RJI news
From Chicago: A snapshot of online news experiments
I interviewed operators of three Chicago online news sites — Gapers Block, Windy Citizen, and Chicago Talks — recently and found the mix of content and revenue ideas worth following. I’m adding several Chicago sites to my list of promising online news sites. Gapers Block Led by Andrew Huff, this site is aggregates and offers … Continued
Discussion finds pros and cons to new ownership forms
Putting journalism under non-profit ownership is no panacea for financing it, a six-person panel found during an 80-minute discussion at the New England Newspaper & Press Association annual meeting in Boston moderated by 2008-2009 Reynolds Fellow Bill Densmore. There are challenges to obtaining foundation funding. Local-news operations in New Haven, Conn., and Brattleboro, Vt., are … Continued
CityCamp Chicago: An exciting mashup of geeks and wonks
CityCamp in Chicago this past weekend brought together a fascinating mix of techies and local government officials who are part of the Gov 2.0 movement that seeks to use new digital tools to engage and empower citizens while making government more effective and transparent. Many of the government folks were newsbies trying to find out … Continued
With the tidal
The first time I watched Wall Street with my son was on DVD and he loved it. He was totally captivated by the world of high stakes finance and arbitrage practiced by Michael Douglas playing Gordon Gekko. Then the movie comes to one particular scene where Gekko is walking at sunrise on the beach before … Continued
My criteria for promising online news sites
As a fellow at the Reynolds Journalism Institute this year, I am working on a list of promising sites. The idea is to identify and work with the best – to learn from them and to figure out ways RJI might help them. Here are my criteria: Content: The site is devoted primarily to original … Continued
E-readers at Consumer Electronics Show 2010: Does Apple determine their fate?
While dedicating my current Fellowship Year at the Reynolds Journalism Institute to an exploration into E Reader devices and the opportunity they offer news providers as a reading and business platform, until a week ago I had only held an Amazon Kindle, a Sony Touch Edition and an IRex iLiad E Reader in my hands. … Continued
Exploring Government 2.0
I’m excited about the potential of Government 2.0, a growing movement to use the Internet to improve government practices and make government more transparent and participatory. Here’s what organizers of last fall’s Gov 2.0 summit say: “Over the past fifteen years, the rise of the World Wide Web has resulted in remarkable new possibilities and … Continued
Stephanie Padgett: Mid-year report
In search of opportunities for small to mid-sized newspapers to increase revenue from online content, I have arrived at three critical factors that I believe will lead to success: Identify natural segments within a newspaper site that will have strong appeal to local and/or regional advertisers and create a plan to develop strategies for serving … Continued
Sean Reily: Mid-year report
In the (near) paperless world of the future, reading from an electronic screen has long been hypothesized as the method through which readers will receive the bulk of their printed news and information. To augment this electronic news consumption, it has also long been hypothesized that optimizing the E-reading experience through the technology of E-Reader … Continued
Michael Skoler: Mid-year report
With so many meetings, conferences, reports and workshops about the future of news, it’s a wonder anyone has time to think creatively about the future. I have read reports, attended a few of those meetings, and followed tweets and notes about others. My impression is that most of today’s discussion on the future is not … Continued