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With LeBron James’ ESPN special, the line between sports journalism and sensationalism continues to blur (UPDATED)

An interesting development took place while I was at work Tuesday night — although not all that surprising.

A story broke on ESPN regarding NBA superstar LeBron James’ next move, which has been the big summer sports story outside of the World Cup. He plans to make his decision Thursday night. But, being LeBron, he wants to do it with the cameras on him and everybody watching a one-hour special starting at 9 p.m. on — you guessed it — ESPN. All the network had planned that Thursday night was “World Cup Premiere.”

Before I get into the ethical bag of snakes ESPN jumped into with this story, it’s important to note just how big of a circus this NBA free agency period has become. This annual routine is dominating the airwaves and television screens this year. Every day, we’re hearing about and watching what James and other free agents such as Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh are up to, whether they’re participating in kids camps or meeting with other players. Normally, these acts wouldn’t warrant publicity. But we invade their daily lives because everyone wants to know: Where are these guys going to play basketball? Journalists huddle up and ask these questions at these camps and other places like they’re going to get the answers they’d like to hear. (They won’t. These athletes will do it their way.)

Is all this hoopla for good reason? Sure — people want to hear about it. But this LeBron “special” goes to show how sensationalized (some) sports journalism has become. And ESPN is to blame for a lot of it.

Look — on one hand, I like ESPN. I do watch it on occasion, particularly SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight and Pardon the Interruption. The coverage is good, although the analysis goes overboard a lot (no, Joe Theismann, you don’t know what the players and coaches on the football field are thinking right now). Its reporters work constantly and have deep connections, usually breaking stories before local competitors. It has its own pointless awards ceremony. The Web presentation is top-notch, too — there are videos galore, aggregated stories and a deep, organized database of statistics and standings. You know, things many newspapers sports sections should be doing online, but aren’t.

But then there’s the other hand. ESPN dominates the sports journalism world, partially by partaking in shady journalistic tactics. It breaks the big story first by constantly allowing sources to be anonymous, a practice scorned upon in most cases (and for good reason) at many newspapers. Remember college football analyst Kirk Herbstreit’s report on LSU coach Les Miles heading to Michigan in 2007? His top-secret and supposedly reliable “sources” were wrong. Most news outlets would take a hit in credibility but, with how large of a brand ESPN was and still is, there was little risk involved.

Even if a story breaks in the Kansas City Star dealing with the Chiefs, you can bet ESPN will report it. And even if they attribute credit (which they sometimes do), they get the clicks. They get the attention, or at least most of it. They have the trusted “experts” that analyze the story and the big picture. And every story they report or speculate on builds their brand a little bit more with the millions that follow the network. As of late, ESPN is spreading its coverage by city, reaching five thus far: New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas and Boston. This local approach is targeting newspapers such as the Boston Globe and Chicago Tribune directly — and probably winning.

I have always thought ESPN’s goal of a sports coverage monopoly has overall deteriorated the quality of said coverage. There’s no transparency. There’s little accountability. It needs competition to stay on its toes. But not only has ESPN stomped the competition in reporting sports news (partially by guaranteeing anonymity to those who give the scoop), they also have locked-in deals with NBA, NFL and MLB to air their games. That makes its reporting even more ethically dubious. For example, wouldn’t it be in ESPN’s best interest to report a story that could ramp up the anticipation for the next Monday Night Football game and drive in higher ratings? Wouldn’t it be great to fish for bulletin-board material from a player prior to an NBA Finals game, then sensationalize it just to add to the excitement?

(For the record, I’m not accusing any specific ESPN reporters of doing any of this. But there is an obvious conflict of interest that can’t be ignored. This may not be as sensitive as government reporting, but it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t hold sports writing to the same journalistic standard.)

This brings me back to Thursday’s LeBron “special.” Apparently, LeBron’s camp wants to sell the sponsorship for the big event, with proceeds going toward the Boys and Girls Club of America. So that makes the announcement a little less sleazy. But think about this glaring issue: What if an ESPN reporter finds out, from a very reliable source, where LeBron is going prior to 9 p.m. Thursday night? Wouldn’t it be in their best interest to censor that scoop to ramp up ratings for Thursday night — or report it in fear of having it broken by another news source and rendering the special useless?

Not only is ESPN feeding the beast that is LeBron’s ego (and, yet again, catering to big-name athletes), it is putting itself in what could potentially be a disastrous situation that, in my opinion, breaks the journalistic code of ethics. All for television ratings, branding and advertising. But you know what? ESPN will get away with that. The line between quality sports journalism and entertainment has blurred for this company — and, in my view, we’re all paying for it.

