Tag Archives: Media

ProfNet #ConnectChat recap: Online tools for journalists

Posted on January 19, 2012 by | Leave a comment

With new websites and online tools popping up every day, it’s hard to keep track of all the resources out there for journalists. In our latest #ConnectChat, Mike Reilley (@journtoolbox), founder of the Society of Professional Journalists’ research site, The Journalist’s Toolbox, shared his expertise on how journalists can improve their reporting using online tools.

Reilley teaches several classes at DePaul University, including courses on online journalism, news editing, multiplatform news editing, reporting for converged newsrooms, online sports reporting and an intro to journalism. He was one of the 11 founding editors of ChicagoTribune.com, and serves as faculty adviser to DePaul’s SPJ chapter, named National Student Chapter of the Year in 2011. He and his students run a weekly Twitter chat, #SPJchat, for the SPJ National office. The Thursday night discussions, which start at 7 p.m. CST, explore various issues in the journalism world.

Following are highlights of the chat:

ProfNet: For those not familiar with the Journalist’s Toolbox, can you tell us a little more about it?

Reilley: The Journalist’s Toolbox started as 10 links off an online news-writing syllabus when I taught at Medill in the late 1990s. I turned it into a dot-com in 2000, sold it to the American Press Institute in 2002, then resold to SPJ (Society of Professional Journalists) in 2007. SPJ has been a great home for the Toolbox and elevated what we can do with it. I update the site 2-3 times a week with helpful tools for journalists. The site is organized by beats/topics for newsrooms. We have a lot of election resources on the Toolbox right now.

ProfNet: What are some of the newest online tools for journalists?

Reilley: Storify is great for curating social media coverage of news stories. Here’s a Storify we did of the Blagojevich sentencing: t.co/mjyL1sRx. Here’s a Storify we did from the Chicago blizzard last February: t.co/YMCnS64o. Storify is free and a great way to create sidebars/reaction stories to supplement your reporting. I’ve also been toying with Dipity, a free tool that creates timelines. Students really like it. Delicious and Pinboard.in are great for bookmark links. Here’s how I use Delicious: www.delicious.com/mreilley. Some of my old favorites: PACER for court documents; Open Secrets for campaign fund tracking; Guidestar to track down Form 990s and public documents. Many public records sites are on this Journalist’s Toolbox page: t.co/8ELWILPH. PACER and Guidestar do have fees for public records.

@NewsworthyinDC: What are the most common missteps new journalist make?

Reilley: Credibility is a huge obstacle for young journalists. You have to double- and triple-check everything. Once you earn the readers’ and editors’ trust, you’re set. Also: Don’t be afraid to take stories nobody wants!

ProfNet: Great advice! Do as many as you can.

@meg_heckman: Any examples of tools that help news organizations foster community engagement?

Reilley: We just talked about this in class. I like Twitter chats (hashtags) as well as CoverItLive (free live-chat tool). Also, Storify local reaction to major news events (bin Laden’s death). Search Trendsmap.com by ZIP Code.

ProfNet: You listed some good tools for journalists. Any others before we go to the next question?

Reilley: I like Hootsuite as my desktop Twitter client. You can manage up to four accounts for free. Hootsuite also has an iPhone app, though I use Twitter for the iPhone as my main mobile client. Other good mobile apps for journalists: Dragon Dictation, Convertbot, Wolfram Alpha, Pages, Numbers, Thesaurus, Factbook, Delicious bookmarks, Foursquare, Dropbox, Evernote, Photoshop Express, ReelDirector video editor, ProPrompter, Recorder, Recorder Pro, Garage Band, Soundcloud.

@meg_heckman: Our reporters are in love with SoundNote on the iPad 2. Any tutorials out there on using Wolfram Alpha?

Reilley: Never used SoundNote but will try it. I just used Wolfram trial and error to learn it. Search YouTube for a tutorial.

ProfNet: What about more popular sites, like Facebook and Twitter? How can journalists use those (or use them more strategically)?

Reilley: Facebook: Join groups/pages that may help you in your job. For example: I belong to Social Media Educators group. Create a page for readers to follow/interact with you. Nancy Loo of WGN-TV is great at this. Follow her and see. Twitter: Interact with readers. Share your stories/blogs that are published. Use social media curation to supplement your reporting. Hold online chats with a hashtag in your community about a story or issue you wrote about.

@bikespoke: Kred is an interesting new tool that helps you understand those who truly influence and connect.

Reilley: I will definitely check out Kred.

@comminternships: What multimedia tools do today’s journalism students need to be equipped with when they walk out the door?

Reilley: They need to be able to write a basic news story, single-topic blog, edit video (Final Cut), edit audio (Garage Band/Audacity), build audio slideshows (Soundslides), podcast and use social media.

ProfNet: That’s a lot to ask of them! Will they learn that in journalism school, or should they take other types of courses?

Reilley: Most good journalism schools teach software and tools in reporting/editing classes. Some students may take digital media outside. If your schools don’t teach social media and technology, ask them to! We really pressed for this at DePaul and got it!

ProfNet: What’s the most challenging part of teaching social media to students?

Reilley: Getting them to look past Twitter and Facebook as just tools to talk about themselves or “open text” friends. It’s still a hard sell with some students, but they realize they must use social media to work in journalism. Each year it gets a bit easier to teach social media. More students are using Twitter coming into class than 2-3 years ago.

@comminternships: For me, it’s teaching them that personal and professional shouldn’t mix in a social media feed. Have a separate account for each. In other words, don’t drunk tweet tonight and then tweet about a news story tomorrow.

Reilley: Or post drunk photos to your Facebook page! Ha!

@comminternships: One issue I’m finding in the classroom is students are more focused on the technology than on the writing — or the grammar.

Reilley: Good point. I teach an editing class on Wednesday nights. Start with iPad grammar apps, but use a grammar book too.

ProfNet: Do you think reporters should have separate social media accounts, one for personal and one for work?

Reilley: Good question. It depends how much they use the accounts for personal sharing. If you live-tweet your life, then separate. But if you balance it out — 70 percent professional and 30 personal personal — one account could work. Also, don’t tie Twitter to Facebook and LinkedIn. They’re usually different audiences or redundant for those who follow you on all two or three.

@comminternships: I advocate for separate personal and professional accounts, especially for students, because their professional and personal widely diverge.

@SaleemChat: It may be prudent to have a separate account if you want to post about intensely personal parts of your life. I find it useful to separate accounts by activity, e.g., a separate chat account, and one for high-volume live-tweeting.

ProfNet: Will social media ever be a suitable replacement for traditional forms of reporting, or just another platform?

Reilley: Absolutely not. It supplements first-hand reporting. @acarvin of NPR talked about this at SPJ’s national conference this year. You can use Twitter or Facebook to crowdsource and develop sources/relationships anywhere, but social media doesn’t replace a first-person, one-on-one interview.

