See the example below: (Click for larger image)
And the *best* part about that screen shot is that NYT has had nearly two months to update their “sign up for political e-mails” message and no one has even bothered.
For shame.
Showing posts with label Journalism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Journalism. Show all posts
December 27, 2008
The New York Times Is Lazy
I'm essentially over the idea that giant media organizations, like the New York Times, will ever truly get their digital audiences. This is because they treat the services they provide like chores rather than rich additions to their news.
See the example below: (Click for larger image)
See the example below: (Click for larger image)
November 10, 2008
Spot.us: Community Funded Journalism - A true model for Change
Do yourself a favor and visit spot.us if you've ever been concerned about where our mainstream news comes from. To go yet a step further, if you've ever wondered how to fix our broken media without taking away our freedoms of the press, you really owe it to yourself to visit the site and understand just how David Cohn is remaking the way we do journalism.
Spot.us utilizes the passionate journalist who has a story no traditional news organization is willing to pay for. It pools funding from the concerned citizens of the community to keep the watch dog well fed and willing to bark at the slightest sign of danger. It does this within the bounds of a well trained editorial staff before releasing news out into the world freely and openly under creative commons. It is, and I don't say this lightly, the solution we could be looking for to make journalism work in the technologically advanced future.
And not to brag, but I did call it. (Seriously, check the archives.)
From the Source:
Spot.Us is a nonprofit project of the Center for Media Change. We are an open source project, to pioneer “community funded reporting.” Through Spot.Us the public can commission journalists to do investigations on important and perhaps overlooked stories. All donations are tax deductible and if a news organization buys exclusive rights to the content, your donation will be reimbursed. Otherwise, all content is made available to all through a Creative Commons license. It’s a marketplace where independent reporters, community members and news organizations can come together and collaborate.Video below:
Spot.Us - Community Funded Reporting Intro from Digidave on Vimeo.
June 17, 2008
My Mahalo Moment
Mahalo, the human powered search engine, surprised me very recently with their response to the tragic news of journalism-great Tim Russert’s passing.
I had heard the news via twitter before anywhere else, but there were zero details. Whatever work ethic I had gathered to finish daily tasks was now gone – replaced with clicking link after link searching for a full report. The same AP story came up across various news sites but I was more interested in hearing Tom Brokaw’s gallant effort to relay the information about his good friend. I wasn’t in a position to turn on a television so I just kept clicking the refresh button on MSNBC.com every minute or so hoping to see a new video clip.
I switched tabs back to twitter and saw that Mahalo CEO Jason Calacanis was directing anyone interested in Russert information to the Mahalo page. I’d been to the site, but I’ll admit it was casual. I was certainly not expecting to find the most comprehensive list of links to a variety of different written and video. This was just 25 minutes after the story broke.
At that moment, I became a believer in people powered search — especially when gathering information about a breaking news story.
“We call that moment when people understand what we’re doing a ‘Mahalo moment,’” said Calacanis about my experience in an e-mail. “It happens at a different time for everyone. The longer guide notes with citations have really accelerated the number of Mahalo moments we’ve noticed.”
Calacanis was kind enough to reply to the e-mail about my experience and also answer few questions about the entire process of putting breaking news together at Mahalo headquarters…
Full Jason Calacanis Q&A on my NewAssignment.net post Here.
- TechGOnzo
April 26, 2008
Dueling Identities: Ethics of web names
It started at the ripe old age of five. I wanted a secret identity that would allow me to basically do whatever it is people did while wearing a cowl and colorful cape. I got the same urge to adopt a secret ID years later in the post-Google search index era --- when suddenly anything you've ever done is now networked and somewhat easily searched.Press friendly and digital beacon
If you want to be a serious professional on the web, then you've got quite a bit of slack regarding the main audience, which is solely on the Internet. If you want to be a professional in any other medium and still write on the web, readers in the community could realistically misconstrue anything you do, thus pulling a “FOX News Fair and Balanced” and/or “We report, you decide.” What I mean by that is, from that point forward you'd be know as either a conservative darling or a raunchy godless liberal.* If you'd like to do both then you'll have to do something like use a cyber-pen name, Web name, alias, or any other synonym you can think of to make it sound as normal and non-super-heroish as possible.
I would say the need for such a dual identity will become less important as people adapt to new technology and such. Some, such as David Cohn, who I wrote about previously, have taken an “open book” approach to the web. He's been very successful. I've even had the opportunity to write a few articles on his sites. So it would be completely unfair (and wrong) to say it can't be done and done well.
