"The newspaper industry knew it was doomed 30 years ago"

Jack Shafer provides some historical context to the challenges and struggles of the newspaper biz. Check out his article on Slate:

"Chronicle of the Newspaper Death Foretold"


TAGS:
future of newspapers,newspapers,journalism,media

Woodward and Bernstein 2.0

Alicia C. Shepard's new book goes deep into the lives of the infamous duo from the Washington Post. She'll be in Boston on Tuesday, Dec. 5 to talk about it:



Q & A with Alicia C. Shepard
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
7 -9 PM
Barnes & Noble at Boston University
660 Beacon St.
Boston, MA 02215

NYT on YouTube!

Take a look at this...the New York Times has created a YouTube profile and is posting clips up there.

(btw, this is the real deal, not a fake profile...I first read about it in this Q&A with Lawrie Mifflin, the video editor for the Times.)

Hey, I give props to the NYT....I didn't expect 'em to join the party on YouTube so soon.




tags: video, New York Times, journalism, newspapers, media

Build your own interactive maps

I’m a huge fan of maps. You can use them to show the locations of homicides, movie theaters, dangerous intersections, campaign contributions...the possibilities are endless.

Anyone can create an interactive map these days. Mapping tools like Quikmaps and Mapbuilder can help you to create one that you can post on your site or blog in a matter of minutes. For free.

You can even add photos and video to your interactive maps.


What’s next? Three-dimensional maps. Seriously, this kinda stuff can revolutionize the way we report news.

I love using Google Earth, and I was psyched when Microsoft unveiled its new mapping app called Virtual Earth 3-D.

Just for fun, I produced this video earlier this year using Google Earth and a screen capturing program. I got aerial footage of downtown Boston, flying over Dorchester, and over to the news bureau in Hanover, Mass., where I work:



tags: videoblogging,Google Earth, journalism, Boston, dorchester, mapping , media , Microsoft

ChipIn: Donate to the NESPJ scholarship fund.

I stumbled across an amazing fundraising tool via Steve Garfield's blog...

It's this cool little ChipIn widget that collects money for you...once you reach your goal (or a year goes by, whichever comes first) ChipIn will deposit the money into your PayPal or bank account....or send you a check. Your choice.

I signed up and started a widget for the New England SPJ journalism scholarship fund. Check it out:



If you can't donate any $$, you can help spread the word by adding this widget to your own blog. To grab the code, just click on the little tab that's above the Mastercard logo.




Tags: spj,technology,emily sweeney,newspapers,journalism,media, widgets, money, fundraising

Boston media par-tay.

The Society of Professional Journalists
and
Mediabistro.com
are throwing an after-work party for
journalists and other folks in the media biz...

Wednesday, Nov. 15th
6:30pm-8:30pm
The Living Room
101 Atlantic Ave., Boston
Admission: free (cash bar)

RSVPs are required

Join us on Myspace...

Social networking sites (Myspace, Friendster, etc.) can be great places for finding sources. On many of these sites, you can create groups...so I decided to start one for journalists in the Boston area:

http://groups.myspace.com/bostonmedia

NESPJ website is back in full effect.

I'm happy to report that the New England chapter website is up and running, after a lengthy hiatus.