International Symposium on Online Journalism
A program of the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas at the University of Texas at Austin
Keynote | April 2, 2011
The afternoon keynote at the ISOJ was by Warren Webster, president of Patch Media. Depending on who you listen to, Patch is or isn’t journalism. But it is hiring journalists and has a presence in 800 US towns. It has 50% penetration in these markets and is growing in monthly visits by more than 40%. … Read More
Research | April 2, 2011
With social recommendation becoming an increasingly important way that people get the news, the final research paper at ISOJ looked at how news travels on social networks. The research paper by Brian Baresch, Dustin Harp, Lewis Knight and Carolyn Yaschur from the University of Texas at Austin surveyed 78 US Facebook users and the links … Read More
Business Models | April 2, 2011
Today’s ISOJ panel on the sustainability of the nonprofit online journalism model sparked a lively discussion that included journalism education, news business models, credibility, and collaboration. Lisa Frazier of The Bay Citizen, the Texas Tribune’s John Thornton, and Gustavo Gorriti of Peru’s IDL-Reporteros each spoke on the solvency of their publications and their outlooks on … Read More
Innovation | April 2, 2011
The research presented at ISOJ by Jonathan Groves, Drury University and Carrie Brown, University of Memphis, looked at the Christian Science Monitor’s transition from print to web. For the paper, the researchers spent three weeks in the newsroom, watching how journalists worked and talking to them about journalism. The Monitor started in 1908 as a … Read More
Engagement | April 2, 2011
Based on an extensive analysis of 19 newspaper websites in Latin America (some 2,300 articles), UT Austin doctoral students Summer Harlow and Ingrid Bachmann honed in on the multimedia features of each site, the interactivity options and engagements, and the promotion of participatory journalism. They found that less than a fifth of the stories … Read More
Engagement | April 2, 2011
Should new outlets continue to press toward digital innovations? Yes, but perhaps not without more though, according to Dr. Iris Chyi of the University of Texas at Austin and Monica Chada, a doctoral student at UT. “The web is not a primary revenue driver,” Chyi said, speaking during the second Saturday panel of ISOJ. “Instead, … Read More
Keynote | April 2, 2011
Madanmohan Rao, an influential Indian writer and media consultant, spoke Saturday, day two of ISOJ, on the effects of mobile media and nine other trends in the emerging markets of Asia and Africa. According to Rao mobile media in the political arena is making headway. From Egypt to India, citizens are advocating for more freedom … Read More
Business Models | April 2, 2011
The first panel on day two of the ISOJ tackled one of the big questions in journalism – is nonprofit journalism online sustainable? “We don’t know,” said Lisa Frazier, President & CEO, The Bay Citizen, one of the new startups in this area. The Bay Citizen has a clear civic mission to provide local news … Read More
Research | April 1, 2011
Cindy Royal, who first attended ISOJ the year before she started UT’s doctoral program in 1999 and hasn’t missed one since, moderated the final ISOJ panel session Friday. Royal, who earlier tweeted, “This is event has grown so much in 12 years! @rosental announcing new journal! @ Opening Session #isoj http://gowal.la/p/cUBr #photo,” said she keeps … Read More
Social Media | April 1, 2011
The final research paper at the [Friday session of] ISOJ focused on how newsrooms were using Twitter. Dale Blasingame from Texas State University, San Marcos, looked at how Twitter was changing TV news. (Paper, PDF).He started by saying that a web first approach in newsrooms is no longer enough due to the instant dissemination of … Read More