The Blogging Journalist

Columnist: '...My Editors Have Been Trying to Persuade Me to Blog'

San Jose [California] Mercury News Columnist Patty Fisher describes her visit to "the fourth annual BlogHer convention, a three-day gathering of 1,000 women bloggers from across the country." The convention was held July 18 through 20 in San Francisco, California, USA. Writes Fisher in a July 21, 2008, column:

I arrived at the BlogHer convention in San Francisco feeling like a Pony Express rider at the auto show.

In a ballroom full of women bloggers armed with laptops and business cards, I was easy to spot with my notepad and pen.

"I'm a columnist for a newspaper," I told one young woman during the icebreaker session.

"Oh, they still have those?" she said without even a hint of a smile.

Hmm. Maybe it's time I surrendered to the blogosphere.

Fisher adds:"Since I began writing this column three years ago, my editors have been trying to persuade me to blog."

What's holding you back, Ms. Fisher?

If you want to read her entire column, see "Fisher: A columnist visits world of bloggers."

Technorati Tags: BlogHer,Patty Fisher,San Jose Mercury News

RichardatDell's 'Three Dirty Little Blogging Secrets'

Recommended: RichardatDell's January 27, 2008, post headlined "Three Dirty Little Blogging Secrets." Also check out the links at the end of the post. They lead to informative discussions on the ongoing debate on whether bloggers should adopt and adhere to the standards of traditional journalists.

Technorati Tags: RichardatDell,Bloggers Union,Blogging Journalists

So you want to be a Journalist?

Mindy McAdams, a blogger who teaches at the University of Florida in the College of Journalism and Communications, offered great advice to students in a January 20, 2008, post at Journalists' Toolkit." Advised McAdams:

More and more today, the hiring editor is going to look at you a little funny if you say, “I want to be a journalist, but I just can’t find time to blog regularly.” The hiring editor is going to wonder how on earth you will ever survive in a real newsroom if you can’t even get off your butt to write a few little blog posts every week. What, you say you don’t know what to write about? Another bad sign! A journalist who can’t think of anything to write about? What the — ?

I agree 100 percent with McAdams, a "journalist, journalism educator, Web developer" and someone whose work I value.

McAdam's main blog is the superb Teaching Online Journalism. Go on over and read her January 23, 2008, post headlined "Tools for young journalists." The advice is also good for old journalist.

Technorati Tags: Mindy McAdams,Journalists Toolkit,Journalism Advice

What Can Journalists Do to Help Their Web Sites?

Howard Owens,  director of digital publishing at GateHouse Media and proprietor of howardowens.com, offers journalists advice on increasing revenue in a January 12, 2008, post headlined "Five easy things journalists can do to help their web sites."

As best I can tell, it's primarily about helping journalists generate revenue in an effort to remain employed in an industry where some advertisers are abandoning print advertising.

I recommend it even if you are not a print journalist.

Technorati Tags: Howard Owens,Blogging Journalists

Crain's Detroit Business Publisher to Start Blogging

On January 7, 2008, Crain's Detroit Business publisher Mary Kramer will start blogging. See "Mary Kramer: Everybody's blogging now, and so am I."

"Yes," Kramer wrote December 24, 2007, "though ink runs through my aging veins, I think it's time to start my own blog. My publisher's journal will debut on Jan. 7 on crainsdetroit.com."

Kramer said, "You can expect to find some insider-ish commentary on business and politics in Southeast Michigan, with some media commentary thrown in."

Technorati Tags: Crain's Detroit Business, Mary Kramer, Blogging

Seattle Times' Mike Fancher to 'Experiment With a Blog'

Seattle Times Editor- at-Large Mike Fancher announced December 23, 2007, that his "Inside the Times" column is ending. "An editor at large is a luxury we can't afford," he told readers in a post headlined "Keep the faith through hard times, and live to fight another day." "As I explained in last week's column, I will retire from The Times sometime in the first half of 2008."

Fancher said, "In the intervening months, I'll experiment with a blog devoted to connecting with readers on the nexus of the press, the public and technology. I believe the future of journalism hinges on the ability of the press to find the right connection, and it won't come naturally for many journalists in our nation."

I look forward to his blog.

Technorati Tags: Editor-at-Large Mike Fancher, Seattle Times, Inside the Times

The Michigan Messenger Debuts

 The Conservative Media (TCM) reported September 10, 2007, that, "A new venture was launched in Michigan [USA] today..."

