Comments on: Journalism as a process, not an end http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/ ... at the intersection of media, technology, business and the web Sun, 12 Oct 2008 05:06:39 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Mathew http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/#comment-318980 Mathew Wed, 05 Sep 2007 01:00:03 +0000 http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/#comment-318980 I think that's a good point, Troy. Editorial oversight is a key part of journalism -- and how that works when a story is taking shape moment by moment is difficult to answer exactly, although wire services seem to do it. And I think allowing intelligent readers to be part of the process makes sense as well. I think that’s a good point, Troy. Editorial oversight is a key part of journalism — and how that works when a story is taking shape moment by moment is difficult to answer exactly, although wire services seem to do it. And I think allowing intelligent readers to be part of the process makes sense as well.

]]> By: Troy http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/#comment-318978 Troy Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:54:47 +0000 http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/#comment-318978 I haven't been in or studied the field for a long time, but I think part of the process of a completing a story is the story leaving the writer's hands and going to the editor(s). Only after that does it get published. The editor ostensibly provides the oversight that allows you to call journalism journalism. How do you keep that oversight in place with small bits and pieces trickling in all the time? Maybe it's one area where journalism will never catch up with blogs. Or maybe there's a way to retool the process. We toss around the concept of community press and citizen journalism. Guys like wikipedia have proved more or less that community oversight of an unfolding story can work too, and as this blog entry says it worked well with the bridge collapse. I wonder what it would take for a regular news source to follow a model like that. I'm sure there are other ways, but I'm going out on a limb by saying that's even the problem. I haven’t been in or studied the field for a long time, but I think part of the process of a completing a story is the story leaving the writer’s hands and going to the editor(s). Only after that does it get published. The editor ostensibly provides the oversight that allows you to call journalism journalism. How do you keep that oversight in place with small bits and pieces trickling in all the time? Maybe it’s one area where journalism will never catch up with blogs.

Or maybe there’s a way to retool the process. We toss around the concept of community press and citizen journalism. Guys like wikipedia have proved more or less that community oversight of an unfolding story can work too, and as this blog entry says it worked well with the bridge collapse.

I wonder what it would take for a regular news source to follow a model like that.

I’m sure there are other ways, but I’m going out on a limb by saying that’s even the problem.

]]> By: Karoli http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/#comment-318838 Karoli Tue, 04 Sep 2007 20:32:36 +0000 http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/#comment-318838 Resounding applause for this -- All too often, the real story is the 'second day' story, when more facts are available. It drives me crazy to see a 'breaking news' story where they just grind the same sensationalistic info for 24 hours and then send the fact-finding to a back page, despite the many efforts of bloggers and others to get the real facts out there. Resounding applause for this — All too often, the real story is the ’second day’ story, when more facts are available. It drives me crazy to see a ‘breaking news’ story where they just grind the same sensationalistic info for 24 hours and then send the fact-finding to a back page, despite the many efforts of bloggers and others to get the real facts out there.

]]> By: Rocky http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/#comment-318647 Rocky Tue, 04 Sep 2007 14:18:37 +0000 http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/#comment-318647 Unfortunately too many news organizations (and the journalists that work for them) view a story as the end product. No matter how significantly things change, the story is done and on to the next thing. A few years ago, I emailed a reporter at a large daily and mentioned that a key premise of his story was wrong. He refused to believe it; he was on to the next story and didn't care. I went back and took <a href="http://blog.agrawals.org/2007/08/30/jayson-blair-judith-miller-and-the-new-york-times-archive/" rel="nofollow">a look at how The New York Times has handled two major disasters in its ethics -- Jayson Blair and Judith Miller</a>. Many of these stories still are presented with either poor disclosure of the issues or none at all. Most readers of this blog probably know to take with buckets of salt anything by Blair or Miller; but most regular readers would scroll past the byline. Unfortunately too many news organizations (and the journalists that work for them) view a story as the end product. No matter how significantly things change, the story is done and on to the next thing.

A few years ago, I emailed a reporter at a large daily and mentioned that a key premise of his story was wrong. He refused to believe it; he was on to the next story and didn’t care.

I went back and took a look at how The New York Times has handled two major disasters in its ethics — Jayson Blair and Judith Miller. Many of these stories still are presented with either poor disclosure of the issues or none at all.

Most readers of this blog probably know to take with buckets of salt anything by Blair or Miller; but most regular readers would scroll past the byline.

]]> By: Amyloo http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/#comment-318536 Amyloo Tue, 04 Sep 2007 11:00:04 +0000 http://www.mathewingram.com/work/2007/09/03/journalism-as-a-process-not-an-end/#comment-318536 Jon Udell has a good way of describing this idea. I heard it in one of his podcasts recorded shortly after he joined Microsoft. I’m not quoting it exactly but he talked about how InfoWorld stories were a process, with reader conversation up front and afterwards, with a particularly well-baked part of the process (the published story) in the middle. Jon Udell has a good way of describing this idea. I heard it in one of his podcasts recorded shortly after he joined Microsoft. I’m not quoting it exactly but he talked about how InfoWorld stories were a process, with reader conversation up front and afterwards, with a particularly well-baked part of the process (the published story) in the middle.

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