But, I'm a small time reporter, so most of my audience still connects to a print edition or...not at all. Ultimately, it's a decision you'll have to decide for yourself. If you do use an alternate pen name to write more freely whenever you're off the clock, I've come up with a few short rules:
1) The give and take: It is acceptable** to omit mention of your actual name as it appears in unintentionally slanted news publications when you are writing under a web pen name. I wouldn't say it's necessary to mention it anywhere on the site itself either. BUT: (this is a very big but) you should never deny that you write under this assumed name under any circumstances...
2) Promote transparency whenever possible. It's always the best policy. In fact, mention that you write on the Internet about subjects completely unrelated to your regular beat. I'd suggest even pointing people in the right direction to those other sites. Don't hide it, but at the same time you don't have an obligation to be obvious about it (as long as you follow the next rule...)
3) Don't use your secret identity to advance what you REALLY think about the story you just wrote in a completely fair and unbiased way for your regular news publication. If you are a follower of journalistic ethics and integrity, then you should have done that when you wrote it the first time --- or dismissed it all together. One story. Report it the way you believe without slanting it. If it merits a second story, write another.
4) Keep it clean (or relatively.) Passion is not always relative to the number of four lettered F-bombs in a fiery blog post or column. I tend to look at Superman as the best metaphor for this rule. Superman does not exercise his freedom of potty mouth speech, ever. Not just in front of children or city officials. He does not curse. You need to uphold the integrity of what you are talking about. Treat your second name as if it was your only name.***
Side Note:
It could also be said that The Batman would probably not follow any of these rules. I agree but would like to point out that The Batman would never blog, twitter, comment, digg, reddit, Mixx, shout or any other form of social media expression what-so-ever. I mean, come on, he's The %!^&@# Batman.
-TechGOnzo
* Terms are interchangeable between political parties and also broadcasting news stations.
** Most would prefer no omission of your actual name. "acceptable" is my own opinion
***Chuck Klosterman rarely says the "F" word more than once in a column.
March 21, 2008
News media, meet your pioneer
Imagine you're a young journalist who gets called in over the weekend to do a story on education and the state budget because half the staff is out with a nasty flu bug. Also, your regular beat is covering high school sports.
If you were this particular reporter, the appropriate expression would normally be “oh shit.” (See also, "this ought to be interesting")
However, if you are David Cohn, then you'd imagine a fix for this particular predicament and proceed to blog about it on 1 of 5 different social community sites.
I spoke with him briefly, and then proceeded to check out his blog digidave.org, which contains his commentary journalism. He covers all aspects of the profession in relation to technology. It's extremely refreshing and accurate.
After reading several posts on various sites, I find myself wishing someone would give David a million dollars then proceed to lock him into a computer lab with a team of the best coders and a sleek innovative designer. Stir rigorously for one week, and then let them out. I'm pretty sure the result of such an experiment would remake the news media entirely the way Google did for the Internet.
If you've ever wondered why news media hasn't figured out how to make the web work for them in a big way, then I'd highly recommend checking out his daily thoughts.
Here's a quick description for two of his sites:
Digidave.org - Cohn's personal blog
Sample post, Quote:
“Am I a journalist or a blogger? My answer: Both - they aren't mutually exclusive. Every time people ask me what I do - if I'm tired and don't want to go into it, I sigh and say I'm a “blogger.“ But I know that isn't the truth...Give Bob Woodward a blog - and he is still a journalist. Give my mother her own print product - she is still not a journalist (sorry mom).”
Beatblogging.org - Experiment in beat reporting with social networks
Sample post, Quote:
“...Figure out social networks. How do the work, whats the ebb and flow, how do you gently lead one, how do you deal with trolls, etc. This is the skill set that isn't taught on the job right now but will become increasingly important.”
-TechGOnzo
October 9, 2007
Business 2.0 passes away
We are gathered here today in cyberspace to pay our respects to the dearly departed, Business 2.0 magazine.
The magazine's owner Time Inc. has decided to close the doors after almost 10 years reporting news about technology of the "new economy," which is to say they reported business the way it ought to be done. This month (Oct. 2007) marks the last issue.
If you are one of the folks scratching your head wondering why you've never heard about the magazine then I'm not surprised. They are closing down after all.
