OJR: The Online Journalism Review

Gerry Storch

Naples, Florida

Homepage: http://www.ourblook.com

I was sports editor and business editor of Gannett News Service in the USA Today headquarters in McLean, Va., when I and a number of colleagues took buyouts at the end of 2001. Before that, I was a feature writer at the Detroit News and Miami Herald, and Accent section editor and newsroom investigative team leader at the News. I hold a B.A. in political science and M.A. in journalism, both from the University of Michigan.

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to Gerry Storch.

Articles:

These articles are the work of their author, and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of nor an assignment by OJR.

The pros and cons of newspapers partnering with 'citizen journalism' networks

February 26, 2010
Bleacher Report, which calls itself "the Web's largest sports network powered by citizen sportswriters," made a big breakthrough for itself on Feb. 22... and the citizen journalism movement.

The company announced it was beginning a partnership with Hearst to introduce local online editions in the newspaper publisher's four largest markets, including San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate, the Houston's Chronicle's Chron.com, the San Antonio Express-News' MySan Antonio.com, and Seattlepi.com. Essentially, headlines will be pulled into the main sports page, highlighting local content from Bleacher Report's citizen journalists.

For the newspapers involved, the partnership represents an extra stream of advertising revenue and, most importantly, a commitment to increasing coverage of local sports.

In many ways, the success or failure of this partnership will help determine whether citizen journalism is the "integral piece," as cited by many experts, that will help newspapers both survive and prosper in the current media landscape.

Sports pages are a particularly excellent venue for this test. They lure the coveted young and middle-aged demographic who are passionate and vocal about their favorite teams and favorite sports ... and more than willing to provide their written opinions for free.

While citizen journalists such as these might look, think and act like paid, professional journos, they're not - at least in the traditional sense - and not just in the salary department.

Indiana University journalism professor David Weaver doesn't even think citizen journalists should be the correct term in this discussion. "Citizen communicators" would be better, he says, because "without the training and education that most journalists have, most citizens cannot qualify as journalists."

In a project conducted by OurBlook.com, Prof. Weaver and other experts around the country shared their thoughts on the pros and cons of citizen journalism, and its possible role helping newspapers. Here are some comments. More...

2 Comments | Archive Link

A flaw in the proposed federal shield law for journalism?

January 7, 2010
Gerry Storch is editor/administrator of www.ourblook.com, a media analysis/public issues discussion site that bridges the gap between a blog and a book. He has been a feature writer with the Detroit News and Miami Herald, Accent section editor and newsroom investigative team leader with the News, and sports editor and business editor for Gannett News Service. He holds a B.A. in political science and M.A. in journalism, both from the University of Michigan.

The media shield bill that frequently seems poised to whisk through Congress, but has incurred several discomfiting delays, is a bad idea unless it gets one big change.

And isn't it odd that the shield bill is revving up with its sprint-to-the-finish momentum, and the mainstream media would be gaining a significant new power, just when ...

Just when these same media are declining precipitously in readership and finances, are at an all-time low in public believability as measured by the recent Pew research report, and have relatively few reporters left investigative or otherwise who would avail themselves of such a law.

Let's call it for what it is, a power grab. As many states already have their own shield law, this is an attempt to cram one down the throats of those who have declined to grant the media such a privilege, or have done so in tepid fashion. If it passes as is, the press would have virtually unlimited power in reporting.

Back in the '80s, I would have been a kneejerk and enthusiastic supporter of this bill. I was fortunate to be the leader of an investigative team at the Detroit News when it was a big, robust paper ... the nation's ninth largest daily, and the seventh largest Sunday edition. I oversaw half a dozen reporters and could tap more if needed. So from the stories we did, I think I'm well enough aware of the need for confidential sources and to protect them. Often, there's no other way to expose wrongdoing.

That was then, now is now. Now I've been out of the journalism biz for eight years and have a hopefully broader view.

The big change I'd like to see is this: if the story goes to trial, the judge should have the discretion to disallow the confidentiality protection of the sources if the reporter has made any significant errors or if the sources' information is wrong or unfair.

If the reporter has screwed up or been dishonest or been suckered, why should he/she be protected? More...

3 Comments | Archive Link

Part 3: Papers must charge for web site to survive

February 3, 2009
Sorry, one more time ...

Three press authorities far more august than me also say papers are crazy for not charging for a web site ... here they are ... More...

No comments | Archive Link

Part 2: Papers must charge for web sites to survive

February 1, 2009
By Gerry Storch

What a thrill ... I score by landing an article on the primo Internet scholarly journalism review, ojr.org ... a bunch of guys write in to tell me how stupid I am ... I guess I've finally made it!!!

They told me I was stupid because I contended 1) the nation's newspapers, which are failing, should go all-Net, 2) concentrate on what hopefully they do best, local news, and, most importantly, 3) stop giving it away for free with their web sites and start charging big-time.

What galvanized me into trying an encore was quite the incisive article by Chris Anderson in the Jan. 31-Feb. 1 Weekend Journal section of the Wall Street Journal. He writes about the proliferation of "free" goods and services online ... and devastatingly tears apart this so-called business model, saying it's about to come crashing down.
More...

No comments | Archive Link

Papers must charge for websites to survive

January 25, 2009
You don't get free gas from a gas station.

You don't get free meals from a restaurant.

You wouldn't walk into the Googleplex ... that's Google's corporate headquarters in Mountain View, Calif. ... and expect a staffer to rush to the lobby with 1,000 free shares of Google stock for you.

At least we don't think so.

So why is the newspaper industry the only one in America that is expected to give its product ... in its electronic version ... away for free?
More...

21 Comments | Archive Link