To Develop a News Sense, Listen to the Voice Inside Your Head
Many of my journalism students have difficulty developing a nose for the news, a sense of what constitutes a big story. I have a theory about why this is the case......Read Full Post ...
View ArticleNewspapers Don't Seem Very Dead to me
The digital media nerds have been predicting for years that newspapers were on death's door. The only problem for them is, that hasn't happened. Read more... It's Time to Declare the Death of the Death...
View ArticleChronology Rarely Matters When Writing News Stories
Want to know what drives me nuts as a journalism professor? Students who write news stories in chronological order. Read more... When Writing News Stories, Forget About Chronology Follow me on Facebook...
View ArticleAre You Covering a Parade? Fireworks? Here are Some Tips.
So you're a young reporter whose been assigned to cover a parade or a fireworks display. Sounds like an easy assignment, right? Not necessarily. Covering light public events can be deceptively...
View ArticleAs Turmoil Spreads in Egypt, Reporters Face More Danger
For reporters covering the overthrow of Egyptian leader Mohammed Morsi, things are getting dangerous. One reporter has already been killed and at least another seven have been injured. And there are...
View ArticleDoes CNN Still Cover World News?
There's a lot of controversy lately over whether CNN has abandoned its core mission in the race for ratings. I'm wondering if anyone really cares. Does Anyone Really Care Whether CNN Covers World News...
View ArticleFor Writing Tight, Put the Subject First
Want to know the secret to writing the kind of tight, punchy sentences that editors want? It's called SVO, and it's surprisingly simple. Read more... For Writing Tight, Use The Subject-Verb-Object...
View ArticleMany Online News Sites are Run by Newspapers
A lot of people who get their news online think that layoffs at newspapers don't affect them. They're wrong. Why? Because many of the most-followed news sites on the web are - you guessed it - run by...
View ArticleAre Students Foolish to go to Journalism School?
A boatload of pundits have declared that journalism schools are a waste of time and that anyone who goes one is a fool. And yet every year thousands of students head off to college intending to major...
View ArticleIn the News Universe, Not Everyone is Fixated on Birth of Royal Baby
There's plenty of hoopla today over the impending birth of the royal baby. But at many news outlets there are surprising signs of restraint in the coverage. Even at British media outlets there seems to...
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Keep Your Newswriting Skills Up to Speed
Looking to keep your newswriting skills sharp over the summer? Try these exercises. And while you're at it, check out these tips on how to write a great lede, structure news stories and keep your...
View ArticleShould Glenn Greenwald Question Himself More?
We increasingly live in an age of activist-journalists of a type perhaps best exemplified by Glenn Greenwald and his reporting on NSA surveillance. But is there a danger that reporters like Greenwald...
View ArticleMore Journalism and Mass Communication Graduates Find Jobs
More journalism and mass communication graduates are finding jobs compared to a few years ago, a new survey finds. The numbers represent a bit of optimism in a business that's seen tough times in...
View ArticleThe Perils of Patch.com
Hundreds of reporters are being laid off at Patch.com, and hundreds of individual sites are being closed. But are Patch's perils taking the focus off something much important, namely, newspapers? Read...
View ArticleDid Chinese Newspaper Strike Spark Tougher Government Line on Press Freedom?
A secret government memo warning of democratic trends that could weaken the Community Party's control of China was apparently triggered by a strike at a newspaper in Guangdong province earlier this...
View ArticleEric Spitz Isn't Buying What the Digital Zealots are Selling
Eric Spitz, president of Freedom Communications (which owns, among other things, the Orange County Register), doesn't buy the received wisdom that the digital zealots have been peddling. He says...
View ArticleChinese Government's Get-Tough Approach to Press Freedom Continues
China's crackdown on journalists continues. The South China Morning Post reports that investigative reporter Liu Hu was taken away by police on Saturday on the charge of "fabricating and spreading...
View ArticleQuestioning Glenn Greenwald in a Post-9/11 Age
What do journalists think about Glenn Greenwald? Some are suspicious of his brand of journalism/activism. Others welcome the brave new world in which straightforward newsgathering and opinion-mongering...
View ArticleWhat Can You Do to Succeed in Journalism School?
There are thousands of students in journalism schools across the country. So how do you separate yourself from the pack, so that when you finish your degree and are looking for a job, you'll be the one...
View ArticleMore on Jay Rosen's Blogpost and the Digital Zealots
The digital zealots largely control the discourse about the future of the news business. Is that a good thing? Read more... For Better or Worse, Digital Zealots Are Dictating Changes in Many...
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