While most of the subject matter could be billed as information about young Internet start-up companies making waves, B2.0 covered much more than boring numbers and economic trends in the online world. Editorially, none of its staff seemed too interested in the business side of anything, which is exactly what made it work.
Because when you think about it, what is business news and why is it worth your valuable time?
The answer to the question is largely biased depending on who you're asking, but I would argue that the only reason to do a business story is to aim the spotlight at inspired people with an idea that happens to be worth lots of money. Forget market trends and predicting the future, which often crowds the pages of most newspaper sections. Business should be a reflection of humanity's desire to improve. For me, that's why Business 2.0 was always worth reading.
Editor Josh Quittner expressed his gratitude towards colleagues in the Oct. 2007 introduction:
"Had I known five years when I took this job that it would end here, I'd do it again in a heartbeat -- as would virtually all of my excellent staff."
Yet, for some good news in the wake of this tragic death, the letter also revealed Quittner and nine other former staffers have been hired by Fortune Magazine to head up a new technology news bureau in San Francisco.
It's good to know that even though the deadwood edition is no more, the spirit of new business will live on.
Farewell Business 2.0. You will be missed.
-TechGOnzo
September 25, 2007
Singing boring headlines
Remember when radio stations would splice together a word from several different songs to make one singing sentence? Some bored soul, with much more time on his hands than I, created a Web site that will magically translate text into song.Provided you visit the site, type in "Baby, I love to rock so much it hurts with a good feeling inside" and press play. I basically chose words based on how often they would appear in popular song lyrics.
Rather than decipher each song title and artist in the sentence, I started plugging in bland headlines from major newspapers. (Surprisingly, I detected nothing from either U2 or Bono's voice while doing this.)
And without further ado, I give you the musically enhanced version of New York Times online:
Education:
"When Science Suddenly Mattered, In Space and In Class"
(Read the article here)
World News:
"The Rest of the World Discovers the Business Jet"
(Read the article here)
Business:
"Flying for the Holidays? Brace Yourself" (Read the article here)
Health:
"Keeping Up With the Pack" (Read the article here)
Sports:
"Growing Pains Give the Mets discomfort" (Read the article here)
Op-Ed:
"The Problem Here and the Problem There" (Read the article here)
Entertainment:
"Following His Trail to Danger and Joy" (Read the article here)
July 24, 2007
Politicians: Welcome to the Internets...
****UPDATE BELOW****
When mediums collide the effects aren't often easily predicted. Such is the case with the recent Democratic Debate on YouTube, which featured candidates answering questions from citizens via their web cam....and an extremely disturbing image of genitalia.
During the debate the "goatse" image was flashed for a fraction of a second, which had candidates flinching. Yet, apparently no one acknowledged it during the debate. I also heard absolutely nothing about it on the morning broadcast shows.
"GOATSE" for all of you not privy to early Internet culture, is a highly disturbing picture of a man's anus and genitalia that people are tricked into looking at, All the while expecting something entirely different (e.g. a bunny). You can read the wiki here but I think I summed it up pretty well.
For obvious reasons, I'm not posting the vile pic.
Yet, it seems this blogger picked up the story and did a bit of research to see if he was the only one in witness to this heinous act (and yeah, its heinous.)He reported over 200,000 phone calls to the Democratic National Committee and currently awaits response from the broadcast media giants.
Had this been a regular broadcast debate, we'd have likely never discovered the prank. I mean it only flashed for a fraction of a second. However, since it was on the Internet it might as well been flashed for two solid minutes.
A part of me really hates that this event will further divide Internet video from its mainstream audience. It's a shame that one foolish individual screwed this up for the rest of us.
***UPDATE***
I recieved an email from a graphic designer friend who pointed out the techical improbabilities of embedding the dreaded Goatse into the question video. I understood none of it but you can view the Video here with no sign of nasty: http://youtube.com/user/jasonkoop
When mediums collide the effects aren't often easily predicted. Such is the case with the recent Democratic Debate on YouTube, which featured candidates answering questions from citizens via their web cam....and an extremely disturbing image of genitalia.
During the debate the "goatse" image was flashed for a fraction of a second, which had candidates flinching. Yet, apparently no one acknowledged it during the debate. I also heard absolutely nothing about it on the morning broadcast shows.
"GOATSE" for all of you not privy to early Internet culture, is a highly disturbing picture of a man's anus and genitalia that people are tricked into looking at, All the while expecting something entirely different (e.g. a bunny). You can read the wiki here but I think I summed it up pretty well.
