Ideas

TBD.com is not only a new local news website in Washington, D.C., but it also has replaced the television station websites for WJLA and News Channel 8. The much-anticipated launch has also offered quite a few lessons for others interested in operating their own news websites.

We never know what will rise to the top each year in the Knight-Batten A wards for Innovations in Journalism. But we do know that it will define a significant trend in the rapidly evolving media landscape. This year, without a doubt, the innovations clustered around the process of journalism – not just the finished product.

How a Minneapolis nonprofit news site is making money in a crowded field.

When Gannett shut down the printing press at the Tucson Citizen newspaper last March, it left a web-only news site with few resources.

As any grant-giver will tell you: It’s hard to give away grant money well. You want a diverse grant pool – diverse project leaders and diverse communities participating. You want geographic diversity, socio-economic diversity, urban vs. rural diversity, gender diversity, a diversity of ideas and of delivery platforms.

Much of the news about start-up community news sites and their impact is anecdotal. While J-Lab collects a lot of those stories, yesterday we heard a refreshing tale of how nimble some new community media makers can be.

A shout out goes to Growthspur for its post on how seasoned journalist Bobbi Bowman took matters into her own hands and jumpstarted a way to publish breaking news.

Capital-centric site quietly launches with nearly $2 million in foundation support for three years.

An interactive news timeline went from being ‘just an idea’ to a major innovation for a Minneapolis TV station – with the help of a willing advertiser.