what to cover

Hi class.
Can you do a niche site? Can you do a blogger? The answer is yes. The thing to look for is whether the site is interesting. Are they doing something new or different? If they are just linking for example, you may not have much to write about. If they are linking and commenting and producing stories or analysis, then you have more to report on. If they are producing conent, terrific.
A niche site, a site or blog on a certain topic , is fair game for sure. Many political sites are exactly that - and some have become quite famous.
One caveat - a purely personal site can be tricky unless it is very good, very well done and has received some attention. A personal blog detailing someone's daily life may not yield much in the way of a good story.
Hope that helps.
Paul

Info on Today's Guest

Hi Everyone,
In case you wanted to know some background on today's guest, here's his website and blog:
http://www.davidakin.com/
http://davidakin.blogware.com/blog
See you in class,
Don

Blogs Selling Out?

Hi gang:
Here is an interesting piece on the evolution of blogs. This writer worries that blogging is being commercialized and co-opted into the mainstream...
You can read it at this URL but you need to take a minute to sign into the LA Times. There is no charge and it takes 10 seconds....

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/suncommentary/la-op-billmon26sep26,1,4882290.story?coll=la-headlines-suncomment

If that fails, go to the LA Times and search under the name Billmon. That's the column's author.
Cheers,
Paul

Assignment 1

Hello,

I will look at Centre for Media Alternative - Quebec (go figure). The address is www.cmaq.net. Their motto is "break with conformity", something I obviously have a problem with...

JC

Interesting article

Hey:
I'm sure you are following the Dan Rather fiasco in the U.S. Here's an interesting piece about how mainstream media (Old) and online media (New) worked on a big story. It's from Reason online. What do you think of the premise?

Old Media and New Media

this week's readings

Please read the following articles and look over the sites. Next week we have a guest speaker David Akin (CTV-Globe and Mail).
To get the most out of these special sessions, it's very important that you are prepared Only then will you be able to you can ask intelligent questions and spark some interesting discussion. I think you will find Akin to be a very informed and interesting person.




What is Participatory Journalism
J.D. Lasica
www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1060217106.php


Participatory Journalism Puts the Readers in the Driver’s Seat
J.D.Lasica
www.ojr.org/ojr/workplace/1060218311.php

The Well
www.thewell.com/aboutwell.html

Go Skokie
www.goskokie.com

Gothamist
www.gothamist.com

It's an article

Hey class:
I hope that I have been very clear that the assignment your are doing is an article, a piece of reporting and writing. I want you to take every opportunity to use what you are learning here. Please do the piece as a story that you might see in a newspaper or magazine. You might even consider selling it to an appropriate publication. So, to review, it is an article. It must be researched with real interviews. It should have quotes and stats and background and facts. It should be interesting. It should have a good lead, good structure and be well written. It should engage the reader. It should be the kind of piece that you might want to read yourself!
Hope that helps , Paul

assignment #1 selections

Hey Folks,

I'm thinking of doing my story on either Canadian Dimension or Stylus Magazine (the Canadian website/magazine, not Frank's American one).

Peace out,
Rob

CJR Blog Article

Hi Everyone,
Here's an article on the CJR website on blogs- it talks about a lot of stuff we've covered in class but still worth checking out:
http://www.cjr.org/issues/2003/5/blog-welch.asp
Also has some links to blogs if you're still in search of one.
Later,
Don

Bloggers and Their Bosses- Globe and Mail

Hi everyone,
This article was on the cover of the Globe today.
Later,
Don

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20040922/BLOGS22/TPFront/TopStories

Bloggers and Bush

From a David Akin note:
Uber-blogger Andrew Sullivan has a column in this week's Time magazine about blogs and l'affaire CBS. (Oddly, it says posted Sept. 27, 2004 -- a week from now. How prescient of them!)


From that Andrew Sullivan column, here's some decent flame bait . . .

"... The critics of blogs cite their lack of professionalism. Piffle. The dirty little secret of journalism is that it isn't really a profession. It's a craft. All you need is a telephone and a conscience, and you're all set. You get better at it merely by doing it—which is why fancy journalism schools are, to my mind, such a waste of time."

But then he says something much less risible:

"...Does this mean the old media is dead? Not at all. Blogs depend on the journalistic resources of big media to do the bulk of reporting and analysis. What blogs do is provide the best scrutiny of big media imaginable—ratcheting up the standards of the professionals, adding new voices, new perspectives and new facts every minute. The genius lies not so much in the bloggers themselves but in the transparent system they have created. In an era of polarized debate, the truth has never been more available."

The whole column is at: AndrewSullivan

the readings again

Sorry, but the links didn't work on that one. I will provide the full URL as well, just in case the links refuse to cooperate!
You can copy the URL into your browser to find the article.

The Internet and Its Journalisms
Mark Deuze
www.ojr.org/ojr/future/p1026407729.php

Wayne MacPhail, “Missing the Medium” http://www.rabble.ca/everyones_a_critic.shtml?x=3498

Wayne MacPhail, “Content? No Thanks!”
http://www.rabble.ca/everyones_a_critic.shtml?x=3049


Mark Deuze

Wayne MacPhail

Wayne MacPhail

This week's readings

Hi class. This week's readings take a look at the overall online content scene in Deuze's piece and then Wayne MacPhail takes a run at content providers in Canada with two provocative pieces on Rabble.ca, an alternative news website.


The Internet and Its Journalisms

Missing the Medium

Content?No Thanks!

Globe and mail to charge for online

I saw a piece this weekend announcing that the Globe is launching a fee-paying service online.
You may want to read Greenspon's column about this by going to the Globe site and clicking on Columnists. (He's the editor in chief).
Or you can get to a story by going here:

First Assignment Note

J732 First Assignment Note

Write a story (800-1000) words about an alternative (non-major media) site in Canada or abroad. The story should answer the Five W’s and more. Make sure you do interviews and get multiple sources. The story should explore how the site started. Why? What is its purpose? Where does it originate? Who runs it? Who works there? How popular is it? How does it operate? Does it generate revenue? Does it function with rules or guidelines?... and more.

Useful websites to get you started. These sites reference a lot of other sites:



CyberJournalist

David Akin

Sreenivasan

This week's readings

Welcome to the class blog.
Here are the readings for next class.

Arnold Kling;s article,
The news of my death…


Sidney Goldberg's piece,
Has been greatly exaggerated



Gregory Favre's story,

Reports of their (Impending) Death Exaggerated?

Newspapers in the Digital Age

Dominic Gates' piece,
Newspapers in the Digital Age


Sam Lehman-Wizig's article,
Print newspapers will be put out off business