@thegrammarnazi: Nor does e-mail, students.

@SaleemChat: The “Z replaces Y, which replaces X” formula is wrong-headed. New tools supplement or round out ways to tell stories/engage.

ProfNet: Any tips for PR professionals wanting to connect with reporters on social media?

Reilley: Yes, follow the key media in your field and encourage them to follow back. Keep pitches short (140 characters!). The key to building a relationship with reporters is to give them relevant information and provide access. A good place for PR people to go and find journalists on social media is Muckrack.com. It’s organized by beats, outlets.

@SaleemChat: Keep pitches to 140 characters in email, too, with background below. I don’t like to be pitched on Twitter, nor do others I know. Engage on matters of substance first. Ask how to pitch.

Reilley: Some do like to be pitched on Twitter. DM with a link. It’s easy to check and frees up clutter in email.

ProfNet: You also host the weekly #spjchat. Can you tell us more about that?

Reilley: Thanks! Yes, #spjchat has been on hiatus for a bit but will return in February with new guests. Follow @spjchat. The chat will be on Thursday nights at 7 p.m. CST, staring in February. @spjdepaul students and I run it: t.co/96iS7pND. We cover a wide range of journalism topics: ethics, social media, sports, copy editing, entertainment reporting, etc. @acarvin of NPR was the most popular guest. We archive the chat on Storify: storify.com/spjchat

ProfNet: That’s about all the time we have today. Mike, thank you SO much for taking the time to answer our questions! And thank you to everyone who participated!

Author Maria Perez is director of news operations for ProfNet, a service that helps journalists connect with expert sources. To read more from Maria, visit her blog on ProfNet Connect at http://www.profnetconnect.com/profnetmaria/blog/

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January Media Moves & News

Posted on January 9, 2012 by | Leave a comment

PR Newswire’s Audience Research Group continually updates the media database that powers our MEDIAtlas service, and our popular Microlists, which let you target niche audiences on the fly.  Here’s a summary of recent media and blogger updates.  Updates by region can be found here: http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/January2012MEDIAtlasUpdatesbyRegion.html

Are you ready for some football?!! Then you’ll want to check out the new NFL Magazine. Launched in mid-December, the magazine is the official magazine of the National Football League. Printed monthly, the new publication will include articles on the games, teams and personalities of pro football. Circulation is approximately 300,000 to 400,000. Regular contributors to the magazine will be well-known analysts and reporters as well as some retired players and coaches. The Editor is Jim Buckley, whose email is jbuckley@shorelinepublishing.com. Check out the website at http://www.thenflmagazine.com.

CBS Television has decided to revamp its morning line-up and is replacing The Early Show (http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/earlyshow/main500202.shtml) with a new show called CBS This Morning. Hosted by Charlie Rose, Gayle King and Erica Hill, the show will debut on January 9th. Rose and Hill will anchor the 7:00 a.m. ET hour, which will focus on hard news. King will anchor the 8:00 a.m. hour which will include news more focused toward women. Chris Licht will serve as Executive Producer of CBS This Morning. Chris Wragge, who Co-Anchored The Early Show, will return to CBS’ New York station. The Early Show News Anchor Jeff Glor will now be the show’s Special Correspondent. He will also Anchor on Sundays.

Geraldo Rivera dons yet another hat as he becomes a morning radio Host on WABC-AM. His show will air 10:00 -11:00 a.m. weekdays. He replaces former Host Joe Crummey. Rivera will also continue at Fox News as Weekend Anchor/Reporter.

It wasn’t a happy holiday season at Reader’s Digest Association. The company has laid off 150 positions. Approximately 75 of those are in the United States while the remaining are international. The company wants to focus on its top brands, such as “Reader’s Digest,” “The Family Handyman” and “Taste of Home” so it eliminated mostly positions that were not directly related to those titles.

Playboy magazine is planning to move its editorial, art and photo departments from their Chicago headquarters to Los Angeles in April 2012.

The Chicago Reporter will join forces with WMAQ-TV, the NBC station in Chicago to provide additional investigative reporting as part of an agreement between non-profit news organizations and NBC-owned stations.

Following on the heels of a number of other broadcast stations, WCBS-AM has moved to lower Manhattan. It’s now located in the same building as its sister stations – WINS-AM, WFAN-AM, WCBS-FM, WXRK-FM and WWFS-FM. The address is: 345 Hudson Street, New York, NY 10014.

YUE is a new, bi-lingual, Chinese-English magazine. It debuted in New York City with a circulation of 35,000. The quarterly magazine is geared toward the upper class with stories on fashion, dining, shopping, travel and entertainment. It is being published and edited in English and Mandarin by Ms. Chiu-Ti Jansen. The website is not yet up and running. But story ideas can be emailed to either editor@yuemagazine.com or publisher@yuemagazine.

George Stephanopoulos is returning to “This Week.” Current Host Christiane Amanpour has returned to her roots as an International Reporter. She will be hosting a new global affairs show on CNN International. However, she will still produce about six primetime, news specials per year on ABC. Stephanopoulos, meanwhile, will stay as Co-host of “Good Morning America” while also hosting “This Week.”

An anthrax scare shut down the newsroom at WPIX-TV last month. An employee received a threatening letter which contained white powder. The scare came shortly before the 5:00 p.m. newscast so Reporter Kristen Cole opened the broadcast outside. Once police and a Hazmat team decontaminated the studio, Anchor Jodi Applegate was able to take over the regular inside anchoring duties.

Former Los Angeles Times Wine Critic Lawrence Robert Balzer passed away of natural causes at the age of 99. Balzer was Wine Critic for the paper from 1965 to 1995, wrote several books and taught wine-tasting classes aboard the Queen Mary until a few years ago.

The entertainment publication Variety will offer a film production tracking service called FlixTracker. The paid service will collect information about films in development and production, information on how to contact Hollywood executives, film budget details and various other industry information. The service will be solicited to Hollywood companies and studios for a $1000 annual subscription fee.

PaidContent.org has established a West Coast presence by hiring Daniel Frankel from TheWrap as its West Coast Senior Editor. Frankel replaces Andrew Wallenstein. Follow Frankel on Twitter at http://twitter.com/dannyfrankel.

Sports Columnist Bill Conlin retired abruptly from The Philadelphia Daily News after a story alleging he abused children broke in sister newspaper The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Pittsburgh’s WWCS-AM (http://www.birach.com/wwcs.html) has dropped its Spanish-laced programming and is picking up the national Fox Sports Radio feed with this New Year. This is the third format change in three years for this Birach Broadcasting station. They previously aired the Radio Disney feed before the Spanish programming change. Sima Birach (sima@birach.com) is the Station Manager.