For obvious reasons, I'm not posting the vile pic.
Yet, it seems this blogger picked up the story and did a bit of research to see if he was the only one in witness to this heinous act (and yeah, its heinous.)He reported over 200,000 phone calls to the Democratic National Committee and currently awaits response from the broadcast media giants.
Had this been a regular broadcast debate, we'd have likely never discovered the prank. I mean it only flashed for a fraction of a second. However, since it was on the Internet it might as well been flashed for two solid minutes.
A part of me really hates that this event will further divide Internet video from its mainstream audience. It's a shame that one foolish individual screwed this up for the rest of us.
***UPDATE***
I recieved an email from a graphic designer friend who pointed out the techical improbabilities of embedding the dreaded Goatse into the question video. I understood none of it but you can view the Video here with no sign of nasty: http://youtube.com/user/jasonkoop
June 22, 2007
Reporting from the Metaverse
There are certain things I want to do in real life that cannot be done. First on the long list of things is flying. It will never be possible for me to zip around the earth at speeds greater than a speeding bullet, but if there ever was a way to do such a thing, I would surely make every effort humanly possible to ensure that I could do so. And this sentiment is nothing new. Asking anyone in my family will yield an hour long conversation about how they repeatedly explained to me that I could never grow up to fly.
Then it happened.
Forty-five minutes ago, a newspaper broke the story that President of the MacArthur Foundation Jonathan Fanton actually took flight inside an arena filled with about 200 people after taking something called Carbon X-flight rod. It was also broadcast live via blogtv.com.
Scrolling down the article led me to believe this was not even the first time it occurred. "Jonathan Fanton takes Flight," seemed to be the lone article for this newspaper archive.
If your wondering who broke the story. It was the Second Life Herald, and you won't be finding copies of it anywhere but the Internet. After all it wouldn't make sense since their area of coverage is completely submerged in the digital.
The Herald is a newspaper that covers the virtual world Second Life -- a game that allows you to do everything you can in the real life but with no consequence.
To me this sounds absolutely boring as hell. Why would I want to surf a digital world and devote precious man hours to do stuff I can already do. Why the hell would anyone want to do this? But, alas, I was more than curious to find this web publication devoted to political happenings in a place that does not exist.
Breaking news in this publication consists of tyrants taking power of entire cities over night, casino slot machines that don't pay out, and the kidnapping of a virtual Where's Waldo (WaldOh).
I doubt anyone will be going back to that casino any time soon and will also be avoiding the area where Waldoh was abducted. It makes me wonder if the people of Second Life actually stay informed by reading the Herald. I mean, isn't this what newspapers do?
Even fake ones?
June 5, 2007
Five ways to fix Newspaper Web sites
Dear newspaper editors:
When people started blogging, I fear all the editorial departments across the country assumed it was just a bunch of inspired citizens who were pretending to be journalists despite their lack of formaleducation and ethics. It turns out that these bloggers didn't need either of those things to be successful because they we willing to evolve, self-educate and communicate. So before "Blogger" becomes a thesaurus entry for journalist, I offer these five piece of advice:
[*Disclaimer below]
1) Strip it
Most newspaper editors have this uncanny sense of purpose when it comes to filling a news page. They want to fit as much information onto a printed page as they possibly can. I can't express to you how dangerous this old school editorial mentality can be when you unleash it upon a Web site that has no bounds. The result ends up looking something similar to this. Take a good look at that menu side bar (far left column). I counted a total 71 different items on that thing. That's horrible. So to begin, take it all off. All of it. Most of the information that those links navigate to are just regurgitated articles shared between sections. While it may seem like a good idea for a large metropolitan newspaper to be split into subject, county and city, it confuses the sh*t out of your site's visitors. Cut it out. All of it.
2) Put it back together
Lets take a critical look at how to organize the content being produced for the printed edition. Decide how you'd like to reach your audience the most. Do not, repeat, DO NOT link to articles more than once. Get it out of your mind. Basic Web sites that focus on news tend to feature some common components:
- A simple menu navigation (Topic Box, Tabs, etc.)
