Ever wonder why we, as journalists, need to toil over the rules of writing, grammar and punctuation laid out in the Associated Press Stylebook?
The Washington Post's Paul Farhi writes a lovely explanatory piece on the book and its chief architect: "David Minthorn is the Grammar and Style Expert for the Associated Press."
--Chris Harvey
Saturday, July 30, 2011
The Evolution of the Newspaper
It seems as though printed journalism is a dying art. Newspapers are hard to find on the University of Maryland campus during the summer. Students must go onto the Internet to read the daily news.
Rem Rieder, editor and senior vice president of AJR, talked to class recently about the state of the industry and said printed newspapers "are in danger" because of dwindling readership and advertising.
Most newspapers are being published online, which allows articles to be corrected and updated faster. And that's where readers have drifted.
Newcomers like Twitter raise more questions about delivery. Tweeting information may not seem very conventional, but The Washington Post and other news organizations use it as a way to quickly get out the latest stories. Twitter allows for instant updates of stories, in bursts of 140 characters or less.
So the real question is, how long until print is no longer used?
And will everything on the Internet be explained in fewer than 140 characters?
Rem Rieder, editor and senior vice president of AJR, talked to class recently about the state of the industry and said printed newspapers "are in danger" because of dwindling readership and advertising.
Most newspapers are being published online, which allows articles to be corrected and updated faster. And that's where readers have drifted.
Newcomers like Twitter raise more questions about delivery. Tweeting information may not seem very conventional, but The Washington Post and other news organizations use it as a way to quickly get out the latest stories. Twitter allows for instant updates of stories, in bursts of 140 characters or less.
So the real question is, how long until print is no longer used?
And will everything on the Internet be explained in fewer than 140 characters?
Bias Due to Ads?
We had a guest speaker today who shared the experience of launching a magazine. Amanda Nachman, creator of College Magazine, described her early magazine career running to local pizza shops selling ads. She said local advertising was the magazine's chief source of revenue at the beginning. As publisher and editor, she was the one responsible for selling the ads, and she had the final say on editing the stories.
The general question raised here is if these ads had an influence on what was being written in the articles of the magazine and if the magazine sometimes was biased toward those restaurants or other local businesses if it was the chief way of bringing in money.
Newspapers had a long history of separating the business side of the operation from the editorial, to help allay fears of bias.
The lines have been murkier for small start-ups, and they have grown murkier still as content has moved online.
Related story from AJR: Navigating the Future
The general question raised here is if these ads had an influence on what was being written in the articles of the magazine and if the magazine sometimes was biased toward those restaurants or other local businesses if it was the chief way of bringing in money.
Newspapers had a long history of separating the business side of the operation from the editorial, to help allay fears of bias.
The lines have been murkier for small start-ups, and they have grown murkier still as content has moved online.
Related story from AJR: Navigating the Future
Friday, July 29, 2011
Major Decisions
"Your major doesn't determine your path in life." Amanda Nachman, founder of College Magazine and a University of Maryland class of '07 graduate, gave our journalism class these words of advice in a lecture today.
As an English major who also took courses in the business school at UMD, Nachman combined her writing and entrepreneurial skills to ultimately enter another field. By combining her interests, she managed to become a successful journalist without ever entering journalism school. College Magazine has had several print editions published and launched a popular website that provides unsure college students with helpful tips.
Nachman concluded her speech with three closing points: "Get experience, dream big, and believe in yourself."
This USA Todayarticle, posted on the website just over a week ago, buttresses Nachman's counsel on believing in yourself when it comes to choosing a college major. The article encourages students to pick a field they enjoy learning about and working with, no matter what family, friends and teachers may say and explains why it is important to do so: Five Reasons Why
--Danette Frederique
As an English major who also took courses in the business school at UMD, Nachman combined her writing and entrepreneurial skills to ultimately enter another field. By combining her interests, she managed to become a successful journalist without ever entering journalism school. College Magazine has had several print editions published and launched a popular website that provides unsure college students with helpful tips.
Nachman concluded her speech with three closing points: "Get experience, dream big, and believe in yourself."
This USA Todayarticle, posted on the website just over a week ago, buttresses Nachman's counsel on believing in yourself when it comes to choosing a college major. The article encourages students to pick a field they enjoy learning about and working with, no matter what family, friends and teachers may say and explains why it is important to do so: Five Reasons Why
--Danette Frederique
Newspaper Articles Vs. Magazines
While listening to Rem Rieder speak today about American Journalism Review, the magazine that he edits and is the vice president of, one thing he spoke about really caught my attention.
