Tag: Brian Steffens
Millennials: What does ‘news’ mean to this generation?
Diversity means so much more than just race, color, ethnicity, religion, political segmentation, income and education opportunity. It includes generational differences, among others. When thinking about age, we tend to focus on ageism discrimination. Yet, for the news industry, we have the boomers in our wheelhouse. It’s the millennials and younger that are cause for … Continued
How to hire a millennial
I suppose a first question might be: Why hire a millennial? Millennials and the generations coming up behind them are the future of news and journalism … we hope! And as an industry, we’ve not done a great job of attracting their readership and viewership. It’s time to let millennials “speak” with millennials. Recruiting smart, … Continued
New research indicates tight meters have won the pay model war for news websites
As the search for effective revenue models for online news sources continues, many websites have kept their content free. Newspapers, however, have erected a variety of pay models, including a variety of metered models. When newspapers first went online, the generally accepted wisdom of the time was that their content had to be free. It … Continued
We’ll take ‘design hubs’ for $400
Let’s play J-Parody: Society for News Design edition! This is the journalism game where I give the answer and a few hints, and you guess the question. Today’s category: Design hubs. The answer is: 1,134 Hint 1Hint 2Hint 3Hint 4Hint 5Hint 6Hint 7 Lee Enterprises: 395. GateHouse Media: 247. Gannett Company: 209. The McClatchy Company: … Continued
Nonresidential fellow jumpstarts his project with a visit to RJI
My fellowship project was transformed earlier this month during a three-day visit to Columbia, Missouri. The occasion was an informal convening of several of this year’s Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute fellows to discuss the varied projects we hope to bring to fruition over the coming months. Though it was a laid-back affair, the conversations … Continued
Talk Story, Write Story demonstration project is a success story
I used my Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute fellowship this year to test my hunch that trained volunteers could successfully help financially challenged high school students write their way into college scholarships. If my theory was correct, others could do what I had loved doing, mostly alone, for nearly two decades. My Talk Story, Write … Continued
Developing storytellers strengthens community
Originally published on The Columbia Daily Tribune website Journalism should strengthen the communities it serves and help the members of those communities lead better lives. Journalists believe an informed citizenry leads to a stronger democracy, that they should speak truth to power, give voice to the voiceless, stand up for the average man and woman, … Continued
How to make online news ‘brain friendly’
Online news can work with or against the brain. When RJI Fellows Alex Remington of The Washington Post and media researcher Paul Bolls applied brain science principles to news design, readers’ comprehension, recall and engagement increased. We interviewed the researchers (audio below) to learn how to make articles “brain friendly.” It’s all about the “reading path,” says Remington. “Classify the … Continued
Alphabet-soup roundup of fall industry events, part one
The fall rush of industry meetings (ONA, LMA, NNA, SNPA and ASNE/APME) got underway in late September and ended Oct. 18, giving you only a one-week respite before heading into Inland. Whew! Missed one or more of these meetings? I’ll offer a brief recap of themes, noteworthy statements and observations, plus links to additional coverage. … Continued
Seattle’s Best: Mary Bruno
Don’t overlook the home of Microsoft, Amazon, Zillow and other innovative companies large and small when looking for voices in media thought leadership. Below are observations and insights from a handful of the city’s media leaders that I collected while accompanying a Missouri School of Journalism innovation and entrepreneurship class as they visited each venue.