- The News Feed
- A third column
I cannot urge you to focus on the news feed more than you do the stupid category/topic navigation. People who read newspapers presumably pick them up because they enjoy reading news. Also, they really don't give a damn about how it's organized. The news feed should be the center column and/or the widest column on the page. (An example would be the design of this site.) It should have a headline that is large and distinct. Underneath this headline should be the lead, or the first 300 characters of the story, (what ever works better). If you want to add pictures to make a story more appealing, then you have my blessing. But do not add them at actual size. They should complement the headline and the preview text underneath. When they click the headline link, the picture(s) can be whatever size you'd like. Here's a good example. Every editor needs to learn some basic web design. Immediately following this they need to contact a web designer with lots of experience and actually listen to them.
3) Make past articles free FOREVER
The lifeblood of what makes one Web site more dominant on the Internet over others is their presence. By offering all your content without restrictions you'll do that, which will increase your audience and make your newspaper the authority on every issue in the area. But there are also other things you can do to increase the likelihood that people will read your paper's articles over others...
4) Teach reporters XHTML, XML, and CSS.
It's not hard. The Internet is vast and arguably the best means of communication in the world. We have reporters going out into the field everyday, but when they come back they have one chance to reach people -- through print. Bridge the gap. Reporters should learn how to write for the Web in addition to content.
5) The beat reporter is dead. Long live the beat.
The Internet has caused nearly every newspaper to attempt covering every piece of information since Web sites allow for 24/7 updates. This means using beat reports to cover general assignments more often. Those beat reporters end up being overworked, stressed out, and unable to fulfill both duties. So the position is definitely in decline. But this doesn't mean the beat is dead. The Internet allows for a compilation of a specific story as it unfolds, but hardly anyone is using this. It wouldn't even be too hard. For example: A reporter covers a story, then a week later a different reporter covers a new event in this story. The article is placed on top. Wrong information is crossed out, but not deleted, and "Updates" appear on top of each story. Presumably, any one reporter could read this "beat track-back" and understand the entire story. Long live the Beat.
Sincerely,
A concerned journalist
* Disclaimer: I am NOT a Web designer by any means.
When people started blogging, I fear all the editorial departments across the country assumed it was just a bunch of inspired citizens who were pretending to be journalists despite their lack of formaleducation and ethics. It turns out that these bloggers didn't need either of those things to be successful because they we willing to evolve, self-educate and communicate. So before "Blogger" becomes a thesaurus entry for journalist, I offer these five piece of advice:
[*Disclaimer below]
1) Strip it
Most newspaper editors have this uncanny sense of purpose when it comes to filling a news page. They want to fit as much information onto a printed page as they possibly can. I can't express to you how dangerous this old school editorial mentality can be when you unleash it upon a Web site that has no bounds. The result ends up looking something similar to this. Take a good look at that menu side bar (far left column). I counted a total 71 different items on that thing. That's horrible. So to begin, take it all off. All of it. Most of the information that those links navigate to are just regurgitated articles shared between sections. While it may seem like a good idea for a large metropolitan newspaper to be split into subject, county and city, it confuses the sh*t out of your site's visitors. Cut it out. All of it.
2) Put it back together
Lets take a critical look at how to organize the content being produced for the printed edition. Decide how you'd like to reach your audience the most. Do not, repeat, DO NOT link to articles more than once. Get it out of your mind. Basic Web sites that focus on news tend to feature some common components:
- A simple menu navigation (Topic Box, Tabs, etc.)
- The News Feed
- A third column
I cannot urge you to focus on the news feed more than you do the stupid category/topic navigation. People who read newspapers presumably pick them up because they enjoy reading news. Also, they really don't give a damn about how it's organized. The news feed should be the center column and/or the widest column on the page. (An example would be the design of this site.) It should have a headline that is large and distinct. Underneath this headline should be the lead, or the first 300 characters of the story, (what ever works better). If you want to add pictures to make a story more appealing, then you have my blessing. But do not add them at actual size. They should complement the headline and the preview text underneath. When they click the headline link, the picture(s) can be whatever size you'd like. Here's a good example. Every editor needs to learn some basic web design. Immediately following this they need to contact a web designer with lots of experience and actually listen to them.
3) Make past articles free FOREVER
The lifeblood of what makes one Web site more dominant on the Internet over others is their presence. By offering all your content without restrictions you'll do that, which will increase your audience and make your newspaper the authority on every issue in the area. But there are also other things you can do to increase the likelihood that people will read your paper's articles over others...
4) Teach reporters XHTML, XML, and CSS.