When Rieder spoke about the difference between writing for news articles and for magazines, I got very excited because I think it would be very interesting to write for a magazine. I think this because writing news articles is too stiff and limiting for me. I feel as though I am restricted in what I can say, since I cannot give opinions, the work must be written in a very specific manner, and honestly sometimes the stories you have to write about are just not very interesting.
I think that writing for a magazine would be lots of fun, especially when looking at the magazine that Amanda Nachman has created.
Nachman is the founder of College Magazine, a very interesting magazine about college life and related aspects. When I was reading through those magazines, I could not put them down. They were funny, interesting and very easy to relate to.
I really appreciated today's speakers because after listening to them talk. I think I have found a style of journalism that really clicks with me.
I would be interested to hear the classes' thoughts and how you all feel about news articles vs. magazine articles? Do you feel as though the structure and straight forwardness of the news article helps you and gives you comfort, or does the more freelance and opinionated style of writing for a magazine article excite you?
When Rieder spoke about the difference between writing for news articles and for magazines, I got very excited because I think it would be very interesting to write for a magazine. I think this because writing news articles is too stiff and limiting for me. I feel as though I am restricted in what I can say, since I cannot give opinions, the work must be written in a very specific manner, and honestly sometimes the stories you have to write about are just not very interesting.
I think that writing for a magazine would be lots of fun, especially when looking at the magazine that Amanda Nachman has created.
Nachman is the founder of College Magazine, a very interesting magazine about college life and related aspects. When I was reading through those magazines, I could not put them down. They were funny, interesting and very easy to relate to.
I really appreciated today's speakers because after listening to them talk. I think I have found a style of journalism that really clicks with me.
I would be interested to hear the classes' thoughts and how you all feel about news articles vs. magazine articles? Do you feel as though the structure and straight forwardness of the news article helps you and gives you comfort, or does the more freelance and opinionated style of writing for a magazine article excite you?
College: A Platform for Entrepreneurial Success
During college years, most students are heavily focused on remaining on top of their heavy workloads while balancing their social lives and extracurricular activities. However, as College Magazine founder Amanda Nachman demonstrated, college can be the opportune time to launch a business and take action on entrepreneurial dreams.
As a University of Maryland student, Nachman founded the magazine during her senior year. Initially the idea for the magazine came from a class project; however, she became very passionate about her idea and decided to pursue it seriously.
Nachman took her business plan to the university’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the School of Business, and presented what she had come up with. She emerged with positive feedback, and decided that with a few minor changes, her product could have some potential.
Today, College Magazine has switched to an electronic form and has become extremely popular and widely read.
Nachman serves as a success story to other aspiring entrepreneurs in college. During a recent lecture, she advised students that the best time to begin a business was during college. Although it may seem like a lot to handle at an already stressful point in your life, the resources to start a business are most abundant in college. There are many learned professionals surrounding you who would be willing to assist you in your quest for success.
Related Story from Maryland Newsline: UMD Competition Awards Young Entrepreneurs Mentoring, Money
As a University of Maryland student, Nachman founded the magazine during her senior year. Initially the idea for the magazine came from a class project; however, she became very passionate about her idea and decided to pursue it seriously.
Nachman took her business plan to the university’s Dingman Center for Entrepreneurship at the School of Business, and presented what she had come up with. She emerged with positive feedback, and decided that with a few minor changes, her product could have some potential.
Today, College Magazine has switched to an electronic form and has become extremely popular and widely read.
Nachman serves as a success story to other aspiring entrepreneurs in college. During a recent lecture, she advised students that the best time to begin a business was during college. Although it may seem like a lot to handle at an already stressful point in your life, the resources to start a business are most abundant in college. There are many learned professionals surrounding you who would be willing to assist you in your quest for success.
Related Story from Maryland Newsline: UMD Competition Awards Young Entrepreneurs Mentoring, Money
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Follow Your Dreams, Seriously
College Magazine's creator, 26-year-old Amanda Nachman, was a guest speaker in our class today. The young entrepreneur gave us her hard-working story on how she got to where she is today. Nachman started out as a college student here at the University of Maryland. In her junior year, Nachman gained an increasing urge to provide a real, relatable source of information for college students.
"I want to be able to tell a freshman what a keg party is," she said, as one of her examples.