UPDATE: JULY 12, 2010

Just a quick take on Thursday’s program, which I was able to watch at the Press:

“The Decision” was just about what I expected it to be. I didn’t expect LeBron’s actual decision to come within the first 10-15 minutes like ESPN said it would (It actually took roughly 27). I didn’t expect Jim Gray to ask any tough questions prior to the big one (”Are you still a nailbiter?” was a favorite cupcake of mine). I fully expected to feel like I just wasted 60 minutes of my life watching something that makes reality television look valuable (I was at work, it was on TV and, let’s face it, it was still the sports news of the night). Like Mitch Albom, I found it particularly interesting that there were children on hand to watch, as if this one-hour special was going to be something for them to remember for a long time.

Maybe I’m just somebody whose BS detector is fine-tuned after five years of journalism school, but I definitely heard ringing. From LeBron and from ESPN. Or, as Buzz Bissinger call it, “BSPN.”

Hopefully I’m not coming off as too much of a pessimist. There was some good that came out of this whole ordeal. I particularly loved the reporting of the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Brian Windhorst. While analysts around the county spouted off with speculation on what LeBron was thinking, Windhorst was doing the legwork. He caught the scoop from the teams’ visits, kept up on the latest using Twitter and — my favorite part — pieced the saga together following LeBron’s departure. Journalism at its finest always answers “Why?” Windhorst did that. And it’s not over yet.

Here are other reads related to ESPN’s “Decision” special:

• Richard Deitsch (Sports Illustrated) said he “gained a new respect for TV’s Amish in the City and Temptation Island” after watching the special.
• An advertising campaign that starts this week for ESPN has nothing to do with the Decision, The New York Times reports.
• LeBron’s big decision was “must-flee TV,” Arizona Republic’s Paola Boivin says.
• Something interesting to point out: ESPN’s Ombudsman, Don Ohlmeyer, has not yet written about The Decision, although that could change this week. We’ll see.

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The ups and downs of geolocation tools, and what we can learn from them

It seems many people are looking toward geolocation as the future of social media — that is, if it isn’t already “here” now.

The evolution of online networking has taken big steps the past few years. We’ve already nailed down connecting with friends and family (MySpace, then Facebook). We then nailed down connecting with random people and professional types (Twitter). Now we’re in the business of showing people where we’re at and where we’ve been (Foursquare, Gowalla, BrightKite, etc.). Twitter allows us to do this, and Facebook will, too.

Many people I’ve talked to think these geolocation apps are gimmicks — games that some people, especially social media hounds, will drool over, while others will stay content chatting on Facebook and Twitter. Fair enough. But like it or not, there are benefits of geolocation to journalists — although not without ethical and safety issues.

Developing technology

This past #wjchat, on Wednesday, was one of the better ones in terms of covering an issue from every aspect. The guest was Chad Graham, social media editor at azcentral.com (Arizona Republic), and the topic was exactly this: Geolocation. What are its benefits? How can journalists use it? What ethical issues surface from its use?

The reason why, in the first line of this post, I said if it isn’t already “here” now, is because in one sense, geolocation isn’t really “here.” Few people are using it right now outside of tech-savvy, public relations types and social media enthusiasts. Why? Besides the fact that this concept is still quite young, it doesn’t present the wide array of benefits that Twitter and Facebook did when they came along. Apps such as Foursquare can certainly connect you to people based on location, but most people ask, “Why should I make this effort to ‘check in’ to places?”

That’s a good question. Foursquare answers with the mayor label and an array of badges. Incentives (More on this later). So in a sense, geolocation is still developing, and it’s only going to go as far as its popularity. Unless people are given a reason to use this technology now, it’s going to grow slower than the wildfire growth we saw with Twitter and Facebook.

That isn’t to say geolocation will never fully catch on. It is right now, among a few demographics. And it is giving journalists another element to work with when covering stories.

Geojournalism

Graham pointed out several benefits of geolocation Wednesday, including an example on how a tourism reporter can use it. In essence, it allows journalists to easily find people who frequent certain places without having to perform trial-and-error on location.

Another great use of geolocation: Building your brand. Some news organizations, including the Grand Rapids Press (where I currently work), are working to geotag stories with locations, perhaps as “tips.” Therefore, when people are using Foursquare and are looking up places to eat, drink, dance, lay on the beach, etc., they will find written stories (or, even better, summaries with links) about those places. Foursquare organizes tips based on your proximity, so getting as many stories filed onto this tool (and hopefully linked to), the better.

What parts of the newsroom benefit most from geolocation? In my opinion, it’s cops and courts. The most underused element of any news site is the police log. One of the new features of Central Michigan Life’s Web site when it debuted last August (I was editor in chief at the time) was a Google Map embedded into a page that marked critical arrests and incidents based on data from several police departments. This is, by far, the greatest way to present police data to readers, especially if it can be mobilized and track recent crimes based on where the user is at. How many news organizations are still not utilizing this is beyond me.

