Nieman Reports

Winter 2008

The Search for True North: New Directions in a New Territory

In this time of accelerating change, how journalists do their work and what elements of journalism will survive this digital transformation loom as questions and concerns. By heading in new directions and exploring the potential to be found in this new territory of interactivity and social media, journalists – and others contributing to the flood of information – will be resetting the compass bearing of what constitutes “true north” for journalism in our time.

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In Search for True North

Winter 2008: Introduction

By Melissa Ludtke• Features• December 15, 2008

Spiking the Newspaper to Follow the Digital Road

If Murder Is Metaphor

By Steven A. Smith• Books• December 15, 2008

Novels, at times, speak to truth in ways we, as journalists, can find hard to do. Read more

Where the Monitor Is Going, Others Will Follow

By Tom Regan• Technology• December 22, 2008

A decade ago, resistance at The Christian Science Monitor to its online site almost killed it. Now, the newspaper is depending on the Web for its survival. Read more

To Prepare for the Future, Skip the Present

By Edward Roussel• Technology• December 22, 2008

‘… today’s obsession with saving newspapers has meant that, for the most part, media companies have failed to plan adequately for tomorrow’s digital future.’ Read more

Journalism as a Conversation

By Jean K. Min• Features• December 15, 2005

‘Only as an afterthought did it dawn on us that the audience is the real content on the Web.’ Read more

Digital Natives: Following Their Lead on a Path to a New Journalism

By Ronald A. Yaros• Technology• December 22, 2008

By understanding how young people ‘process various types of news and formats’ using new media, journalists enhance their ability to adapt their work to emerging technologies. Read more

Serendipity, Echo Chambers, and the Front Page

By Ethan Zuckerman• Local News• December 15, 2008

As readers on the Web, we may filter out ‘perspectives that might challenge our assumptions and preconceptions about what’s important and newsworthy.’ Read more

Grabbing Readers’ Attention—Youthful Perspectives

Net Geners Relate to News in New Ways

By Don Tapscott• Journalist’s Trade• December 22, 2008

‘Is it any surprise that they remember less from the traditional newscasts—told from beginning to end—than from interactive versions that allow them to click to hear the news or learn more details?’ Read more

Passion Replaces the Dullness of an Overused Journalistic Formula

By Robert Niles• Journalist’s Trade• December 22, 2008

‘… mainstream journalism that my students abhor has become too formulaic, too cynical, and too concerned with internal standards over external truth.’ Read more

Accepting the Challenge: Using the Web to Help Newspapers Survive

By Luke Morris• Journalist’s Trade• December 22, 2008

‘Meeting us where we are—with a great Web site, content that works well in digital media, told in ways we can absorb and share—is a step in the right direction.’ Read more

Journalism and Citizenship: Making the Connection

By David T.Z. Mindich• Journalist’s Trade• December 22, 2008

‘Not only do citizens benefit from good journalism, but also journalism gets a boost from having engaged, news-hungry citizens.’ Read more

Distracted: The New News World and the Fate of Attention

By Maggie Jackson• Journalist’s Trade• December 23, 2008

‘As a term, “multitasking” doesn’t quite do justice to all the ways in which we fragment our attention.’ Read more

Tracking Behavior Changes on the Web

By David Nicholas• Journalist’s Trade• December 22, 2008

Evidence accumulated in a major study reveals significant shifts in how people deal with knowledge and information—shifts that affect young people the most. Read more

What Young People Don’t Like About the Web—And News On It

By Vivian Vahlberg• Journalist’s Trade• December 22, 2008

‘… news organizations need to pay attention to what young people say about what makes them tune out on news sites.’ Read more

Adding Young Voices to the Mix of Newsroom Advisors

By Steven A. Smith• Journalist’s Trade• December 15, 2008

‘Start with a blank sheet of paper, I instructed them. On it, put down ways we can reinvent our newsroom.’ Read more

