Illuminations Blog, JTM News

The Weekly Illumination — Issue 14

Welcome to the the Weekly Illumination, a JTM newsletter offering a quick look at the week in journalism with a focus on what’s working in today’s news ecology. In this week’s Illumination we’ll look back at 2013 and forward to the new year, we’ll share some tips and job opportunities along the way.

Illuminations Hangout Series

JTM is launching a new series focusing on the work of our alum that will feature a weekly story alongside a Google Hangout beginning this Friday, January 10 at noon Pacific Time. Our first installment of the series will look at Oakland Local and their Hack the Hood initiative which teaches Oakland youth highly marketable digital skills. The accompanying Hangout will feature Susan Mernit, the Executive Director and Editor/Publisher of Oakland Local. Please join us to find out how this sustainable hyperlocal site has creatively approached numerous challenges in order to make things work for more than four years.

Tricks of the Trade

Looking back

With the door slamming shut on 2013, many sites and news organizations looked back on their accomplishments over the past year. Here are a few of our favorites:

Looking forward

The new year is symbolically a time for new beginnings and that metaphor is often embraced by companies looking to launch a new product or design. Kara Swisher and Walt Mossberg, who previously ran AllThingsD, launched ReCode with investment from NBCUniversal News Group and Windsor Media, and the New York Times plans to roll out its new design on Wednesday. It seems part of the motivation behind the new design is to incorporate native advertising; I don’t think anyone a year ago imagined the New York Times would be about to begin running sponsored stories on its site.

Over at 10,000 words, Angela Washeck shares her vision for the ten things she’d like to see happen in the journalism industry during 2014. And in a similar vein, Jeff Jarvis shares his perspective on what’s possible for TV news in the new year.

A brave new world

But underneath the cautiously rosy forecasts for the year ahead remain the stories that reveal how elements of our planet continue to resemble Huxley’s dystopian vision. Not only in regards to the revelations unveiled by Edward Snowden but also at a more pedestrian level.

In Oregon, a student media advisor at OSU was reprimanded for filing a public records request in preparation for an exercise with her students and a newspaper in Tennessee ran a story about a phallic-shaped tree branch and then blurred out the branch in the accompanying photo.09089df4714debda46c60783a08feeb5

While it’s legal for a private citizen to attach a camera to a remote control airplane, the same activity may be illegal for a news organization, reports Jeremy Barr for Poynter after the Spokesman-Review published a video one of their reporters shot with his own gear on his own time. Meanwhile the future journalism project is reporting that in Saudi Arabia posting on You Tube may soon require a state-issued license.

By now everyone knows how Justine Sacco, a PR professional, destroyed her career by posting a shockingly naive racist tweet before boarding a plane to Africa, but it turns out that JTM-alum David Cohn was the first person to respond to her on Twitter. In a recent post Cohn reflects on how he somehow became the initial voice in what became a social media mob.

Sometime recently the team at Conan O’Brien discovered that anchors across America were pulling from the same script and began assembling montage’s that are both hilarious and unnerving. In the most recent example, reporters from across the country voice the same words over and over again: “It’s okay; you can admit it if you bought an item or two or ten for yourself.”

As Poynter reveals, that script actually originated with a syndication service called CNN Newsource. But the realization that this copy is being regurgitated without bothering to rewrite the material or check its facts is hardly comforting.

Odds & ends and odd ends

Jobs of the week

JTM is looking for freelancers to write about successful journalism initiatives and is paying up to $250 per story.

Did you produce a notable work of investigative reporting this year? If so be sure to enter IRE’s annual contest.

CSU Los Angeles has an opening for a tenure-track assistant professor of journalism.

The University of Miami is looking for a visiting professor to work with students on documentary projects aimed at increasing the visibility of the problems facing members of Europe’s Roma communities.

Seattle’s Neighborhood House is hiring a communications coordinator. 

Syracuse University is looking to hire a tenure-track assistant professor of journalism with broadcast and digital journalism experience.

The Freelancers Union is seeking a senior writer.

UrbanDaddy is hiring a freelance writer to review bars and restaurants in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Illuminations Blog, JTM News

The Weekly Illumination — Issue 13

Welcome to the year-end edition of the Weekly Illumination, a JTM newsletter offering a quick look at the week in journalism with a focus on what’s working in today’s news ecology. I took a couple weeks off for the holiday, but we’re now back and will be sharing more stories about innovation and the evolution of the news and information ecology in the year ahead.

In this week’s Illumination we’ll look at the unanswered questions swirling around the death of a 17-year-old Reuters photographer, explore new tools to help tell stories and highlight some of the best year-end wrap-ups on what’s happened in journalism over the past year and what to expect in the year ahead.

