The history of newspapers is a long and glorious one. Gutenberg’s printing press was one of the most influential innovations in the last 500 years.
If you were in the newspaper business back in the heyday, you were in the business of printing money with “rivers of gold” running off the press. Not only was it a very profitable business, but it also meant you had a huge influence on society.
Before television, newspapers were the primary means by which people got their information.
What makes newspapering a special occupation?
The history of newspapers is a traditional occupation if you follow the ethics of journalism. Seeking the truth, reporting the facts, and removing your biases and opinions is a noble and vital occupation.
The special knowledge and skills newspaper professionals develop make them confident and effective citizens, provided they live by the code of ethics.
The changes happening in the newspaper business over the last 20 years has journalism is in rapid decline, while the essence of gathering fact-based news is ever more relevant today.
Culture of Craftsmanship
As the speed of information dissemination continues to increase, let’s not forget about the tradition of craftsmanship that once prevailed in the publishing profession. Consider the evolution from handwritten books to the printing press to digital media. How much of the art and craft has been lost along the way?
As we’ve seen throughout history newspapers, when used properly, have the power to do good. They keep an eye on the government and keep the people informed. But in the wrong hands, the power of disinformation can be greater than that of any weapon of mass destruction. Disinformation can hurt people by making them believe doing bad things is okay.
The responsibility media has to society is enormous. But today, the more sensational the headline, the more the newspaper sells. These alarming trends and behaviors promoted by the media create a continuous decline in culture and morality.
We’ve come a long way since Britain’s Observer, the oldest Sunday newspaper in the world, first published 227 years ago on this day in history.
Let’s not forget about the glorious history newspapers and the printing press have brought us. Don’t lose hope in a world full of fake news and help keep a long tradition alive. Cheers to newspapers!
When you see something use your phone to say something. That’s where citizen journalism starts. Are you ready to capture important news?
Now that everyone carries a mobile news studio in their pocket citizen journalism has the potential to transform the media landscape.
This development combined with the rapid decline in old media has left gaps in local reporting. This trend creates an opportunity for citizen journalists to step up and fill the void.
What is Citizen Journalism?
Citizen journalism is a simple concept involving the collection or capturing of information that is shared online with the public. Anyone can be a citizen journalist. However, it’s not as simple as sending out a tweet or writing a Facebook post. You need to apply some basic skills when planning, compiling and sharing this information.
How to Become a Citizen Journalist?
Citizen journalism has been criticized for not being professional. The purpose of this article is to help people apply professional journalism skills and leverage technology to capture stories authentically.
We’ve compiled a list of free online training resources to help you lay a solid foundation in basic journalistic skills.
The Need for Citizen Journalism
Many people feel disconnected from their local community. By reporting more local stories you help build a more informed and engaged community.
Local news deserts are everywhere because traditional outlets are cutting back resources. The big players are chasing global scale so they’re focused on big stories. We the people must now cover what happens in our community.
If you want to improve your community, start by visiting our Citizen’s Guide to Mobile Journalism. Here you’ll find free online journalism training and best practices for getting the best quality audio and video out of your smartphone.
Trump ended the post-mid-term election news conference with an interesting comment about the media. To watch these final comments click here to view on YouTube
“Hopefully, the tone can get a lot better. And I really believe it begins with the media. We use to call it the press. I really believe it begins with the media. If you would cover… there was a very interesting story written in a very good paper recently that talked about the fact that it isn’t good what the media is doing. And that I do have the right to fight back because I’m treated very unfairly, so I do fight back, and I’m fighting back not for me. I’m fighting back for the people of this country. Thank you all very much.”
President Donald TrumpWhat newspaper was he referring to? We found this article called “Trump Didn’t Start the Fire” by David Prentice published on the front of the Epoch Times Opinion section on November 2 which says. “In order to win, Trump had to fight all these giants.” and “He didn’t start this rancor, but he’s fought all the right people to a standstill.” referring to the “the bloated Clinton machine, the fake news old media, and, of course, the tech-lords and their platforms”.
TORONTO – Fund The Future campaign was launched to keep the tradition of independent journalism alive.
