Chris O’Brien

MediaShift: How Going Online Can Help Save Struggling College Papers

// April 12th, 2010 // Comments Off // The Next Newsroom Project

There’s a great piece over at MediaShift by Dan Reimold who looks at the demise of N.C. State’s Technician and the possibility of college papers going online early. He also looks at the case of upstart blog challenging the Daily Pennsylvanian. Frankly, I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of these challengers emerge on college campuses.

“But the Technician can take heart in the advent of small campus publications that have sprung up online on smaller budgets, often surving and thriving without print editions.”

The full post is here.

How Wired Plans To Embrace The iPad

// March 4th, 2010 // Comments Off // The Next Newsroom Project

How Wired Plans To Embrace The iPad

// March 4th, 2010 // Comments Off // The Next Newsroom Project

‘Newsonomics’ Predicts The Future Of The Media

// February 13th, 2010 // Comments Off // The Next Newsroom Project

From Talk of the Nation:

The Internet has finally surpassed newspapers as readers’ number one choice for news, yet most papers are still struggling to make money online. Former newspaperman Ken Doctor, author of Newsonomics: Twelve New Trends That Will Shape The News You Get, and media entrepreneur David Cohn weigh in on the future of the news industry.

What Can Virtual Goods Teach Us About Paying for News?

// February 9th, 2010 // Comments Off // The Next Newsroom Project

My latest post is over at Idea Lab: What Can Virtual Goods Teach Us About Paying for News?

Please share your thoughts over there. Here’s a quick excerpt:

Why will people spend $1 to send you a virtual beer on Facebook, but not to read a news story online?

On the surface, it defies logic. I think most people would agree that whatever economic value news and information has, it’s greater than a virtual piece of clothing, or something that gives your avatar a special power in a gaming environment, or that gives you elevated status on a social network. But in terms of consumers’ actions, the exact opposite is true.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this issue because the market for virtual goods has exploded. People are expected to spend $1.6 billion on virtual goods this year in the U.S. alone. The emergence of this market, I think, is one of the most important business trends on the web. In Silicon Valley, it’s reshaping assumptions about online business models. As the focus on ad-driven models loses favor, the virtual goods market is generating a lot of interest.

Does the rise of the virtual goods economy have any lessons for the business of news and information? I think so, but I’m not sure exactly what they are. And that’s why I’m writing this post….

Read more here…

MediaShift presents 5Across: Environmental Impact of Media

// January 24th, 2010 // Comments Off // The Next Newsroom Project

The full video can be found here. This description comes via Mark Glaser of MediaShift, who writes:

Just a note to let you know that my latest in-depth post just went up on PBS MediaShift, this time a new episode of 5Across, a video roundtable discussion about the environmental impact of media such as books, newspapers, computers and e-waste. Surprisingly (at least to me), many roundtable participants believe that reading a newspaper or print pub is less harmful to the ecosystem than using electronic devices that could end up polluting developing countries in 18 months. In fact, Joe Kelleher, the production director of the San Jose Mercury News, says that his newspaper uses mostly recycled fiber, and the “virgin” fiber actually comes from the leftover chips from timber mills. In a comparison of carbon footprints of reading a print newspaper, website or electronic edition of the Merc, Kelleher says there isn’t much difference except when you add in the energy consumed by delivery vehicles. Participants included Kelleher, Sarah Westervelt of the Basel Action Network (monitoring e-waste), Jean Walsh of the San Francisco Dept. of the Environment, Shona Burns of Chronicle Books, and Charles Uchu Strader of Gaia Host Collective.
Key quote: “A lot of times you hear people say ‘I won’t read a newspaper or a book because I’m killing trees by doing so.’ It’s simply not true. We only purchase newsprint from places that harvest trees sustainably. Newsprint is made from a combination of recycled fiber… and the virgin pulp we use is a byproduct of lumber production.” — Joe Kelleher, San Jose Mercury News

Journalism That Matters: Rei-imagining News and Community in the Pacific Northwest

// January 8th, 2010 // Comments Off // The Next Newsroom Project

Free Videos by Ustream.TV

Journalism That Matters: Rei-imagining News and Community in the Pacific Northwest

// January 8th, 2010 // Comments Off // The Next Newsroom Project

Free Videos by Ustream.TV

California Watch Launches New Site

// January 4th, 2010 // Comments Off // The Next Newsroom Project

The California news ecology gets a welcome addition today with the launch of the new California Watch web site. Check it out at: http://californiawatch.org/. CW is a project by the Center for Investigative Reporting: http://www.centerforinvestigativereporting.org/

Superman, Spiderman Lament Modern Times

// January 4th, 2010 // Comments Off // The Next Newsroom Project