The NPF Newsbag

www.tbd.com -- Wave of the Future?

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A new website has made its debut, and I wonder if it provides a look at a unified digital future. Called TBD.com (www.tbd.com), it has strong editorial leadership and a deep pocket backer. Most importantly, it seems to me, it offers access to TV, blogs and wide-ranging local content. A good initial review of it appeared here. Once you've explored and made your own assessment, take a step back and think of the lyrics of John Lennon's "Imagine" ... "Imagine there's no county , it isn't hard to do ..."

Now, let's go back to TBD.

Breitbart As A Journalist? And Other Flying Pig Stories

I go out of town for two weeks to do our training program at the International AIDS Conference and  all kinds of stuff happens. There's the phony video about a non-existent racist speech, distributed by the disreputable eye-poker Andrew Breitbart, which gets a government employee fired and sets off a whole series of apologies and "who's a racist?" deep-thinks from the White House on down. Then there's the Journolist issue (which I'll get to in another post). And then finally New York Times media critic David Carr ventured into the murky swamp of identifying the aforenamed Mr. Breitbart as a real journalist, as if its OK to jettison integrity in favor of a-t-t-i-t-u-d-e.

Kelly Kennedy, Journalist-Soldier

We are starting a new series of video interviews with journalists who have gotten really interesting stories, how they did it and what the impact has been on them. The first in this new series is with Kelly Kennedy, a reporter for Army Times. Her first book is, They Fought for Each Other: The triumph and Tragedy of the Hardest Hit Unit in Iraq (St. Martin's). The book is unrelenting in its depiction of the stomach-churning stress the troops live under, and shows the same kind of detail and respect for soldiering found in Michael Herr's Dispatches. I interviewed Kelly after she spoke to our Paul Miller fellowship group, on July 7, 2010. The interview is on YouTube here. (Bob Meyers)  

Recognizing Domestic Violence

The recent beating death of Yeardley Love, a University of Virginia lacrosse standout, reminds us of the complexities and dangers of domestic abuse. No one ever told authorities about previous violent episodes she had experienced. Learning how to recognize the signs, and knowing what to do, is vital for all and especially vital for reporters.

For tips on understanding domestic violence, view a recorded webinar hosted by NPF as part of October’s national domestic violence awareness month.  Panelists were Kristin Schubert, a program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and Sheryl Cates, CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

Photo courtesy of heraldpost.

Keeping Newspaper-style Journalism Alive

The idea of a lucrative newspaper these days may seem like an unusual concept. This did not stop Sam Apple from starting The Faster Times, a web-only newspaper with the spirit of a traditional publication.

According to the New York Times’ Media Decoder blog, The Faster Times is staffed by trained journalists and “guided by a coherent editorial mission.” What makes the publication innovative is how contributors are compensated—by receiving a cut of the web advertising revenues earned from ads placed next to their work. With recent news that internet advertising is growing, this new model may prove lucrative after all.

Apple is profiled by Andrew Rice in The New York Times Sunday Magazine. Read full article here.

Photo courtesy of borman818.

Regionals' Worth

A study soon to be published by the Journal of Political Economy proves that regionals matter. Authors James Snyder from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and David Strömberg of Stockholm University address the importance of local press in keeping politicians accountable.

For 22 years, NPF’s Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellowship has trained hundreds of Washington-based regional reporters. Learn how you can become part of the 2010-2011 Paul Miller Class. Accepting applications now!  

“Press Coverage and Political Accountability” will be published online and in print this week. Read full press release after the jump.

Freelance Reporter or Corporate Shill?

MARCH 31 -- POLITICO has an amazing story this morning about a drug company investigating two senior FDA officials to see if they are in cahoots with its rivals. The company can answer for its own actions. So can the silk-suited gumshoes. What amazed me were the actions of "a freelance reporter (paid) to file Freedom of Information Act requests, using her status as a journalist to request (the official's) emails, phone records" and the like.

The article said the journalist acknowledged working for the investigators and that she was entitled to get tips from anybody. Indeed she is. But you can't work for two masters -- a interested profit-maker, or the disinterested concept of "the truth."

In misrepresenting herself, the reporter benefitted from the ethical practices of freelancers, and soiled the waters for all those who will come after.

This is an important issue, because the decrease in available paying outlets for journalism, or the reduction in pay for professional work, is going to give rise to this kind of issue again and again.  I'd welcome hearing from others.

bob meyers

It’s All in the Headline

 
“Pack your URL with power words,” said Mark Silva (audio), the producer of The Swamp, who spoke to the 2009-2010 class of Paul Miller fellows on March 15. The headline should not only clue readers in, but reflect Google Trends for the day.  Update often, don’t let stories get stale, and aim to create a community among your readers by encouraging comments and discussion. Silva is a national correspondent in the Washington Bureau of Tribune Newspapers and the main contributor and editor for the political blog, The Swamp.

"State of the Media" report is Out

Washington -- The 2010 State of the News Media report from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism is out, and as usual it's definitive. .

One-Man Bands Will Be Heard

WASHINGTON -- Or should that be, One-person bands? Howard Kurtz in the Washington Post has a good piece on the budget-driven, technology-sensitive issue of reporters who do everything -- set the camera up, run in front for the discussion, edit on a laptop; or write, edit, move the story.

It's a fact of all of our lives now. NPF is going to start a series of programs for one-man bands, and bureau reporters, on Capitol Hill issues. Our partners are POLITICO and the Center on Congress of Indiana University. The programs will be starting soon. we'll post notice of them in all the usual places, including here, and our website, www.nationalpress.org. Stay tuned.