 According to TCM, "The online newspaper/blog the Michigan Messenger was launched today, and it’s a collaboration of professional bloggers and journalists across Michigan with the goal of breaking news and influencing the conversations about issues that face our state."

To read more, see "New progressive online newspaper and blog launched."

Technorati tags: The Conservative Media, Michigan Messenger

Blogger Kristine Lowe: 'When is a Blogger Not a blogger?'

"Ever heard of the blogging journalist who denied being a blogger?" asks blogging journalist Kristine Lowe in a September 6, 2007, column headlined "When is a blogger not a blogger?"

The question is asked in response to a declaration by "Christopher Allbritton, a freelance journalist who pens the popular Back to Iraq blog," who has, in Lowe's words, "gone to the somewhat controversial step of denying on his blog (via Martin Stabe) that writing a blog makes him a blogger."

Technorati tags: Blogging Journalists, Christopher Allbritton, Martin Stabe, Kristine Lowe

ICJ to Honor Egyptian Blogger, Burmese Reporter November 13

Egyptian blogger Wael Abbas and freelance Burmese investigative reporter May Thingyan Hein will be honored November 13, 2007, at the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ) awards dinner at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C., USA. See "Along with Tom Brokaw, they will be honored at the  International Center for Journalists Awards Dinner on Nov. 13. They are the 2007 Knight International Journalism Award Winners.

Abbas, 32, who blogs at Digital Misr, told Jumana Al Tamimi, Middle East Editor at Gulf News.com:  "I was surprised, but at the same time, don't know how to describe my feelings, (at the time of receiving the news of the award). "I had mixed feelings. I have met with appreciation and honour from strangers and foreigners, which I don't get from my compatriots." See "Egyptian blogger first to win award.

Technorati tags: Wael Abbas, May Thingyan Hein, International Center for Journalists, Knight International Journalism Award, Digital Misr

Thought Leaders: South Africa's Mail and Guardian's New Blog

Journalism.co.uk reported August 30, 2007, that, "South Africa's Mail and Guardian newspaper has launched an editorial blog inspired by the [London-based] Guardian's Comment is Free."

"Developers of Thought Leaders describe it as a 'hybrid blog-media product' written by the paper's journalists, alongside established writers and significant members of South African society," the Journalism.co.uk said.

To read more, see "South Africa's Mail and Guardian launches Comment-is-Free-style editorial blog."

Technorati tags: Journalism. co.uk, Thought Leaders, Comment is Free, Mail and Guardian

Views on the News Biz on Hiatus for a Fortnight

I see Professor Adrian Monck over at Views on the News Biz "is going on holiday for a fortnight." He'll be "back at the end of August."  

Adrian, a journalist/ blogger who heads City University in London's Department of Journalism and Publishing, said he hopes to return "for more of the same. But hopefully better."

He also said rather cryptically, "btw if you don't like this blog, subscribe now and I'll write less as it's obviously what people want!"

Adrian, please explain. Who want's less?  I want more. Those who don't like your output have hundreds of other media blogs to choose from. Or they can just stop reading Views on the News and start their own media blog, if they don't already have one. It's that simple.

Technorati tags: Adrian Monck, Views on the News Biz

Why Journalist Stett Holbrook Decided to Blog

"I MAY BE one of the last journalists in the world without a blog," writes Stett Holbrook, a writer at Metro Active, which serves the California, USA, cities of "San Jose, Palo Alto, Los Gatos, Campbell, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, Fremont & nearby cities," and calls itself "Silicon Valley's #1 weekly newspaper."

"I know that makes me about as cutting edge as an abacus, but now that nearly every man, woman and dog has their own blog I have to wonder if the world really needs another one," he adds.

After discussing the pros and cons of blogging, Holbrook says: "Despite all of this, I've decided to blog anyway. You're welcome, world. The blogosphere has a surplus of food blogs and now there's about to be one more. I've got something to say and I hope there are more than a few people who are interested in reading about it. (Hi, Mom!) But my reasons for jumping on the blogger bandwagon are because I think it will inform my work and make it better."

And that's exactly why you and all journalists should blog. It will "inform" your work and "make it better," especially if you allow comments and interact with your readers.

If you want to read Holbrook's entire post, see "Blogger Come Lately.

