Making Money from Citizen Journalism

The proliferation of citizen journalism projects, which range from individual bloggers to aggregated hyperlocal Web sites, has resulted in a rich journalistic dialogue and new voices entering the "media" fray. Unfortunately, those voices still need to pay the mortgage, and right now, no one has nailed a replicable profit model to support citizen journalism.

Enter the Center for Citizen Media, led by guru Dan Gillmor, which is starting a project to glean the best practices and different revenue sources for citizen journalism. Emerson College new media graduate student Ryan McGrady will be heading up the project, called Making a Business of Citizen Media.

You can read the intro and check out the outline for what's coming here: http://citmedia.org/blog/2007/09/24/making-a-business-of-citizen-media/. So far, it looks like they'll be exploring affiliate, pay-to-blog, membership, donation and advertising programs, among others. Naturally, the Center encourages citizen participation in the project and hopes to get feedback via posted comments, emails, etc.

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Can You Say ‘Got Milk’ in Spanish?

And more to the point, are you a Learner, Straddler or Navigator? The Sept. 23 New York Times Magazine had a fascinating piece on the ad agency Gallegos Group, the growth of the Latino ad market and some of the issues creatives consider when designing award-winning campaigns targeting Hispanic Americans. The article outlines the explosive growth of this market - U.S. Hispanics spend $928 billion annually - and how references that work for a mainstream audience may flop for Latinos. It also explores how cultural references range greatly within vastly diverse Latino communities. Click here to see the story.

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How the New Attorney General Might View FOIA

Betcha didn’t know that AG nominee Michael Mukasey used to write for United Press International. We imagine an AG who used to be a reporter wouldn’t be a bad thing these days. “Judge Mukasey is the first attorney general nominee in many years to have a firm grounding in the law of the press,” says Lucy Dalglish, executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. “We’re optimistic that this will lead to a justice department that is more open to public scrutiny.”

Lucy should know: RCFP has just posted on its Web site an “Evaluation of the likely impact of Attorney General Nominee Michael Mukasey on Press Freedoms and the Public’s Right to Know.” The report goes into detail around Mukasey’s background and history as attorney and judge. Important issues are at stake, with FOIA reforms and reporter’s shield proposal in the balance. See the report by clicking here.

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Suprise Finding: Reading the Newspaper is Good for Kids

Youth who read the newspaper through school assignments and peruse teen-related content are more likely to volunteer, vote and be civically engaged when they grow up, according to a recent study by the Newspaper Association of America Foundation (http://www.naafoundation.org/NewspaperInEducation/Life-Long-Readers-Contest.aspx).

"Lifelong Readers: Driving Civic Engagement" - which surveyed more than 1,500 25- to 34-year-olds - supports the common-sense notion that reading the newspaper both at home and in school is linked to being a good citizen later in life. The study looked at three newspaper influences: newspapers in the classroom, newspapers as homework assignment and exposure to "teen content."

For more, visit: www.naafoundation.org

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The Reader on a Diet

Chicago's most famous alt-weekly, the Reader, is slimming down starting Oct. 5 when it changes from the quarter-fold format to a regular flat tabloid size, according to the Chicago Tribune (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-thu_phil_0913sep13,0,2454757.story). The free paper also has some additional cost-saving measures in mind, including reducing staff size and transitioning delivery drivers to independent contractors.

The changes come after the paper's recent sale to alt-weekly chain Creative Loafing, which bought the Reader in July. Like most others in the media business, the Reader's classified ad sales have plummeted with the advent of free online listings.

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Going Green

Kudos to Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ) for record-breaking attendance of more than 900 people at its 17th annual conference, hosted by Stanford University Sept. 5-9. Sessions covered a number of topics useful to reporters, from coverage of climate change to urban land use, green buildings, efficient energy and how to use the FOIA.

My personal favorite was the "Freelance Pitch Slam" session, where a panel of editors (Wired, National Geographic Adventure, Popular Mechanics, High Country News, etc.) respond to 60-second story pitches from journos in the audience brave enough to grab a nearby mic. “That’s local-we’re a national magazine” was matched by the occasional “Great story idea. Let’s talk right after this session.” Another panel offered up tips on using Google Earth and GeoEye for both reporting and presenting findings in map form for readers.

See SEJ’s Web site for video coverage of the conference, resources posted from sessions and SEJ’s annual awards for exemplary coverage of environmental issues (take a peek at those student winners while you’re at it) at www.sej.org.

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Free Press on Campus

All college media outlets are deemed to be "a public forum for expression by student journalists and editors," according to a recent bill passed by Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D). The bill also forbids school administrators from exercising prior review, according to the Student Press Law Center (SPLC), even when the media is produced by the school.

The bill comes in response to the Hosty v. Carter case, in which the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2005 that "college-sponsored student publications that are not designated as public forums can be controlled by school administrators in the same way high school officials can control student media on their campuses," SPLC reports.
The law goes into effect in January 2008.

For more information, visit: http://www.splc.org/newsflash.asp?id=1597

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The Drama of High School

Known for producing lascivious reality television like the Real World and The Hills, teen TV juggernaut MTV is set to create a new hard-hitting reality series delving into...high school newspapering.

The eight-episode series, to be called The Paper, follows the "dynamic and surprisingly intense life of students" working on the award-winning newspaper at Cypress Bay High School in Weston, Florida, according to a recent article in Broadcasting & Cable (http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6473000.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&q=mtv).

The show will document the inner workings of The Circuit, which won several local journalism awards in 2004-2005. If it's like other MTV reality shows, the Circuit is sure to be filled with heavily-scripted backstabbing and drama.

Stay tuned. The show is slated to open in the first quarter of 2008.

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