I've started new chapter in my life as a journalist but I'm not alone in this - the collective newsrooms of the Liverpool Daily Post, Liverpool Echo, and the Merseyside weeklies are travelling the same road as me.We've become (or, more accurately, are becoming) a single news-gathering operation, working together in what is being called... Continue Reading →
The Year of the Blog (Part I)
I've just realised this blog has notched up its first anniversary. Where has the time gone? So I thought it was an opportunity to take stock, consider how blogging has helped me become (I think) a better journalist and what I've learned.Please forgive the naval-gazing and, yes, it's going to take more than one post.February... Continue Reading →
"No one tells a story like a journalist"
I was lucky enough to spend a day with the Journalism Leaders Programme members last week. As ever, it was like having a brain-valet and I came away with a lot to think about. As part of the day I got to attend the University's Harris Lecture, which was an insight into the digital transformation... Continue Reading →
I’m a mechanic!
I follow Amy Gahran on Twitter, and she's a constant source of information and humour. I'm a fan of the way she operates and thinks, and so I subscribe to her Contentious.com feed in my Google Reader. Last month she brought me tales of naked Trick or Treaters, this week I learn, courtesy of her... Continue Reading →
Blog comments can be the new ‘Letters to the Editor’
The letters page of a daily newspaper is the most mixed of mixed bags. Various papers I've worked for had different approaches to it; some banned 'round robin' type endorsement letters ostensibly written by celebs ('hello, I'm Gloria Hunniford and I'd like everyone from Southampton to get behind National Gut Week), others stuck them on... Continue Reading →
Learning from liveblogging
I'd love to know how many of the UK's regional newspapers have run liveblogs this year; it seems as though real-time coverage and participation in almost everything (public spectacles, event TV, sports, political rallies to name a few) is on the increase when it was hardly in evidence 12 months ago.I've been pondering this as... Continue Reading →
The Lifecycle of a News Story
I rediscovered a link on my Delicious recently, called the Lifecycle of a Blog, from Wired, which traces how a post goes from the author's keyboard through the system into a subscriber's RSS reader. It's here if you're interested.Anyway, that sent me off on a bit of a tangent; I started wondering about the lifecycle... Continue Reading →
Should readers have more control over newspaper websites?
A few days ago I asked Aren't We All Journalists? and had a response I thought was very interesting. Essentially, Captain Mac asked if I thought there should be a place on newspaper websites that people could fill themselves? He suggested a "whole section - that people could write stories on, reviews, opinion pieces, list... Continue Reading →
Convergence thoughts
I am heartily sick of people who put finger-quotes around the word Convergence when they're talking about media. It's becoming a pejorative term when, as far as I can see, it's one of the opportunities that may mean newspapers have a hope of prosperity in future. There are so many definitions for the word but... Continue Reading →
Links
I am always impressed by the links on other people's blogs. They have sought down the most interesting, pertienent and useful blogs and put helpful links to the sites so muppets like me can share the wisdom.I'm feeling a little left behind on the old links issue, so I thought I'd take five minutes out... Continue Reading →
Alison Gow | Building the New 