Reuters under fire after death of young photographer

BcA49JlCMAAfM5VAlthough his age remains in dispute, Molhem Barakat may have been as young as 17-years-old when he was shot dead while covering the ongoing conflict in his country of Syria last week. Molhem was killed on December 20 while covering a battle over a hospital in Aleppo, Syria.

Corey Pein, an American investigative reporter based out of the U.K., has been  gathering information about Barakat’s death on an evolving post on his blog.

Apparently, Molhem started photographing the violence on his own cheap camera. Reuters eventually provided the teen with a better camera, but he reportedly continued shooting without the benefit of any protective gear.

He was paid $100 for uploading a daily set of 10 photographs and given a $50 or $100 bonus whenever his photos were selected as a Picture of the Day on the New York Times Lens Blog, according to a freelancer who met Molhem on an assignment earlier this year.

“If Molhem hadn’t been taking pictures, he may well have taken up arms. The Reuters team in Syria might have thought they were doing him a favor — and in some ways, I’m sure that they were,” said Pein in his blog. “Legally speaking, the agency had a responsibility to ensure that he was prepared for the work it was actively encouraging him to pursue.”

It’s unlikely that Molhem is the only young photographer working in a dangerous conflict zone without adequate protections for a major news organization, but his death has ignited questions over whether the agency’s existing policies are being followed and whether or not they are sufficient.

Looking back on 2013 and forward toward the new year

As 2013 winds down and the news along with it, many publications turn to highlighting work from the previous year and predictions toward the future.

At PBS Mediashift, Melanie Stone has profiled 5 exemplary college journalism projects from 2013 and Nieman Lab has identified their 25 most popular stories of the year.

Meanwhile, after Politico somehow managed to compile a list of 10 journalists to watch in 2014 that lacked any diversity whatsoever. NPR’s Code Switch responded with their own list of journalists, comprised of people of color, in an effort to right Politico’s failure.

Journalism.co.uk honored the end of 2013 by compiling a list of ways that journalists can prepare for the new year. And the Future Journalism Project has a short list of online image collections that are available for free.

New News Tools

Editorially is a new tool for collaborative writing that could change the way reporters work with other team members or their editors. Angela Washeck interviewed Mandy Brown, the founder and CEO of Editorially, for 10,000 words to find out how this new tool came about.

Another exciting new tool is StoryMapJS, which is a new project developed by the Knight Lab “to help you connect the places of your story into a media-rich narrative.” While StoryMap has technically been available for a couple months, it previously required some coding that would leave all but the most tech-centric reporter feeling a bit squeamish. Now StoryMapJS is simple enough that anyone can use it without knowing how to program.

Odds and ends & odd ends

Job(s) of the week

xojane.com, a female-oriented publication is hiring a managing editor.

WHDH-TV in Boston is seeking an executive producer of special projects.

Inside Edition is hiring an investigative producer.

The Honolulu City Beat is looking for an investigative editor.

JTM is looking for freelancers to write about successful journalism initiatives and is paying up to $250 per story.

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The Illumination is a curated collection of stories about journalism innovation, notable job opportunities, grants and updates about Journalism that Matters. It is distributed to e-mail subscribers, through the JTM Google Group, and posted to the Illuminations blog.

Activities at JTM, JTM News

Happy Holidays from JTM

5496986637_a9912a27ba_n.jpgIt’s hard to believe that 2013 is almost over. This year has been an exciting one for Journalism that Matters, and I just wanted to take a moment to share with you all of the work we’ve been doing.

In April, JTM hosted its 19th gathering at the University of Denver’s Estlow Center. Reporters, students, educators and others attended Journalism is Dead, Long Live Journalism, which was held in conjunction with the semi-annual National Conference For Media Reform.

Shortly after that gathering, JTM hired Josh Wolf to lead the Illumination’s Project and serve as Editor-at-large. Since taking the position, Wolf has published a weekly column about what’s working in journalism and also now curates our e-mail newsletter highlighting news from the world of journalism innovation.

Each edition of the newsletter is packed with great links to interesting stories and opportunities for jobs and grants. Please consider subscribing to the newsletter or joining our Google Group where you can also participate in JTM discussions as well.

In 2014 JTM plans to expand on the work we’ve already started, but we’ll need your help.

Journalism that Matters has partnered with the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) to launch a new initiative to help its member organizations engage diverse communities that they have struggled to reach in the past. At the same time we will be developing a similar project to benefit those outside of ASNE.

