Futures Lab update #40: News tailored for mobile platforms

This week we bring you three examples of how news is being reengineered for people on the go. PART 1: Circa The mobile app Circa has received a lot of attention for its effort to redefine the experience of keeping up with the news via smartphone. The operation is half newsroom and half tech start-up … Continued

RJI produces e-book to help fight plagiarism and fabrication

The American Copy Editors Society (ACES) will introduce a provocative new e-book produced at the RJI during the organization’s annual conference on April 4-6 in St. Louis. The e-book, titled “Telling the Truth and Nothing But”, addresses one of the most vexing issues confronting journalism today — plagiarism and fabrication. At the end of 2012, … Continued

#RJInnovation (2012): How to attract and retain YAYA employees

Former Reynolds Fellow Stephanie Padgett, building on the work of another former Reynolds Fellow, Margaret Duffy, is working with top strategic communications students to identify strategies for businesses to effectively interact with Youth and Young Adults (YAYAs). YAYA Connection has worked with various clients to help them develop marketing strategies to engage the YAYA generation, … Continued

Value of journalism may lie in the art of listening

What value do journalists bring to the news? Boiled down, that’s the question that newspapers, independent news publishers, journalism schools and individual reporters have been contemplating for the last decade. Exactly what is it the news consumers have been paying for? And how do we keep people paying, so that reporters can keep reporting? I’ve … Continued

New iPad will put more pressure on publishers to adapt

As expected Apple has again raised the bar for competitors in the tablet market that the late Steve Jobs defined with the iPad. It also will put more pressure on publishers to make their iPad editions more compelling and visually rich. The third-generation iPad introduced today, which Apple calls the “New iPad”, not the iPad3 … Continued

What do we mean by engagement? An RJI fellow ponders

In 2008-2009, Donald W. Reynolds Fellow Mike Fancher concluded that journalists needed to develop a “new ethic of public engagement” as an enhancement or amendment to The Journalist’s Creed. This year, Reynolds Fellow Joy Mayer has been following that thread. She’s been asking: “What do we mean by engagement?” The idea of sorting out the meaning … Continued

Block by Block: Imagining the sequel(s)

The online community news leaders and their shared passion for local news was the most impressive part of Block by Block: Community News Summit 2010. More impressive — and challenging — is where local editors and publishers take it from here. A big tip of the hat to online publishers, including Susan Mernit, Andre Natta … Continued

Using Media to Create Shade in Miami’s Little Haiti: Part 2

PRI’s morning news show The Takeaway, co-produced with WNYC Radio, has been in Miami this week trying a new approach to serving a community. Instead of covering the Little Haiti neighborhood, journalists are trying to build ties and engage Haitian residents in the newsgathering. This is the second of two posts from PRI’s Michael Skoler … Continued

The Takeaway seeks to engage diverse communities via texting: Part 1

This week, The Takeaway takes to the streets of Miami in the latest of its experiments to partner with communities in gathering news and uncovering stories that deserve attention. The Takeaway is a new morning news show produced by Public Radio International (PRI) and WNYC Radio. Initial audience data shows its conversational format and editorial … Continued

Steal this idea! Hot new revenue for news

How does this sound? A million dollar revenue stream that requires only a salesperson or two, some web support and off-the-shelf e-commerce and newsletter tools? It caught my eye. And I’m suggesting you steal the idea for your local news operation fast before national competitors own the market. The idea is Deal Brokering. You use … Continued