Comments on: Should Newspapers Hattip? http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/04/02/should-newspapers-hattip/ Community Smatter Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:30:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 By: kim->communityradar.com http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/04/02/should-newspapers-hattip/#comment-7969 kim->communityradar.com Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:30:11 +0000 http://decaturmetro.com/?p=3846#comment-7969 IMHO: As a matter of courtesy and community support, yes, newspapers should hattip local bloggers. As a matter of professional ethics, they are under no obligation unless quoting directly or sole-sourcing the information from the blog. That is one way you can tell if your newspaper is really community-focused ... AJC is not and couldn't care less if it offends local bloggers. IMHO: As a matter of courtesy and community support, yes, newspapers should hattip local bloggers. As a matter of professional ethics, they are under no obligation unless quoting directly or sole-sourcing the information from the blog. That is one way you can tell if your newspaper is really community-focused … AJC is not and couldn’t care less if it offends local bloggers.

]]> By: Hack http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/04/02/should-newspapers-hattip/#comment-7968 Hack Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:26:57 +0000 http://decaturmetro.com/?p=3846#comment-7968 I don't think the posting said all media. Nor did it say all media since the dawn of time. Blanket statements are rarely true. Here's the point, whatever the form of media, someone has to pay for it. And, it's a little much to expect folks to spend hours every day for years and years entering info, updating websites, searching out info, etc and doing it all for free. Eventually, someone's got to figure out how to make money or it will go away. I don’t think the posting said all media. Nor did it say all
media since the dawn of time. Blanket statements
are rarely true.
Here’s the point, whatever the form of media, someone
has to pay for it. And, it’s a little much to expect folks to spend
hours every day for years and years entering info, updating
websites, searching out info, etc and doing it all for free.
Eventually, someone’s got to figure out how to make money or it will go away.

]]> By: Decatur Metro http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/04/02/should-newspapers-hattip/#comment-7967 Decatur Metro Fri, 03 Apr 2009 14:16:35 +0000 http://decaturmetro.com/?p=3846#comment-7967 Hack, there may be millions of blogs, but few cover Decatur regularly. In terms of social networking, that's more of an issue today than it was even last year. But my examples were AJC articles written in response to conversations that were had here and no where else. No question about it. For example, the Crescent Moon staff thanked me for the forum to air their grievances. Can I be absolutely sure without the AJC admitting it? No. But its happened far too often to be pure coincidence. And just to be clear...there are many instances where I may report things before the AJC, but deserve NO credit, since the story is quite available for anyone to pick up...I just have a quicker turn around. Hack, there may be millions of blogs, but few cover Decatur regularly. In terms of social networking, that’s more of an issue today than it was even last year. But my examples were AJC articles written in response to conversations that were had here and no where else. No question about it. For example, the Crescent Moon staff thanked me for the forum to air their grievances. Can I be absolutely sure without the AJC admitting it? No. But its happened far too often to be pure coincidence.

And just to be clear…there are many instances where I may report things before the AJC, but deserve NO credit, since the story is quite available for anyone to pick up…I just have a quicker turn around.

]]> By: Scott http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/04/02/should-newspapers-hattip/#comment-7966 Scott Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:53:07 +0000 http://decaturmetro.com/?p=3846#comment-7966 "Media is designed to make money" Maybe some, but certainly not all. Some is designed to bring like-minded communities together or as an organizational tool. Media in China is designed to foster allegiance through government sponsored messaging. A century ago, much media was designed to empower workers being exploited in the early days of the Industrial Revolution. Media in the middle ages was designed to propagate Christianity. Two hundred years ago to foster independence. Which is all to say, never get too comfortable with the current model. Time is one evil beyotch. “Media is designed to make money”

Maybe some, but certainly not all. Some is designed to bring like-minded communities together or as an organizational tool. Media in China is designed to foster allegiance through government sponsored messaging. A century ago, much media was designed to empower workers being exploited in the early days of the Industrial Revolution. Media in the middle ages was designed to propagate Christianity. Two hundred years ago to foster independence.

Which is all to say, never get too comfortable with the current model. Time is one evil beyotch.

]]> By: Hack http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/04/02/should-newspapers-hattip/#comment-7965 Hack Fri, 03 Apr 2009 13:36:02 +0000 http://decaturmetro.com/?p=3846#comment-7965 On the credit question, How do you know you published anything first and should get credit? Since there are millions of blogs and God knows how many social networking sites, what make you sure those items weren't reported there long before here? And, a couple of big differences between the blogs and other media-- 1. Blogs can be what is called hyper-local --- you can discuss and report a restaurant closing, a stop sign down, a traffic light out, a house break in -- all things that are important to those close by but have no resonance beyond that very close group. Larger media won't be interested in those things except as a trend because they are trying to reach a broad market. 2. Blogs cost money. A lot of people spend a lot of time but no one has figured out how to make blogs profitable. That's why many come and go. People simply can't keep them up for ever for free. Media is designed to make money (hence the attempt at a broad appeal base), although it's falling short of that right now, clearly. On the credit question, How do you know you published
anything first and should get credit? Since there are millions
of blogs and God knows how many social networking
sites, what make you sure those items weren’t reported
there long before here?
And, a couple of big differences between the blogs and other media–
1. Blogs can be what is called hyper-local — you can discuss and report a restaurant closing, a stop sign down, a traffic light out, a house break in — all things that are important to those close by but have no resonance beyond that very close group. Larger media won’t be interested in those things except as a trend because they are trying to reach a broad market.
2. Blogs cost money. A lot of people spend a lot of time but no
one has figured out how to make blogs profitable. That’s why many come and go. People simply can’t keep them up for ever for free.
Media is designed to make money (hence the attempt at a broad appeal base), although
it’s falling short of that right now, clearly.

