Former FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps issued an apology for his role in approving big mergers between media companies that he says contributed to ruining journalism. In class we talk a lot about ownership and the business side of the news media. We’ve discussed the transition from private ownership to public ownership through mergers and acquisitons of large companies, small family business owners versus chains with stockholders and many owners. Even when the news outlets were run by blatantly liberal or conservative owners, they already had money and simply wanted to spread their views, which was done by good reporting. Now most owners get the final say over editors and reporters and money is the main goal, which drives stories based on information consumers want instead of what they need. Also, companies don’t want to fund the hard-hitting investigative stories because they are costly and time-consuming. In class a quote by William Ziff was mentioned – “The media world was invaded by money.” One example of a notoriously bad merger we talked about was between AOL & Time Warner, which was made because companies became very eager to expand and make more money, but it failed when the combined staff couldn’t cooperate together.

In his letter, former commissioner Copps says that these news conglomerates are failing us. He put it best when he said they have become “nationwide, homogenized, and de-journalized empires that respond more to quarterly reports than to the information needs of citizens.” Not only did Copps apologize, but he said people need to make changes for a better future of our news. I found this all extremely interesting, to see someone who had worked in government regulations be so transparent, lay out the problems with the system, and call for action was refreshing.

To read some more about this topic, check out these links:

http://gigaom.com/2014/02/14/former-fcc-commissioner-blames-himself-for-approving-mergers-that-ruined-journalism/

http://www.cjr.org/essay/from_the_desk_of_a_former_fcc.php?page=3

Upworthy is a website that people can go to and find links to articles, videos, and viral content of their liking.

The site gets a lot of flack from journalists who claim Upworthy lures readers in by packaging up content with their own outrageous headlines as “click-bait.” In a recent post, Upworthy cleared up these accusations, stating that it isn’t just their headlines, which writers and editors do spend a lot of time perfecting, but the quality of their content that gets them so much traffic. The fact that people not only want to click on and read their stories, but that they keep reading and hit that little share button, is the secret to their success. Upworthy seems to have found a way to keep people coming back to them by making sure what they post begs to be spread. In this age of viral videos and social networking, media websites such as Upworthy, Buzzfeed, etc. rely on Facebook and Twitter for the sharing of their posts – that is what fuels their popularity. This is a great example of how the Internet can change the media. Media websites, such as HuffPost or The New York Times, whose posts don’t have the entertainment and pop culture value of Upworthy, must find a way around their dependence on outside social networks for their own business. In other words, they can’t rely on the “share” button to advertise their news because Upworthy will win every time!

If things keep going in this direction, people might start to only use Facebook/Twitter to get their daily dose of news. This coincides with the recent launch of Facebook’s Paper app, which is basically a news reader app showing you top news headlines along with your own Facebook news feed, and within the app you can perform any regular Facebook functions.

To read more about Upworthy & Facebook changing the standards of social news consumption, check out these links:

http://blog.upworthy.com/post/69093440334/what-actually-makes-things-go-viral-will-blow-your?utm_content=buffer6c838&utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Buffer

http://www.salon.com/2014/02/17/wow_facebook_just_did_something_amazing_to_crummy_meme_sites_and_what_they_do_next_might_shock_everyone/

http://www.businessinsider.com/facebooks-new-paper-app-2014-2

First Look Media recently launched “The Intercept,” a website they say will be the first in a group of “digital magazines.” This newly-coined phrase hasn’t been taken seriously by critics.

When I think of the word “magazine,” Cosmopolitan comes to mind. But, after reading up on what exactly this means, I have to say this strategy is very practical. The article I read about the topic describes these magazines as “topic-focused sites.” I think this is a better description. Like a magazine, readers can go to this one webpage for all their needs about a certain topic. An aspiring designer isn’t going to comb through the fashion/culture section of the local newspaper, but instead turn to the latest issue of Vogue. The Intercept is a news page focused on the NSA, its leaks, and the website is very transparent about its dedication to this specific topic.

