Last week I wrote about the six traditional factors that make a story newsworthy, at least what journalism profs have settled upon to get students thinking about the topic, and how you can do a better job responding to reporters if you understand those factors. This week we’ll stick to those basics, but flip theRead… Read more »
Fostering effective media relations can be a challenging endeavor for anyone, including public sector communicators. This is due, in large part, to a history of adversarial relations between government and the so-called Fourth Estate. Thus it’s essential for government communicators to break down this firewall and build bridges instead. With this in mind, you shouldRead… Read more »
With all the perpetual hype surrounding the proliferation of social media it appears that traditional media are becoming the unwanted stepchildren in today’s fast evolving mobile, digital and virtual world. Yet despite a conspicuous shift in the media landscape caused by the 21st century Information Age, tens of millions of Americans still consume news thatRead… Read more »
Speaking to the news media can be a tricky business.
In situational media relations, the perspectives of Government communicators and journalists (journos) may differ regarding conventional communications methods. Sometimes these differences are gaping on both macro and micro levels – that is, within Government agencies and news organizations. Evolution of the media landscape As the 21st century media landscape evolves at light-speed, with the increasingRead… Read more »
“Everything here is negotiable…” Those are the words of a Washington Post reporter in a recent email to key sources for a coveted front page article. Included in the email was a working draft copy of the story. The news outlet Texas Observer obtained copies of the emails and broke the news…that is, the newsRead… Read more »
Organised by the Public Interest Journalism Foundation, as part of the New News public events program, Public interest journalism and its digital future is a public event in Canberra on the evening of 29 May. I’m taking part in the discussion, alongside Mr Denmore and Professor Matthew Ricketson. It should be a very interesting evening!Read… Read more »
Http://leonardSipes.Com “Truth is mighty and will prevail. There is nothing the matter with this, except that it ain’t so.” Mark Twain I apologize for the audacity of suggesting that I know how to fix the media’s digital problems. I have been associated with state and national media for over 30 years and I want toRead… Read more »
Two online articles, a Twitter exchange, and my own musings in the past few days have centered around the roles that “ordinary” citizens are adopting with the help of sensors and connectivity technology. The two articles that I noticed were Matthew Hall’s “Citizens as a Platform for Civic Improvement” and Robert Krulwich’s “The Three LittleRead… Read more »
This photo appeared in America at Work in The Atlantic. It’s a fascinating gallery of the diverse range of professions in this country. I love how The Atlantic does photojournalism so was delighted that they chose my picture for inclusion. The photo is from an OccupyDC protest. Living in Washington, I see a lot ofRead… Read more »