fashion, celebrity gossip and fad diets need not apply.
Women's eNews doesn't necessarily cater to the average women's magazine reader, according to Rita Henley Jensen, editor in chief and founder. Instead, the website, independent in 2002, aims to keep the editors, opinion makers and leaders of the community informed.
"We provide women, and those who care about women, basic information they need to advocate for themselves, build communities," Jensen said.
From battling problems of women not being quoted in stories that affected them to issues of women simply not being covered by the mainstream media, Jensen has devoted her professional career to changing the way stories involving women's interests are covered.
Born out of a 1996 roundtable discussion hosted by Legal Momentum (formerly NOW Legal Defense and Education Fund), Women's eNews is an Internet-based non-profit news service that employs mostly freelancers, some of whom are men, to cover issues ranging from international events to sports to culture. The site also boasts two editorial cartoonists; one, Ann Telnaes, has won a Pulitzer for her work.
"Feminism was a dirty word," Jensen said of the mid-nineties. "Women's issues weren't being adequately covered."
The Women's eNews staff estimates that about three million readers scan the seven to eight stories they post a week. Though the service charges for reprinting their stories, online subscriptions are free, and it subsists primarily on donations.
When the service began, Women's eNews did not cover international stories, Jensen said. But a rise in international readership was "too compelling" to ignore. Women's eNews now has a series called Africa's Rising Leaders, which highlights female leaders in post-colonial Africa.
Jensen says the current movement toward quality for women in government "global and unstoppable."
"There's been a real innovation of leadership in the area of democracy," she said, referring to Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet, among others.
In April 2003, Women's eNews launched an Arabic language version of the site in response to a high number of hits from Saudi Arabia and Qatar, among others, and a United Nations report that tagged a "women's empowerment" deficit in the Middle East.
Jensen said in the future she'd also like to add a Spanish language version.
She expressed the hope that one day Women's eNews will become unnecessary, that equality in the press will one day be achieved.
"Ideally, I'm a little like a dentist that's promoting fluoride," Jensen said.
And if the "media gender gap" is bridged sometime in the future?
"We'll shut [the site] down when the Supreme Court has five female members," she said. "We still have a lot of work to do."
WaPo 'Red America' blogger under fire for alleged plagiarism
2006-03-24By Robert Niles: The Washington Post again has come under attack from the left-wing flank of the blogosphere, this time for the hiring of former GOP operative and RedState.com co-founder Ben Domenech to blog for the Post. Conservatives sought a right-wing blog on the Post's site, charging that "White House Briefing" columnist Dan Froomkin was liberal and that the right-wing deserved equal time on the site. Liberals countered that Froomkin is a journalist, not an ideologue, and that if the Post is going to hire a right-winger with a political background, it ought to hire a left-wing political blogger, too.
The verbal battle heated when Domenech called the late Coretta Scott King a "communist," a slur for which Domenech later apologized. But left-wingers now have discovered what they say are several instances of Domenech plagiarizing from other publications.
Asked for comment, WashingtonPost.com executive editor Jim Brady replied via e-mail, "We have seen these reports, and we are looking into them as we speak."
Update: He's out.
New FEC rules protect online political commentary
2006-03-27By Robert Niles: The Federal Election Commission has voted to adopt new rules regarding public communication over the Internet, which free online journalists and other writers from the threat of having to account their words of support for a candidate as a campaign contribution.
That sceanrio had been feared by some after a U.S. District Court had thrown out a blanket exemption for all Internet communication from recent campaign finance disclosure laws.
Today's action means that paid Internet ads will have to be counted as campaign expenditures. But websites are free to accept ads, and to comment on candidates, without having to register with or report to the FEC.
From the new rules [PDF document]:
The Federal Election Commission is amending its rules to include paid advertisements on the Internet in the definition of “public communication.” These final rules implement the recent decision 12 of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in Shays v. Federal Election Commission, which held that the previous definition of “public communication” impermissibly excluded all Internet communications. The revised definition of “public communication” includes paid Internet advertising placed on another person’s website, but does not encompass any other form of Internet communication. The Commission is also repromulgating without change its definition of “generic campaign activity” and amending the scope of its disclaimer regulations, both of which incorporate the revised definition of “public communication.” Additionally, the Commission is adding new exceptions to the definitions of “contribution” and “expenditure” to exclude Internet activities and communications that qualify as individual activity or that qualify for the “media exemption.” These final rules are intended to ensure that politcal committees properly finance and disclose Internet communications, without impeding individual citizens from using the Internet to speak freely regarding candidates and elections.
AP, ESPN accused of plagiarizing blogs
2006-03-28By Robert Niles: Two stories this morning about large news organizations plagiarizing independent online media:
The first, related by King Kaufman at Salon regards an ESPN radio host ripping off a comedy bit from a sports blogger in Michigan.
Larisa Alexandrovna of Raw Story reports the second and (literally) more serious example. In Huffington Post, she writes that one of her investigative reports found its way into an Associated Press story, which did not attribute the information to her or to Raw Story. Alexandrovna writes:
"We contacted an AP senior editor and ombudsmen both and both admitted to having had the article passed on to them, and both stated that they viewed us as a blog and because we were a blog, they did not need to credit us."
Janet D. Stemwedel of ScienceBlogs.com summed the issue best:
"It doesn't matter whether the source is a professional journalist for a major media outlet or a small press, a writer for an online publication or a blog, or a student or private citizen. If you use their words or ideas, you must cite the source. Otherwise, you're committing plagiarism."
Update: From AP:
From Linda Wagner, AP's Director of Media Relations and Public Affairs:The Raw Story assertion that AP plagiarized and then admitted it is absolutely false. The AP story in question, on new U.S. policies that could increase security clearance hurdles for gay employees, came to AP as a tip from an advocacy group. AP then did independent reporting and found the policy document on the National Archives web site, www.archives.gov/isoo/, which was included in the original AP story. We were not aware of the Raw Story work until the following afternoon when someone from Raw Story called. An AP spokesman did tell Raw Story that AP does not credit blogs, but he was mistaken. AP does credit blogs when we are aware that they have broken a story first. The spokesman then called Raw Story back to correct his misstatement. Raw Story seems to have taken that correction as an admission of plagiarism, which it emphatically is not.