RJI news
Michele McLellan: Mid-year report
I’ve learned a lot about online civic engagement in fields other than journalism (social causes, politics, even marketing) through conferences, interviews and looking at Web sites. I’ve also connected with numerous community news startups and learned that many of them put civic engagement and community building at the top of their agenda. I think established … Continued
Behavioral targeting
Advertising leaders visited RJI on Oct. 14 to talk to professors and students about the importance of ethical advertising. Wally Snyder moderated the discussion with Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO of AOL part of the panel. The panel discussed proposed ethical principles to enhance ethics in the advertising industry. Reynolds Fellow Stephanie Padgett discusses the … Continued
L3C: Explaining the new corporate form for journalism
Bill Densmore interviews Jennifer Towery and Robert Lang AUDIO: Explaining the L3C — a new lease for newspapers? Jennifer Towery and Robert Lang are an unlikely alliance. Towery: A young editor from DeKalb, Ill., and union president at a chain-owned daily in Peoria. Lang: a retired costmetics manfacturer from Westchester County, N.Y. But each shares … Continued
The value of privacy
Citizens need privacy as a shield against the state as well as corporate power. Legally, privacy is thought of a protection from other things. Contested commodities Research shows that people may be willing to part with what is known as contested commodities. People may be willing to trade private information for goods and services. In … Continued
Who’s who?
Jeff Vander Clute, President Jeff is founder of Semesphere, Inc., a Palo Alto, CA-based consulting firm that developed several social media and networking applications. Jeff has known and worked with Bill for 15 years, and provided the technical lead on “The Information Valet Project.” He was the principal developer of the Internet’s first mass-market social … Continued
In new news orgs, a glimpse at journalism founded on value, not mass
A few weeks back, John Thornton invited me to Austin, Tex., to take a look at his news organization in-the-making, a team of powerhouse journalists from all over the state who are assembling the ambitious effort that will be the Texas Tribune. Before coming to RJI, I worked in for-profit newsrooms, where the constant primary … Continued
Want news?
Listen to more interviews conducted for the Media Giraffe Project at UMass Amherst. Download an MP3 podcast for offline listening. Audio: Bill Densmore interviewed at KTRS St. Louis about IVP Can news organizations figure out a way to increase the value they receive for journalism on the World Wide Web? McGraw Milhaven, talkmaster on KTRS … Continued
Bill Densmore: The information valet project research proposal
Are people willing to pay for information online? Do they truly value privacy? What kind of information are consumers looking for online? To sustain an information valet economy — and along with it both participatory democracy and journalism — the next generation Internet needs a user-focused system for sharing identity, exchanging and settling value (including … Continued
L.A. Times’ Sean Reily: Journalists must innovate, move content to mobile devices
An interview with Sean Reily as he begins his fellowship year. When the banking and real estate industries got clobbered in California, the Los Angeles Times, like every newspaper in America, felt the ripple effects. Revenues shrunk as fewer businesses placed employment or real estate ads. That meant sections shrank or disappeared, along with jobs … Continued
Journalists must learn to share information to build readers’ trust
An interview with Michael Skoler as he begins his fellowship year. When the folks at American Public Media wanted to build a better partnership with their listeners, they called on veteran National Public Radio reporter and editor Michael Skoler to lead the charge. Skoler created a new approach to news called Public Insight Journalism and … Continued