One Friday while Nachman was still a student at the university, she attended "Friday Pitch" at the School of Business' Dingman Center with a group of friends. After pulling an all-nighter, the students' hopes were to get their idea for this magazine approved by the judges. When the judges embraced their proposal, Nachman knew they had something.
Her computer-savvy friend joined the team, and that's when the kick-off began. With the young entrepreneurs relying initially on local pizza shops to buy ads for the magazine, they kicked off College Magazine. They began one of what would become many editions of the print magazine in College Park. After that came editions for campuses in D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Nachman said she became even more assured that her magazine was a hit when she observed students placing it in their bags, instead of tossing it straight into the garbage.
After four long years of hard work and determination, Nachman has advice for the would-be small business owner.
"Don't let funds be your reason for not starting up what you want to do ...that's loser talk," she said. "If you're passionate about something and you want to make it happen, make it happen."
--Savanna Mickens
"I want to be able to tell a freshman what a keg party is," she said, as one of her examples.
One Friday while Nachman was still a student at the university, she attended "Friday Pitch" at the School of Business' Dingman Center with a group of friends. After pulling an all-nighter, the students' hopes were to get their idea for this magazine approved by the judges. When the judges embraced their proposal, Nachman knew they had something.
Her computer-savvy friend joined the team, and that's when the kick-off began. With the young entrepreneurs relying initially on local pizza shops to buy ads for the magazine, they kicked off College Magazine. They began one of what would become many editions of the print magazine in College Park. After that came editions for campuses in D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia.
Nachman said she became even more assured that her magazine was a hit when she observed students placing it in their bags, instead of tossing it straight into the garbage.
After four long years of hard work and determination, Nachman has advice for the would-be small business owner.
"Don't let funds be your reason for not starting up what you want to do ...that's loser talk," she said. "If you're passionate about something and you want to make it happen, make it happen."
--Savanna Mickens
Pay Walls and Journalism
A few major publications have instituted pay walls, fees for reading online content, on their websites to compensate for the decrease in print revenue as traffic moves online.
The intent is to make enough money to keep the news industry alive, whether it be online or print or broadcast. It is widely known that advertisers are the key source of income for a newspaper. But pay walls could lower the amount of visitors to a site, and fewer visitors could mean fewer advertisers. Which, in turn, means papers could lose money by trying to charge people money.
One strategy in imposing pay walls is to push readers back to the print product, according to American Journalism Review's Paul Farhi. Another is to use the targeted advertising that paid registrations allow to boost online advertising fees to make a profit.
Recently, the New York Times began charging for prolonged online access, mobile applications and tablet subscriptions. According to a Columbia Journalism Review article about a panel discussion involving Publisher Arnold Sulzberger Jr. and CEO Janet Robinson, the Times' goal is not to convince more readers to buy the paper every morning.
“We made this decision to create a new revenue stream that provides us with the opportunity to continue to invest in the journalism that we create each and every day,” Robinson was quoted as saying.
A part of that new revenue stream is the price of premium advertisements. When readers register with a pay wall, a newspaper has access to their consumers’ demographics, which they can then sell to potential advertisers. Online newspapers also have “a 24/7 clickstream of their digital reading, researching, and shopping behavior,” according to a Newsonomics article written by Ken Doctor.
Farhi writes about a news provider that began charging for online content, but with a different objective in mind. A Rhode Island newspaper charged readers 38 percent more to read the paper’s website than to have a print subscription. In this case, the publisher wanted to push the readers back to the newspaper, Farhi quoted Newport Daily News Publisher Albert K. Sherman as saying.
In this day and age, it seems impossible for a news provider to do away with its online presence altogether. In order to compete with online news providers, which include Yahoo! and AOL and Google, papers seem to need an online home.
The pay walls could be disasters in the making or the salvation of newspapers-- only time and circulation numbers will tell.
--Rachel McCubbin
The intent is to make enough money to keep the news industry alive, whether it be online or print or broadcast. It is widely known that advertisers are the key source of income for a newspaper. But pay walls could lower the amount of visitors to a site, and fewer visitors could mean fewer advertisers. Which, in turn, means papers could lose money by trying to charge people money.
One strategy in imposing pay walls is to push readers back to the print product, according to American Journalism Review's Paul Farhi. Another is to use the targeted advertising that paid registrations allow to boost online advertising fees to make a profit.
