A voice for free speech in a free world

Marty Baron, center, with U. of Navarra faculty and students. Photo by Manuel Castells Marty Baron, editor of the Washington Post, came to speak at University of Navarra events in Madrid and Pamplona last week. Baron’s message made me proud to be an American and a journalist. The whole world looks to the U.S. for […]

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Deal with the Devil: Facebook, Google, mobile apps

A deal with the devil. Versión en españolIt was the science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke who wrote, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” And clearly many people think that way about applications for smartphones.   Mobile apps can show us detailed maps of most places on earth.    They can read QR […]

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Narrative in Latin America: conscience and credibility

Versión en español. For a class on narrative techniques here in Mexico, I was looking for examples of the kind of writing you find in New Yorker. The magazine Gatopardo has that reputation. Alejandro Almazán. Photo: MasPorMas.com It was there I found the story of “A hapless narco” (“Un narco sin suerte) by Alejandro Almazan and […]

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Journalists have to market their work in social media

Versión en español aquí. A young acquaintance was applying for an online reporting job at an internationally renowned news organization. But the interviewer did not focus on the job candidate’s articles. He wanted to know more about the metrics of audience engagement with the candidate’s stories — time spent, social sharing, search traffic. How had […]

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Independent print startup thrives despite crisis

While print newspapers are losing subscribers and advertisers in the rest of Europe, an Italian print publication launched by an investigative reporter is thriving because of its independent voice.Il Fatto Quotidiano (The Daily Facts) has been slaying sacred cows since 2009 and makes its money from subscribers and newsstand sales — roughly 6 million euros […]

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For non-technical journalists, a free platform

Recently I met the people of Sourcefabric, who produce two free publishing platforms for print and radio organizations that want to have a web presence.This non-profit group, based in Prague, has been helping independent media outlets extend their reach on the Web for more than a decade. (Disclosure, I was a guest speaker at their recent […]

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How to make money on digital journalism: a course in Spain

Last week I gave an all-day seminar to 30 journalists in Valencia, Spain, on the business aspects of starting a digital news outlet. It‘s easy enough to launch a blog or web page, but the hard part is making money. I gave participants a series of examples of revenue sources other than advertising and subscriptions: […]

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