Ron Smith, longtime conservative talk show host at WBAL-AM and a Columnist at The Baltimore Sun passed away recently from pancreatic cancer at the age of 70. Ron wrote 146 conservative columns for the Sun (not a conservative paper) and was amazed they gave him the forum starting in 2008. He had retired from the newspaper in November and the radio airwaves in early December.

After much anticipation, CNN has finally announced the names of its new morning shows. Ashleigh Banfield (Ashleigh.Banfield@turner.com), who was a former MSNBC Anchor, will Co-host along with Zoraida.Sambolin (Zoraida.Sambolin@turner.com) the newly created morning show titled “Early Start”. Soledad O’Brien will lead the 7:00 – 9:00 a.m. morning segment entitled “Starting Point”. “Starting Point” is set to take a “conversational ensemble” format with the host at the center. The two new morning shows are set to air this month.

After 27 years of publishing, Florida Underwriter Magazine has made the announcement that its December issue was its last. After filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in January, Publisher Summit Business Media has announced it will cease publication due to financial hardship and the uncertainty of digital mediums.

AMERICAN CAR COLLECTOR magazine has launched with a January 2012 issue. The new magazine features collectable American cars, and covers the market, collectors, new products, auctions and events. Sister publication CORVETTE MARKET is being merged into American Car Collector. Jim Pickering is now the Managing Editor. He can be emailed at jim.pickering@sportscarmarket.com while the new website is http://www.americancarcollector.com

GAMEPRO, a gaming magazine and website ceased publication on December 5. It was in print for 22 years. The publication has integrated operations with PCWORLD.COM

KTRV-TV,  an independent station in Boise, Idaho, has closed its news operations. They have announced plans to cut production staff as well.

Marty Davis, publisher of the gay lifestyle-focused Just Out newspaper, has announced that the Portland newspaper will cease publication after its December issue. The paper had been published for 28 years.

Ted Williams known as the man with the golden voice is now working at one of New England’s most popular stations, The New England Cable Network. Williams was discovered along the side of a road in Columbus Ohio peddling for money.

Raul Rodriguez has been named Vice President and General Manager for Univision’s KDTV-14, KSOL and KBRG. Adriana Muro has been promoted. Her new title at Telemundo’s KDEN-25 now reads Creative Services Manager.

Telemundo Station Group has a new President. Manuel Abud will be the leader, replacing Ronald Gordon in 2012.

Univision and other top Latin stations have come to an agreement with Hulu. Hulu will now be offering a Spanish programming to its subscribers. Nineteen employees from The Denver Post have accepted voluntary buyouts to avoid layoffs.

The Gazette, in Colorado Springs, reports a number of employee buyouts as the reorganization and “digital-first” initiative takes place. The San Diego Union-Tribune is now known as U-T San Diego. The name change will unify print and digital products under one brand. The online edition at SignOnSanDiego.com is now: http://www.utsandiego.com

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December Media Moves and News

Posted on December 6, 2011 by | Leave a comment

PR Newswire’s Audience Research Group continually updates the media database that powers our MEDIAtlas service, and our popular Microlists, which let you target niche audiences on the fly.  Here’s a summary of recent media and blogger updates.  Updates by region can be found here:  http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/December2011MEDIAtlasUpdatesbyRegion.html

After four years, Philadelphia’s 6ABC Action News Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/6abc.ActionNews?ref=ts) has topped 100,000 likes. That may seem small, but WPVI-TV’s news page had 27 million post views in September and that number speaks volumes. The number one news station in town has become the number one go to news site in the Philadelphia area on Facebook to reach its viewers/readers online with Action News updates and breaking news. If you add up all of their talent pages they reach another 280,000 people as well. This has proved to be a successful model of the marriage between social and broadcast media. Their main website is: http://www.6abc.com and their Twitter page is: https://twitter.com/6abc

Gannett recently passed a new rule onto its readers: If you want to say something on any of their sites for example The Orange County Register and The San Diego Union-Tribune you must join Facebook to do so. This rule is mandatory for anyone to provide any online commentary to its stories for all of its newspaper sites and broadcast entities as well.

The axe has fallen again at the New York Daily News. As part of its down-sizing plan, the Daily News has let go the following personnel: Senior Features Writer Jane Ridley; Front Page Editor John Cochran; City Hall Reporters Frank Lombardi and Kathleen Lucadamo; Deputy Police Bureau Chief Bob Kappstatter; Reporters Jose Martinez, Mike Jaccarino and Barbara DiGiarmo as well as Scott Shifrel, who covered the Federal Courts. Also leaving the paper but not laid-off are Managing Editor Stuart Marques and Photo Editor Gretchen Viehmann, who resigned from their posts.

Alina Falcon makes a big switch leaving her role as President of News at Univision Network (http://www.univision.com) to become Vice President of News & Alternative Programming at Telemundo Network (http://msnlatino.telemundo.com). You can follow Telemundo on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/Telemundo and on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/Telemundo

Joining the other recently added programs on MSNBC such as “Up With Chris Hayes,” “NOW with Alex Wagner” debuted last month. On the show, Host Ms. Alex Wagner moderates a panel discussion. The panelists vary from show to show. The Executive Producer is Dana Haller. The show airs at noon and replaces “MSNBC Live.” Send story ideas to dana.haller@nbcuni.com.

News 12, Newsday and MSG Varsity are now combined under one umbrella. Cablevision, the owner of the three outlets, is combining both the news and sales staffs. Newly named VP Debby Krenek (debby.krenek@newsday.com) will be in charge of the news department. She has also been given the title of Editorial Director at Newsday while Debbie Henley (debbie.henley@newsday.com) takes over as Editor-in-Chief at the paper. In the sales department Publisher Fred Groser (fred.groser@newsday.com) will now share his head of sales duties with David Kline. Kline is president and COO of Cablevision Media Sales.

After 30 years on-air, Regis Philbin, 80, said goodbye to viewers on Live! With Regis and Kelly. Although this marks the end of his days as Host on Live!, he plans on continuing his television career. Philbin hopes to host a primetime talent show and has formed a production company in hopes of creating a family competition show. Live! has yet to name a replacement for Philbin but potential candidates include Ryan Seacrest, Mario Lopez, Jeff Probst, Chris Harrison, Mark Consuelos, Chris Cuomo, Billy Bush, Neil Patrick Harris and Mike Rowe.