Technorati tags: Stett Holbrook, MetroActive, Silicon Valley, Blogging Journalist

Is The Blogging Torries' Stephen Taylor a Journalist?

"Citizens’ media, grassroots journalism - these are but two of the more common descriptions of blogging," journalist Warner Patels of the Alberta Spectator of Calgary, Canada. 

Patel, in an article I read in Agora Vox, the "first citizen newspaper in Europe, said "What started out as personal journals or diaries online has become a major phenomenon that threatens to cut off traditional journalists and the media at the knees. One recent incident involving a prominent blogger and the mainstream media proves that the old-style media have come to consider bloggers a real threat to their profession," Patel asserts.

That blogger is Stephen Taylor, "one of the co-founders of the conservative-minded blogging group "The Blogging Tories" of Canada.

To read about the Taylor incident, see the April 10, 2007, post "Citizen Journalists."

ASNE Counts Online Journalists

"Here's an interesting statistic: 3.5 percent of the journalists working in the newsrooms of American newspapers work online full time." notes Brian Chin, the Seattle Post Intelligencer's senior online producer in a March 30, 2007, post in the blog Buzzworthy. "That's 2,000 out of the 57,000 in the American Society of Newspaper Editors' [link added] 2007 newsroom census.  See "Online journalists counted."

Chin said, "This is the first census that included us dedicated online folks -- a change made "to reflect the industry emphasis on expanding its Web presence," according to ASNE."

I love this online writing. Maybe one day I'll be able to make money at it. I'm not like the athlete who says he plays just for the love of the game. I don't write just because I love writing. I also want the financial benefits it could bring."

Don't you?

Technorati tags: Brian Chin, Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Buzzworthy, American Society of Newspaper Editors, 2007 Newsroom Census, Online Journalists Counted

Kevin O'Keefe: 'Should All Journalists Blog?'

Kevin O'Keefe, president and founder of LexBlog, asks in a February 23, 2007, post: "Should all journalists blog?"  He deals with some of the legal issues that should be considered.

Should Newspaper Columnists Post Their Columns In Their Blogs?

Brian Russell over at Yesh.com notes in a February 19, 2007, post that, "Ed Cone [link added] had a good op-ed article in the N&R (News & Record of Greensboro, North Carolina] yesterday titled The way we politick now."

 "Of course you can find it on his blog, Russell added. "(It wasn’t so long ago that MSM would flip out if you put your column on your own webpage.) He brings up several great points about how new media, aka blogs etc., are changing old media and politics."

To read Russell's post, please see "Change can be good, Make Media."

By the way, as I read Russell's post I thought about something News & Record editor John Robinson told me on February 1, 2007, in response to a January 31, 2007, post headlined "Jim Schlosser's 'Blog Is Going Dark For Awhile...'" He said, "If I had a staff of Jim Schlossers the News & Record would be mentioned in the same breath as the New York Times and the Washington Post."

I think regional papers can extend their reach with good reporters and columnists like Schlosser if they are allowed to  do what Ed did with The way we politick now.  Let them publish their work in blogs as well as the newspaper. Bloggers can make a local paper national because people like me will tell others about their blog stars and what a good paper is doing. For example, I'm a regular reader of the News & Record  because of The Editor's Log and Lex Alexander's The Lex Files.

I sometimes point out articles I think TBJ readers would be interested in reading.

UPDATE: Ed Cone "is a community columnist, not an employee of the News & Record." Thanks to John Robinson for pointing that out. Also, I've corrected Robinson's quote above to make the reference to Jim Schlosser plural rather possessive, as was originally quoted.

Why Are Some Journalist Apprehensive About Blogging?

"It’s a bright Monday morning [February 12, 2007] and we’re all here in Makati [in the Philippines], learning how to blog," writes Gemma at Off Duty, "the official blog of the Newsbreak (Online) Team." 

"Just how difficult is it?" Gemma asks. "If you’re a journalist, you’re supposed to know how to write, thus, it shouldn’t be that difficult. But surprisingly, many journalists I know–particularly those from the print media–are apprehensive about blogging.

To read the entire post, please see "The Newsbreak Team is Learning how to blog." It's perhaps the most revealing post I've read to date on this subject.''

Are Mainstream Journalists 'One-way Bloggers?'