Thanks to our ongoing support from the Mott Foundation, we plan to pioneer a learning experience that supports participating sites with hands-on engagement among community and a mix of media partners. This collaborative venture will do some capacity building for engaging diverse community and provide ongoing support among a network of news organizations who are connecting with their community. The goal: to increase the know-how and effectiveness of communities in meeting their news and information needs.

In the next few months Journalism that Matters will also be developing new web forums, hiring additional correspondents to report on what’s working in journalism. And we are now developing our first online unconference.

This the first year that we’ve operated as a 501(c)3 organization and not only has our new-found status allowed us to secure the Mott grant that is underwriting the Illuminations Project, but it also allows you to make a tax-deductible donation to us.

For every 35 people who are able to make a $50 contribution to Journalism that Matters we will be able to hire one additional correspondent to share a story each month about what’s working in their community.

Can you help us with a one-time tax-deductible gift before the end of the 2013 calendar year?

We understand if you can’t afford to make a donation at this time, but please help our mission by sharing our links on your social networks.

Happy Holidays!

Activities at JTM, JTM News

Exciting new partnership to engage diverse communities

Journalism that Matters has partnered with the American Society of News Editors (ASNE) to launch a new initiative to help its member organizations engage diverse communities that they have struggled to reach in the past. header_logo.png

The project grew out of the ASNE Diversity Committee and the organization’s 2012 report, “The Future of Diversity in the News.”

“Diversity must go beyond being a goal. It must become an act,” said the report. “It will require a more strategic approach to identifying and then serving diverse audiences. New technological communication tools must be employed. More sophisticated distribution channels will be essential.”

The key components of this innovative effort:

1. ASNE and JTM will conduct a series of “proof of concept” community-based conversations about the news and information needs of diverse communities. These conversations will involve collaboration with community partners, as well as journalism schools and other journalism organizations.

2. Insights and practical takeaways from the community-based conversations, including templates or models for conducting future conversations in other communities, will be available in the online learning hub. The hub will also support an ongoing exchange among participants for shared learning across sites, answering such questions as why do it? And how do we get started?

3. Progress to date will be shared through an interactive program that mirrors some of the community engagement strategies at the joint ASNE/APME 2014 convention. The programs will also be offered for conventions of other journalism organizations. The purpose of the interactive programs is to inspire attendees to launch their own community-based conversations and participate in the learning hub to report their progress and learn from others.

We’ll have more information about this project in the coming year, but if you have a community you’d like to suggest for the “proof of concepts” or would like to get involved in any way, please contact JTM Board Member and ASNE Diversity Committee Co-Chair Mike Fancher.

Illuminations Blog, JTM News

Moderation matters for online commenting

Imagine if a newspaper white-washed the side of its building every morning and encouraged strangers to tag it with their response to the day’s news. Now imagine that printed in each edition of this paper is a photo of that wall just before it was painted over again.3211472081_59d16c1b39

Although the experiment might yield interesting results, most of the messages on the wall would probably do little to contribute to the conversation about the news of the day and much of it would be little more than graffiti.

Without moderation, comment sections on news Web sites quickly become like that wall, but real conversations are possible when news organizations invest the time to manually curate their comments and foment discussion.

Managing online comments can be a challenge for any news organization, but as Poynter veteran Butch Ward points out in a recent column, the solutions are simple but are resource intensive.

Which brings us back to those cursed Web comments sections. What can be done to make more of them places for productive debate?

Three ideas I hear most often are these:

  • Comments need to be moderated.
  • Comments sections need to be more than fenced-off areas for the public to talk among themselves. They need to be part of a newsroom’s coverage strategy.
  • Reporters and editors need to participate in the conversation.

For starters, moderation. Conversations on websites that moderate comments tend to be more substantial and less venomous. So why aren’t more comments sections moderated?

Money, of course. Many newsrooms have decided they don’t have the resources to invest in good comments sections. A few are “deputizing” members of the public to police comments, and the verdict is still out. The others? Well, as my mother would say, you get what you pay for.

The Illuminations Blog previously looked at how newspapers are using services like Disqus and Facebook to require commenters to use their real names. But this low-cost solution pales in comparison to the power of human intervention transforming a discordant sea of ad-hominem attacks into a meaningful forum filled with civil discussions.

Sandy Heierbacher, the Director of the National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, has been looking at civility in online comments and has identified a few local news sites willing to make the investment needed to maintain it.

“I think Deseret News is a really interesting example of a newspaper that took charge of the incivility in its comments,” said Heierbacher in an e-mail. “And I really like this gritty 2010 article on wordyard.com, which points out that platforms like The Well have decades of experience with online commenting. It also emphasizes that it’s not just about moderation.”