This website follows the “personal franchise model.” This structure of this kind of news company starts with one charismatic founder and idea with a staff based around and picked by this founder, who may not have ownership but does have editorial control. This model has an identifiable niche, a specific topic followed and covered at different angles in each article/news story. Included is a mix of news, opinion, analysis, and data. I think this model and this type of Internet news website will be successful going forward. Personally, I would like to go to one page for a plethora of information and news on a specific topic I’m interested in, instead of going to a site that contains tons of information that I must weed through to find what I want. This kind of news website makes it easy for a connection to occur between the contributors and consumers because there is a shared interest and passion.

To learn more about digital magazines and the personal franchise model, check out these links:

http://gigaom.com/2014/02/10/the-term-digital-magazines-may-sound-kind-of-dumb-but-first-look-medias-approach-is-not/

https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2014/02/10/welcome-intercept/

http://pressthink.org/2014/02/features-and-details-of-the-personal-franchise-model-in-digital-journalism-lecture-notes/

This month Derek Jeter announced his retirement after the 2014 season. The most interesting part of it was that he did not use a traditional press release or conference to announce this, but a Facebook post!

Social media releases are in many ways replacing the need for press releases. It is easier to connect with readers and fans through an outlet like Twitter or Facebook, because these days everyone (and their mother!) uses these social networks. Press releases can come out boring and not easily accessible for fans, but a Facebook post such as Jeter’s has the personal side that connects his fans to the emotion involved in the decision to make this season his last. It doesn’t sound like a rehearsed speech but a farewell letter that he put a lot of meaning into. Using Facebook connects him with his fans because it is extremely popular, therefore anything he posts advertises Jeter as that ‘everyday type of guy’ we can all connect to. Smart business move – making himself relatable to his fans who are also his customers. He is not just a baseball player but he is a business and a brand and everything he does can either help or hurt this business. I think using Facebook to get out his news was a great move on the business side because Facebook is “the social network,” and Jeter is keeping up his all-American, wholesome, friendly baseball player image that everyone loves. By telling people through Facebook, which people use for posting such intimate announcements as wedding engagements, its a much more personal approach than a press release. Either way, Yankees tickets might be pricy this season!

I agree with the professor that it is “the golden age of journalism.” That said, I do not necessarily think that it is the golden age for the best journalism. One reason given for calling this the golden age was that college students and post grads are well-trained in the use of the Internet, blogs, Twitter, etc., which gives us massive opportunities to become journalists. My belief is that because everyone can blog and tweet and become a journalist, this leaves a lot of room for bad or incomplete reporting and a lot of opinion pieces. It is a golden age in terms of all the tools and technology available for real reporters and young people who want to start doing journalistic work, but it is not the easiest to weed out all the posts of people who are just sitting at home and ranting online. In this age, anyone can come off as a journalist with their own blog but to be a true journalist, one still has  to put in the time and effort and use the new technologies to enhance the quality of stories instead of using it to pump out quick pieces with little thought.

Last meeting, the class seemed to be divided on the issue of market research and its place in news media. I did not get a chance to speak that day, but if I had I would’ve said that market research simply doesn’t belong in the business of news. The news grows more each day and seems to be expanding into other areas of interest – more towards entertainment stories. What I mean is that not every story is what some journalism professors call “news worthy.” Because the business side of news is prevailing rather than the reporting side, news organizations and the companies that run them put profit first. Instead of the original goals of journalism, to spread the information that people NEED to hear, it has become more important to give people what they WANT to hear. market research in the form of surveys and focus groups is only increasing that crossover. Journalists should follow their duty to check in on our government systems and keep people informed instead of just giving people magazine-type stories that will interest them. Celebrity stories and fluff pieces have their place in magazines and tabloids and I think the news should go back to performing its traditional duties. I think money and peoples’ choice should not drive journalism, but simply the news on a need-to-know basis.

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