David Meerman Scott over at web ink now asks in a January 26, 2007, post: "Are MSM journalists one-way bloggers? His answer:

The more I've investigated this idea, the more I think it is true: Mainstream Media journalists are one-way bloggers! Think about it. They write blog posts. They often accept comments and sometimes engage in dialog with readers via comments on their own blog. But they rarely link to other blogs and virtually never leave a comment on or trackback to the blog of a "mere mortal."

"What's up with that?"Scott asks. I think his entire post is worth reading.

Glenn And Helen Interviews Wall Street Journal's L. Gordon Crovitz

Instapundit blogger Glenn Reynolds and his wife Dr. Helen Smith, hosts of The Glenn and Helen Show, today put up an interview they conducted with L. Gordon Crovitz, "executive vice president of Dow Jones & Company, and president of the Company's Consumer Media Group."

Dow Jones is publisher of The Wall Street Journal. The company Wall Street Journal online is the fourth largest daily in the United States at about 800,000 paid subscribers. Crovitz tells how it came to be and why he's optimistic about the paper edition of The Journal but not the newspaper industry in general. He also offers an opinion on  blogging and blogs, of which The Journal has several.

Crovitz said The Journal is trying to grow as many of its own bloggers as it can. He called blogs a "great journalistic art form."

The good thing about the interview is that Glenn and Helen let the man make his points without unnecessary interruptions. Robert Scoble over at The Scoble Show could use a few tips from them on interviewing decorum. He obtains good information from his subjects but laughs too much during his interviews, which interrupts the flow. See my post at The Technology Free Press headlined The Annoying Laughter In Scoble’s Interviews With Geeks.

By the way, I like WSJ's smaller size and enjoy its six-year old Opinion Journal.com. No, I don't consider myself a political conservative. However, I love good journalism and opinion and The WSJ is among best. Do I agree with everything its columnist write? Heck no!

Technorati tags: Instapundit, Glenn Reynolds, Glenn and Helen Show. Dr. Avner Cohen., Helen Smith, L. Gordon Crovitz, The Wall Street Journal, Dow Jones & Company, The Scoble Show, Robert Scoble

Cian Ginty On 'Irish Journalists Who Blog'

Back on January 8, 2007, Cian Ginty over at Blurred Keys, "an Irish blog about print, broadcast, and online media, in ‘the State’ and afar," posted an item on "Irish journalists who blog."

New York Times Critic David Carr On 24-Hour Newspaper People

The New York Times' David Carr, who blogs at carpetbagger.blogs.nytimes.com, said in a January 14, 2007, post that the blog "makes me approachable, reader-friendly and engaged. Perhaps too engaged."

To read why he thinks he's "perhaps too engaged," see "24-Hour Newspaper People."

'A Fascinating Little Case Study About Modern Journalism...'

John Brummett, a political reporter and blogger for the Arkansas News Bureau in Little Rock, Arkansas, reported January 12, 2007 at Brummett's blog:

There's a fascinating little case study about modern journalism over at the Arkansas Times blog. They hustled around and took a digital movie camera to grab a walking interview with [Arkansas Governor] Mike Beebe after he spoke to the Arkansas Municipal League yesterday. They You-Tubed the digital video and audio  recording and posted the whole thing on their blog. It was vintage Beebe, friendly, cooperative, engaging, informed, confident, prudent. I've been telling people for 20 years that's how he is.

Brummett added:

But the Times' blog's reader/responders have been positively lapping up this video, posting their delight that they could see their new governor in real-time action for themselves over an extended period, and thus size him up directly without the filter of the traditional journalist, the middle man.

I listened to the interview and was quite impressed. It was a straight, un-edited Q & A. It held my attention.

To read more of Brummett's post, please see "They'll take unfiltered, please.

Note: Links added for the benefit of Blogging Journalist readers.

Recommended: Bob Stepno's Weblogs

If you're looking for a great resource on journalism and blogging, I recommend University of Tennessee School of Journalism & Electronic Media professor Bob Stepno's site Bob @ Stepno.com. Also see his Other Journalism Weblog. He's quite prolific.

A Message To John Robinson

To John Robinson, the blogging editor of the News & Record in Greensboro, North Carolina: I really like your December 27, 2006, post headlined "The joys of serendipity." I agree with your contention that,

The Web may play to our innate desire to affirm our biases -- frankly, so does the newspaper -- but it is absolutely easier to be a serendipitous reader/learner online.

Your December 26, 2006, post headlined "Everything I Really Need to Know about the Web... " is also on the money.