]]> By: cribbster http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/04/02/should-newspapers-hattip/#comment-7964 cribbster Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:08:55 +0000 http://decaturmetro.com/?p=3846#comment-7964 I don't want you to get the impression that I'm saying the AJC should reign supreme or anything like that. In fact, for Decatur residents, I think Decatur Metro and inDECATUR are far more useful when trying to grasp what's going on in Decatur. Without a doubt you guys are killing it in that respect. I read both blogs every morning. You guys are connected to the community in ways the AJC never will be. But, as you said, with regard to "credit," newspapers tend to reserve it for extreme circumstances, usually when something has been reported they can't confirm on their own. I don’t want you to get the impression that I’m saying the AJC should reign supreme or anything like that. In fact, for Decatur residents, I think Decatur Metro and inDECATUR are far more useful when trying to grasp what’s going on in Decatur. Without a doubt you guys are killing it in that respect. I read both blogs every morning. You guys are connected to the community in ways the AJC never will be.

But, as you said, with regard to “credit,” newspapers tend to reserve it for extreme circumstances, usually when something has been reported they can’t confirm on their own.

]]> By: griftdrift http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/04/02/should-newspapers-hattip/#comment-7963 griftdrift Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:28:25 +0000 http://decaturmetro.com/?p=3846#comment-7963 "I’m unware of newspapers upset with bloggers using their work." You haven't been to any of the meetings I've been to. It's a common refrain. As far as "hat tipping", when it comes to the AJC, I gave up hope on that a long time ago. Hell, they don't even credit their print journalism peers on stories previously broken. (Jim Galloway is one notable exception) Just another reason I find any previous sympathy for the AJC fading away. “I’m unware of newspapers upset with bloggers using their work.”

You haven’t been to any of the meetings I’ve been to. It’s a common refrain.

As far as “hat tipping”, when it comes to the AJC, I gave up hope on that a long time ago. Hell, they don’t even credit their print journalism peers on stories previously broken. (Jim Galloway is one notable exception)

Just another reason I find any previous sympathy for the AJC fading away.

]]> By: Decatur Metro http://www.decaturmetro.com/2009/04/02/should-newspapers-hattip/#comment-7962 Decatur Metro Thu, 02 Apr 2009 19:14:30 +0000 http://decaturmetro.com/?p=3846#comment-7962 OK, a couple points. Cribbster, I think you make a valid point about the "different cultures." And that's part of my argument. You're response seems to take for granted that the newspaper model should dominate over the blog model going forward. I would argue that it is possible that the blog model could influence newspapers in the future...especially if hyper-locals begin to take off (something I'm still not sure will happen. But that's another post.) But even if we stick with the newspaper model, I would argue that the AJC still has a bit of blood on its hands. There are many examples of stories pull off blogs for the AJC's use (BTW, notice I don't mention Creative Loafing here. They are much better about giving credit where due). They range the spectrum from simple author blurbs that result in AJC interviews to much more indepth topics. The two examples that come to mind at the moment are a Decatur restaurant closings article and one on the Crescent Moon Staff walkout. In both cases, I can't take all the credit for drudging up the details of each of these stories (readers helped), but I believe the blogs were essential instruments that lead to these stories. Let's put it this way, without us, no one would have known about them. And we got no credit. So even by the newspaper standard, I think we got a bit stiffed on those and a few others I'm not remembering right now. On the other less involved stories, I think I"m in general agreement with you. They can use those without credit...though it still gets my goat, since credit is everything when it comes to communal New Media. In terms of the AJC covering Decatur better than the local blogs, I'll let others debate that. Scott and Freak, thanks. :-) OK, a couple points.

Cribbster, I think you make a valid point about the “different cultures.” And that’s part of my argument. You’re response seems to take for granted that the newspaper model should dominate over the blog model going forward. I would argue that it is possible that the blog model could influence newspapers in the future…especially if hyper-locals begin to take off (something I’m still not sure will happen. But that’s another post.)

But even if we stick with the newspaper model, I would argue that the AJC still has a bit of blood on its hands. There are many examples of stories pull off blogs for the AJC’s use (BTW, notice I don’t mention Creative Loafing here. They are much better about giving credit where due). They range the spectrum from simple author blurbs that result in AJC interviews to much more indepth topics. The two examples that come to mind at the moment are a Decatur restaurant closings article and one on the Crescent Moon Staff walkout.

In both cases, I can’t take all the credit for drudging up the details of each of these stories (readers helped), but I believe the blogs were essential instruments that lead to these stories. Let’s put it this way, without us, no one would have known about them. And we got no credit. So even by the newspaper standard, I think we got a bit stiffed on those and a few others I’m not remembering right now.

On the other less involved stories, I think I”m in general agreement with you. They can use those without credit…though it still gets my goat, since credit is everything when it comes to communal New Media.

In terms of the AJC covering Decatur better than the local blogs, I’ll let others debate that.

Scott and Freak, thanks. :-)

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