Red America fall-out

Bryan Keefer, one of the founders of spinsanity (see previous post), now concentrates on his Columbia Journalism Review site. He was on Channel 4 last night giving his take on the Red America blog fiasco at The Washington Post.

Ben Domenech, 24, has been fired for plagiarism leaving everyone and his mother another reason to bash blogs. The question everyone is asking is: can you trust blogs? The question might as well be: can your trust newspapers or columnists? The blogosphere is always going to have its mavericks, charlatans and downright liars. If reputable media organisations harness the web they will have to vet and police more. Would the Post have let an inexperienced, young, commentator with a political agenda run riot across its op-ed pages without checking content? N0, so why take him on in the first place?

The only heartening aspect of this depressing episode is that it proves once again that the web is no place for plagiarists - they can run but they can't hide. Ever.

The debate continues at CJR.

Blookmarks

If you are not in the running for a Pulitzer there are always the Blookers, literary awards for books based on blogs.

Finalists for the inaugural Blooker prize organised by Lulu in the US include All The President's Spin by Bryan Keefer, Ben Fritz, and Brendan Nyhan. The blook is based on their site http://www.spinsanity.com/.

The authors say: "We believe an engaged citizenry, active press and strong network of fact-checking websites and blogs can help turn the tide of deception that we now see."

It's a pity, then, that they decided to shut down their website over a year ago.

Pulitzer power

Pulitzer prizes are open to online journalists - at last. Bloggers are putting their money on The Times-Picayune's coverage of Hurricane Rita - we'll find out on Monday, April 17.

Budget on FT.com

At the FT today for the Budget - the biggest traffic day of the year for FT.com.

Piers' print pressure

Piers Morgan is setting up a newspaper for children. And yes, they are going to bolt on a website.

Shouldn't it be the other way round since the little blighters don't read or buy much print and are glued to their screens, Ipods, mobiles, chat rooms and Gameboys? Or am I the only one mystified by this latest launch?

The Breakthrough Years

Journalists love talking about themselves. The only thing they like more is talking about themselves to other journalists. Magazine guru Peter Jackson has tapped into this by organising a series of lectures called The Breakthrough Years, but with a practical aim - to get advice on how to get hired and avoid being fired.

Eve Pollard, Claudia Winkelman and James Brown of Loaded fame have given their tips for the top. The next industry expert had to be pulled as they had just been fired so it was down to me. This is my advice: be ambitious, take risks, get a mentor, write a blog, create a website, and never admit you have a hangover. Out of these I have achieved five out of six so perhaps my breakthrough is yet to come.

Glocer Q&A

Some advice from Tom Glocer of Reuters: "What I know is that starting out in journalism is more exciting today than it ever was. Just ten years ago you had two choices – print or broadcast. There are many more opportunities now to make a living as a journalist. I would follow what excites and interests you. Make good contacts and build a network."

In a recent Q&A on new media Simon Copp, a final year student on the BA Multi-Media Journalism course, wanted to know whether to pitch for print or online. The panel also included journalist Trevor Butterworth and Roger Parry of Clear Channel. Click here to read their tips.

Huff puff

Great piece on the blogging revolution by Arianna Huffington this morning. Rupert Murdoch is still weighing in and says the internet means the end of media barons.

But nothing is ever perfect in the online world as anyone who has worked on a website will testify. The Guardian Unlimited crowd will all be bald by lunchtime, tearing their hairs out as they try to promote their 'Comment is free' ethos - site has been down with the 'The page cannot be displayed' message that dotcom journalists dread.

I'm feeling their pain. However, you can always go to FT.com and take part in the online Q&A with Reuters chief Tom Glocer - he's asking: what's the point of blogs?

Iraq conflicts

I've been preparing for my starring role in Pedro Almodovar's epic on bloggers with a small piece to camera for 3rd year student Kristy Woodhams' TV project. She's been investigating the military's view of how the conflict in Iraq is reported. Many soldiers feel angry and upset at the coverage and feel they have not been given enough 'support'. She asked me what I thought about this.

