Dan Conover, Joel Achenbach and Deborah Potter on storytelling

I recommend three pieces on narrative journalism to your attention.
I addressed the future of storytelling in a recent post, Storytellers are challenged, not limited, by Twitter and other digital tools. That post, if you missed it before, might provide some helpful context for this one.
Joel Achenbach, an outstanding writer for the Washington Post, wrote lovingly [...]

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Five reasons government shouldn’t subsidize journalism

This madness has to stop. Intelligent people have to stop thinking that government funding is the solution to the economic challenges facing newspapers.
I love newspapers. I hope they survive and thrive (again) for the rest of my life and beyond. If that delivery system fails, I hope healthy new business and journalism models emerge and stabilize [...]

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C3 overview for high school journalists

I will be discussing my Complete Community Connection business model Thursday at the Iowa High School Press Association in Iowa City. This is the one-page handout. For more, read the full C3 Blueprint (38 pages as a pdf). Here are the slides for my presentation.
The business models that have supported newspapers (and broadcasting) for decades are breaking down. Some [...]

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Twitter tips for high school journalists

I’ll be leading a Twitter workshop Thursday for the Iowa High School Press Association in Iowa City. Here is the one-page handout for that workshop, a shortened, student version of my Twitter tips for journalists. Here are the slides for the presentation to high school students.
Twitter is not as popular among high school students as some other social [...]

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Follow live digital coverage of APME convention this week

I encourage editors to follow live coverage of the Associated Press Managing Editors convention starting today in St. Louis.
The digital-only coverage of APME09 by University of Missouri students might help you in four ways:

If you’re attending the convention, it will enhance your understanding of the events and issues.
If you’re not attending the convention, it will [...]

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Tweeps offer advice for my Twitter class

For my Getting Started with Twitter course tonight, I asked some of my tweeps today for advice.
“How do you use Twitter for business, work, fun? Your best advice?” I asked on Twitter (of course). The answers came quickly:
Jon Konchar, a Cedar Rapids  business broker, tweeted:

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Trying out Twitter for fun and business

I’ll be teaching Getting Started with Twitter this Tuesday and Thursday at Kirkwood Community College. This post is designed to supplement the course. It is an updated, adapted version of earlier tip sheets I have done, most recently the Getting started in Twitter tips I provided in August for my Using Social Media for Business class. Those tips, of course, [...]

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Commentary on Downie and Schudson’s “The Reconstruction of American Journalism”

While I am critical of the Columbia University report, The Reconstruction of American Journalism, I am pleased that it has stirred debate about the future of journalism. Here are the most interesting takes I have seen on the report by Columbia journalism professor Michael Schudson and former Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie Jr:
Tom Grubisch ripped [...]

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Michael Schudson discusses government’s historic role supporting journalism

Michael Schudson accepted my invitation to continue our discussion about The Reconstruction of American Journalism. I  blogged critically Monday about his report with former Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr. Schudson responded Thursday and I replied today . I recommend reading the other links, if you haven’t yet, before reading this. Schudson is a journalism professor at [...]

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I respond to Michael Schudson’s defense of “Reconstructing Journalism” report

This is my response to Michael Schudson’s response to my criticism of his report with former Washington Post Executive Editor Leonard Downie Jr., The Reconstruction of American Journalism. I recommend reading the other links, if you haven’t yet, before reading this. Schudson is a journalism professor at Columbia University. While I encourage you to read Schudson’s response [...]

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Columbia’s Michael Schudson responds to criticism of “Reconstructuring Journalism” report

Thanks to Columbia University journalism professor Michael Schudson, who responded to my Monday post criticizing his report with Leonard Downie Jr., The Reconstruction of American Journalism. I will respond to his comments later but wanted to post this immediately upon receiving it:
A response to your thoughtful post:
First, this was no clip job. Unless there’s something [...]

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Help with my lesson plan for Getting Started with Twitter

I will be teaching Getting Started with Twitter at Kirkwood Community College next week (still room in the course if you want to register or to refer friends).
I will probably edit and update the getting-started tips I used in September for my Using Social Media for Business course. This course differs from that one in a three respects:

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