My industry
Last month, Alex Irwin, a good friend and a very hip arts blogger and Philadelphia music writer, posted that he gave over publishing rights of two of his photos to an online travel guide for Seattle, where he was visiting his girlfriend when snapped the pictures.
Wrong move, I say. Let me tell you why.
The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette are officially sharing content, according to Editor & Publisher.
Inquirer Editor William Marimow and Post-Gazette Editor David Shribman confirmed that they have been swapping daily budgets since Jan. 29, the latest example of the ever-growing trend of newspapers with no common ownership or JOA trading news.
“We exchange budgets and except for the most highly-competitive stories, we will be sharing,” said Marimow. “You will see more Pittsburgh Post-Gazette bylines and photos in the Inquirer.” [Source]
Continue reading Will the Philadelphia Inquirer Harrisburg bureau get trimmed?
Some folks in public relations relish the opportunity for their clients to respond to journalists in e-mail.
The message can be crafted, measured and direct. Really, it ought to be a great opportunity, but most times, in my experience, I see the difference between a wizard in media manipulation and some hack. The lessons are for reporters and PR reps alike.
Let those links live.
For most newspapers, I bet, this is an issue with their content management system, but this is getting serious.
Two of my best clips ever for the Philadelphia Inquirer, including one among my favorite stories I’ve ever written, are no longer available online – even though the links are still live for a profile on state Rep. Babette Josephs and a 1000-word ditty on the nascent Harrisburg reform movement.
Someone just plum and moved them, I guess behind a paywall, though I can’t find them even there.
Why would any newspaper do that, particularly a big newsaper with evergreen like profiles and enterprise features?
Continue reading Newspapers: stop moving around your online articles
In the past week or so I came across a number of interesting or at least interest-causing posts on newspaper revenue models and thought I’d share some.
In the late 1990s, a host of Web sites democratized the Internet, giving the average Internet-user the chance to have his own online home.
In 2003, MySpace used the model and brought in a new age of social networking.
Last week I posted that MySpace is on the way out, and briefly mentioned that WordPress and Blogger are taking over the role of providing free, easy-to-manipulate Web presences.
Does that make them the next Angelfire or Geocities? Are they just another trend ready to be overcome?
Ever think about the best stories you’ve ever read?
What’s special about newsprint is how we clip those stories. We save them. I wanted to collect my favorite journalism pieces of my short life and share them with you. I have wanted to do this for sometime.
Below, find my five favorite and a slew of my favorites from 2008, more generally than my favorite Philadelphia pieces of the year that I shared earlier this month.
Continue reading My five favorite pieces of journalism ever (and of 2008)
Philadelphia was long a breeding ground for some of the most meaningful metro columnists in the country.
Some say the newspaper columnist is dying, but it isn’t dead.
So who’s the next columnist of record in one of the oldest newspaper cities in the world?
Continue reading Who is Tom Ferrick's heir: the best Philadelphia newspaper columnists
The history of the Philadelphia Inquirer mirrors the path of all the big gray ladies in the United States.
While putting together suggestions for the Inquirer months ago, I came across some interesting reading on the third oldest newspaper in the country, which is nearing its 180th birthday. Follow it and the path of your own hometown paper.
But why isn’t the Inquirer already cashing in on its historical brand? It seems it may be moving that way, but I want to see more and as a means to develop, sustain its brand and monetize it.
What is writing, reporting and editing worth to you?
Everyone says he didn’t get into journalism to be rich – particularly not the print field – but rather it’s what he wants to do.
But when you really face the numbers it may seem even more daunting.
Continue reading Your new journalism job: what do reporters, editors get paid?