The Mashable story I linked to above provides more ways of using Foursquare as a journalistic tool. You can use it to source information from tips, crowdsource news w/ badges, etc.

The “dark side” of geolocation

As to be expected, however, there are several ethical and safety concerns that arise when dealing with, you know, showing people where they’re at and when.

A PCWorld story I read recently gave some great reasons what companies can do with your data. The biggest concern? Having Foursquare bought out by another company and having the privacy policy you originally agreed to get thrown out the window. “Imagine the wealth of location data available to legal authorities now,” Dan Tynan writes.

The other great concern, obviously, is safety. Graham pointed out during #wjchat that safety comes first. I completely agree. Geolocation is not enough of a necessity in journalism, and is not recommended for people, including journalists, when there is a concern of safety. One way you can reduce the risk of stalking is by “checking in” to places right before you leave, but the obvious remedy is not using geolocation altogether. People choose to share location-based information, after all.

As for an ethical issue, here’s one, via Graham: Would reporters checking in to places be seen as an endorsement? A former colleague of mine, Chad Livengood, a reporter now with the News Journal in Wilmington, De., addressed a similar issue — “liking” pages on Facebook — by writing this:

NOTE: Because I am a political reporter, I sometimes will become a “fan” of a certain politician, just to see what he/she is writing to constituents and voters. In no way does it mean that I endorse or support any politician or public official. It also does NOT mean I am necessarily a “fan” of them — or vice-versa.

Perhaps a note such as this would quell that issue on Foursquare? It’s an interesting dynamic, for sure. Feel free to comment if you have a take on the matter.

Conclusion

Like it or not, geolocation is going to play a part in the future of social media and journalism. The future of news is hyperlocal and personalized, both of which geolocation plays a part in. Whether apps such as Foursquare or something down the road catch on like wildfire or not, we need to acknowledge that proximity plays a factor in news and what’s going on around you. It always has, in some sense.

There are other little things we can learn from these tools, too. For example, Foursquare’s incentives idea (mayors, badges) should be applied to other areas, such as comments sections (I’ve talked about this before, with Huffington Post’s use of it). It’s a great way to get people a little more motivated to participate in conversation, and it also can allow people to self-moderate the comments area for you.

My hope is that every news organization is experimenting with geolocation and, if it isn’t, it should start as soon as possible if it wants to remain relevant among its readership. After all, if you’re not trying new technologies and staying ahead of the game, you’re falling behind and quickly losing relevance. Just be wary of the safety and ethical implications that arise with this new technology.

One final thought, thanks to Dorrine Mendoza, online content producer for North County Times: Geolocation tools are “like finding a $5 bill, you get unexpected rewards.”

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Michigan news media aggregating an unlikely earthquake

A little before 2 p.m. today, an earthquake (epicenter near Ottawa and Montreal) seemed to shake Michigan, mostly the eastern side of the state. That’s where I happen to be right now, visiting family.

I didn’t feel it, probably because I was driving home when it supposedly happened but, as soon as I read about it on Twitter, I looked for more information.

Here are some of the things I found, mainly from Michigan media, within a span of 40 minutes following the tremors:

• AnnArbor.com was among the first on it. Along with updates on its Twitter, it posted a story and a map of the epicenter, but also incorporated a Twitter feed searching for “earthquake.” That’s a great way to centralize content and conversation on its site.
• The Detroit News Twitter account started simply with this: “Did anyone else feel that?” It would be retweeted nine times (as of me writing this post). However, its site update doesn’t link. (At least not as of 3:07 p.m.)
• MLive.com, initiated by the Grand Rapids Press, posted a story with a lot of aggregation. One of my first thoughts following the quake: Does that happen a lot in Michigan? They were right on top of it with a link. (Michigan’s earthquake history here, thanks to a good friend of mine, Justin Engel)
• The Detroit Free Press had a story online with some aggregation at 2:07 p.m. It would later update on Twitter and Facebook, asking followers what they felt.
• The Globe and Mail in Toronto is all over it, too. There’s a story, a Twitter feed, a live blog and even a Google Map with the epicenter marked. (Have I ever mentioned that Google Maps is still one of the most underused widgets on news sites?)
  
  My favorite part: in the live blog, someone posted a video in the aftermath of the quake, from Ottawa. That happens when you build a strong community around you.

Overall, despite the earthquake being such an unexpected event, it’s nice to see a lot of media around me pick up the story, run with it and think of other ways to incorporate reader discussion. We might forget about this quake a month from now (assuming nothing else happens), but the important thing is readers were talking about it. And they probably will throughout the rest of the day. Progress!