CNN – Cable News Network announces the death of its morning program and the birth of two new morning shows. After over ten years on the air, CNN has called it quits on “American Morning” and it will cease production sometime in January of 2012 . In replacement of the empty morning slot, CNN also makes the announcement that two new morning shows, whose names are yet to be titled, will air during the 5:00-7:00 a.m. time slot. Ashleigh Banfield (Ashleigh.Banfield@turner.com) and Zoraida Sambolin (Zoraida.Sambolin@turner.com) are going to anchor the morning shows. Soledad O’Brien, CNN’s Special Correspondent, will also anchor the 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. morning segment. Shannon High (Shannon.High@turner.com), who has worked with NBC Television Network, is set to serve as Executive Producer for both morning programs. CNN has also launched a new program called “The Next List” hosted by CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta (Sanjay.Gupta@turner.com). The half-hour show, which is set to broadcast weekly on Sundays at 2:00 p.m., will feature guests from various industries. Jim McGinnis (Jim.McGinnis@turner.com) is set to serve as the show’s Executive Producer.

The Pittsburgh Press is back! The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has revived its deceased rival, The Pittsburgh Press, as an afternoon online edition available as a subscription to online readers. Breaking News Editor Tim McDonough (PittsburghPress@post-gazette.com) will also be the Editor of this E-Edition. You can view a sample of it here: http://presssample.post-gazette.com/

The man who ran Engadget, Editor Joshua Topolsky (joshua@theverge.com), returns to the technology field with an online site titled The Verge (http://www.theverge.com/). It covers the latest gadgets and high tech toys. Joshua has brought a lot of the Engadget staff on board for this venture including Managing Editor Nilay Patel (nilay@theverge.com). The site provides breaking news coverage on all things tech, new products, reviews, social media and also features tech content from The Washington Post. The Verge tweets are here: https://twitter.com/verge

The launch of a new media company, MLive Media Group and Advanced Central Services Michigan has resulted in about 550 layoffs at Michigan-based Booth Newspapers and MLive.com. Here is the break down of employees let go for each newspaper in the Michigan area: The Grand Rapids Press released 146 employees; The Flint Journal 91; Kalamazoo Gazette 77; The Bay City Times 71; The Jackson Citizen Patriot 71: Booth Michigan 55; Valley Publishing 20; and The Saginaw News 12. There also were layoffs at The Muskegon Chronicle. The number of employees there was not disclosed. MLive Media Group will handle news and advertising, while Advance Central Services Michigan will handle production, distribution, and human resources. All employees that were part of the layoff are eligible to apply for new positions within the new media company.

Nexstar Broadcasting has terminated several people from WEHT-TV, the ABC affiliate in Evansville, Indiana. Nexstar arranged to acquire WEHT-TV from Gilmore Broadcasting in August. General Manager Doug Padgett and News Director Mark Glover are among those who were let go. Reporter and Weekend Sports Anchor Sean Clark-Weiss; Morning Co-Anchor Whitney Ray; Reporter Nick LaGrange; and Sports Director Mark McVicar will also be let go, as well as other producers, directors and editors. As the station merges operations with independent WTVW-TV, the newscasts will get a fresh look and new talent. WTVW-TV Evening Anchors Randy Moore and Julie Dolan will move to mornings on WEHT-TV and Meteorologist Ron Rhodes will join them.

Philadelphia Magazine (http://www.phillymag.com) has re-launched its old gossip page as a newly designed stand-alone website titled The Philly Post (http://blogs.phillymag.com/the_philly_post/). The site will offer news and opinion from its regular magazine staff along with outside contributors from the Philadelphia region. Janine White is the Editor (jwhite@phillymag.com) and Victor Fiorillo (vfiorillo@phillymag.com) is the main Reporter. The new site is designed to catch on with its younger readers and also keep its core group on top of everything in Philly.

The new Co-Host of NPR’s “All Things Considered” (http://www.npr.org/programs/all-things-considered/) is Audie Cornish, She was previously hosting NPR’s “Weekend Edition” and will take the spot of Michele Norris who has taken temporary leave for a year. Audie joins longtime hosts Michele Block and Robert Siegel. ATC’s Twitter is: https://twitter.com/npratc

Sorry to report Publisher Christopher Ma recently passed away from a heart attack at the age of 61. Christopher was not only a Publisher at the Express (http://www.readexpress.com) newspaper but also a Vice President at The Washington Post Company.

Two Denver Post employees, Religion Reporter Virginia Culver and Pulitzer Prize-winning Editorial Cartoonist Mike Keefe, have accepted the paper’s buyout offer. More staff is expected to take the buyout offer in the coming months.

The American Independent Network has merged all of its sites (The Minnesota Independent, The Iowa Independent, Michigan Messenger, New Mexico Independent) into one online outlet — The American Independent (http://www.americanindependent.com/).

The Los Angeles Times is preparing to merge the design, news and web operations staff into one department after the first of the year. Layoffs are expected.

Real estate developer Douglas Manchester is the new owner of the San Diego Union-Tribune. It’s rumored that Manchester may have future plans to shut down the printing presses and go online only.

It is with great sadness that CNN announces the tragic death of longtime veteran anchor Stanley Wright Case. Fifty-nine year old Case had been hit in a head-on accident during a rainstorm in Birmingham when a truck collided with Case’s car. His wife remains in the hospital in critical condition. Case had served at the network since 1985 and served as the anchor for CNN Radio.

After two years on the air of the HLN network, “The Joy Behar Show” has announced that it will no longer continue production and it set to air its last show in mid- December of 2011. The show deputed on HLN with host Joy Behar back in September 2009. Behar will continue to serve as one of the hosts on “The View”.

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Finance Blogs: Giving You the Business…

Posted on December 2, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Working as the blogger relations manager for PR Newswire, I come across my fair share of great blogs that cover a wide variety of subject matters and interests.  And as you might expect, some blogs are better than others. With that in mind and in an effort to highlight the better ones, I do my best to review one of these blogs every day.

This week my focus is on finance blogs.  My grandfather likes to say that the bulls and the bears will both get fed. The pigs, however, will be slaughtered. Aside from being an awesome saying, it’s also really great advice. It doesn’t really matter whether your conservative or risky with your money. The idea is to stick to your game. A big part of that is knowing the game. And what better way to get a feel for the market landscape than to read up on these great blogs. So with that in mind, let’s count up our pennies, take a look at the Dow Jones, and enjoy this brief roundup of some of the best finance blogs I’ve seen lately.

Don’t Quit Your Day Job is not only a good blog, but it’s also really sound advice. I know my fair share of people who have actually quit their day job to play the market. It doesn’t end well. They should have read this blog (and taken the advice of the title). If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories about spending habits, personal budgets and probably anything else finance related. Check out the full review here.

The Big Picture is a blog about the complex matters of money and markets and everything else financial, digested down to a more conversational tone. Still, that’s just the tone. The subject matter is pretty serious. Like the name suggests, they aim to get the whole story. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories that have anything to do with finance. Check out the full review here.