There are very few 'good news' stories when reporting war. Just ask Caroline Hawley, until recently the BBC's correspondent in Baghdad. I went to the Frontline club in London recently to hear her talk. You might remember that she was once accused of being able to 'smell shit in a rose garden' by Paul Bremer, the former chief US administrator in Iraq.

Several ex-soldiers and representatives of NGOs said they were despondent because much of the good work they were doing for civilians was unreported. Caroline said she had reported several positive stories (including one on Iraq's version of Pop Idol) but that there were more important news priorities: the coalition forces' inability to provide water and electricity for civilians, abuses at Abu Ghraib, kidnappings, bombings, killings and insurgencies.

Perhaps the lack of public support and ebbing of political will is at the heart of the frustration felt by those in the army. Few of them cannot have asked the question: why did we go to war? Ben Griffin, an SAS soldier, quit Baghdad after only three months. He told his commanders that he could not take part in an 'illegal war.' Was he court-martialled, reprimanded or called a coward? No, the army discharged him and gave him a glowing reference.

For a US veteran's perspective read Paul Rieckhoff's blog for the Huffington Post.

Almodovar, I'm ready for my close-up

I don't know whether to believe this: Pedro Almodovar wants to make a film about bloggers. If it isn't true, it soon will be! Have a great weekend.

Bournemouth blog roll

I asked you to send me your urls. Here are some selected highlights:

Serial blogger Chindu Sreedharan has started his teaching blog. Lots of good links - check out these scholars who blog.

Roman Gerodimos' Me Against the Keyboard. Roman (a lecturer in communication and journalism theory at Bournemouth) also has a website, Roman Reloaded.

Steve Cross sets himself a tall order at Life, the media, everything.

James Rivington on the Oscars and nasal probes.

Lucy Meakin who asks: "Do I have to have an opinion about EVERYTHING?"

Q&A with Tom Glocer, Reuters

Take part in a live Q&A with Reuters chief Tom Glocer on FT.com next Wednesday.

This is what he has to say about old media embracing the new:"We are now at our crossroads. Old media – and I now would include the first wave of online publishing – have a choice: integrate the new world or risk becoming less relevant. Our industry must not fall into the old protectionist strategies that defined the first phase of the internet. "

Send your questions to ask@ft.com.

Blog it to flog it

There is nothing you can do to stop the corporate titans from harnessing the blogosphere - and cutting out PRs and journalists in the process. Students of corporate communications take note of Wal-Mart's latest wheeze - plugging its image by releasing nuggets of information to selected bloggers.

Paper, scissors, stone, internet

It's all a bit childish isn't it? I'm referring to the power plays between big media and what many of them see as the online usurpers. At this week's OPA conference the 'I hate Google' crew were out in force.

But at least Tom Glocer of Reuters was asking the right question in his keynote address: "If the user wants to be both author and editor, and technology is increasingly enabling this, what will be the role of the media company?"

Online ads - show me the money

Why should companies and agencies place an ad online? That was one of many questions that came up in yesterday's seminar with BA advertising and marketing students. Research by MORI and Pew has found news website readers to be younger, more affluent, better educated and more likely to have shopped online than newspaper readers.

This, along with broadband, has spurred online advertising growth and yet and yet....it is still not enough. Analysis presented this week to the World Association of Newspapers says news websites need up to 100 extra online users to accompany each reader that migrates from print editions or they will lose revenue. "As more and more people shift their news reading from print to online, the newspaper industry must dramatically increase its online advertising revenues or die," said Vincent Crosbie, a senior associate at American media strategist Borrell Associates.

Self-styled 'blog daddy' Jeff Jarvis puts it another way: "Advertisers still feel safer buying print even though all the audience growth is online, which means they’re still paying too much for too little. It’s a painful syncopation."

What will be the business model of the future? My brain hurts already so post back some comments.