Category: Journalism

  • The benefits of less journalism

    There is an upside to the downturn in newsgathering budgets if you believe some people. Take the US presidential campaign: What we need less of, as any consumer will tell you if you ask, is slavish coverage of poll numbers and obsession with campaign gaffes and missteps, and that’s what I hope we’ll get less…

  • An Indian journalist explains what journalism is for…

    From the excellent Hoot, just when you wondered what journalism was for, along comes someone to remind you – in this case, Indian journalist Rupashree Nanda. In an award acceptance speech, she spells out what journalism means to her. If you feel in need of revival, print it out and put it on the wall,…

  • Decline of the sitcom mirrors decline of newspapers

    My contention that the decline of newspapers is nothing fundamentally to do with the journalism gets some anecdotal support (by analogy) from British comedian Ben Elton, lamenting the decline of the sitcom: Elton also talked about the decline of traditional sitcoms that could be enjoyed by mass audiences. “I don’t think it’s the fault of…

  • China’s Olympic media strategy

    Reporters Sans Frontieres has a memo on how the Chinese authorities plan to deal with journalists in the run up to the Olympics. Now it may well have a sinister side, but there are signs of movement in advice like this: Attitudes must evolve: we must prepare to be totally open to interviews by foreign…