It's not hard. The Internet is vast and arguably the best means of communication in the world. We have reporters going out into the field everyday, but when they come back they have one chance to reach people -- through print. Bridge the gap. Reporters should learn how to write for the Web in addition to content.
5) The beat reporter is dead. Long live the beat.
The Internet has caused nearly every newspaper to attempt covering every piece of information since Web sites allow for 24/7 updates. This means using beat reports to cover general assignments more often. Those beat reporters end up being overworked, stressed out, and unable to fulfill both duties. So the position is definitely in decline. But this doesn't mean the beat is dead. The Internet allows for a compilation of a specific story as it unfolds, but hardly anyone is using this. It wouldn't even be too hard. For example: A reporter covers a story, then a week later a different reporter covers a new event in this story. The article is placed on top. Wrong information is crossed out, but not deleted, and "Updates" appear on top of each story. Presumably, any one reporter could read this "beat track-back" and understand the entire story. Long live the Beat.
Sincerely,
A concerned journalist
* Disclaimer: I am NOT a Web designer by any means.
March 6, 2007
F*cking Grammar Nazi
Wanna kill grammar?
Would you instead settle for silencing the copyediting Nazi who is constantly pointing out your lack of attention to detail? The last time I checked, it was illegal to kill anyone in all 50 states for bleeding on your articles with that bastardous red ink pen.
Relax, having poor grammar, spelling and style isn’t entirely your fault.
OK, mostly it is. But it’s also a product of our environment. As part of this new age of young journalist in a world of dying print newspapers, we tend to rely on the Internet for anything we can possibly think of. Even if its not as good as a more…”traditional” method.
I was chatting with a friend of mine the other day, a journalist from the other side of the country, about how most people our age are horrible at copyediting. He's actually very good though and I'm the one who constantly needs to re read my articles.
Anyways, we came to the conclusion that students and young journalist are becoming so lax with grammar and style because they've been raised with the Internet as their primary tool. I would argue to say that this is becoming every journalist’s main tool.
However, there is a difference between the young and old. Anyone who learned how to copy edit prior to the advent of widespread communication technology on the Internet, has an understanding of how to copy edit using more traditional methods. (i.e. Books, Webster's, AP style book, etc.)
The younger generation of journalists may have been taught these traditional methods of copyediting, but they prefer using a more techno-savvy service, which are not always (and often time not at all) on par with old fashion dictionaries and grammar books. The younger generation also has never had to use the traditional methods as their sole means of reference either, so they don't use them as efficiently as older journalists.
My friend decided that this would be the downfall of language. I however believe that eventually enough young people will create a standard of using efficient web tools to help the editing process.
Then I started looking for some:
Dictionary/Thesaurus/Pronunciation: http://www.word.sc/
This site offers ad-free definitions, word usage, and a feature that enables you to hear the word's pronunciation. Its also open source, which means that they allow anyone to view the "source code" (the basic makeup of a program) so that computer programmers can expand upon it by adding plug ins. The basic idea is to make your dictionary customizable, similar to FireFox. Perhaps someone will eventually create a plug in that shows correct AP style along with the search results of a particular word.
Government Documents: http://www.google.com/ig/usgov
Most of the time you can get official government documents on their Web sites, but it usually takes quite a while and if your working on deadline you may not have a chance to run to a library.
This is a google search engine that is tailored to looking up information on governmental Web sites. Its useful when you want to find information on a particular Act or piece of legislation. I prefer it to a regular google search because it only includes information from official sources, which can be good if you want to avoid google bombers and results based on popular opinion.
AP Style (quick)
Usually the AP stylebook says it best. When you need to know how to use a word and when/when not to capitalize, this book is truly the bible. I don't see that changing much in the future. However, often times I will come across a word, phrase, or usage that I can't seem to find in the style book. It's probably listed inside somewhere but I have no idea where to look for it. Even looking in multiple places sometimes does not yield an answer. For instance, if I needed to know if "hip hop" needed to be hyphenated, I'd never find it in the stylebook. The dictionary may tell me one thing, but who knows if its the standard for AP.
