Newsroom Notes: Covering pandemic, protests provides three valuable reminders

KOMU News is the nation’s only teaching laboratory inside a commercial, network-affiliated TV station. The challenges are no different from other newsrooms—just layered on top of the challenges facing the next generation of journalists. We’re providing a first-hand view (and maybe a little advice) from an industry veteran who agreed to lead the KOMU Newsroom during a faculty search process—just as the COVID-19 crisis began unfolding.

Redefining local journalism: What is news?

The views expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Reynolds Journalism Institute or the University of Missouri. Since the advent of the Internet, many people have increasingly wondered: What is “news” in a universe of infinite information? What is a journalist’s role when anyone … Continued

Can pay-by-text micropayments become a viable revenue source for newspapers?

COVID-19 accelerated what we’ve known for some time: Newsrooms cannot rely on advertising. Now more than ever newsrooms need to grow reader revenue — soliciting direct support from their readers. We have subscriptions. A new study from the International News Media Association (INMA) found that 39% of digital news publishers across 33 countries charged for … Continued