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Five things (some) news websites are doing right

We’re obviously not there yet when it comes to perfecting the online news site. And there’s probably a different answer for every community and every audience. But from reading and seeing the online presentations of multiple sites for the past few years, I can safely say a lot of newspapers are making strides in certain areas.

Some are doing really well with managing a comments area, while others are just doing well with organizing their home pages. Others are trying new things and experimenting with layout (which is great to see!). Here are some of my favorite developments, although this is by no means comprehensive:

1. A “hanging” interactive menu with each story

When I go to a news website, I don’t want to scroll too much to find & do what I want. I also don’t want to look everywhere to find functions/features/etc. So if I’m a news site, I want to try and make the reader’s experience as convenient as possible. (This is going to come up at least a couple more times in this blog post.)

Some sites are experimenting with a menu that hangs on the screen as you scroll through a story. Most people recognize it on Mashable. But some newspaper sites are doing it, too — The Daily Chronicle in Illinois has one that hangs on the bottom of the screen, complete with options to view/add comments, share the story and even hide the bar if you find it annoying. No matter where you’re at on that page, that menu will be there.

Not only is it convenient for readers, but it also cleans the page from extra clutter (normally, the share/print/comment options are found under the headline, the byline or the story). Simple is better!

2. Heavy social media interaction

Key word here is “interaction.” I’ve mentioned this at least once before: Newspapers need to stop treating their Twitter accounts like RSS feeds. If people want all headlines, they’ll subscribe to your feed or go to your website. Twitter is a networking tool — use it to connect with your audience!

One great example of a site bucking the headline trend: The Atlanta Journal-Constitution routinely interacts with followers by answering their questions, retweeting and providing breaking updates from even sports. Furthermore, the AJC offers plenty of other accounts to follow on its website.

Another good example of a news site using Twitter to its advantage: The Florida Times-Union (JaxDotCom). It’s fine to mix in headlines and breaking updates on Twitter, but it’s also important to listen to your followers and talk with them. It’s really the 2010 way of answering your phone at work.

Facebook: This is another social media site many newspapers are struggling to maximize. But I like what The Arizona Republic (azcentral.com) is doing with its Facebook page. There are plenty of headlines and topics to go around, but also contests and promotions that provide for a huge boost in fans. Readers eat those up!

3. A rewards system in reader comments

This is one of my favorite developments. Very few news sites are doing this but, when executed right, a rewards system on a site’s comments section is an excellent way to liven up the conversation, keep people talking (and in a generally civil way, too) and, most importantly, keep your site from becoming a “comment ghetto.”

The Huffington Post has a prime example of a well developed comments area. Readers can earn badges for frequently commenting on stories and engaging with others (see right). Badges also can be upgraded via levels. This is very similar to how Foursquare rewards its users when they check in frequently. It’s all about giving little incentives!

What I really love, though, is the moderator badge. Don’t have the manpower in your news organization to monitor comments? Outsource that duty to your readers. The Huffington Post explains in their FAQ:

If you’ve flagged at least 20 comments that we ended up deleting and have a high ratio of good flags to mistaken flags, we’ll award you with a Level 1 Moderator Badge and enhance your flags so that they have five times more influence. If you’ve flagged at least 100 comments that we deleted and have a very high ratio of good flags to mistaken flags, we make you a Level 2 Moderator, upgrade your Badge, and trust you to delete inappropriate comments on the site. We will continue to trust you to delete inappropriate comments from the site as long as you handle the task responsibly. If you’re like many users, you’ll want to step up your flagging game and become one of our most trusted users.

This all falls under the idea that a well developed community can monitor itself. And it can. You just have to pull the right strings.

(Note: Yes, I still hold to my opinion that anonymity is not the answer to fixing news site comments. This is just one of the better solutions to fixing comment ghettos.)

4. Home page personalization

The future of news is personalized. It’s hyperlocal. And often, nowadays, when you log into a news site, you have to get around the stories you don’t care about to find the ones that do matter to you. As I mentioned earlier, it’s all about convenience — and personalizing your news experience is a part of that.

We have a long ways to go in this department. But there are still some sites making strides. My first experience with news personalization was with ESPN, when they implemented MyESPN to allow you to track your favorite teams, leagues, players and columnists along the right column (although that column is not there anymore). News sites have rarely ventured into personalization, but the Orange County Register allows you to organize your home page by ordering the categories on the right side of the page (see the image).While this is a primative example of true personalization, it’s a step in the right direction.

One more example of personalizing news, albeit it’s not on the home page (yet): The Grand Rapids Press offers its hyperlocal coverage, “Ada to Zeeland,” via an interactive map. (Disclosure: I am an intern for The Press)

5. Landing pages for extensive content

I’ve been over this one, too (see #3 in the link). When hot topics come up in the community, it’s extremely convenient to have a one-stop shop for all the coverage, whether it be news stories, multimedia or even reader interaction, where everything is neatly organized and summarized. That was one thing we did well at Central Michigan Life while I was editor — two of our landing pages included the tailgating controversy at CMU and also the budget situation.

