Unpublishing – some thoughts
“We may need a better term for what we currently refer to as unpublishing”, writes Ph.D candidate and Reynolds Journalism Institute Fellow Deborah Dwyer. Dwyer explains the term, coined in the early 2000s when newspapers were beginning to receive requests for stories to be removed from their websites,…
Thoughts on Facebook's Local News Initiative from a Local Independent Journalist
I was an earlier adopter of Facebook (July 4, 2005), and I’m still a too-heavy user of the platform. I love to hate Facebook. I want to leave Facebook for a variety of reasons, privacy, not being at the whims of Silicon Valley for access to an audience,…
Don't Open that Email! Journalism and Click-Tracking
The US Government’s Environmental Protection Agency is fighting an Associated Press journalist, and its getting ugly. One of the EPA’s attacks on the journalist is his email opening history: "The Environmental Protection Agency is all over Michael Biesecker, a reporter for the Associated Press. His reading habits, for…
The Risk of Being Known for Knowing
It’s an interesting dilemma I’ve encountered as a subject-focused journalist over the years: in order to get information, I have to earn a reputation as someone in the know. However, being known for being too much in the know results in sources assuming your aware of information, and…
Legacy Media in Trouble – On The Left This Time
The race for Mayor of St. Louis is interesting, there is no incumbent, and like most large metropolitan areas the public is demanding action on a wide-range of issues. It has one dominant daily newspapers the St. Louis Post-Dispatch which faces many of the same struggles large newspapers…
I Don't Take Free Work – Journalism is Valuable
I do not take free journalism from others, it’s contrary to my personal belief in the value of a person’s labour. Many “new” “journalism” outlets are based upon a model of publishing the free work of others, aggregation of others original content, clickbait, and worst – exploitation of…
The End Days for Student Newspapers? Or An Opportunity to Expand?
The University of Waterloo student newspaper is facing the challenge of students deciding they want their money back. The student newspaper fee is opt-out, meaning students can request refunds. The Waterloo Region Record reports: The University of Waterloo’s student newspaper has been handing over cash to hundreds of…
Photo-Journalism is an Important Means of Conveying Information
Another thoughts on journalism post Photo-journalism is an endangered form of effectively communicating information. It’s a very important form, and the decline of which will lead to a further decline in journalism as a whole. Photojournalism is one of the reasons I still enjoy reading my local print…
The Camera May Be Pointed at The Politicians, But it is Really Pointed at Me
The video camera I bring into public meetings isn’t about the politicians, it’s about me. Let me explain, before you dismiss me as a narcissist. The camera holds me to account, it makes my journalism better – not only because I can look at the tape and make…