The Oblivious Investor is written for the individual investor. They don’t have to be oblivious, per se. But after reading around the site a bit, you’ll see that it’s not necessarily a bad thing. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d keep the investor in mind. (This guy answers his readers questions regularly. That’s who he has in mind.) And I’d also steer clear of urgent or reactionary analysis. Check out the full review here.

Wall Street Cheat Sheet is a financial blog written by two brothers. The site is for the serious investor, but the content is easy to read, and sure to be enjoyable to mostly anyone. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories that speak to the institutional investor. This is by no means ‘investing for dummies.’ Their audience is pretty serious-minded. The pitches should be, too. Check out the full review here.

Smart on Money wants their readers to be just that: smart. And a lot of times, that means NOT spending money. It’s not often we get told to not spend money. It’s sort of contrary to our society of malls and one-day-only sales. Still, it’s smart advice. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories that help people make their money work for them. Check out the full review here.

That’s all for now. In the meantime, if there’s a blog I should be reviewing, drop me a line or a note in the comments, and I’ll take a look. Until next time…

Author Tom Hynes is PR Newswire’s manager of blogger relations. And as you may have guessed, he has a twitter account.

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Blog Notes: Tech Edition

Posted on October 7, 2011 by | 3 Comments

Working as the blogger relations manager for PR Newswire, I come across my fair share of great blogs that cover a wide variety of subject matters and interests.  And as you might expect, some blogs are better than others. With that in mind and in an effort to highlight the better ones, I do my best to review one of these blogs every day.  This week my focus is on tech blogs. Technology plays a part in pretty much everything we do. (Unless you’re Amish, in which case, no offense, but you’re probably not reading this right now.) Traffic lights, check-out scanners, gchat, cable TV… it’s all tech. To be honest, without technology, I’m not entirely sure what I’d do for a living. Luckily, I don’t have to worry about that as we live in a tech world with a great number of blogs writing and reporting on the matter.  So with that in mind, let’s fire up our laptops, charge up our phones and take a tour through this  brief roundup of some of the best tech blogs I’ve seen lately.

Geekologie is not only a funny tech blog. It’s a funny blog, plain and simple. They’re all about bringing their readers ‘the awesome.’ And they do a great job of it. I seriously love this blog. I’m telling you readers to read this blog, yes. But I’m also telling my friends to do the same. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for something to do with tech and I’d maybe start with a joke. Check out the full review here.

That Tech Chick is kind of just what it sounds like. It’s a blog for tech lovers who feel the industry is at times a glorified boys club. This blog is probably the best example of the industry’s changing landscape. Tech is really for everyone these days. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look past the word ‘chick’ and take a look at this woman’s impressive resume. Check out the full review here.

40Tech is the blog for those “over 40, but not over the hill.” It’s a blog about technology that you don’t need to be a computer programmer to comprehend. It’s a blog for your parents, or maybe my parents. (Even though they’re over 60. Sorry, mom, dad and step parents.) If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for something to do with tech for the everyday users. Check out the full review here.

Venture Beat is really a blog about innovation. It just so happens that most of innovation is happening in the tech sector. This is the blog that covers all the moves and developments in the vast technology industry. If something’s bound to shake things up, you’ll probably read about it here. If I were to pitch this blog I’d look for something to do with venture capitalism… and you know, tech. Check out the full review here.

Slashdot is a blog for serious tech heads. But they also have a great sense of humor. Don’t believe me? Try reading out their URL. ( ‘h t t p colon slash slash slash dot dot org’) These guys also have a pretty reasonable editorial policy. They’re open to  trashing companies on the one hand, but work towards sponsorship on the other. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d keep it about tech. And I’d bear in mind that while their policy isn’t black and white, it is transparent. Check out the full review here.

That’s all for now. In the meantime, if there’s a blog I should be reviewing, drop me a line or a note in the comments, and I’ll take a look. Until next time…

Author Tom Hynes is PR Newswire’s manager of blogger relations. And as you may have guessed, he has a twitter account.

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Blog Notes: Latina Edition

Posted on September 23, 2011 by | 6 Comments

Working as the blogger relations manager for PR Newswire, I come across my fair share of great blogs that cover a wide variety of subject matters and interests.   And as you might expect, some blogs are better than others. With that in mind and in an effort to highlight the better ones, I do my best to review one of these blogs every day.  This week my focus is on Latina blogs.  I don’t need to tell anyone that the Latino population is on the rise in this country. If you don’t believe me take a look at the television or the web (or the Census report). Latino culture is threading its way into the fabric of our culture and from the looks of these five blogs, that’s a very good thing.  So with that in mind, let’s brush up on our Espanol and take a tour through this  brief roundup of some of the best Latina blogs I’ve seen lately.

Media Moves is the blog of record for the growing representation of Latinos in the media. If there’s a hiring, a firing or any other move in the media concerning a Latino, this is the blog to check out. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for any stories concerning Latino individuals in the media, as well as anything to do with Spanish-language properties such as Univision and Telemundo.  Check out the full review here.

LaCosmopolatina is a lifestyle blog for Latino women. This is a blog for those looking to strike a balance between their aspirations and their heritage. But don’t get too caught up in the Latino part. This is a blog about travel, health, beauty, social media, entertainment, gadgets, relationships and just about everything else under the sun. It just so happens to be written by and have an audience of Latinas. Keep that in mind when pitching. And whatever you do, don’t use the terms “spicy” or “caliente.” Trust me. Check out the full review here.

Many parents out there are striving to raise their children to be not only bi-lingual, but also bi-cultural.  Spanglish Baby is the blog for these parents.  But really, it’s a blog, and ideally a valuable resource,  for all parents. This is about families. This is about people trying to raise their kids as best they can.  If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for something on parenting, families or children. Check out the full review here.

Mi Blog Es Tu Blog is as inviting of a blog as the title sounds. Walk in and see for yourself.  This is Laura Marinez’s blog. And it moves around a lot. It can be at once serious and then silly and light in the next moment. If I were pitching this blog, I might look for something to do with Latinos, but I’d also keep in mind that Laura is a very accomplished journalist. Check out the full review here.

Click Latina is one woman’s take on entertainment, social media, news, fashion and lifestyle, told through the lens of her Latino upbringing. She also does quite a bit of product reviewing. If I were to pitch this blog, I wouldn’t look for Latino-first items necessarily. It’s written by a Latino woman, yes. But there’s more to it than that. Check out the full review here.

That’s all for now. In the meantime, if there’s a blog I should be reviewing, drop me a line or a note in the comments, and I’ll take a look. Until next time…

Author Tom Hynes is PR Newswire’s manager of blogger relations. And as you may have guessed, he has a twitter account.