I have always been a big fan of the Spokesman-Review website. Not only is it one of the cleanest sites out there, but it is so unique in how content is organized. You can easily search by time, place, and topic, and you can also see the hot topics through the “Quick Links” navigation bar. Take a look at how some of these landing pages are designed (for example, Mount St. Helens). They should never look like a list of tagged stories.

Another recent example of a hot topic page: The Washington Post and its Stephen Strasburg page. Although it’d be much nicer if the URL was simplified (i.e. washingtonpost.com/strasburg).

Other good reads from the week so far:

• Why link out? Four journalistic purposes of the noble hyperlink. A good summary of the value of the link, especially in journalism. As Jeff Jarvis says, “Do what you do best, and link to the rest.” (NOTE: Here’s another read fron Nieman Lab on the maximizing the value of the link.)
• Bloggers: 7 questions to ask before hitting publish. Sometimes, it’s easy to lose perspective when writing. Use these tips to keep you in line.
• The best journalism you’ll see today: “Prison Valley”. Actually from last week, but I loved it so much, I thought I’d link it again. Not only does this project involve stellar video and photo work, but it’s interactive: You can navigate your way through the story. Amazing work.

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Publish2 aims to supplant the Associated Press, reinvent the news exchange with ‘P2X’

It isn’t often I write blog posts on back-to-back days, but I couldn’t resist after Publish2 revealed its newest project at TechCrunch Disrupt on Monday in New York City.

The project is called P2X. Or, in longer form, the Publish2 News Exchange. Its goal? “Craigslist” the Associated Press.

The idea behind P2X is to allow news and blogging organizations to easily and efficiently share and distribute content among multiple platforms. Instead of using the Associated Press for wire content, newspapers can use the News Exchange as an alternative to find content from other newspapers and even blogs — for a much cheaper price, if any. Publish2 founder Scott Karp introduced the project Monday (video), and it became a finalist in the Disrupt conference’s Startup Battlefield competition.

The more I think about it, the more intrigued I am about this development. Why? Not necessarily because of how much money it could save news companies (although that’d be a huge plus, if P2X can develop a thriving web of news organizations and blogs). Instead, I’m thinking about how much more efficient content sharing can be between news organizations, and how much more vibrant their products can be because of that.

I talked about my love for newspapers in an earlier post, and that I’m also well aware of their future (or lack thereof). But Karp realizes the reality of the news industry right now — print is still a staple in most communities and newsrooms. And even now, Publish2 knows it has to support the print operation while it lasts. (I love how Karp put it during his presentation, when asked how relevant his new service will be when news orgs start going online only: “(We’re) creating that strong relationship now by helping them with their business today.” It’s marketing 101.)

So how would P2X benefit newspapers over AP in terms of content? I like how Jay Rosen put it on Twitter: It’s an extension to print of “Do what you do best, and link to the rest.” The AP is a collective of more than 1,500 news publications producing content, but every story through the wire goes through one identity — the AP. To me, P2X is giving newspapers the opportunity to refresh its content curation (particularly for Sunday editions, which tend to feature a lot of syndicated content) and enforce their brand by taking away the middle man. Furthermore, it opens the door for content from blogs such as TechCrunch to make it to print, which is an excellent idea because, contrary to the old-media belief, blogs can provide high-quality content!

Like I said, this development especially benefits the Sunday newspaper, which many news organizations use to curate Associated Press stories. The Grand Rapids Press is one of them. P2X can refresh those pages. There is a lot more value to stories in the paper when they are curated from a wide variety of sources and respected brands. Furthermore, newspapers can use this opportunity to link their print product with their online product. How? Curate stories in your print product and tell your readers to go online and find out what else you’re reading. Like what you’re reading in the paper? See what else we’re reading online, in real time. Do what you do best — report local news, localize national news and provide commentary — and link to the rest.

There are still a number of questions to address with P2X as it gets started, however. I thought William P. Davis brought a good one up on Twitter: What about the weather and sports agate? A great part of the AP’s value is providing this sort of specialized content for news organizations. Can P2X provide a consistent, efficient alternative to those? Furthermore, it’s going to be interesting to see how many newspapers and blogs subscribe to this network over time, and how many of them are going to really take advantage of it. How many entities will charge for content use, and how widespread will they share their content? How many of them will actually drop the AP in favor of P2X over the next year? Two years? Five?

