Thoughts & Experiences from the Mile High City
Littwin: Polis and his “new media” can’t gloat – The Denver Post
This is a great column by Mike Littwin in response to Jared Polis stating that “new media” killed the Rocky Mountain News.
Littwin had a good seat to see what happened at the Rocky and it wasn’t new media.
I think he summarized things well at the end of his column when he stated, “Whatever Polis thinks, he had absolutely nothing to do with the death of the Rocky. He took his best shot, but I’d say all he hit was his foot.”
Sunday with the Avalanche from Long Island : All Things Colorado Sports Colorado.
Toward the end of a recent blog post, Terry Frei of the Denver Post admitted that he deletes blog posts that have a limited shelf life about the Colorado Avalanche.
Terry, you don’t need to do that. Keeping a blog post up there is part of history and how things develop. That is the nice thing about having things posted electronically and online, you don’t need to delete them.
First-of-all, if you have comments turned off it is not really a blog. Terry, your paper allows comments on your stories in the paper. At least you can do is have comments on your blog. I probably would have left a comment there instead of writing this post.
Not deleting blog posts and allowing comments builds community and discussion about a subject you cover and many people like, the Colorado Avalanche. I think you would improve your coverage and the people who follow you if you didn’t turn off commenting and keep the posts.
Plus, it is not good blogging etiquette. Please leave them up and open up commenting.
Below is a video highlighting the staff and the closing of the Rocky Mountain News. It is an incredible video that looks at the human side of the closing. It really captures what it means to the staff and readers that this wonderful paper has closed.
This paper is going to be missed. You can tell by this video that they put everything into what they did and they produced incredible stuff.
It is best watched in HD on their site. Click through and take a look.
Ward Lucas has retired from 9 News in Denver after 33 years in broadcasting. He anchored his final episode Saturday evening.
I worked with him on a couple of stories and worked tirelessly to get the story right. He was fair and professional throughtout it all. He was one reporter who I enjoyed working with.
Good luck Ward. We will miss you but wish you well.
I am attending WordCamp Denver today and just had a good presentation by Gil Asakawa on media and publishing.
One of the questions that came up was should bloggers fill the niche left behind by the Rocky Mountain News? Well should they?
My thought is that bloggers and everyone else should be looking out for something going on and question it. We are a republic after all.
One thing that I have noticed in the media, specifically the Denver Post, is that the reporters are general issue reporters. The speciality or niche reporter no longer exists. Continue reading “Should bloggers pick up for the loss of the Rocky?”
I hate to say this, but good-bye Rocky Mountain News. I am going to miss you.
I moved to the Denver area in 1993 and except for a couple years when I moved away I have been reading the Rocky Mountain News. It was an excellent newspaper and I always compared other newspapers to it.
And none of them really measured up.
What did I like?
I guess it is just the sign of the times. Newspapers across this country are in serious trouble. The Albuquerque Tribune closed a year-ago (another Scripps newspaper), the Seattle P-I will cease publishing a printed copy later this year, the San Francisco Chronicle is in trouble, and the stock of the New York Times is now below what a Sunday edition costs.
In the paper that is surviving, the Denver Post, I have concerns about their viability over the near and long-term. They have been having financial problems and had to borrow money from the Denver Newspaper Agency. They also just had to re-negotiate contracts with their staff.
Plus I have seen an incredible decline in the quality of their writing. Like many other newspapers they have reduced the newsroom staff, getting rid of the specialty writers and leaning towards the general writer who can cover more topics. But this lead to a poorer quality of writing and coverage of the issues.
The Rocky has provided a great benefit to the Denver and Colorado area for 150 years and Denver has benefited from having a two newspaper town. Now that we are done to one, let’s hope that the Denver Post keeps up their part of raising issues and keeping everyone in check.
For now, I am going to continue my subscription and receive the Denver Post. But I am nervous and have a lot of doubt that they will continue into the future. If I don’t like it, I will drop my subscription.
I want to wish the staff of the Rocky well as they move on with their career. I have met and worked with some of them on a professional level and always enjoyed it. They were always fair and provided good coverage of the issues.
Good-bye Rocky. Me and many others are going to miss you.
I just want to say that I’ll miss Tim Russert.
I enjoyed watching “Meet the Press” and listening to his thoughts and insight into political activities on NBC News and MSNBC. It was quite entertaining and he made it fun because he enjoyed it.
For those of you who don’t know, he passed away today at the age of 58.
I remember back to the Bush-Gore election and Russert was on the news speculating on the electoral college and who was going to win. It was back-and-forth and he kept erasing his white board. I was up late that night and Tim was still there with his white board.
I had the opportunity to see Tim speak in person at the PRSA International Conference last fall in Philadelphia. It was quite a speech and most of it spoke of the upcoming Presidential election. But he was most proud when he was talking about his book and his dad.
Tim Russert will be missed, especially as we go through this upcoming election. He made politics fun while educating us and providing a look into the campaigns.
After Forays With ABC and HBO, a Video Blogger Returns to Video Blogging – New York Times
Well Amanda Congdon has found out that the grass is not always greener and is returning to independent media.
Mainstream media does not always take kind to changing their culture and the culture of vloggers is out there compared to how they like to do things.
I am happy for this and I look forward to see what she develops on this new series, “Sometimes Daily,” of video blogging. It will be an interesting look at life through Amanda.
In Zimbabwe Jail: A Reporter’s Ordeal – New York Times
This is a really good article about the oppression, violence, torture and craziness of what is happening in Zimbabwe. It is really just sad what Robert Mubabe has done to this country.
Barry Bearak was covering the presidential election in Zimbabwe for the New York Times when he was arrested for “committing journalism.” The story follows his experiences through the process in jail, being freed, being re-arrested, and then escaping the country.
The main thing now is what is going to happen with the election. The final results have not been announced and they are doing a recount. The opposition is being beaten, arrested, and/or murdered. But it is a pretty good bet that Mugabe did not win the election.
Let’s hope that this repressive government leaves soon, but it is doubtful. They will probably come up with something to keep them in office. We all know that recount is a scam.
There are good people in this country, but one tyrant is suppressing and scaring a country so he can remain as the President.
Thanks Barry Bearak for the great article.
The 2008 Pulitzer Prize Winners have been announced. I don’t agree with who won, but the Idaho Statesman being named a finalist for their coverage of Larry Craig? Give me a break.
This was neither breaking news or good coverage of the the story. It was sensationalized with some elements of truth built in. The Idaho Statesman has always been out to get Larry Craig. What I find funny is that they did not break the story.
Rumors have always flown around about Larry Craig, but there hasn’t been that much of proof. This story provided an insight and the Idaho Statesman went for the jugular.
Now this mediocre newspaper is claiming victory by being named a finalist for a Pulitzer.
Mile High Soapbox 