Journalism and Entrepreneurship

Interesting piece on PBS today about young journalists needing to think like entrepreneurs and journalism schools failing them in that. (It talks exclusively about reporting, but I think it applies equally to strategic communication.)
I say a lot of things consistently in J202 ("accuracy isn't everything, it's the only thing" and "credibility is a fickle dance partner"), but one of the things I'll say to you often is that I'm not helping you learn to meet the bar of the professional world. I'm goosing you to raise it.
UW has an interesting entrepreneurship effort going on right now. You might want to check it out.

Coach v. Columnist

Check out this column in today's State Journal, commenting on Badger Football Coach Bret Bielema's statements on the media rumor mill. The comments posted to the bottom are also worth reading.
Who's right? Does Bielema have a point that reporters speculate too early? Or does Oates prevail with his idea that reporting is necessary and simply getting spoon-fed by the Athletic Department shouldn't be what he and his colleagues are about?

KC's News Meeting

Hi everyone. Each week I'll put in a blog entry for my "news meeting." A news meeting in a newsroom would be the session at which editors decide what's worth putting in the paper or online. TV and radio have them too. Some PR practitioners also send out "morning meeting" roundups to reporters when they try to pitch stories.
We'll use the news meeting as a way to clue each other into what's news. I'll lead off with some things I've been reading about this week and you can add comments to throw in your ideas. I'll scan the activity on Sunday nights before I write current events questions for the quiz, but I can't make any promises that all the questions will come from the blog activity. I can only say the more active you are, the more likely you'll cover everything I will.
So, without further delay, our first-ever KC News Meeting. Currently, I'm reading a lot about:
- John McCain's resurging candidacy
- a guy named Rudy who used to be a front-runner
- race and gender in the Democratic primary battle
- Suharto's death (for real reasons but also because it ties to one of the best journalism movies EVER, check out my Facebook favs for more info)
- economic stimulus package
- subprime mortgage crisis
- Super Bowl
- Yahoo layoffs
- Madison's new school superintendent
- city's first homicide of '08
What are you checking out?

A Requiem

An intriguing (and I'll admit depressing) commentary by David Simon in today's Washington Post. He charts the fall of great American newspapers, lining up with this season's arc of "The Wire" on HBO, a show he exec produces.
What does the article mean for those who want to become journalists today? (Hint: I'm far more optimistic than Simon)

Lynching is No Laughing Matter

A Golf Channel announcer made a comment about lynching when speaking of Tiger Woods and immediately apologized, which Woods and his camp accept but other activists are saying is not enough. They want her fired. But now, a Golfweek magazine editor has lost his job over how his publication covered the flap. Lots to learn in this about decisionmaking and "what not to do." A good first primer in media ethics.

Accuracy

Great tidbit in a blog post today. LZ Granderson, a writer for ESPN the Magazine, offers this response to a question:

Q: Moreso now than possibly ever, when news happens, columnists and bloggers and TV talking heads want to weigh in immediately, even if all the facts have yet to trickle out, or before the court case is finished. From the Mitchell Report to Duke Lacrosse to Sean Taylor, any ideas on how everyone can handle these situations in the future? Do we even need a solution?

When I was a cub reporter I did this news brief about this head-on car accident that left one person dead. I wasn’t careful in my reporting and falsely blamed the victim for the cause of the accident. The next day I found out I made the mistake and I just wanted to vomit. My boss, John Barnes, made my drive almost an hour south to apologize face-to-face to the victim’s family. They were hurt and tearful but still very kind to me. On the way back I pulled over and cried for about 10 minutes. From that day on, I knew the most important thing in this business it to be right. Not first. Not loudest. But right. That’s not to say I don’t make mistakes, but obviously that experience had a profound affect on my reporting and writing habits. So to answer your question, as an industry I believe we have to get back to putting the priority on accuracy above all else.

Apart from mixing up "effect" and "affect," he's spot-on.

Check out the whole interview, including Granderson's take on being an openly gay sportswriter and why "The Wire" isn't a hit.

MySpace Suicide Update

Washington Post has an excellent piece today on the MySpace suicide case we discussed at length earlier. At first glance, I must admit, I thought, "Geez, Post, you're pretty late to this story." But the piece benefits from the distance. It has a better grasp of the response than others I've read. Definitely worth a look.

Getting it Wrong in Politics

Lots of chatter right now about political reporting and the prediction debacle in New Hampshire. I tasted a different flavor in this Politico piece, so I recommend it.