What I've Learned So Far

One of the reasons I chose this topic for my capstone is that I have friends who've lost jobs through no fault of their own. Thinking there must be SOME clues from people trying to make a go of journalism online that we can ALL benefit from. Hence, the capstone project/blog you see here.

Most of the journalists who are losing jobs are in that situation because fewer people are reading newspapers or watching TV news or listening to network radio stations. The general public is still absorbing news and information. But they are getting it from the Internet while they ride a metro bus or train to work. Or they hear radio headlines while in the car and go "read more about it" online at the office (while they are suppose to be doing something else). The days of being home to watch Walter Cronkite at 6:30pm are long gone. But we have NOT lost the desire to know about events in the world or to get information about topics near and dear to our hearts.

I look at all three of the people I'm profiling in this project as being very brave. It takes a lot of guts to quit your job - sometimes without another one lined up. One of the three had a job to go to. Another sort of had a plan. And the third simply left out of frustration. But they all have started something new in the world of online journalism. And I am excited to watch how they progress to their one year anniversaries and beyond.

Jim Hummel is a nice guy. And a good journalist. But many people are raising questions about his business associates. He says they don't influence his reporting. But public perception can be a tricky thing. I think he's doing good work that nobody else in the market is doing right now in the video arena. And he's right. There is something unique about seeing a bad guy's face as he/she tries to explain themselves when they get caught wasting taxpayer money. So I am interested in watching him try to find corporate sponsors to make up for the seed money that launched his effort. I hope he can pull it off.

Jill Burke gave up a solid job as a weekend anchor, newscast producer and reporter for KTUU TV 2 in Anchorage, Alaska to try something that had not been tried in that state before: an online news magazine that the nameplate on the site says is "News and voices from the Last Frontier." They are fortunate enough to have financial backing that could sustain them for 3 years or until they can get on their feet. Maybe we need more funding sources like this as more and more reporters move to the Internet to record accounts of what's happening in the world.

The last person I have not yet done my video profile of but hope to do one soon.

Rick Kupchella is an energetic soul. He has poured so much into his two projects and I can't wait to travel to Minnesota to follow him around with a camera to do a proper video profile. But suffice it to say that one venture is strictly online. The other one is working with advertisers to craft hour long specials that can run on television airwaves (maybe on the Internet too?) to talk about health issues that we all need to think about. He has a very impressive list of sponsors and they will be launching their first on air special later this month.

I will bring you more on both of those programs in the days ahead.

But so far in this hunt for "clues we can all use" about reporting news online and getting paid for it - I would say I've found a few common denominators.

First - being experienced at your craft is very important. Having name recognition and what Jim Hummel calls his "brand" is very important. But you can't rest there. You have to be constantly trying to spread the word about what you are doing.

Another clue is that you are better off if you team up with others. The Alaska folks would LOVE to team up with other news organizations in the state. But right now most see them as competition. Not as a complimentary organization. (That sounds like a missed opportunity for all.) Rick's group has developed partnerships with radio stations in Minnesota for the online venture and he's found that the widgets they put on the radio station websites are driving tens of thousands of people to his website "Bring me the News" every month. At one point he said to me - "Who knew widgets were so powerful?"

And the final observation is that it takes a lot of energy to do these online ventures. I recall a long time print reporter coming to one of my classes last year and saying he fondly recalls the days when he could work on one story for the day - and be having a beer with friends by 5pm. Now he has to write and research stories - plus blogs all day. His 'day' would often start long before he arrived at the office and he would still be working after getting home at night. The Internet doesn't go to sleep. So if you are the driving force behind an online news venture - you won't get to sleep very much either.

But rather then get saddened by that reality - you should know that ALL of these people are VERY excited about what they are doing. They have an energy and an enthusiasm that is truly contagious. So I want to bring you their stories so you can get excited too. Maybe get some ideas about how you can make it work. And I hope to find stories of other Internet entrepreneurs to share with you in the weeks and months ahead.

Thanks for taking the journey with me so far.

And please stay tuned.

Sheila Conlin