Everyone who values journalism knows we are in a perilous time. The campaign includes print and digital ads to raise awareness about the rapid decline in local journalism.
Your contribution helps us preserve the tradition of independent journalism in Canada.
If you believe in the power of quality journalism and want to see it thrive – now is the time to help.
Can you manifest a better version of yourself with self-authoring? Is self-authoring a magic key to unlock a better version of yourself by using the power of thought to bring your future into focus?
Inspired by a video of Dr. Jordan Peterson explaining the power of writing I took his online self-authoring program. The program has helped underperforming students stay in school and improve academic performance.
After many hours I completed the suite of writing modules. I felt like abandoning the effort because what I was writing didn’t seem important. I ignored these impulses and persevered. Much of what I wrote was poor, but I followed Dr. Peterson’s advice to “allow yourself to write badly”. I had the habit of over editing. The self-authoring helped me write first and edit later.
The self-authoring suite provides a comprehensive examination of your life from many perspectives. This process draws out specific details, making your goals more tangible and concrete. It also helps you get to know yourself better and articulate who you are and where you’re going. In a crazy busy world full of noise, I felt a sense of satisfaction while going through the process of thinking deeply about my life.
Writing with a pen can be like practicing Traditional Martial Arts with a sword.
Technology vs The Classics
Back in the early 90s, the trend in education started focusing more on technology skills and less on the classics. So, I found myself with a shallow understanding of the power of writing and seemed to have missed learning about the wonderful benefits of writing.
For those educated at the advent of personal computing, less attention was given to the classics. The workplace would need people with advanced technological skills. A Fine Arts degree seemed to hold little value for those looking to secure work in the emerging field of computers.
Many students attracted to the mystique of computers had complete freedom in choosing what to study. I didn’t know then to embrace writing and the tremendous value contained. I found it difficult, inconvenient and time-consuming.
Later in life, I felt stuck in my personal development. When trying to express new ideas I had a habit of being brief like a message command given by a computer. I did not provide enough context or depth to the situation or idea, and people didn’t get what I was trying to express.
The Power of Writing
A warrior holding a sword high in the air before rushing into battle has been a symbol of courage, honor, and bravery throughout history. So, when I first heard the saying “The pen is mightier than the sword”, it made me stop and think. A vision from once upon a time of a king writing an important message with a feather quill pen to calm hostilities and avert a war came to mind.
Like a traditional martial artist using a sword in practice can refine both mind and body. Many similarities exist between traditional martial arts and the way of the pen as contained in the saying “The pen is mightier than the sword.” With the goal being to diffuse a tense situation without fighting.
Regardless of their physical appearance, both the pen and sword are only tools held in one’s hand. When used with good intention and practice both activities can refine a person, improving their character by examining one’s inner world and tempering their will to bring about clarity and wisdom.
Self-Authoring: The Benefits of Writing About Yourself
Some benefits I’ve experienced from writing with the self-authoring program include:
Deep Thinking: The questions in the self-authoring program make you think about life from many perspectives. To answer these questions, you need to take time and consider their implications. Even a short amount of focused thought can give you clarity. Rereading and editing your work takes you even deeper.
Goal Setting: I’ve been in the habit of writing my goals for many years. Despite the consistent effort I continued to fail to reach my goals. Exploring your goals in great detail and helps to clarify and solidify a plan to overcome obstacles that may arise. Writing out the details helps you see the future you want and orient yourself towards what is meaningful and important.
Better Memory: A challenge I’ve had with public speaking, and the reason for my notorious brevity in the past came from not having enough content and material to draw from. Writing has helped with recall and retention when it matters most.
Now when I need clarity, I pick up a pen and write out questions to help think about the issue from different angles. I still have a way to go in reaching my goals but I’m making steady progress. The self-authoring program helped me become a better version of myself.
It’s not the act of writing but the ability to look inside yourself, discover your faults, and change your thinking to become more positive that leads to transformation.
Like practicing a traditional martial art, writing can help you transform your inner thoughts and help you improve your character. Whichever practice you choose, remember to breathe, relax, and take control of your mind.
