Reporters love ‘brights’ … and zombies

via Sam Smith

I have a love of all things zombie-related.

Zombie movies. Zombie video games. And don’t even get me started on World War Z.

Best. Zombie. Book. Ever.

That’s why I couldn’t help but click on a Facebook link from a friend of mine with a headline that read, “Fla. college ready for flesh-eating zombie attack.”

In addition, Yahoo News, which offered up this journalism gem, gave me a thrilling option I couldn’t help but take advantage of: instant notification of zombie attack.

I hope the college student who famously said, “If the news is that important, it will find me,” meant exactly this.

A new model for funding local journalism

All right. I’ve complained enough about a lack of ingenuity on the part of news executives.

Now it’s time to do something about it.

I just submitted an application for the Knight News Challenge, a grant program that awards start-up money to organizations with new ideas on community journalism.

I’ve posted that application below. This is an open application period, which means anyone can view and comment on the idea, and I can make changes based on those comments until Oct. 15. Feel free to comment here or on our application’s page on the Knight Web site. I would sincerely appreciate any feedback.

Rick Sanchez talks social media in Raleigh

via Chris Copins

It may not have been by fancy hologram, but CNN anchor Rick Sanchez Skyped in to a technology education class at N.C. State last week to talk social media and its impact on journalism (Watch the video or read the rough transcript).

Thanks to his show’s use of MySpace, Twitter and Facebook, Sanchez said his viewership is up almost 100 percent since he began hosting the time slot about a year ago. That’s shocking, especially as CNN continues to get dominated by the more partisan MSNBC and Fox News.

While Sanchez said he can directly attribute his show’s success with its use of social media, he said how he uses it is more important.

In defense of CNN and process journalism

Back in June, Michael Arrington of TechCrunch got into a bit of a spat with The New York Times’ Damon Darlin over an article disputing the trustworthiness of many popular blogs.

Arrington’s claims sparked an interesting discussion on “process journalism,” a technique that essentially boils down to telling the reader what you know and don’t know in almost real time.

Friday, as outrage grew over CNN’s reporting of a Coast Guard training exercise on the Potomac near the site of the president’s 9/11 anniversary speech, the Nieman Journalism Lab asked an interesting question on Twitter.

In tweeting “suspicious boat…shots fired,” @CNN was practicing what we call process journalism, right?

As a cynical, newspaper-trained journalist and the proud son of a retired Coast Guard master chief, my gut reaction was to flame CNN.

What ever happened to verification? Responsibility!? The truth!? Basic Journalism!?!?

But the lab’s question made me stop and think.

Gems from the German Internet Manifesto

Two minutes, Turkish.

While Google and the Newspaper Association of America scheme on how best to nickel and dime readers in the States, a group of German bloggers recently banded together to provide their take on how journalism in the world of the Internet really works.

The result is the Internet Manifesto.

The Bavarian e-tome consists of 17 points that should give journalists a lot of hope for the future — news executives … not so much.

Electronics firm sums up state of journalism

I caught this gem of a commercial from Allied Electronics while watching the Science Channel over the long weekend.

I didn’t quite expect to burst out laughing at the end, when an older engineer decides to bash his younger colleague across the face with his six-inch thick catalog.

I thought volley between the electronics engineers was analogous to the battle between print and Web journalism — even the behavior seems to match.

Consider:

- Young, tech-savvy rookie snidely touts the benefits of the slick online interface of the Web

- Curmudgeon defends print, citing nostalgia and intrinsic beauty of physical product

- Tech-savvy rookie counters with insult, calling curmudgeon a “dinosaur,” raves about instant nature of the Internet

- Curmudgeon responds with violence.

So which are you, curmudgeon or techy-savvy rookie? Vote and get a free T-shirt from Allied Electronics.

How fear cripples courageous newsrooms

To Roger Fidler, 1995 represented a sea change in journalism.

For the last three years, Fidler had been directing the Information Design Lab at Knight-Ridder Inc., the nation’s second-largest newspaper chain.

Up until that point, things were looking good. Under the leadership of Jim Batten, a reporter/editor turned chairman, the company was flourishing. It owned about 30 newspapers across the U.S. and was posting millions in profits.

With Batten at the helm, the company was also investing in R&D amid a period of rapid technological change. From the IDL facility in Boulder, Colo., located right next door to an Apple Computer Inc. lab,  Fidler led a staff of 10 people who were tinkering with a variety of new media techniques. They worked closely with their next-door neighbors to develop content for the Newton, a PDA predecessor. They had close ties with Japanese electronics firms Toshiba and NEC.