Technorati tags: John Robinson, News & Record, The Joys of Serendipity, Everything I Really Need to Know about the Web...

Bill Grueskin and Joseph Rago: Two Disparate WSJ Perspectives

MediaShift host Mark Glaser has a probing interview with Bill Grueskin, managing editor of WSJ.com, The Wall Street Journal's online presence, that contradicts Joseph Rago's "The Blog Mob."  Rago is a Journal assistant editorial features editor.

Glaser says in a December 20, 2006, post that  Grueskin "has long been a fan of the blogosphere, but had been wary about actually launching blogs at his site. In our previous conversations on the subject," he added,

he was worried about the legal issues of having reporters post instantaneously online and possibly moving markets before editors could see what was happening. Now, Grueskin tells me the Journal has found subjects that work as blogs, and they’ve figured out a method for doing quick editorial oversight.

Grueskin's approach to blogs is in stark contrast to Rago's. On December 20, 2006, Rago generated considerable commentary in the Blogosphere with an OpinionJournal post headlined "The Blog Mob."  The tagline is "Written by fools to be read by imbeciles."

Rago's opinion is that:

The blogs are not as significant as their self-endeared curators would like to think. Journalism requires journalists, who are at least fitfully confronting the digital age. The bloggers, for their part, produce minimal reportage. Instead, they ride along with the MSM like remora fish on the bellies of sharks, picking at the scraps.

Rago better get with it if he wants to survive in journalism, especially with his own publication increasing its online presence and using blogs to build communities around content.

By the way, the "scraps" of journalism is often where the real story is found. Secondly, some bloggers give so-called mainstream media articles extended reach and shelf life.  But, so what? Most people aren't blogging to influence news and opinion. They simply want to express themselves.

It's the bloggers with a point of view of national and global issues that scare the hell of people like Rago. Such bloggers are usually highly motivated, educated, aggressive and not afraid to network or interact with so-called mainstream journalists. Some are even professional journalists, who are embracing a new medium that is influencing the world in a way no newspaper ever has or ever will.

To read Glaser's Q & A with Grueskin, please see "WSJ Gets Comfortable with Blogs, Wants to Boost Community."

Technorati tags: Mark Glaser, Media Shift, Bill Grueskin, WSJ.com, The Wall Street Journal, Joseph Rago, The Blog Mob, WSJ Gets Confortable With Blogs, Wants to Boost Community

Do TV Anchors Make Good Bloggers?

"The battle between network and cable news shows this year moved to a new front -- the blogosphere," according to David Zurawik, television critic for the Baltimore Sun.

 He noted that, "From CBS' promise of a two-way continuing dialogue between Katie Couric and her fans to NBC's vow that through blogging Brian Williams would offer a window into the editorial process, these fledgling entities mark cable and network efforts to transform themselves into members of the new media."

Zurawik posed an interesting question:  "Do TV anchors, who serve as the faces of their networks' news divisions, necessarily make good bloggers?"

His answer is in a December 17, 2006, article headlined "Anchors online.

Mike Cassidy: A Journalist Not Too Proud To Ask Bloggers For Help

On December 12, 2006, Robert Scoble over at Scobleizer followed up on a December 7, 2006, post about San Jose     Mercury News blogger Mike Cassidy in which he instructed his readers to Help a San Jose Mercury News columnist blog. He wrote:

Mike Cassidy has been writing for the San Jose Mercury News for years. He’s a general columnist. I remember reading him back when I read paper. Today he called me and asked for help. Blog help. Specifically he was asking for help in building an audience and also getting his blog’s audience to engage — seems very few people leave comments.

On December 12, 2006, Cassidy told Scoble's readers: I asked for help with my blog and you’ve responded."

Also, on December 12, Scoble asked his readers to Help Mike name his blog… "Ahh, Mike Cassidy wrote about me in the San Jose Mercury News today and begs for help coming up with a new name, he wrote.

Have they responded? In droves, according to Cassidy. "I’m humbled," he wrote on December 12, in a post headlined "Fix Cassidy’s Blog II."

I asked for help with my blog and you’ve responded. First, on the naming issue: Lots of good ideas in the responses here.

I like Mike's witty writing. But before he asked Scoble for help, I'd never heard of him. Now, he's probably known by thousands of Scoble's readers. My take from this: Don't be too proud or afraid to ask for help from fellow bloggers.

