Sign of the Times

A new generation of web-only publications has discovered the benefits of using foundation support to help pay for a portion of reporting costs. But, one can argue, that's just a niche.

But now, according to Poynter Online, the gray lady herself is considering foundation funding to help defray some of the newsgathering expenses. The New York Times was careful to tell writer Bill Mitchell that it is still in the discussion phase on this one. Still, the mere revelation that the Times is considering this move is a sign of the changing times for newspapers.


There are, of course, always concerns about foundations looking to have a say in the tone of coverage. But that's an issue that can easily addressed by editors and foundation leaders -- NPR has long handled their arrangement gracefully.

Given what seems to be a widespread reluctance among industry leaders to move immediately toward a pay-for-content model online, and given the importance of publications like the Times continuing to pay for reporters who are stationed in far-flung locations, there's no reason that the "old media" shouldn't be having these conversations about new funding options.

In Defense of the MJ Obit Writers

In the week-plus after Michael Jackson's death, there's been quite heavy criticism of the press coverage. I've never been a cable news apologist, and won't start now. The oversaturation is comical.

But the complaint that seems off base goes something like this: Journalists spent so much time talking about Jackson's faults while he was alive, yet they all the sudden write glowing obituaries that portray him as a barrier-breaking musical genius. What gives?

The simple answer is scope of coverage. For the past 15 years, the news on Jackson has been grim and the press focus has been narrow -- dispatches from trials, a publicity stunt here and there. There'd been little reason to remind readers of Jackson's musical talents beyond the obligatory paragraph or two.

An obituary, be it for an international icon or a little-known artist, is an appraisal of someone's entire body of work. Naturally, in the case of Jackson, the obit writer would focus on what made Jackson famous in the first place -- the music.

This isn't to say that some of the pre-death Jackson coverage wasn't in bad taste or that the volume of ink spilled (I know, dated reference) after those first obits wasn't excessive. But the fact that there initially was such a jarring change of tone in the Jackson coverage seems to say less about choices made by news outlets and more about the tragic turn Jackson took.

Create Your Own Mag Online!

Online news aggregators have been hot for some time now, which is why when I read that Time Inc. is allowing readers to piece together their own publication using articles from their favorite Time magazines, I was curious how it'd look on the Web.

Some media comentators have written this off as a gimmick -- though others have already praised the effort. And the five editions I'll soon be getting are free, so in some sense it is a trial for Time, one has to assume.

What's the company's incentive? I already subscribe to Sports Illustrated, but I suppose I could fall in love with another of the company's publications that I wouldn't have been exposed to otherwise. Time will tell, and I'll check back with a review.

A Brave New World of Micropayments?

First, a quick note about why it's been exactly one month since I've posted here. Basically, I've caught the blogging bug and it's taken me elsewhere for the time being. My new blog, called "The Feed," about people in the 18-to-35 demographic is up and running on the St. Louis Beacon Web site. But I'll try to keep up my posting here as well.

Now back to your regularly scheduled blog topic. Micropayments. Need I say more? Actually, probably yeah, because six months ago I wouldn't have known what that term meant for journalism -- and still many don't.

The basic idea is that the free model of online journalism isn't sustainable and that readers will come around to paying small amounts of money to read content, just as iPhone owners will happy fork out a tiny sum for new apps.

News Corp is reportedly planning to introduce such a payment plan for individual articles and premium subscriptions to the Wall Street Journal's Web site, according to Financial Times. Rupe Murdoch has done a nice 180-degree turn on the issue of charging for content. Readers historically have been open to paying for some financial news, perhaps because of the importance of getting the most up-to-date information about market trends. A new study shows that readers would be willing to pay for sports, as well.

As for the other traditional sections of the paper, well, the best advice would be this: Think of ways to add value to typical news packages. Is there supplimentary video? Can you direct readers to a landing page where similar stories around the Web are culled? Things like this that can convince an audience that publications aren't just putting up a paywall for nothing in return might be the best bet.

Fair Game: Friend or Fan?

You wouldn't know it these days from my frequent posting of status messages and commentary, but I came to Facebook back in 2006 for strictly business purposes. As a higher education reporter whose only connection to student sources was an .edu e-mail that no one checks and a dorm phone that no one has, the social networking site was invaluable.

For years, I've used Facebook to contact interview subjects. One of the best methods is searching groups that are organized around a certain subject. But what happens when the group, or people in it, want to take the relationship to the next step? What's the ethical response when a source wants to "friend" you or a group asks you to be a "fan?"

Let me say that at this point being someone's friend on Facebook means little more than being a real-word acquaintance. Likewise, being a fan of a group doesn't even indicate that you've ever been to an event or met most of the people in that circle.

Still, at the risk of being labeled a traditionalist, I'd hedge toward politely declining these offers in the name of neutrality. It's easier just to accept, of course. But there's a strong argument to be made that publically supporting any group you cover as a journalist shows a bias, just as it would if you signed a petition or made a donation -- though those acts seem more egregious.

Part of this equation, of course, is what you're covering and who you're "fanning." I couldn't imagine a political reporter becoming a fan of the local Democratic or Republican Party. But it'd be easier to envision an arts reporter being a fan of a symphony.

I suppose the question should be this: Does joining an inner circle give you a better chance at hearing about information that could lead to a scoop? And does the possibility of that positive outcome outweigh the potential impression of being aligned with a certain group or cause?

A.P. Makes the Lead Block

Interesting news out of the Newspaper Association of America conference that the Associated Press plans to police the Web for sites that, in its estimation, are unfairly profitting from its content. The AP has already been a staunch defender of intellectual property, and it's not entirely clear how the organization plans to carry out its plan.

The announcement comes on the heels of an industry-wide discussion over how publications can share in some of the profits made by news aggregators that regularly link to or post snippets of their content. We'll be following this development...

Strange Bedfellows

Paging Sy Hersh, Arianna Huffington has an offer for you. Well, not exactly, but close.

It seems the Huffington Post is taking to heart the criticism that it's profitting from the journalism world without giving back. The publication plans to work in tandem with donors to fund the work of about 10 investigative journalists who will focus on economic reporting. You'll be able to see the work on HuffPo's Web site as well as on other sites.

From the AP story:

Huffington said she and the donors were concerned that layoffs at
newspapers were hurting investigative journalism at a time the nation's
institutions need to be watched closely. She hopes to draw from the ranks of
laid-off journalists for the venture.

"All of us increasingly have to look at different ways to save
investigative journalism," she said.