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Blog Notes: Media Edition

Posted on September 12, 2011 by | 1 Comment

Working as the blogger relations manager for PR Newswire, I come across my fair share of great blogs that cover a wide variety of subject matters and interests.   And as you might expect, some blogs are better than others. With that in mind and in an effort to highlight the better ones, I do my best to review one of these blogs every day. This week my focus is on blogs that cover the industry. If it’s taking a look at TV or journalism or PR, I’m taking a look at it.  I’ll admit this is a little bit meta. Basically, this is a post I’m writing about people who write about other people’s writing. (Whoa.) But it’s certainly an  industry worth covering, and these blogs highlighted below are all certainly doing a great job. So with that in mind, let’s take a tour through this  brief roundup of some of the best media blogs I’ve seen lately.

Lost Remote is not only a terrible fate, it’s also a great blog about the future of social TV.  The truth is this is how we watch television these days. Conversations about programs exist online. And the producers and networks who understand this are getting a head start on what will surely be a long-standing coexistence between TV and social networks. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for anything that had to do with television and social media. Check out the full review here.

The Poynter blog was originally the Poynter Institute. For example, they used to hold classes inside an old bank vault in St. Petersburg, FL. But today, they’re primarily a site concerned with the media. Above all else, they are looking to ensure quality journalism for future generations. They go about this by examining almost every move of the fourth estate. If I were to pitch this blog I’d look for stories that show trends in the media landscape. Check out the full review here.

As you might have guessed, Ragan’s PR Daily covers the world of public relations. It’s the source for news on the people who make the news, or at least the news on those who wish to shape the news. If there’s something happening in the world of public relations, they’re going to write about it. Alternatively, if you wanted to get a pulse on that industry, this would probably be the place to start reading. If I were pitching this blog, I’d look for stories that cover the PR world. Personnel announcements, mergers and contracts within the PR world would be ideal. Check out the full review here.

If scientific laboratories exist to solve the conundrums of the physical world, than Nieman Lab exists to solve the conundrum of the current world of journalism. Because, let’s face it, the industry has been shaken up recently… and that’s putting it lightly. If I were to pitch this blog, I’d look for stories that promote a frank examination on the current state of media, news and/or journalism. Check out the full review here.

Storyful is isn’t so much a blog as much as it is a global journalism project. It gives collaborative voice to major world events as they happen. As they say, it’s “a destination for the shared curation of news and collaborative storytelling.” They also claim to be able to take you around the world in 18 tweets. To be honest, I’m not sure Storyful can be pitched as it seems to be a user-generated platform. Still, it is certainly worth knowing about. Check out the full review here.

That’s all for now. In the meantime, if there’s a blog I should be reviewing, drop me a line or a note in the comments, and I’ll take a look. Until next time…

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Media Moves and News for August

Posted on August 10, 2011 by | Leave a comment

PR Newswire’s media research team continually updates the media database that powers our MEDIAtlas service, and our popular Microlists, which let you target niche audiences on the fly.  Here’s a summary of recent media and blogger updates.  Updates by region can be found here:  http://www.prnewswire.com/knowledge-center/mediaware/August2011MEDIAtlasUpdatesbyRegion.html

The Associated Press’s new “TwitBook” of employee guidelines for Social Media has been posted. It includes rules on what personnel can opine on and what they cannot on their personal Facebook and Twitter pages. Sports and Entertainment Reporters seem to have more leeway for expressing themselves on subjects, but cannot trash-talk according to the document. Here are the AP Rules of Social Engagement: (http://www.ap.org/pages/about/pressreleases/documents/socialmediaguidelinesforapstaff2011.pdf)

Chicago’s largest daily newspaper, the Chicago Tribune will cut about 20 employees, mainly in its newsroom. Also, some executives will also be relieved of their duties at the Tribune Company. On the opposite side of the pendulum, Publisher of Chicago Tribune Media Group Tony Hunter has been promoted to Tribune Publishing CEO. His duties will include overseeing six more newspapers and the print and digital operations of the Sun Sentinel in Fort Lauderdale, FL.; Orlando Sentinel; Baltimore Sun; Hartford (Conn.) Courant; the Morning Call of Allentown, PA., and Daily Press of Newport News, Va.

The Los Angeles Times has won the prestigious Associated Press Managing Editors Public Service Award. This is the second major award for the papers investigative report on the small city of Bell, California’s scandal where city employees were paying themselves salaries as high as $800,000 a year.  The entire Bell scandal has its own section here: http://www.latimes.com/news/local/bell/

What’s in a name? A rose by any other name… The financial publication U.S. Banker has changed its name to American Banker Magazine (http://www.americanbanker.com). This may cause a little confusion at first as its sister publication is already named American Banker. The former is a monthly magazine while the latter is a daily newspaper. Both are owned by SourceMedia. The name change will not affect current subscribers.

The Philadelphia Media Network (The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia Daily News) are in the Android business. They are going to start selling Android tablet computers at cut-rate prices to its digital subscribers. They are going to sell 2000 in August and if all goes well expand this plan for a Black Friday/Holiday rush. Check it out here: http://www.philly.com/philly/business/20110712_PMN_unveils_digital-tablet_plan__technology_initiative.html?ref=more-like-this

Entertainment Site, TheWrap (http://www.thewrap.com) is partnering with Thomson Reuters as its primary entertainment news source, replacing The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard. Joining TheWrap are Movie Critic Alonso Duralde, Music Reviewer Chris Willman and Senior Writer Fred Schruers.

The San Diego Union-Tribune has hired an investment banking firm to explore various future alternatives for the paper. Staffers at the paper are speculating major layoffs or maybe even the possibility of the paper being sold.

New York’s WRXP-FM (101.9) is changing formats but so far it’s a secret as to what that format will be. The rumor is News/Talk. What’s not a secret is the new call letters: WEMP-FM. The original Rock format has been temporarily changed to Adult Contemporary. The changes came about when the station was sold by Emmis Communications to Merlin Media. DJs Leslie Fram, Matt Pinfield and Steve Craig were all let go as was Operations Manager Brian D’Aurelio. Host Paul Cavalconte has remained while Traffic Reporter Jeff McKay and Producer Jennifer Keeney Sendrow have been hired.

New York Post fired top Police Reporter John Doyle after news was leaked to Adweek that the paper would be increasing its newsstand price. After Adweek published the exclusive story that the newspaper would be increasing its price from 50 cents to 75 cents, New York Post went on an investigation to find out who was leaking inside information.

United Sports Publications Ltd. (USP) has launched the inaugural issue of a new tennis magazine called New York Tennis Magazine (http://newyorktennismagazine.com).  New York Tennis Magazine is the official publication of the United States Tennis Association/Eastern-Metro Region.  The magazine can be picked up in locations such as tennis facilities, camps, country clubs and parks throughout the New York City boroughs.

The Dallas Morning News has pulled the plug on it’s free, weekly entertainment tabloid Quick. Publisher Jim Moroney said the publication had been a “break-even business” for years now. Seven full-time and two part-time employees will lose their jobs.