Answers to some of those may come with time, but questions are important to bring up if P2X is going to be successful in disrupting the AP which, despite its flaws, is the largest news organization in the world. I’m fully rooting for P2X, however. It’s a simple, but excellent idea at the core, and it provides news companies a way to easily organize its wire content, share its own and build a brand online among news providers. Oh, and it’s a much cheaper operation for all parties involved.

More links related to the P2X announcement and TC Disrupt:

• Karp explains the business model behind P2X after it was named one of the three finalists at TechCrunch Disrupt (go to about the 8:50 mark).
• “AP ripe for disruption by Web platform,” by Jack Lail, an adviser of Publish2.
• Follow TC Disrupt on Twitter by searching the hashtag #TCDisrupt.

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What reporters and newspapers can learn from the Phoenix Suns

First, a disclosure: I’ve been a Phoenix Suns fan since the mid-’90s, the days of Charles Barkley, Dan Majerle and Kevin Johnson. So I’ve been following them a long time, and especially now, since they’re in the Western Conference Finals.

The Suns also reached the conference finals in 2005 and 2006, both losing efforts — but this year has been a particularly interesting experience. On the sports side of it, it’s because when this team is doing well (I say that because this series hasn’t exactly shown much of it), it is contagious to watch. The Suns play at a fast pace and with some of the best chemistry I’ve seen in a long time out of the NBA.

This year, there’s another side to it: The networking side. The Suns, from the organization down to the players, are showcasing a great use of social networking and communication.

I’ll explain, starting from the top.

The organization

Every team in the NBA and other major sports has a Twitter account they use to link to stories, provide updates and sometimes retweet players and fans. The Suns organization uses theirs better than most. It uses a universal account, @PhoenixSuns, and it doesn’t just use it to spread team news. It regularly does promotions, holds contests for tickets (even to playoff games!) and retweets its fans, among other things. There’s no face to the account, but the organization still gets on ground level and interacts with its audience — a lot.

The Suns’ vice president of interactive services, Jeramie McPeek, explains on Twitter interaction (watch the entire video, it’s a great peek at what they do):

Be relevant, be transparent, give them sort of a behind-the-scenes look into your world … and after awhile, they’ll start to appreciate that and feel connected to you and want to follow you and tell their friends about you, and it just kind of spreads virally from there.

Another thing I love: The Suns organization gets its employees involved, too. Have them be “brand ambassadors,” as McPeek says.

All of this needs to apply to more organizations, particularly in news. When I look at a newspaper’s Twitter feed, I don’t want to see a rehashed RSS feed of headlines. If I want today’s headlines, I’ll go to your Web site. What makes Twitter so useful, as we’ve established, is how it allows us to connect with millions of people on a simple interface and interact with them. Mix in some news headlines every now and then, especially breaking news as it develops, but get your followers involved by talking with them, retweeting, holding promotions/contests, etc. Easy.

The players

Another dynamic to the 2010 Suns’ playoff run: Now I can follow players on Twitter, such as Steve Nash, Grant Hill, Amar’e Stoudemire, Jason Richardson (who’s from my hometown of Saginaw, Mich.) and Jared Dudley.

Typically, players will use their account to interact with friends, other players and sometimes talk to a fan or two. But I was really impressed by one of Jared Dudley’s tweets Friday night (right).

The Suns, down 2-0 after two tough losses in Los Angeles, were basically back to the drawing board last week. They had little success in shutting down Kobe and the Lakers’ big men (Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom), and their shooting rarely got going, except for a run in the third quarter of Game 2 that tied the game entering the fourth. So they went to work in the three days between games.

Dudley comes off the bench for Phoenix, but he has quickly become one of my favorite players, in part because of his interaction in interviews and with fans. Most professional basketball players wouldn’t think of asking fans what they think their team needs to do to win. Not only did Dudley do that, but he retweeted several responses. He said he received more than 600 replies and said his teammates would read them as well. The adjustments they made, whether influenced by fans, seem to have paid off so far — the Suns won Game 3 and have a chance to even the series Tuesday.

Interaction is key

Newspapers around the country are trying to find ways to better connect to today’s audience. While some are having success at using their Twitter account with some versatility, many really should take a page from the Suns’ playbook.

What they are succeeding at is bridging unity between the organization, the players and the fans.

The Suns are closing the gap between themselves (including the players) and their audience, the same sort of gap that is ever so wide between news companies and readers. And the timing, with this being playoff season, is impeccable. While reaching the Western Conference Finals certainly helps liven up a fan base, so does reaching out to them and listening to them. The more connected the fans feel, the louder they’ll scream at games, the more loyal they’ll stay to your organization.

The Phoenix Suns — from the top of the organization down to the beloved players on the court — are setting a standard news companies should achieve.

Oh — and to the team — good luck the rest of the series! I’ll be watching a couple thousand miles away.