Over 250 news outlets have closed in the last decade. Canadian journalism faces some unique challenges, including:
Being so close to the U.S most Canadians play close attention to events happening south of the border. Therefore, large American companies like The New York Times are gaining more paid readers than Canadian newspapers.
The impact of Google and Facebook is not unique to Canada only. However, the adoption rate of social media platforms in Canada is high. And the duopoly takes 75% of digital revenues away from Canadian media companies.
CBC receives $1.2 Billion public funding while also competing directly against private companies for digital ad dollars, and thus creates an uneven playing field.
Bilingual resources add extra cost. There are probably many great stories reported in French in Quebec that don’t reach English speaking Canada and vice versa.
In Canada, The New York Times is said to have more digital subscribers than any Canadian newspaper, according to a report by Harvard’s Neiman Lab. An estimated 94,000 Canadians pay for a digital subscription to the Times. Making it the largest paid audience of any news site in Canada.
The Globe and Mail, National Post, and Toronto Star should be concerned. When an American news institution outperforms local Canadian players in their own market it’s a clear sign their lagging in their digital subscriber strategy.
A quick summary of the original Canadaland interview with Catherine Porter, Canadian bureau chief of the New York Times, is below:
The decline in Canadian journalism created an opening in the market for The New York Times.
Canada represents 27% of the Times international subscribers.
NYT had one reporter in Canada for the last 10 year, now increased to three: Ian Austin in Ottawa, Catherine Porter in Toronto, Dan Bilefsky in Montreal
NYT has more digital subscribers in Canada then any other newspaper Star, Globe etc.
Articles need to be relevant to core NYT US/International audience. Not written exclusively for Canadians.
Focused on depth and nuance of coverage.
Not doing quick pieces. CBC does lots of quick stuff. NYT goes really deep but does some big story breaking news stuff.
Look at Canadian issues with an international lens. Impact journalism.
Super vigorous on editing and fact checking. They take the paper of record status very seriously.
Business model is digital first subscriptions.
Not trying to compete with Canadian newspapers. Not doing local reporting.
The expense of feeding newsprint and ink into a web press in a warehouse with a fleet of delivery trucks doesn’t compete well with the instantaneousness of the digital space. Digital news is the major competitor of the traditional newspaper. So what will it take to make newspapers great again?
When the internet becomes worse, and more voices are censored the market will need quality journalism delivered the old fashion way. True freedom of the press will become a major advantage over the censorship happening online.
More evidence confirms that the internet is not free from censorship. Algorithms are setting the agenda and guiding the conversation. How can we make newspapers great again? Go back to the basics, remove as much of the bias as possible. Deliver a great product to your readers’ door. A product without tracking cookies, pop-up ads, and data collection. Free from using artificial intelligence serving you a robotic menu of content you’re most likely to click on.
Looking to freshen up your writing skills? If you’re new to writing or a seasoned professional you’ll find value in Dr. John Maguire’s practical readable writing tips.
He presents his teaching in a unique and easy to understand way. So if you’re looking to improve you’ll want to check out his blog.
Make sure to watch the videos on Dr. Maguire’s website. They’ll give you the basic idea of his perspective on writing and readability. If you like what you hear you can order his book College Writing Guide.
Learning to write well is not that difficult. A student can gain a dramatic improvement in three months, says Dr. Maguire.
Rules for Readable Writing
From John Maguire’s College Writing Guide.
Dr. Maguire has some practical advice that will quickly improve your readability.
Write short Sentences. 17 words per sentence on average.
Ask yourself: What am I trying to say? What must I make sure I don’t leave out?
Avoid abstract words. Words that end with “ion” or “tion“. Use concrete nouns instead.
Fill you sentences with people. Having no people in your sentences is bad.
Passive verbs like: is, are, was, were are weak so you should avoid them. Instead one of the thousands of other verbs available to you.
Use short simple words. The fewer syllables the better. If there’s a shorter word use it. For example instead of using ‘conversation’ us the word ‘talk’ instead.
Use lots of objects. Think of things you can drop on your foot.
