“Clickability” is an element that Marty Kaiser, ASNE President and Editor to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, pictured right, considers vital to keeping news media afloat. Kaiser opened his presentation by comparing anecdotal news-telling strategies from the ‘60’s with today’s blogging strategies. Instead of being pulled into a news story via a compelling anecdote, readers of today want to interact with a story by ‘clicking in’. Pioneer journalists at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel are continually experimenting with new ways to meet the needs of their online, interactive readership: blogging about the process and reasoning behind writing a story before actually publishing it; offering immediate breaking news feeds; providing a “Capitol Connect” link to directly address ways Congress might be dealing with issues related to an article; offering a place for readers to vote on issues affecting the community; providing further content links to personal stories and public data for greater impact.
Kaiser suggested that the format of journalism is continually evolving, however the questions a journalist should be asking are timeless: why should readers care, how many people are affected, how can this story bring more to the community…? Journalists of today simply have the option of making “an even bigger impact” with how they tell a story. For teachers, this means teaching the basic canons of newsworthiness is still vital to student journalists, however encouraging new ways to connect and interact with readers is integral for preparing them for the future of journalism – an exciting and ever-evolving process.
Andrea Krueger
Centennial High School
Circle Pines, Minnesota
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