Stomping Out the Competition...and Ourselves

The buying out of many independent newspapers is only limiting the number of different news outlets present in the U.S., thus altering the forms of reporting in these publications, and ultimately the competition. However, while stomping out the competition, larger corporations or owners may be stomping out themselves as well. The history and ultimate demise of the Chicago Tribune alludes to that very fact:

1979: the LA Times Mirror buys the Hartford Courant
 
April 1999: Hartford Courant (T-M) buys ALT Weeklies

March 2000: Chicago Tribune buys TM --> buys Courant and Alternative Weeklies

2007: Sam Zell buys the Tribune

2008: Tribune in bankruptcy

Who Is Considered a Journalist?

As a few liberal or left-leaning states begin to include bloggers under the label of "journalist," most states still ban untraditionally paid writers and news creators from cultural recognition and legal protection for their work. In a 2012 case regarding an investigative blogger "Crystal Cox," U.S. District Judge Marco Hernandez ruled that there are seven signs of "real journalism".

A Forbes article laid out Hernandez' points:  

1. Education in journalism.
2. Credentials or proof of affiliation with a recognized news entity
3. Proof of adherence to journalistic standards such as editing, fact-checking, or disclosures of conflicts of interest
4. Keeping notes of conversations and interviews conducted
5. Mutual understanding or agreement of confidentiality between the defendant and his/her sources
6. Creation of an independent product rather than assembling writings and postings of others
7. Contacting “the other side” to get both sides of a story

Readers That "Look Like You"

During his presentation William Jacobson, founder of Legal Insurrection, stated that the majority of his readers most likely "look like him" (middle-aged, college educated, and -although he danced around this fact- white). I am having a difficult time deciding whether it is practice and wise to seek readers that in fact "look like me" and what effect that has on the content and comments produced.
When I think of an online publication, such as Colorlines, it targets such a multicultural, multiethnic, and diverse audience. As a result, it produces very diverse content and creates interesting dialogues on its site. I fear what are the consequences of having a both a staff and audience that reflects one's own ideals and demographic, as well as closely monitoring comments from users.

It's just food for thought.

Lessons from Legal Insurrection

Since I have started blogging, none of my posts have been particularly personal. However, I feel that this blog post warrants my own personal insight. 

At first, the concept of having a conservative blogger come in to my class and give a presentation about starting an independent blog did not strike me as possibly problematic. However, the creator of Legal Insurrection taught me many lessons that class period. I definitely gained insight into the complexities of starting a blog - the amount of hours and constant updates that need to be a part of that process. From a business standpoint, I definitely benefited from hearing him speak. 

I also learned a few other lessons during this presentation. One of these lessons being to interact with individuals who may not share the same political ideologies as you. Respect is essential to having conversations with "liberals" or "conservatives," progress in a conversation cannot be made without this as a basic understanding. However, respect and avoidance are not synonymous. It was interesting to observe how the speaker seemed at times hesitant to engage in a discussion surrounding his political viewpoints, however he has created an entire blog based on these viewpoints. 

I am happy that I posed the question of why he refuses to discuss politics in his classrooms, but claims that his readers return to his sight because he puts himself and his viewpoints out on the Internet to be scrutinized. His own students - liberal or conservative (if there can be clear-cut definitions of these political ideologies) would benefit from him putting his opinion out there as well. 

Birth of Mailing Prices, Death of Small Magazines

With the rise of mailing prices for distributors of content, such as magazines and other printed publications, the affect of this rise would seriously hurt small magazines. There is the argument that magazines could move to the Internet, rather than relying on subscriptions for revenue. Would that even out the competition, or simply cut off a key avenue of profit for small magazines?

The Path to Gaining 1000 True Fans

In the dense blog-sphere and massive competition, one solution to matching competition from large media creators like Netflix is to have 1,000 true fans. The 1,000 true fan theory concludes that a core group of fans can sustain a business and foster profit for the creator. However, can 1,000 dedicated consumers be attained through a product that is broad? I question whether consumers can latch onto an idea that hasn't started as a niche. The famous Humans of New York photo blog on Facebook is an example of this niche. The idea started off as something incredibly simple: photographing strangers in New York City and capturing small quotes. It quickly went viral, and now has 1.5 million likes on Facebook, dominates Instagram, and the creator is working on a HONY book. Could this be possible if the focus of HONY did not focus on a specific city? 

Building Communities with Blogs

In the current age of technology and easy access, blogs have become not only important but an integral part of our daily Internet experience. As a fierce journalism outlet, blogs can no longer be brushed off as silly, informal, or lacking lasting power. The concept of blogs as creating communities across the Internet is important to understanding the power of blogs. 

As a member of Generation Y and daily consumer of media, I see first-hand how blogs affect my communities, both online and offline. Two of the most influential blogs in my circle of peers and colleagues are Buzzfeed and Upworthy. Both sites contain content that focus on social justice issues, however, Upworthy is filled with a bit more of this content. 

Upworthy's slogan illustrates the power of blogs that Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo and John Tozzi in his article "Bloggers Bring in the Big Bucks" address. Blogs, whether serious, funny, or pertaining to a special interest, have the ability to increase communities. The idea of passing on information to other users and friends is a key aspect of why they are so successful.  Users are able to share things that they find important to other people, thus always creating an expanding pool of viewers. 

http://www.buzzfeed.com/

http://www.upworthy.com/

http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2007-07-13/bloggers-bring-in-the-big-bucksbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice