Looking for something upbeat in the latest annual report on the state of the media may be a fool's errand. No matter how you slice it, the news about local TV news is grim. But buried in the fine print are hints that after two …
When it comes to online video, YouTube is top dog, with more users and vastly more content than any other site. But as a source of local news it's just a pup, and many television stations aren't quite sure if it's as tail-waggingly friendly as …
One thing I love about working with journalists is how generous they are when it comes to sharing resources and strategies. They may delight in beating each others' brains out on breaking news or investigations, but they're also more than willing to tell how they …
Exclusive! the headline screamed: "U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts considering stepping down." The story was posted around mid-day last Thursday on the gossip site Radar Online, owned by the National Enquirer. It said Roberts might step aside for personal reasons and could announce …
Mike Schuh has been covering daily news at the same station in Baltimore for 17 years, winning a Murrow and several Emmy awards along the way. His official title is general assignment reporter at WJZ-TV, but he prefers to describe himself as a storyteller. So …
Awkward. Inspiring. Hilarious. That's how it looked from my seat at last night's RTDNF dinner honoring some of the biggest names in broadcast news. Awkward? That would be ABC News president David Westin speed-reading his way through remarks accepting the First Amendment leadership award just a …
By now, it's not news to anyone that the network news divisions are fighting for survival. Ratings are stagnant or declining, advertising is down, the effects of the recession linger. So last month, CBS let go or reassigned dozens of veteran journalists. This month, ABC …
Most stories about the latest poll from the Pew Research Center focused on the growing popularity of the Internet as a news source. But the headline for me was the enduring popularity of television news, both local and network or cable. The trouble is, I'm …
The old stereotype about bloggers being guys in pajamas in their basements ranting on the Web surely has been laid to rest. But what we think we know about the blogosphere depends a lot on where we are. That's one of the things that struck …
Phone calls, email, social media: Journalists today are more accessible than ever. Soliciting comments, video and photos on the Web opens up the newsroom for input from the community; so does crowdsourcing on Twitter or Facebook. But how much interaction with readers, viewers and listeners …
The earthquake in Haiti was devastating for the country and a challenge for journalists trying to cover it. Now, a month after the quake, it seems like a good time to share some lessons learned there and in other crises that could apply when disaster …
Live truck? Who needs it? The once ubiquitous SNG van is fast becoming obsolete. And it's not just Skype-plus-WiFi that's doing it in. Even if you can't get on the Internet, cell phone technology allows for the transmission of decent quality live video. And it …