Technorati tags: Mike Cassidy, Loose Ends, Robert Scoble, Scobleizer, San Jose Mercury News, Help a San Jose Mercury News Columnist Blog, Fix Cassidy's Blog II, Taking Scoble’s Advice: Rename Cassidy’s Blog

Mark Finkelstein Headed To Iraq

Ithaca Times' reporter and blogger Mark Finkelstein has a November 8, 2006, post about his plan to spend "ten days" in Iraq, "some in the Baghdad area visiting among other things the wonderful military hospital featured in the HBO documentary 'Baghdad ER.' During the rest of the trip I'm scheduled to be embedded with the Marines in Fallujah," he wrote.  "I'm scheduled to return to the U.S. on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23."

To read more, see "Going the Distance. It's worth reading just to learn how the trip came about.

Blogging The Heartland Film Festival

Bonnie Britton, the Indianapolis Star's movie critic, told the publication's readers on October 20, 2006: "I’m a virgin. Blogger, that is. [The] Heartland Film Festival is a good occasion to get started, though."

Britton is blogging about the festival, which is underway in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA, at IndyStar.com. See "Blogging from the Heartland Film Festival. 

Bob Gabordi: 'Hi, My Name Is Bob And I'm A Blogger'

"Dude, I got my own blog on Tallahassee.com." That's how Tallahassee (Florida) Democrat executive editor Bob Gabordi let readers know that he is now a blogger. To read his story, see "Hi, my name is Bob and I'm a blogger."

Reporter: 'Blogs Have Changed How I Do My Job...'

Columnist  Kate Nash of the Albuquerque Tribune opined in an August 28, 2006 column that, "So while some professorial types might worry bloggers will replace newspapers, I'm not worried. They aren't the competition."

"But they keep us on our toes," she said, "tipping us off to other stories we ought to be looking at - especially during election season."

To read the entire post, see "Kate Nash: Blogs have changed how I do my job, for the better. 

Chicago's 'Great J-Blogger Showdown'

The Chicago Tribune columnist and blogger Eric Zorn revealed in an August 28, 2006 post at Change of Subject, his Tribune blog, that,

The Great J-Blogger Showdown of `06 was a bit of a bust Saturday afternoon  [August 26, 2006]  when [Chicago] Sun-Times columnist Debra Pickett withdrew from the panel Friday [August 25, 2006] citing an aching back." Pickett was to share the podium at the Society for Professional Journalists convention at the Hyatt Regency downtown with me, Steve Rhodes of the Beachwood Reporter and Mark Miller of Satisfaction (a Tribune company publication devoted to Boomers) to talk with panel moderator Phil Ponce [of WTTW, Channel 11, Chicago] about blogging.

Zorn said, "Rhodes is Pickett's No. 1 public critic -- not that there are all that many people writing criticism of Chicago print media out there -- and I may be No. 2, though I have also given her occasional shout-outs on this site for fine lines.  I've also noted that, unlike Rhodes, I often enjoy Pickett's blog for the candor with which she examines her domestic life -- new husband, baby on the way -- though her idiosyncrasies, such as always referring to her husband, Roy, as "R.," as though he were the anonymous lover in a 19th-century European roman a clef, drive me nuts."

For more, see "Comments? Your comments, please.

By the way, Zorn said he "didn't publicize the panel because it wasn't open to the public." I would have loved to have been there. I guess it's hard to open up the shop. What newspaper person wants non-newspaper bloggers show up and start asking unpleasant questions or throwing their two cents into a million dollar conversation.

Matt Marshall's VentureBeat Blog

Matt Marshall has left The San Jose Mercury News and is "launching his own blog, VentureBeat," according to SFGate.com, the San Francisco Chronicle's online presence. I couldn't link to it, so it may be a placeholder for the moment.

"Known for his near religious focus on Silicon Valley as a reporter with the San Jose Mercury News, Marshall, 39, will now broadcast his take on Silicon Valley from the more monastic confines of his two-bedroom apartment in Fremont (or from the shaded patio overlooking flaxen East Bay hills), where he hopes to grow his online audience and his name brand as one of the A-list bloggers," SFGate.com said.

To read why Marshall is taking the risk, see "Matt's most excellent adventure."

News-Record.Com's Great Look

I hadn't visited the Greensboro, North Carolina News-Record's website for about four months. I was quite surprised tonight when I stopped by and saw how good and clean News-Record.com looks.  I really like the colors and the way things are organized and compartmentalized. Unlike some newspapers that use compartments, you can find the News-Record's immediately.

