Nieman Reports THE NIEMAN FOUNDATION FOR JOURNALISM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY VOL. 63 NO. 3 FALL 2009 Let’s Talk: Journalism and Social Media genevaoh Partnerships—with former rivals, universities, new media orgs—can help newspapers to continue to play central role #aejmc fonstuinstra News Corp. to restructure Asia broadcast business http://ff.im/-6MzAr jayrosen_nyu Do—definitely do—check out the new http://gazetteonline.com/ From The Gazette in Iowa, @via @stevebuttry dangillmor NYT on Kindle, DRM and public interest http://bit.ly/VuV1l Words & Reflections Books: About Afghanistan, Foreign News, Netroots, Objectivity in News Reporting, Journalists’ Political Leanings, and Cold War Spies Teaching Journalism in China ‘to promote and elevate the standards of journalism’ Agnes Wahl Nieman the benefactor of the Nieman Foundation Vol. 63 No. 3 Fall 2009 Nieman Reports The Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard University Bob Giles | Publisher Melissa Ludtke | Editor Jan Gardner | Assistant Editor Jonathan Seitz | Editorial Assistant Diane Novetsky | Design Editor Nieman Reports (USPS #430-650) is published Editorial in March, June, September and December Telephone: 617-496-6308 by the Nieman Foundation at Harvard University, E-Mail Address: One Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-2098. [email protected] Subscriptions/Business Internet Address: Telephone: 617-496-2968 www.niemanreports.org E-Mail Address: [email protected] Copyright 2009 by the President and Fellows of Harvard College. Subscription $25 a year, $40 for two years; add $10 per year for foreign airmail. Single copies $7.50. Periodicals postage paid at Boston, Back copies are available from the Nieman office. Massachusetts and additional entries. Please address all subscription correspondence to POSTMASTER: One Francis Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138-2098 Send address changes to and change of address information to Nieman Reports, P.O. Box 4951, Manchester, NH 03108. P.O. Box 4951, ISSN Number 0028-9817 Manchester, NH 03108. Nieman Reports THE NIEMAN FOUNDATION FOR JOURNALISM AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY VOL. 63 NO. 3 FALL 2009 4 Let’s Talk: Journalism and Social Media Finding a Good Fit | Journalism and Social Media 5 What Is Journalism’s Place in Social Media? | By Geneva Overholser 7 Social Media: The Ground Shifts | By Richard Gordon 10 Blogs, Tweets, Social Media, and the News Business | By Robert G. Picard 12 An Antidote for Web Overload | By Matt Thompson 15 Digital Media’s Key to Success: Must-Read Content | By Brian Reich 17 Dealing With Disruption | By Jon Palfreman Building Community | Journalists’ New Journey 20 What’s Old Can Be New Again—Assisted By Digital Media | By Steve Buttry 22 Inviting the Rise of the Entrepreneurial Journalist | By Lewis DVorkin 24 Ours, Theirs and the Bloggers’ Zones: Compatible, Yet Different | By Shane Richmond 27 A Photographer’s Journey: From Newspapers to Social Media | An Essay in Words and Photographs by Jim MacMillan 31 Reporting Relies on Questions: Now They Come From Readers | By Vaughn Hagerty 32 An Explosion Prompts Rethinking of Twitter and Facebook | By Courtney Lowery Earning Trust | Credibility Through Conversation 35 The 21st Century Journalist’s Creed | By Michael R. Fancher 36 The Public and Journalists: They Disagree on Core Values | By Esther Thorson and Michael R. Fancher 38 Why the News Media Became Irrelevant—And How Social Media Can Help | By Michael Skoler 40 Media Users, Media Creators: Principles of Active Engagement | By Dan Gillmor 42 Creating Ethical Bridges From Journalism to Digital News | By Jan Leach 44 Closing the Credibility Gap | By Scott Rosenberg 46 Confessing Errors in a Digital Age | By Scott R. Maier Spreading the News | Impact and Engagement 49 Blogging Communities Spurred to Action | By Leonard Witt 51 Internet Censorship: The Myth, Oft Told, and the Reality | By Fons Tuinstra 53 Engaging Youth in Social Media: Is Facebook the New Media Frontier? | By Christine Greenhow and Jeff Reifman 56 Words & Reflections 56 Afghanistan-ism: An Apt Metaphor for Foreign News Reporting | By John Maxwell Hamilton 59 The Netroots: Bloggers and the 2008 Presidential Campaign | By John McQuaid 61 An Argument Why Journalists Should Not Abandon Objectivity | Book Excerpt by Alex S. Jones 63 The Newsroom’s Disdain for Revealing Reporters’ Political Leanings | By Reed Richardson 65 Spies and Journalists: Taking a Look at Their Intersections | By Murray Seeger 67 Learning About China’s Changes While Teaching Journalism | By James Ross 3 Curator’s Corner: Preparing to Cover a Pandemic: A New Guide for Journalists | By Bob Giles 69 Nieman Notes | Compiled by Jan Gardner 69 Adapting Investigative Reporting Skills to Policy Advocacy | By Jerry Kammer 71 Class Notes 77 End Note: Embedding a Reporter With a Shakespearean Production | By Alicia Anstead Cover: Words in the speech boxes on the cover are from tweets by or about contributors to this issue. Graphic by Diane Novetsky/Nova Design Nieman Reports Online www.niemanreports.org 2 Nieman Reports | Fall 2009 Curator’s Corner Preparing to Cover a Pandemic: A New Guide for Journalists ‘The idea behind this guide is to provide an accessible, trusted resource in case the H1N1 strain, or any new or known flu strain, strikes in more deadly form.’ BY BOB GILES hree years ago, the Nieman Foundation convened a of “crisis” reporting, coverage of this evolving story, with first-of-its-kind conference for journalists, experts the exception of occasional pieces about summer camp flu in infectious diseases and world, national and local protocols and new recommendations about school closure Tpublic health officials to explore how to cover a potential policies, has diminished considerably. pandemic. Then the concern was avian flu, and the gather- With layoffs of health, medical and science reporters ing’s purpose was to achieve the following: (and entire science and health units) happening in U.S. newsrooms, fewer journalists with expertise to coordinate • Improve journalists’ understanding of the dynamics of a coverage are left. Will this story reside with reporters who health crisis—from the threats it poses to efforts needed bring little scientific knowledge or actual experience in to cope. covering an outbreak? Our reliance on having journalists • Engage journalists, scientists and public health officials who are prepared to dive in with informed questions, in dialogue about their intersecting roles and purpose. probe deeply and report with authority might now rest on • Examine how newsrooms and news organizations should shakier ground. The challenge will be amplified if H1N1 is prepare to handle such coverage and keep their own op- transformed into a pandemic with more widespread severe erations going. illness and higher mortality. • Consider the crucial role journalism plays—from prepared- One feature of this story makes pandemic flu coverage ness to response to recovery. unique: Journalists will report on what is happening, but also will be potential carriers. “What do we know about This effort echoes the intent of other conferences protecting ourselves when we travel to a hot zone?” asks organized by the foundation in which we identify an is- Friedhoff. “How do we make sure we don’t carry the vi- sue pertinent to journalists—one not well understood in rus back to our colleagues? How many newsrooms have newsrooms or not receiving adequate coverage—then bring thought about how to cover a pandemic when a large together experts in the field for several days of learning number of staff are sick or told to stay home for public and dialogue. Information from these conferences is then health reasons?’’ widely distributed to other journalists. During a pandemic, the news media become a primary Nieman Reports published a wealth of material from source of public communication. The press will want to this conference in its Spring 2007 edition. Then, a spe- assure its independence, yet public health officials will cial issue, focused solely on this topic, was distributed to certainly ask for cooperation in getting specific messages journalists. We’ve updated and expanded that report, and and information to the public. Journalists need to be the new guide to covering a pandemic will be available in well informed about flu viruses in general so they will be early fall on the Nieman Foundation’s Web site. Stefanie prepared to do their work efficiently and effectively with Friedhoff, a 2001 Nieman Fellow and the foundation’s this one. Realizing which of the “experts” is truly to be special projects manager, organized the 2006 conference trusted as a source is essential at a time when public panic and is editor of the guide. “The idea behind this guide is is likely to be setting in. to provide an accessible, solid resource in case the H1N1 The journalist’s guide the Nieman Foundation has cre- strain, or any new or known flu strain, strikes in more ated contains the accumulated wisdom of those reporters deadly form,” she says. experienced in covering infectious diseases. Valuable insights While swine flu, so far, seems to have lulled us into a surface in excerpts from conversations with public health belief that a pandemic doesn’t always spell disaster, health officials. For those new to the subject, the guide offers a officials recognize that flu pandemics typically arrive in quick introduction to key questions about influenza and waves; as winter arrives in the Northern Hemisphere, it pandemics along with a glossary and explanations of ba- is possible a more lethal strain of the flu—and a more sic terms and roadmaps through some local and national dangerous pandemic—might be with us. Physicians and preparedness efforts as well as international coordination scientists are learning much about this virus, yet coverage during an outbreak. It’s a resource for story ideas, links of their findings—and reporting about the public health to excellent online resources, and questions any reporter guidance based on them—is scant.