Should Journalists Report What Bloggers Write?

AN OBSCURE BLOG recently ran a story about one of the Flyers sleeping with the wife of a teammate, thus explaining the tensions in the locker room and the poor start to the season the team suffered. The rumor was picked up by other websites and message boards despite none of the websites ever speaking to the players or the team. After ten days of floating in cyberspace, the Philadelphia Inquirer followed up on the story. The Inquirer spoke to the...

Life Outside the Box Is Still Grand.

SURE, THE JOURNALISM JOB MARKET isn't looking all that hot these days. Newspapers are cutting staffs, television stations are combining services, magazines are folding and basically, the world is coming to an end.Or is is it? Personally, I don't think so. And neither does David Carr, media critic at the New York Times and the author of the memoir pictured on the left. Carr points out that local and niche websites are popping up around the country,...

1,293 Ways To Get Rock Hard Abs And Woo Women (And 1 Way to Sell a Lot of Magazines).

IT TURNS OUT THAT the cover on the latest issue of Men's Health (left) mimics a cover from 2007 (right). "It was not inadvertent, and it was part of overall branding strategies," the magazine's editor told the New York Post.Is there anything wrong with that? Clearly, the magazine has found a formula that works for them and they continue to apply it. Are they simply giving their readers what they want or are they ripping off their audien...

Is Journalism The Path To Politics?

FORMER FOX29 ANCHOR Dawn Stensland is reportedly considering a run for Congress in Delaware County. Former Inquirer reporter and editorial board member Douglas Pike is running for Congress in Montgomery County. Diane Allen, a former KYW reporter/ anchor, is currently on the New Jersey Senate. Former Action News reporter Karen Friedman campaigned to become a Pennsylvania State Representative but lost.And of course, there is Sarah Palin, the former...

Print is Alive! It Just Costs $16! Ouch.

DAVID EGGERS, THE AUTHOR and editor of McSweeney's literary magazine, is pushing print. He helped launch a massive newspaper in San Francisco last weekend. It features in-depth reporting, mag-style writing, double-truck graphic spreads, cartoons by famous artists, a separate magazine, and a 96 page book review pullout.It's a one-time deal. For now. And it costs $16.Would you pay more for a supposed higher quality product? If it only came out once...

Is It OK to Dance at a Concert You're Reviewing?

ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE is getting into the restaurant business with an eatery set to open in Hollywood next summer. They say they won't have memorabilia like the Hard Rock Cafe, and they won't be a music venue.If they were to have a music venue, would it be a conflict of interest? Could they write critically about the performers they promote at their club? And how about this: can music journalists dance at concerts they are reviewing or does that...

Temple Town: How Are You Living?

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THIS YET, watch it. You want to know about life on campus? You think that the Temple News is too conventional? Click here and see their three part series about students living in North Philly, experiencing college life.Does this appeal to you? Do quick shots, hip hop music and tales of sex draw you in? Is there news value here? Can a news product be slick and informative at on...

Peter Tobia: "It's About Being A Part of History."

WHAT DID YOU THINK of today's guest, photojournalist Peter Tobia?Here are a few things that stood out for me:- He wanted to be a writer. He took a photo course in college and everything clicked (ha!).- Traveling around the world for stories allowed him to grow personally as well as professionally. By traveling, he learned about the world.- He says that to be successful, you need to know your craft, be aware of the news of the world, and be tenacious.-...