I clicked on blogs and they were all there for me to choose from. I stopped by to visit Lex Alexander's The Lex Files and John Robinson's The Editor's Log. They are my favorites at NR.

Great going John, Lex and the rest of the News-Record crew.

The Lex Files' Coverage Of The NSA Phone Records Debate

I think Greensboro, North Carolina News-Record journalist/blogger Lex Alexander is doing a good job keeping up with the debate over BellSouth,  Verizon and AT&T granting the National Security Agency access to the telephone records of millions of American citizens. He blogs at The Lex Files. I’m a frequent reader.

Los Angeles Press Club to Honor Kevin Sites

Yahoo! News war correspondent and blogger Kevin Sites has long been one of my favorites. I regularly read "Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone." As was announced on March 7, 2006, the Los Angeles Press Club plans to honor him on June 24, 2006. This PRNewswire press release has the details.

Lynn Sweet: Blogging Political columnist

Chicago Sun-Times columnist Lynn Sweet ranks among the best political columnists in the United States. I'm glad she is blogging. The well-informed political commentator now has a chance to directly engage her readers in conversation and reveal more than she could in her newspaper column.

Blogging Reporters and Editors

Julio Daio Borges at Digestivo Cultural made the following observation on March 8, 2006: "I'd like to see reporters and editors blogging. And then you will know them as individuals, not merely as employees."

I, for one, appreciate journalists at the Chicago Tribune and other dailies who've started blogging. They are no longer just a byline.

Blogging and the Freelance Journalist in the UK

The Press Gazette of Britain reports in its March 2, 2006, edition that, "staff journalists at The Times, The Telegraph, The Guardian and every shade of newspaper in between have joined the blog bandwagon, but freelance journalists have been slow to harness blog power."

"Those that have," the publication said, "are using blogs in many varied and innovative ways."

To learn how, please see "Make the most of blog power."

A Translated Page From The Blogging Journalist

Yesterday I saw a translated page from the The Blogging Journalist. I think it was in Portuguese. I've often wondered what language other than English people were reading it in. Here's the page.

When Reporters and Government Honchos are Preoccupied

Chicago Tribune reporter Andrew Zajac, who blogs at The Swamp, the paper's Washington bureau blog, wrote January 20, 2006:

You can tell when reporters and government officials are preoccupied. The follow-up questions at a press briefing have little to do with the subject of the briefing.

As a example, Zajac said, "Take Friday’s [January 20, 2006] Justice Department event called ostensibly to trumpet the bust of what Attorney General Alberto Gonzales termed a “Portland-based cell of animal rights and environmental extremists”. Flash forward to the Q & A.

Mississippi's Clarion-Ledger Starts Blogging

On January 17, 2006, Rusty Hampton of the Jackson, Mississippi Clarion-Ledger told the paper's readers:

Your Clarion-Ledger is now in the blogging business. Other newspapers joined the party months ago. We arrived last weekend, with 10 bloggers from our sports department. Look for blogs from our legislative reporters to start soon.

See "The Clarion-Ledger joins the blogging party."

Blogging at The Washington Post

Harry Jaffe, national editor at The Washingtonian, states in a January 13, 2006 post: "Within the Washington Post, 2006 is becoming the Year of the Blog." See "Bloggers Booming at Washington Post—Will One Destroy the Paper?"

Chicagoist Chides Blogging Columnist Debra Pickett

Aaron Bailey at Chicagoist raises valid points in "Debra Pickett Blogs; World Yawns." Pickett is a Chicago Sun-Times columnist. Here's her blog. Although it's not sophisticated, she will find an audience.

Jstudies.com on 'Blogging at the Washington Post'

jstudies.com's Marcus O'Donnell has a post on "Blogging at the Washington Post" you might be interested in. I learned something from it.

Editor & Publisher: Pundits Find Freedom Through Blogs

Dave Astor at Editor & Publisher notes in a December 25, 2005 post headlined "Pundits Find Freedom, and Audiences Through Blogs "that, "At least three syndicated creators started blogs this fall -- joining a small but growing group of cartoonists and columnists who have taken that online plunge. Syndicated creators alrea

dy have a public forum via their newspaper features, so why a blog, too? The reasons are many," he said. Among them is that blogs are fun.