Better Homes and Gardens, owned by Meredith Corporation, has upgraded to new tools; improving consumer navigation. The website content includes cooking, decorating, entertaining, gardening and health subjects.

Veteran Chicago broadcaster Steve Dahl is trading the restraints of traditional broadcasting for a new independent podcast. Check him out at http://www.dahl.com/

Legendary Milwaukee Anchor John McCullough, who anchored for the WTMJ-TV NBC-affiliate for over 20 years, has passed away.

Fox affiliate WFFT-TV in Fort Wayne, Indiana is now an independent station. The station will offer more local news content, new feature entertainment, prime-time programming and blockbuster movies. The station will also expand its weekday 10:00 p.m. newscast to an hour.

Fox affiliate WXIX-TV in Cincinnati, OH is expanding its morning news coverage to begin at 4:00 a.m., the earliest live broadcast in the Cincinnati area. The station will produce a half-hour weekday show devoted to weather, “Fox 19 First Weather at 4 a.m.” Meteorologists Frank Marzullo (fmarzullo@fox19.com) and Katy Morgan (kmorgan@fox19.com) will host the morning show. Anchor Rob Williams (rwilliams@fox19.com) will contribute with headlines.

As of June 30th WNJN-TV went off the air. On July 1st programming began for NJTV which is comprised of WNJN, WNJS, WNJB, and WNJT. NJTV is run by New York’s WNET-TV.

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Getting on Daytime TV Talk Shows

Posted on August 8, 2011 by | 11 Comments

The Publicity Club of New York hosted a luncheon in late July featuring segment and guest producers from some of the top-rated daytime TV talk shows:

Following are highlights of the very informative session, which was also streamed online. To sign up for the streaming pass, click here.

‘GOOD MORNING AMERICA’

Neger is coordinating producer for ABC News’ “Good Morning America,” where she produces live book and author segments, live medical/health segments, and animal/wildlife features. She produces regular segments with both Jack Hanna, director emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, and veterinarian Marty Becker. She also co-created the shows ground-breaking women’s health coverage, “The Healthy Woman.” In addition, she works with a number of special-interest magazines, producing lifestyle pieces for the show.

Before pitching “GMA,” it’s important to know the show, said Neger. The broadcast is broken down into four sections:

  • 7 to 7:30 a.m. is the news half hour.
  • 7:30 to 8 a.m. is informational. Features have to be “buzzy” and visual (video, lots of pictures). For example, they recently interviewed a doctor regarding the heat wave hitting various parts of the country. Rather than interviewing the doctor in the studio, they interviewed him in a sauna. At the beginning of the interview, they weighed him and took his vitals, and then compared them to his weight and vitals after being in the sauna. This helped them explain to viewers what happens to a body in extreme heat. “We are always trying to find visual ways to tell the story,” said Neger. “We are television. We don’t want talking heads. We’re always looking for a ‘television moment’ – what people will be talking about after the show.”
  • 8 to 9 a.m. is hip, fun, visual entertainment – e.g., a fashion show featuring twins, one wearing a “splurge” item and the other wearing a “knockoff.” The anchors then try to guess which one is wearing which.

By watching the show, you’ll get a better idea of what they do and don’t cover. “Not every person or product is appropriate for the show.” For example, don’t pitch “20/20” with a story about eyebrow waxing (an actual pitch a colleague of hers at “20/20” recently received).

Also, be aware of timing. Know what’s making news so you know when not to pitch. “If there’s a big news story, like a plane crash, don’t pitch a story at that time,” said Neger.

You can assume the show wants exclusivity, said Neger, adding that she would like to know if you’re pitching the same story to other shows. And if you are, make sure you proofread your email. “I got an email that said, ‘This would be perfect for Matt and Ann,’” she said.

If you have a deadline by when you need to hear back before you take the story elsewhere, include that in the pitch, as well.

A few additional tips when contacting Neger:

  • She prefers pitches by email (patty.neger@abc.com). Keep them short, with the topic in the subject line and your client’s info in the opening paragraph. Don’t get too personal. And avoid calling a few minutes later to ask if she got the email.
  • If you’re leaving a voicemail message, make sure to include your name and phone number at the beginning and end of the message.
  • If sending snail mail, send to the show’s new location, 47 West 66th St. Although the show still has a studio downtown, Neger doesn’t visit it very often and prefers mail be sent to the new location

Neger added that “Good Morning America” is “really into social networking.” The show was 1.7 million followers on Twitter, and all of the anchors tweet, often during the show. If what you’re pitching has a social tie-in, make sure to mention it in your pitch.

“LIVE! WITH REGIS AND KELLY”

Burkhard explained that the program’s first section, in which Regis and Kelly talk about whatever’s on their mind, is not pitchable. “It’s totally organic,” she said. “They don’t even talk about it before the show.”

The show has three other sections: two top celebrity interviews and a demo. Demos can be about music, cooking, etc. – anything that’s “fun, different, really unique, and hasn’t been anywhere,” said Burkhard. “We want to be first if we can.”

When pitching, mention any pictures, videos, etc., that are available.

The show books three months in advance, so also keep that in mind when deciding when to pitch.

“TODAY”

The “Today” show has four hours of content to fill every day:

  • 7 to 7:30 a.m. is the news half hour.
  • From 7:30 to 8 a.m., it starts changing a bit.
  • 8 to 9 a.m. is more feature-oriented, with mom stories, entertainment, books, etc.
  • 9 to 10 a.m. includes some news elements, as well as health-oriented stories and features like “Money 911.”
  • The 10 a.m. hour “is pretty much just a drinking thing,” joked LaGreca.

LaGreca echoed the other panelists when she stressed the important of being familiar with “Today” before pitching: “Know the show. Know who you’re pitching. Don’t do the generic thing.”

LaGreca also shared a list of her do’s and don’ts for pitching stories to “Today”:

Do:

  • Do know the person to pitch.
  • Do try to make your product part of a bigger story.
  • Do be transparent. If you have a medical expert that has ties with your client, tell them upfront.

Don’t:

  • Don’t pitch by phone. “I just don’t have the time.”
  • Don’t be too personal in your pitches. “I don’t like, ‘Happy Friday!’ or ‘How are you today?’ or overuse of exclamation points. I want something that’s useful.”
  • Don’t send attachments. “I once got an email with 24 jpegs attached. It’s just not necessary.” If you have a visual component, include a link to the video or to a website where she can view pictures.
  • Don’t follow up incessantly after sending a pitch. “Don’t berate, don’t pound us. If it’s something interesting, we’ll get back to you.”
  • Don’t feel bad if you don’t hear back.