A quick, easier way to handle a situation like this is to do a Google search with the word you need (in quotations if necessary) and then AP. (Example: "hip hop," AP). The results should pull of enough AP stories to show you how the word is used. If you don't want to search for the word inside the page, try clicking the "Cached" link in blue below the search summary text. e.g., http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&q=Hip+Hop%2C+AP&btnG=Google+Search
Names and Numbers: http://people.yahoo.com/
This is a basic people search site. I prefer Yahoo to others like Google because there is no feature that allows other to remove their name from search results. As all journalist tell you, misspelling a name is all too common, especially when its an average name. (Example: John/Jon, Katie/Katey/Katy) If your unsure of the spelling its probably best to check to see if your correct. The search feature will be useful because it also gives a location as well. So Jon Johnson of Ohio does not get confused with John Johnston of Tennessee.
These are only a few of the methods I’ve used in the past, but there are more out there.
Would you instead settle for silencing the copyediting Nazi who is constantly pointing out your lack of attention to detail? The last time I checked, it was illegal to kill anyone in all 50 states for bleeding on your articles with that bastardous red ink pen.
Relax, having poor grammar, spelling and style isn’t entirely your fault.
OK, mostly it is. But it’s also a product of our environment. As part of this new age of young journalist in a world of dying print newspapers, we tend to rely on the Internet for anything we can possibly think of. Even if its not as good as a more…”traditional” method.
I was chatting with a friend of mine the other day, a journalist from the other side of the country, about how most people our age are horrible at copyediting. He's actually very good though and I'm the one who constantly needs to re read my articles.
Anyways, we came to the conclusion that students and young journalist are becoming so lax with grammar and style because they've been raised with the Internet as their primary tool. I would argue to say that this is becoming every journalist’s main tool.
However, there is a difference between the young and old. Anyone who learned how to copy edit prior to the advent of widespread communication technology on the Internet, has an understanding of how to copy edit using more traditional methods. (i.e. Books, Webster's, AP style book, etc.)
The younger generation of journalists may have been taught these traditional methods of copyediting, but they prefer using a more techno-savvy service, which are not always (and often time not at all) on par with old fashion dictionaries and grammar books. The younger generation also has never had to use the traditional methods as their sole means of reference either, so they don't use them as efficiently as older journalists.
My friend decided that this would be the downfall of language. I however believe that eventually enough young people will create a standard of using efficient web tools to help the editing process.
Then I started looking for some:
Dictionary/Thesaurus/Pronunciation: http://www.word.sc/
This site offers ad-free definitions, word usage, and a feature that enables you to hear the word's pronunciation. Its also open source, which means that they allow anyone to view the "source code" (the basic makeup of a program) so that computer programmers can expand upon it by adding plug ins. The basic idea is to make your dictionary customizable, similar to FireFox. Perhaps someone will eventually create a plug in that shows correct AP style along with the search results of a particular word.
Government Documents: http://www.google.com/ig/usgov
Most of the time you can get official government documents on their Web sites, but it usually takes quite a while and if your working on deadline you may not have a chance to run to a library.
This is a google search engine that is tailored to looking up information on governmental Web sites. Its useful when you want to find information on a particular Act or piece of legislation. I prefer it to a regular google search because it only includes information from official sources, which can be good if you want to avoid google bombers and results based on popular opinion.
AP Style (quick)
Usually the AP stylebook says it best. When you need to know how to use a word and when/when not to capitalize, this book is truly the bible. I don't see that changing much in the future. However, often times I will come across a word, phrase, or usage that I can't seem to find in the style book. It's probably listed inside somewhere but I have no idea where to look for it. Even looking in multiple places sometimes does not yield an answer. For instance, if I needed to know if "hip hop" needed to be hyphenated, I'd never find it in the stylebook. The dictionary may tell me one thing, but who knows if its the standard for AP.
A quick, easier way to handle a situation like this is to do a Google search with the word you need (in quotations if necessary) and then AP. (Example: "hip hop," AP). The results should pull of enough AP stories to show you how the word is used. If you don't want to search for the word inside the page, try clicking the "Cached" link in blue below the search summary text. e.g., http://www.google.com/search?source=ig&hl=en&q=Hip+Hop%2C+AP&btnG=Google+Search
Names and Numbers: http://people.yahoo.com/
This is a basic people search site. I prefer Yahoo to others like Google because there is no feature that allows other to remove their name from search results. As all journalist tell you, misspelling a name is all too common, especially when its an average name. (Example: John/Jon, Katie/Katey/Katy) If your unsure of the spelling its probably best to check to see if your correct. The search feature will be useful because it also gives a location as well. So Jon Johnson of Ohio does not get confused with John Johnston of Tennessee.
These are only a few of the methods I’ve used in the past, but there are more out there.
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