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We know where journalism’s going — but don’t forget about the newspaper just yet

(Nothing spectacular here; just wanted to put a thought down while I had it. I may expand on this later.)

I’ve spent the majority of this week training for my second stint at The Grand Rapids Press, learning the new system workflow it implemented since last summer. Between that and settling in on the northwest side of the city, I haven’t had too much time to really relax and read something.

But today was a bit different — Michigan is finally receiving sunny, mid-70s weather. In fact, it’s going to stay that way for the majority of the next week. So I grabbed something to eat, a drink, and a newspaper and sat outside.

Yup. A newspaper.

Being a Web guy who hears a lot of people call it prehistoric thinking, I have to get this off my chest: I love the newspaper. Even in 2010, when there are so many more efficient ways of delivering and curating the news, not to mention public forums, part of me is still partial to the print edition. Part of it is because I grew up reading newspapers. Part of it is because I can’t stand to read on a screen all day. But for years, the newspaper has been a community staple far and wide and, despite the shift that journalism is currently making, it still is — for now.

As I have repeated in previous blog posts, I went to college for five years in Mount Pleasant, a somewhat rural community compared to the cities other universities call home. About 23,000 people live there, and the biggest building in the area is probably the Soaring Eagle Casino and Resort on the outskirts. I wouldn’t say it’s a closed-in community, since it’s home to a public university, but Mount Pleasant is very connected within itself. And from surveying people and living there for five years, the print editions of Central Michigan Life and the local paper, the Morning Sun, dominate their respective Web presentations.*

So what’s my point? Despite all the talk about how newsrooms need to move forward (which they do), sometimes we forget our readers need to move forward, too. And they’re going to do it at their own pace, sometimes even if you offer much more content and versatility online. We can try and entice print readers to move online for their news but, even in 2010, for many people, local news from the newspaper (and perhaps the 5 o’clock news) is all they need.

That’s still the case, largely, in Mount Pleasant. I know it’s probably different in bigger metropolitan areas. Students read CM Life’s newspaper in between classes, in class or at lunch. The Morning Sun still sells thousands of copies per day. I’ve debated with several people, including young journalists, a few months ago about why student newspapers don’t move Web-only. For me, it’s Economics 101: if there’s still value to the print product, even if it’s slowly diminishing, why get rid of it altogether? Why “skip to the end,” even if you know, in a general sense, where journalism is going (online)?

Think back to the 1985 film “Back to the Future.” Think of the scene where Marty McFly (played by Michael J. Fox, one of my favorite actors) performs the crazy guitar solo at his parents’ high school prom. Since the year is 1955, thirty years prior to the present day, nobody on the floor had a clue how to react to the solo. Even the band didn’t know how to react; one member asks McFly, “What do you call that?” His answer: “Rock and roll.”

Think of rock and roll as the Web, in this case, except we’re further along the process. Many people are used to the Web, true, but not everybody, particularly older generations not brought up on the Internet. We’re obviously transitioning to a world where every single person is connected to the Web in some way. There will be a day where the newspaper will come second to the Web among readership. But for many communities, today’s not that day. 2010 is not that year.

News publications have to make the slow transition from print to the web as reader demand changes and, today, that means including both in the process. As we already know, however, this is easier said than done; the biggest problem facing newsrooms today is adapting to a changing industry and figuring out how to make a modern news model profitable. Many don’t know how to ease along the process and sustain the business it has.

One thing, I think, newspapers need to do better: Linking their Web product with their print product. Their greatest advertising engine for their Web site is their print edition, and many don’t take advantage of it. I elaborated more on this in a previous blog post.

Stepping in

I’m primarily working on the sports copy desk at The Press this summer. But my hope is to get involved with the Web, too. I think the Web desk in Grand Rapids is doing a great job at taking advantage of some of the tools it has available, despite operating on what (in my opinion) is a flawed CMS design in MLive. Here’s one example: An interactive map outlining Grand Rapids and the surrounding areas. Visitors can use this map to find hyperlocal news by clicking on their respective neighborhood.

Over the next couple weeks, I’m going to assemble a list of ideas and, perhaps, some goals to complete during my internship, including on the copy desk. I may share them on here, depending on the circumstances. But the goal with every news organization or company I work for is to leave it better than I found it. Let’s see if that happens here, too!

* – This is a comparison of overall print readership with online readership in the Mount Pleasant area.

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As one chapter ends, another one begins

This Saturday marks the end of my college career. Upon the completion of my take-home exam, which has to be turned in 2 p.m. Wednesday, I will graduate from Central Michigan University with a bachelor of science in journalism (news editorial concentration) and a minor in media design, production and technology.