Deseret News is a newspaper serving the Salt Lake City, Utah, area. Most of the stories on the front page show only a handful of comments, but because the comments must be approved before being posted to the site its unclear how many might be in the queue. The most commented story listed on the front page has 106 published comments, which reveal an incredibly civil discussion  over gay marriage — for a newspaper comment section — which I imagine is particularly controversial within the newspaper’s coverage area.

In the wordyard.com article Scott Rosenberg writes that although it isn’t a bad idea to require commenters to use their own names, it’s all but impossible to enforce and won’t prove very effective if the environment has already turned vile.

“Show me a newspaper website without a comments host or moderation plan and I’ll show you a nasty flamepit that no unenforceable ‘use your real name’ policy can save,” writes Rosenberg. “It’s often smarter to just shut down a comments space that’s gone bad, wait a while, and then reopen it when you’ve got a moderation plan ready and have hand-picked some early contributors to set the tone you want.”

The San Francisco Bay Guardian did exactly that last August. The newspaper closed comments for a one-week period and offered an in-person forum as a substitute for the one online. Although the trolls quickly returned, a visit to the site this week reveals a far more civil environment than it seemed to be a few months ago.

“It’s hard to assess what impact my decision to temporarily suspend comments had, but I do feel like it was a shot over the bow of those who use our comments solely to undermine the work we do,” said Editor Steve Jones. “With new leadership at the Guardian, they seemed to realize that they’d lose their forum if they didn’t clean up their acts a little. It didn’t change much, and we are still planning to implement a comment registration system.”

Publisher and Web Editor Marke Bieschke said in an e-mail that he’s increased his efforts to remove comments that violate the site’s policy but also pointed to troll cannibalism as one reason for the increased civility.

“I know a couple of our most notorious trolls seem to have been hounded off the site by other trolls,” said Biescke.

But perhaps if Biescke had the resources to take advantage of Ward’s third point in his Poynter article — reporters and editors need to participate in the conversation — then his staff might have been able to transform the trolls into healthy contributors or at least persuade them to spew their venom elsewhere.

“Talk about a hard sell,” said Ward. “The truth is, most journalists have never been anxious to mix it up with the public. Newspaper editors and reporters for years responded to unhappy readers with one, or both, of these scripted responses: ‘We stand behind our story,’ and ‘Why don’t you write a letter to the editor?'”

Ward goes on to publish an interview he conducted with two journalists from the Financial Times. But one thing that may make comments posted at the Financial Times distinct from those being left on the Bay Guardian’s Web site or most other publications is that the site lives behind a pay-wall making its comments only accessible to paid subscribers. This certainly diminishes the number of trolls, which I’d imagine are already greatly reduced given the site’s specialization.

I’ve often wondered what would happen if general-news sites like the Huffington Post reserved comment privileges to paying members, but I doubt many would pay for that opportunity alone. Without a layer of curation beyond simple moderation, it would be overwhelming for reporters try to engage with the several hundred comments that can pile up on a popular story.

The Verge, a technology news-site based out of New York has somehow inspired its staff to not only engage with the comments on their own articles but also those written by their colleagues, but the site is one of a few exceptions I’ve found.

Gawker Media is another site where its contributors regularly participate in the comments. The threads in which the author has joined the conversation are marked off with a star and the words “Author is participating” are affixed to a banner on the top. The company has also made a concerted effort to elevate reader comments and participation by creating Kinja, a sort of personal publishing platform for Gawker content.

Kinja users are given a URL where they can curate pages from Gawker sites while also compiling any comments posted by the user. The potential for Kinja was revealed in October when Linda Tirado wrote a lengthy comment about poverty that went viral on her Kinja account Killermartinis. That comment eventually generated over $60,000 in donations and a likely-unpaid position as a contributor for the Huffington Post.

While the Huffington Post maintains a line between its contributors and its commenters, it has certainly tapped its audience to contribute and remains a mixture of professionally produced and unpaid content. Sites like the Daily Kos and Buzzfeed have gone even further in incorporating user-generated material into their strategy. Both sites provide a platform for users to generate their own content that they can promote themselves but is also sometimes highlighted alongside the work of their paid staff.

Comments have been a key component to online publishing almost since its inception. For much of that time comment systems have seen little nurture and almost no new development and online conversations have suffered as a result. As more and more attention is paid to rethinking online commenting, new tools are quickly emerging that promise to bring relief to the pains associated with online conversations. But no amount of engineering will ever replace the human resources needed to keep that conversation both civil and engaging.