LaGreca can be reached by email at angela.lagreca@nbcuni.com

“THE WENDY WILIAMS SHOW”

“You need to know the show,” said Popp. “Wendy Williams is very outspoken, and she says it like she means it.”

The show is very celebrity-based. Everything Williams does revolves around celebrities somehow, said Popp. While the show does do some human-interest stories, most of the program is celebrity-based. They don’t do a lot of medical segments.

If you’re pitching a product, think about any possible celebrity connection. For example, Lindsay Lohan was on the show, and the company that made her earrings did an audience giveaway. That’s the type of tie-in producers are looking for.

“The Wendy Williams Show” is a live show, so be aware of what’s going on. “Timing is everything,” said Popp. “If there’s a snowstorm in New York, or the airports are in chaos, you can bet we had some cancellations.” That might be an opportunity for you to pitch to them if you can get your client to the studio quickly.

The show does do cooking and fashion segments, but, again, think about any celebrity connections.

Another opportunity is themed months, which the show is doing more of. “Keep an eye out for what’s coming up on the show to look for opportunities,” said Popp.

For example, Williams will be going on a bus tour of 18 cities across the country, so if you have clients who are nationwide, check out the list of cities on the website.

Popp can be reached by email at rpopp@wendyshow.com.

“RACHAEL RAY SHOW”

“I agree pretty much with what everyone else said,” Crudup said. “Know the show. It is not a cooking show — it is celebrity-driven. Know what Rachael Ray would respond to.”

The show loves to do field pieces, but they still need to have a unique angle for them to send a crew out.

In terms of lead time, Crudup says a month is good. However, they can turn a segment around in a day “if it’s a big-enough story.”

Having been a publicist at MGM for five years, Crudup knows what PR pros go through. He is open to developing relationships with publicists and tries to return all emails. When emailing, include any links in email.

Crudup can be reached by email at tcrudup@kingworld.com or by phone at (917) 332-3185.

Written by Maria Perez, director of news operations for ProfNet, a service that helps journalists connect with expert sources. To read more from Maria, visit her blog on ProfNet Connect at http://www.profnetconnect.com/profnetmaria/blog/

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Bloggers Working With PR, Google+ for Reporting, News of the World vs. WikiLeaks

Posted on August 2, 2011 by | Leave a comment

Following is a roundup of 10 interesting PR- and media-related stories found online last week from Profnet editor  Jason Hahn.

How Bloggers Should Work With PR: Bloggers working with PR professionals basically have three tasks at hand: 1) dealing with PR pitches that make it into your inbox, 2) approaching PR/businesses for reviews and giveaway opportunities, and 3) doing your own PR to get publicity for your blog in the media. This blogger discusses each of these tasks and shares some bottom-line reminders: you must have news, you can invent news and you can attach yourself to existing news. (Three Li’l Princesses)

Google+ Used for Reporting Breaking News: If you’ve been wondering if Google+ matters for reporting breaking news, look no further than this anecdote from The Trentonian, a newspaper based in New Jersey. While covering an apartment shooting, the paper posted a link to the story on Google+. A reader saw the link, responded and said she thought the victim was her cousin. The identity of the victim was eventually confirmed after frequent correspondence with the reader. This serves as a reminder that newspapers should use all available tools, not just some of them. (Mediabistro’s 10,000 Words)

Twenty-One New-Media Innovators: While journalism remains in a “state of chaotic flux,” with pundits continuing the war between old and new media, there are brave innovators who have thrown themselves into the gap and created exciting and interesting tools. “We call them innovators, but really they’re just finding the best ways to pursue their interests, while the rest of us get to benefit from their dedication — whether it’s news updates at the speed of light, precision-guided viral stories, or a return to ‘slow’ reading.” Here’s a list of 21 of these new-media innovators, which includes the likes of Andy Carvin of NPR, Ky Harlin of Buzzfeed and Heather Murphy of Slate. (NYMag.com)

What’s the Difference Between News of the World and WikiLeaks?: The phone-hacking scandal that took down News of the World is basically mirrors last year’s fallout over the sensitive information released by WikiLeaks. There are many similarities between the two incidents and the bottom line is that both are terrible examples of journalistic malpractice. “So why is one a scandal, replete with arrests, resignations and parliamentary inquests, while the other is merely a controversy, with Mr. Assange’s name mooted in some quarters for a Nobel Peace Prize?” (WSJ.com)

Social PR: What’s in, out and Trending: Here’s a look at “social PR fashion trends for fall.” Gone are the days of Facebook blue — here are the days of Google+ and its array of colors.  Niche Twitter chats are in, fighting over who owns social media is out and Triberr is trending. This post covers what else is in, out and trending. “The social PR fashion forecast: Add bright accessories to your look, (think Google+). Be smart and keep the balance. Too many social media colors in one look is proactive, playful, and interesting, but can become brand delusional.” (Search Engine Watch)

Three Things to Do With a PR or Communications Degree: Just because you graduated with a PR or communications degree doesn’t mean you have to land a job at a PR firm. Working for an agency, working for a private company, or starting your own firm or freelancing are among the many options to choose from. This post also offers some tips for how to find your first PR job, including titles to search for, where to look and Twitter tactics to employ. (Lindsay Olson)

Nine AP Style Rules PR Pros Should Know: Mastering the art of writing, and AP style specifically, is crucial for PR interns. “We want to write in their language, and make it easy for them to use our words and content.” This post offers a rundown of nine commonly used AP style rules that PR interns (and everyone else in the industry) should know: 1) numbers, 2) time, 3) percentages, 4) ages, 5) dates, 6) dollar amounts, 7) street addresses, 8) job titles and 9) states. (Weber Shandwick Seattle)

Decline of News Outlets: Bad News for PR: Media critics who bash the growing ranks of PR professionals are missing the bigger point: “The reason why PR pros numbers are growing is because the number of journalists is decreasing.” While there have always been more PR pros than journalists, this gap has been made even more obvious because newspapers are struggling. Having fewer news outlets makes it more difficult for PR pros to get clients placement. A consequence of this trend is that PR pros are now being forced to create and publish content, which blurs the line between a news release and the actual news. Placing a client in a publication operated by the PR pro doesn’t quite have the same authority as placement by a third party. (PRBreakfastClub)

Top 10 Ways to Succeed in PR: This PR and social media professional discusses 10 ways to succeed in PR. Among them are speaking up during internal team brainstorms, being a news hound, speaking up if you’re unhappy with something, always asking to try new things and not getting comfortable at your job. (PR at Sunrise)

How to Be a Quiet Leader in the Newsroom: Introverts, fear not — you have much to offer as quiet leaders in the newsroom. This self-professed “quiet leader” talks about what he thinks introverts in the newsroom can offer, including being a good listener and observer, using credibility as a platform to speak from, and finding ways to genuinely show your enthusiasm. (Poynter)

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