Engaging Young Staffers in Newsroom Activities and Change

By Steven A. Smith• Journalist’s Trade• December 22, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE “Adding Young Voices to the Mix of Newsroom Advisors” – Steven A. SmithA newsroom’s younger staffers can play a significant role in charting the organization’s … Read more

The Gang of Eight’s Recommendations: An Excerpt

By “Gang of Eight”• Journalist’s Trade• December 22, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE “Adding Young Voices to the Mix of Newsroom Advisors” – Steven A. SmithThe Gang of Eight didn’t hesitate to recommend significant changes in structure and … Read more

Using E-Readers to Explore Some New Media Myths

By Roger Fidler• Journalist’s Trade• December 22, 2008

An experiment with digital media sets out to see what similarities might be found in how young and old adapt to new technologies. Read more

Blogs, Wikis, Social Media—And Journalism

Mapping the Blogosphere: Offering a Guide to Journalism’s Future

By John Kelly• Technology• December 15, 2008

‘… what we find is that legacy media holds the center, while online-only media are frayed at the edges.’ Read more

Political Video Barometer

By John Kelly• Technology• December 22, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE “Mapping the Blogosphere: Offering a Guide to Journalism’s Future” – John KellyAs a visual demonstration of how ideas move through social networks, Morningside Analytics created … Read more

The End of Journalism as Usual

By Mark Briggs• Technology• December 15, 2008

‘To maximize a news organization’s social capital and marketability, its journalism today must be transparent, authentic and collaborative.’ Read more

The Wikification of Knowledge

By Kenneth S. Kosik• Technology• December 15, 2008

A neuroscientist explores the shared challenges of medicine and journalism when it comes to gathering information and reaching conclusions in the era of social media. Read more

Media Re:public: My Year in the Church of the Web

By Persephone Miel• Technology• December 15, 2008

In studying new and old media, the author feels ‘as though I’ve undergone two religious crises; one feels like a loss of faith, the other like a conversion.’ Read more

Media Re:public: Conclusions After a Year of Exploration

By Persephone Miel• Technology• December 24, 2008

RELATED ARTICLE “Media Re:public: My Year in the Church of the Web” – Persephone MielMedia Re:public’s final report went to press in November. It is available … Read more

The Wisdom of the Crowd Resides in How the Crowd Is Used

By Jeff Howe• Technology• December 23, 2008

‘… the animating idea—our readers know more than we do—is evolving into something that, if used wisely, will be far more efficient and useful than our first, early attempts at this new form of journalism.’ Read more

When Journalists Blog: How It Changes What They Do

By Paul Bradshaw• Technology• December 15, 2008

‘I was surprised at just how much these journalists felt their work had been changed by the simple act of blogging.’ Read more

Digging Into Social Media to Build a Newspaper Audience

By Bill Adee• Technology• December 15, 2008

‘We weren’t even sure whether a mainstream news site could become part of the cybercommunities that evolve from social media sites.’ Read more

Web v. Journalism: Court Cases Challenge Long-Held Principles

By Jane Kirtley• Technology• December 15, 2008

‘… courts and legislatures, reluctant to apply different rules to the “old” and “new” media, are rethinking the basic constitutional principles that have protected a free press for generations.’ Read more

Ethical Values and Quality Control in the Digital Era

By Bob Steele• Technology• December 22, 2008

‘Situations that editors confront in this digital-era maelstrom reflect the vexing ethical challenges and the diminished quality control standards at a time when they are most needed.’ Read more

Nieman Reports

Winter 2008

The Search for True North: New Directions in a New Territory

In Search for True North

Spiking the Newspaper to Follow the Digital Road

Grabbing Readers’ Attention—Youthful Perspectives

Blogs, Wikis, Social Media—And Journalism

Rethinking the What, Why, Where and How of What We Do

Words & Reflections

By Peter Osnos

By Melissa Ludtke

By Tom Ehrenfeld

By Simon Wilson

By Madeleine Blais

Nieman Notes

By James Trengrove

By Eli Reed

Curator's Corner

By Bob Giles