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Pushing Twitter trial coverage a step forward: federal court

In less than a year, covering trials via Twitter has gone from an experiment to one of my regular reporting tools. With each new trial, I've gained about 100 followers - both locally and even from other countries - and that doesn't count the people who
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Seeing the future of journalism, and trying to save it, in Denver

The Denver Press Club recently invited me to participate in a weekend workshop looking at the future, and the precarious present, of journalism.Denver Channel 8 taped my presentation and put it online.  My wife found it stunning that, 1) anyone would

The rise of social media and the demise of newspapers

I remember a kind of panic going through the newspaper industry -- around 1989.Young people weren't reading newspapers, and there was a great amount of money being spent trying to figure out how to change that."How are we going to get the next generation
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Angry journalist: "I check my brain at the door."

I came across a very depressing blurb today at AngryJournalist.com. And before I share it, I do hope that this person is completely in the minority. I mean, we all know that times are dire in many respects and that things are changing, but this comment

Talking Twitter with BeatBlogger about microblogging the news

Normal 0 Patrick Thornton of Beatblogging.org called last week to talk about how I use Twitter to cover trials. It resulted in this post and podcast. Also look up Patrick on Twitter @jionoclast.

Knowing and growing your personal brand

Angela Connor encourages fellow journalists to create and manage their own personal brand.

SPJ Convention all a-Twitter with new media and online journalism learning

Normal 0 Random notes from the SPJ National Convention which ending Sunday … Some SPJ members may see the organization as still being for a bunch of old newspaper dudes. You may think curmudgeons rule, but you
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Think C-Span is dry? Their on-line coverage of the political conventions is anything but

If you haven’t checked out what C-Span is doing with the Democratic Convention, you’re missing some exciting journalism. The convention hub includes not only the videos you’d expect, but also blogs from nearly every state and Twitter feeds

Your byline becomes a valuable commodity online

We all have to live up to our bylines. Credibility rules and people need to trust the words following our names.  But we bylines may never have been as valuable as they are right now. Last week, the journalism chat on Twitter turned to need

Listen and learn: lessons on blogging, Twitter and covering the news live

I listened to the podcast the Guardian posted the other day on The Future of Journalism: Blogging, Twittering and Live Video.  Fascinating and thought-provoking, it's 87 minutes long, so download it to your IPod and take it with you to

What I learned about crime reporting via Twitter

The Twitter trial was exhausting. But the response was worth it.  That’s what I’ve found is usually true in this business. The most difficult reporting brings the best rewards. I had to take a week’s vacation after the capital murder

Tweeting in courtroom provides a new way to cover a murder trial

The Twitter trial seems to be working.  So far. It's a modification of what we began last fall: live updates of a capital murder trial in the killing of a small-town Kansas sheriff. It was a way of live blogging from the courtroom. 

TwitterLocal tells what everyone is talking about

For the past week, I’ve been watching the TwitterLocal Feed, recommended by Mark Hamilton. You subscribe to all the local tweets in your feed reader. Back in the old days of some 15 years ago, I had a great editor who would make an effort
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Few in the newsroom can find strength in numbers through social networking

Jack Lail and I are now connected.  Jack is the managing editor of  multimedia for the Knoxville News Sentinel, a paper that’s been a leader in the push toward online.  Jack blogged an invitation to “be sociable” and connect