I was reading, in the April 2006 issue of Editor & Publisher magazine, the second installment in their series of “the new Web/print continuum: How today’s online focus raises tensions, from when to post to what to pay” and several interesting points were brought up.
The biggest dilemma, it seems, facing the merger of traditional newsrooms and that of their associated online counterparts, is that reporters feel stretched and that their “to do” list just keeps growing and growing. No longer are they able to “only” have to pound the pavement, so to speak, to get the info they need for an article, but they also have to make time for any research involved (although in most cases that’s what the company’s Research Library staff is for), write the article itself, make any changes and then submit it to their editor to be sent along to the layout and print press people. Add to that, in many cases, blogs, podcasts, submitting updates for a website, etc. One can need not struggle to find the frustration with this.
Another problem facing the industry is straight forward: traditional journalists are scared and rightfully so.
Many of the established news writers have been on the scene doing what they do best for 10, 20, often more than 30 years writing their stories for the daily paper. They went to school to become well versed in writing styles, grammar, proper tense usage and so forth. Then along came the Internet and, while slowly at first, it seems to be a big junk yard bull dog bearing down on them… salivating. This emerging technology enables readers to not have to wait until the next morning, as they shuffle to the ends of their driveways in their slippers, to find out what’s on the current events list. Or to find out what politician issued a scathing statement about his opponents. Now readers can get their news almost instantaneously. These writers have to now deal with this new beast that can serve readers faster - and arguably better - in most cases for free. So how does a company walk the fine line that combines the best of both worlds, while harnessing animosity that may arise from one group towards another, yet still bring in enough cash to stay afloat?
Case in point: When 9/11 happened, the internet allowed people from all over the globe to see replays of the tragic plane crashes, read statements issued by their local representatives and keep up with the moment-by-moment breaking information. Print newspapers, however, had to scramble to write, design, layout and print special edition copies to serve the need of those who wanted the feel of a newspaper in their hands, almost as if they didn’t’ believe the Web reports. There’s something to be said about the feel of newspaper in your hands that increases your belief and trust.
That is the question that Editor & Publisher magazine is trying to answer.
In Part 2, the issue of news writers having personal blogs was brought up. Several journalists have been fired because their employers found it inappropriate for the writer to have a blog, and sometimes regardless of what their blog was about:
- Steve Olafson, of the Houston Chronicle, was fired in 2002 after editors found his blog, and even though he agreed to take it down.
- In 2003, travel editor for the Courant, Denis Horgan was forced to stop his personal blog. An editor for the paper said that while Horgan was a “ranking member of the newsroom” he couldn’t just go and start a blog and “opine on what the paper covers.”
- Post-Dispatch reporter Daniel P. Finney got caught in a similar situation in 2004 when he blogged in criticism of the newspaper and “discussed” articles he had penned. Finney stated, post-resignation, “the business wants more control over the lives and thoughts of the staff than before.”
Other examples were given, some more severe than others, but nevertheless, the point is made and some of the reactions, from an outsider’s point of view, seem like knee-jerk reactions. With the emergence of new ways to express one’s views, a company must determine how to respect what their employees do on personal time and how those personal activities may affect the company’s future, reputation and integrity. What’s more, they need to do it fast and make it clearly stated - for fairness to all involved.
After reading the article, I’m not sure what I would do, if, for example, my boss approached me and said unless I took down this blog, I would be fired. It seems to me, that unless I wrote entries which were out of line or inappropriate I should be free to write what I want. Many in the blogosphere have lost their jobs over their blogs, some which I have read deserved to be fired for the nature of the posts in relation to their employers. However, I adamantly believe in the freedom of speech, and acknowledge that with that right comes opposition. And in some cases, that opposition is your boss giving you an ultimatum. Jobs can come and go, but does that mean when you sign the employment agreement you are also signing over your right of free speech?
What would you do if you were forced to choose between your personal blog and your job?
And hope it doens’t turn out like last time…
Magnitude-8.0 Quake Strikes Near Tonga
The Associated Press
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake struck early Thursday near the South Pacific nation of Tonga, the U.S. Geological Survey said. A tsunami warning was issued for Fiji and New Zealand.
The temblor, classified by the USGS as a “great” quake, struck 95 miles south of Neiafu, Tonga, and 1,340 miles north-northeast of Auckland, New Zealand. It occurred 20 miles beneath the sea floor.
The U.S. Pacific Tsunami Warning Center issued the tsunami warning but said it was not known whether the quake generated a potentially deadly giant wave.
Tonga - a 170-island archipelago about halfway between Australia and Tahiti - has a population of about 108,000 and an economy dependent on pumpkin and vanilla exports, fishing, foreign aid and remittances from Tongans abroad.
It is ruled by 87-year-old King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, who is ailing.
On Dec. 26, 2004, the most powerful earthquake in four decades - magnitude 9.0 - ripped apart the Indian Ocean floor off Indonesia’s Sumatra island, displacing millions of tons of water and spawning giant waves that sped off in all directions.
The tsunami left at least 216,000 people dead or missing in a dozen nations.
A ‘tsunami watch’ is in effect in Hawaii, too.
