Melanie Sill

Los Angeles and Sacramento,

Homepage: http://melaniesill.posterous.com

USC Annenberg executive in residence, former editor of The Sacramento Bee and The News & Observer of Raleigh, NC. Currently exploring ways journalism can provide value in the digital age.

Contact:

to Melanie Sill.

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

My National Press Club talk on 'The Case for Open Journalism Now'

December 14, 2011
The University of Southern California Annenberg School hosted a panel on Monday called 'Opening Up Journalism: A Culture Change."

Here's my talk as part of the panel, outlining my thinking and some of urgency I feel about the need for journalism to become much more transparent, responsive, community-focused and participatory. More...

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Seeking help on an idea in progress: Can open journalism work?

September 20, 2011
In the past, newsrooms defined success in proprietary terms: “owning the story,” or beating the competition. If people wanted to know, they had to come to us — these were our stories, after all. This idea has never really held true. Now it is failing, out of step in a culture that is producing its own information and leans more toward sharing stories than owning them.

Open journalism captures a different mindset, one we’re starting to see in breaking news coverage and web journalism. It says: Everyone owns the story. Let’s all get it right. More...

2 Comments | Archive Link

The "hyperlocal" lessons of America's weekly newspapers

August 29, 2011
In her new book, award-winning broadcast journalist Judy Muller goes deep into the experiences of small-town and rural newspapers to draw lessons for anyone passionate about doing community journalism right. More...

3 Comments | Archive Link

Duke University's new Reporter's Lab for investigative tools

August 9, 2011
Former Washington Post Pulitzer-winner and Knight Prof. Sarah Cohen leads the new Reporter's Lab at Duke University. With the university's support and the hiring of a talented applications and data visualization developer, the lab is pushing technology innovation to help the core work of in-depth reporting.

Cohen says this work has been left behind as tech innovation has transformed other information online. By speeding deployment of reporting tools that can be broadly shared and connecting with related research and technology in other fields, the Reporter's Lab hopes to provide resources as well as the disciplines of testing, training and knowledge-sharing. More...

1 comment | Archive Link

ProPublica's outreach a welcome step toward "open-source" journalism

August 4, 2011
Investigative nonprofit ProPublica's efforts to share resources and promote use of its tools offer some good models for how even the traditional core of journalism can become more open and accessible in the Web era.

Journalism doesn't yet have a true open-source movement, but there's room for technology and Web culture to influence the profession in ways that go beyond tools and platforms.
More...

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"Mojo" working — on journalism and the Web

July 20, 2011
The Knight-Mozilla News Technology Partnership, aka Mojo, has linked two major foundations, hundreds of ideas and dozens of participants now competing and collaborating on ways to improve journalism on the Web.

From graduate students to at least one dot-com millionaire, participants drawn to the "Mojo" project are being asked to turn ideas into software tools and services — all in the open. Leaders of the Knight and Mozilla foundations hope for more than new Web technology. They also hope the innovative spirit of the Web world rubs off a bit on newsrooms. Will it work? More...

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May 15, 2012
At Content Creators, journalists practice their craft and get paid

May 15, 2012
Mobile for community media workshop in NYC this weekend

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May 15, 2012
How to use your interviewing skills to trend on Twitter
By Robert Niles

May 8, 2012
Sometimes you have to cut back to move forward
By Robert Niles

May 1, 2012
10 things to remember about your readers, when they start to tick you off
By Robert Niles

April 24, 2012
You'll get what you expect from your online community
By Robert Niles

April 17, 2012
With lower costs, independent eBook publishers hold the advantage
By Robert Niles

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ethics
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newspaper blogs
discussion boards
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2012
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Before Oct. 2004
Business
Ethics
Mark Glaser
Stacy Kramer
Law
Spike Report
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How a 1995 court case kept the newspaper industry from competing online

You've got to know what you stand for to survive in journalism online

Readers owe nothing to publishers

How, and where, to hyperlink within a news story

Doing journalism in 2010 is an act of community organizing

Thinking about starting an online news business? Here's your start-up checklist

The four parts of an optimized online news website

How to optimize your news website for better Google AdSense revenue

The ethical journalist's guide to selling ads on a website:
Part One
Part Two
Part Three