Poynter. » Top Stories

Patriot-News will protect identities of alleged victims during Jerry Sandusky trial

Steve Myers — Fri, 18 May 2012 16:51:16 +0000

In some ways Jerry Sandusky’s trial on sexual abuse charges is familiar territory for news outlets. Most have policies against naming alleged victims of sexual assault.

But the defendant, the media attention, and the public interest are not at all… Read more

Amid diversity improvements at NPR, fear and challenges remain

Tracie Powell — Fri, 18 May 2012 14:11:49 +0000

As NPR struggles with declining revenue, the public radio organization will have to consider staff changes, but no programs have been targeted.

“The [Washington Post] article inaccurately singled out ‘Tell Me More’ as a possible target of future cuts,” NPR… Read more

Geofeedia helps journalists locate real-time photos, tweets where news breaks

Steve Myers — Mon, 14 May 2012 11:02:38 +0000

There are three challenges in using social media content for reporting, as Storyful’s Mark Little has written: finding it, verifying it, and figuring out the best way to publish it.

In breaking news situations, reporters often rely on text… Read more

New York Times takes next step to increase digital subscribers by launching a new ad campaign

Mallary Jean Tenore — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:13:41 +0000

Since The New York Times launched its metered paywall last March, about 472,000 people have become digital subscribers. The Times saw a 73 percent gain in circulation over the past six months, according to the latest Audit Bureau… Read more

How some alt-weeklies are innovating their way out of a crisis

Tracie Powell — Thu, 03 May 2012 12:58:01 +0000

Maybe it’s because their revenue streams are small compared to dailies, maybe it’s because many of them focus on entertainment content, but for whatever reason, alternative weeklies don’t come up much in discussions of innovation. But these free tabloids, which… Read more

Dylan Byers, Jack Shafer explain reporting behind new Watergate claims

Mallary Jean Tenore — Wed, 02 May 2012 10:58:38 +0000

An excerpt from Jeff Himmelman’s forthcoming biography of former Washington Post Editor Ben Bradlee stirred controversy earlier this week, prompting new questions about the Post’s Watergate coverage.

The biography reveals that Bradlee feared Bob Woodward had embellished certain details… Read more

Essence magazine ‘must show that it is authentically black enough for us’ after white managing editor removed

Tracie Powell — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 19:39:05 +0000

Essence Magazine is perhaps one of the strongest brands in the country when it comes to knowing how to target African-American women. But that brand has come under fire, most recently after racially insensitive posts were discovered on its managing… Read more

Shield law could protect Fox News mole, Gawker blogger Joe Muto

Steve Myers — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 22:38:56 +0000

Roger Ailes may view “Fox Mole” Joe Muto as a disloyal, dishonest ex-employee, but Muto may be entitled to the same legal protections that prevent the government from raiding the newsroom at Fox News.

If so, Muto, who… Read more

How ‘human-assisted reporting’ could help journalist find big stories

Steve Myers — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 20:03:41 +0000

Derek Willis’ first 1A byline at The New York Times was for a story reporting that big donors aren’t contributing to President Barack Obama at the pace they did in the 2008 election cycle.

That story was done in… Read more

8 strategies for reaching elusive young readers

Jeff Sonderman — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 13:15:27 +0000

Mainstream news organizations are not doing so well with young audiences.

Only 30 percent of people 18 to 34 read a newspaper in print or digitally on an average day, according to the Newspaper Association of America. That’s down… Read more