It took me five years and three switches in majors and minors to do it, but it’s finally happening. It probably won’t hit me until August, when I’m not returning to school with many of my other colleagues at Central Michigan Life, where I worked for virtually the entirety of my college career. I started as a news reporter, working my way toward sports and arts/entertainment reporting before becoming Lifeline Editor my sophomore year. I worked as an editor on virtually every desk, including online, before becoming editor in chief last fall.

It’s certainly sad to think that my time at CM Life is over. But I’m ready to move on to new things.

I return May 17 to the Grand Rapids Press, where I spent last summer as a copy editing intern. This time, I’ll start on the sports copy desk and hopefully take a crack at some Web work as the summer progresses. I’ll begin looking for a full-time job once July comes around, preferably as an online producer or a sports reporter (with an online bent). No matter what I do, I want to be a part of journalism’s future. This is such a critical time in the industry, and we need more people thinking forward and not just talking innovative, but being innovative.

A reflection

I hate to be so cliche about my time as editor in chief, but it really was a roller coaster ride. I accomplished many goals I set out for the staff, but failed at several others. We launched a new Web site in August, began livestreams and live chats, unleashed our first extensive multimedia project and set the path for the online movement at our 91-year-old publication. We won our first-ever Online Pacemaker Finalist award this spring (check back in October to see if we’re a winner). Our print edition wasn’t so bad, either, though — it We did run a couple dozen corrections, I was threatened a lawsuit twice, but didn’t have to fire a single staffer.

The part I’m most proud of, however, is the staff returning for the fall. My overarching goal throughout the year was to make sure the newspaper was better off in May than it was in August. And at a student newspaper, where the entire staff circulates every four years, you have to make sure students are in an environment to grow, get better and eventually take the reins and lead their peers. The staff set in place next fall, led by fall editor Jackie Smith, looks like an exciting group, and I can’t wait to see what they do in print and online. I’m sad I can’t be a part of it.

It’s difficult to pick one piece of advice to take from my experience and share. But I think that now — in 2010 — is the time for every student newspaper to get cracking and move forward, something that really should’ve been done a couple years ago. Innovate. Take risks. Break status quo. Even Central Michigan Life as a ways to go in that department. But it’s not something you do overnight — you have to make progress and work toward something. We launched a new Web site last August and followed up with our first-ever livestreams, live chats and the like. Now, hopefully, we can move toward a Web workflow, or developing mobile applications.

No matter what you do, though, never forget about your readers and what they want out of your publication. You’re serving them. Gauge their interests and do what you can to meet them in person. Hold special events, set up a table outside your central park area, hand out newspapers at athletic events — get on ground level and be a part of your community. Live chats and livestreams help (make sure you use those, too), but they don’t replace the intimacy of real-life conversation. That is what really goes a long way toward building trust, reputation and the impact your news outlet has among your audience. The more your publication acts like an ivory tower — “we report it, you read it, you’re welcome” — the smaller it becomes. So get out there.

I’m not the only editor in chief graduating moving on to newer (and hopefully better) things. I asked Alex Byers, outgoing editor in chief of George Washington Hatchet, GWU’s student newspaper, to give his take as well, and he makes some excellent points as well:

When I got elected as The Hatchet’s next EIC in March of 2009, my
predecessor told me that it would be the most difficult and rewarding
year of my life. He was spot on.

At a student news organization, one of the biggest obstacles is the
conceptual difference between student and professional. The term
“student” newspaper implies something less than professional; after
all, when it comes to most fields – athletics, finance, politics – you
wouldn’t expect most student-based organizations to be perfect or as
effective as their older counterparts. In the news business, though,
there is no room for being anything less than professional. Facts are
facts, and accuracy is a necessity – stories that are 85 percent true
aren’t acceptable. Being held to a higher standard than most student
organizations, and doing it with people who are inherently amateur is
no easy task. Which is why it’s all the more rewarding when
you’re successful.

Student journalists today have so many great ideas for innovation and
the future of news. If I could only give one piece of advice to the
next crop of student newsroom leaders, it would be this: Understand
that you won’t accomplish everything you set out to – it’s okay if you
never develop that real-time, dorm-by-dorm Twitter mash-up you
outlined. But if you keep trying new things and pushing the envelope
of how information is presented, you’ll put out a great product and
learn a thing or two in the process.

It isn’t over

Although I am moving past the college chapter of my life, I want to continue engaging with students working with their campus publication and hopefully work toward a brighter future for journalism education.

Why? Because that’s where it all begins. This industry needs young journalists more than ever because of their innovation, their passion and the new perspective they bring, having grown up in a different generation with new technology and new ways of thinking. But they need to be taught to innovate, take risks and break status quo. So many student newsrooms suffer the same exact thing professional newsrooms do — they’re not adapting to 2010. They need to change.

So for those of you involved in journalism education in one way or another — students, faculty, assistants, etc. — let’s stay connected.

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