Blog

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.

A Laurel to Len Downie Jr. and Michael Schudson for a comprehensive review of developments in the journalistic ecosystem.

Never before has the idea of a free press meant so much to everyday Americans. It’s not that the country is under siege by a runaway tyrant or that we have rampant corruption or government by secrecy. Rather, the idea of a free press is taking on new meaning in a nation where, increasingly, small towns and rural areas, exurbs and even suburbs ...

What imaginative stuff the winners showcased yesterday at this year’s Knight-Batten Symposium and Awards for Innovations in Journalism.

Since June, when J-Lab released “New Media Makers,” its new study of grant-funded media projects, we’ve tracked another $7.5 million awarded by foundations to support or jumpstart news and information initiatives around the country.

Is it important for news to survive – or news organizations? See today’s New York Times for a sampling of opinions.

The first U.S. forays in citizen media began in earnest only in 2004. Now, as 2008 comes to a close, we need to stop referring to citizen journalism as a monolithic phenomenon and pay closer attention to the many ways it’s evolving.