RJI Partnerships
How to make money on digital: The answer is still elusive
The main story that came out of my first stop on the Potter Listening Tour (#potterlisten) is that a small paper can achieve significant success in building a digital audience. However, figuring out how to make money from that achievement is still a tough task. The Houston Herald serves more than 25,000 people in Texas … Continued
Houston Herald: Weekly in print, daily online
When something newsworthy happens in Houston, Missouri, residents expect their local weekly paper to tell them about it — now. “If people hear sirens,” says Publisher Brad Gentry, “they expect us to have the story.” That’s the way the Houston Herald likes it. When its reporters learn of an event, the Herald sends out a … Continued
Small-town paper wish list: Time-efficient means to analyze and implement innovations
What Houston (Mo.) Herald folks want from the Potter Conferences was something of a surprise. Publisher Brad Gentry and his team aren’t shy about dedicating resources to digital innovation although they want to do it in the most cost-efficient way. But with only eight employees to serve 25,000-plus souls in Texas County, they’re spread thin. … Continued
Knight grant will help RJI develop born-digital-news preservation model
A $35,000 grant from the Knight News Challenge on libraries will help University of Missouri Libraries and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute develop a long-term model to protect born-digital news content from being lost forever. Monetizing newspaper content is one approach to saving the nation’s first draft of history, says Edward McCain, digital curator of … Continued
How the Denver Public Library ended up owning the Rocky Mountain News archive
Among the many stories shared at the recent “Dodging the Memory Hole” forum at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, none were more gripping and significant than the tale of how the Denver Public Library ended up owning the Rocky Mountain News archive. Like any good investigative report, the backstory is important to understand because … Continued
MobileVideoDIY giving away 10 free mobile gear bags to student journalism programs
Columbia, Missouri — Journalism teachers are no longer limited in their ability to add video to their curriculum because of the high cost of professional cameras and gear. Using smartphones and many free supporting apps, videos can now be shot, edited and shared with the world with a quality consistent with professionals. Teachers and students … Continued
Digital archives not as complete or long-lasting as they should be — or could be
On a blustery February day in 1981, a two-sentence story moved on the Texas AP wire reporting the death of Bill Haley. It said something like: HARLINGEN, Tex. (AP) — Former Rock ‘n Roll star Bill Haley, 55, was found dead today. Police say they are investigating, but don’t suspect foul play. I was the … Continued
Pulitzer Prize-winning series on coal miners’ black-lung claims available in RJI Digital Newsbooks
Chris Hamby of The Center for Public Integrity in Washington, D.C., today won the Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting for his three-part series, “Breathless and Burdened: Dying from Black Lung, Buried by Law and Medicine.” According to the Pulitzer citation, Hamby won “for his reports on how some lawyers and doctors rigged a system to … Continued
Newspapers’ mobile products have two distinctly different audiences
2013 RJI Mobile Media Research Report 6 This report focuses on the use of media tablets and smartphones by newspaper subscribers and non-subscribers. While newspaper subscribers differed from non-subscribers in most demographic categories, age was the most significant. Our findings revealed how the high percentage of subscribers aged 55 or older and low percentage aged … Continued
Circa app adds breaking news alerts
Breaking news alerts are among the key features of Circa News 2, the latest update to the mobile news startup. Released last week, the feature is also included in Circa’s new Android app. Circa launched in October 2012 as an app on iOS devices and identifies itself as a news source that delivers news in … Continued