Journalists becoming business leaders: Gabriel Snyder interviews journalists who became entrepreneurs.
“Anybody who’s a writer knows you need a certain amount of solitude, and the entrepreneurial lifestyle is pretty much the opposite,” says one.
Tag Archives: Columbia Journalism Review
Following The Money
Following the money: Mya Frazier reports that an obscure accounting rule change allowed an alert reporter to discover how millions of dollars were siphoned from public services through tax breaks.
“Although Statement 77 was not intended as a tool for the press, the new disclosures have become a font of valuable information for journalists,” she wrote.
Defining Free Speech For Robots
Defining free speech for robots: Jared Schroeder reports that free expression rights for artificial intelligence communicators may push the Supreme Court to define a journalist.
“Courts will soon have to explore whether AI communicators have rights as publishers — and whether a bot can be entitled to journalist protections,” he writes. This requires us to identify what is human about journalism and what is fundamental about it.
How The Internet Found Its Voice
How the internet found its voice: Lyz Lenz analyzes the rise of internet writing.
“It comes as no surprise that finding and creating a cohesive understanding of internet writing is just as dubious, problematic and maddening as the internet itself,” she writes.
“The internet, with its irreverence and short attention span, is a perfect vehicle for crassly delightful send-up humor.”
Regaining Reader Trust
Regaining reader trust: Philip Eil says don’t assume people understand journalism, explain it. Five steps to regain trust.
“One of the many lessons of the Trump era is that press freedom and audience trust aren’t limitless natural resources,” he writes.
More AP Style Book Changes
More AP style book changes: Merrill Perlman writes that AP announced a new chapter on surveys and polling, prefers “sexual misconduct” to “sexual harassment” and advises cautions when using terms like “victim” or “survivors.” Language is quirky.
Risking ISIS Sources
Putting ISIS sources at risk: Belkis Wille writes that news organizations “should not interview captured or suspected ISIS members who are in no position to consent freely.”
They “may face legal and physical risks, including torture, by cooperating with journalists — no matter how enticing the story.”
AP’s Changing Style
AP’s changing style: Merrill Perlman points to a change in the definition of “collision.”
AP no longer requires that two bodies must be in motion for a “collision” to happen. The old style, writes Perlman, “was more honor’d in the breach than in the observance…”
Muckraking In Africa
Muckraking in Africa: Andrea Gurwitt writes about what American journalists can learn from African journalists.
“American journalists should study African journalism so that Americans can understand their own future,” a source tells Gurwitt. Some of the bravest African reporters devoted their lives to hard-hitting stories while working more or less on their own.
Report For America
Report For America: Nellie Bowles updates status of nonprofit Report For America, aiming to put a thousand journalists in understaffed newsrooms by 2022.
Applicants “want to try to save democracy,” says a founder. Fellowships last one to two years and pay about $40,000.
“I felt like I needed to give something back to a place that has given a lot to me,” says one of the first reporters selected. “And journalism is the way for me to do that.”
Ethics AdviceLine for Journalists 