Recently, the New York Times began charging for prolonged online access, mobile applications and tablet subscriptions. According to a Columbia Journalism Review article about a panel discussion involving Publisher Arnold Sulzberger Jr. and CEO Janet Robinson, the Times' goal is not to convince more readers to buy the paper every morning.
“We made this decision to create a new revenue stream that provides us with the opportunity to continue to invest in the journalism that we create each and every day,” Robinson was quoted as saying.
A part of that new revenue stream is the price of premium advertisements. When readers register with a pay wall, a newspaper has access to their consumers’ demographics, which they can then sell to potential advertisers. Online newspapers also have “a 24/7 clickstream of their digital reading, researching, and shopping behavior,” according to a Newsonomics article written by Ken Doctor.
Farhi writes about a news provider that began charging for online content, but with a different objective in mind. A Rhode Island newspaper charged readers 38 percent more to read the paper’s website than to have a print subscription. In this case, the publisher wanted to push the readers back to the newspaper, Farhi quoted Newport Daily News Publisher Albert K. Sherman as saying.
In this day and age, it seems impossible for a news provider to do away with its online presence altogether. In order to compete with online news providers, which include Yahoo! and AOL and Google, papers seem to need an online home.
The pay walls could be disasters in the making or the salvation of newspapers-- only time and circulation numbers will tell.
--Rachel McCubbin
Shifting to the Web
We had two guest speakers come to our class today: Amanda Nachman, founder of College Magazine, and Rem Rieder, editor-in-chief of American Journalism Review. They talked to us about the steps they took to get to their current jobs.
Nachman said that getting her magazine up and running was tough, due to costs for printing and her salary, which were partially covered by selling ads to local businesses. As she grew readership for the magazine from College Park to campuses in additional cities (Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia), she found her time consumed by the need to sell ads in each of those markets. So she shifted her focus this year to creating a strong website, for which she could sell national ads.
Lately, that re-examination of a publishing platform is what just about every news publication -- including newspapers and magazines -- are doing.
So will print news die in our lifetimes, due to a shift in reading habits from print to online?
Some do believe more print publications will die in this digital revolution, while others believe that paper publications will last for a while, so long as we still have trees.
Nachman said that getting her magazine up and running was tough, due to costs for printing and her salary, which were partially covered by selling ads to local businesses. As she grew readership for the magazine from College Park to campuses in additional cities (Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia), she found her time consumed by the need to sell ads in each of those markets. So she shifted her focus this year to creating a strong website, for which she could sell national ads.
Lately, that re-examination of a publishing platform is what just about every news publication -- including newspapers and magazines -- are doing.
So will print news die in our lifetimes, due to a shift in reading habits from print to online?
Some do believe more print publications will die in this digital revolution, while others believe that paper publications will last for a while, so long as we still have trees.
Social Media and the New Breed of Journalists
Lately in class we've had several discussions about the presence of social media in the newsroom and its use as an aid for journalists. We know that it can be useful for distributing news quickly and sharing links to important stories and news, but an article in The Economist examines the benefits of social media, and how it is turning regular people into journalists and editors.
Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter level the playing field, making it possible for nonjournalists to share information, sometimes even faster than traditional news sources, as in the case of President Obama's announcement about the death of Osama bin Laden.
This shift of the masses to the media is even more pertinent with the launching of the new social networking venture, Google Plus, which is said to be similar to Facebook; possibly better.
As more and more social networking sites emerge, some news will be easier to come by and more accessible.
Could social networks eliminate the need for online journalists?
Could the social networking sites that started as a friend to journalists everywhere be their downfall?
Could social networks eliminate the need for online journalists?
Could the social networking sites that started as a friend to journalists everywhere be their downfall?
Sunday, July 24, 2011
Liberal vs. Conservative in the Media
During the town hall meeting held at Ritchie Coliseum last Friday, President Obama mentioned how a lot of the time people only receive their news from one side. He talked about how many conservatives only watch conservative channels like Fox, while many liberals only watch channels such as MSNBC, and neither side every gets to hear the other side's opinion.
To me, this statement by the president seems very true. From my experiences, it seems as though many people only want to hear their side of the argument, and never want to listen to the opposing side.
However, I personally do not think the problem is that people do not want to change the channel, I think the problem is people have to change the channel in order to hear both sides. News channels should not be biased towards either side, they should just be accurate and truthful. Yet accroding to a survey (link below), a large group of people think that news is becoming more biased and inaccurate.
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