Web scribes: Enter National Journalism Awards

Jay Small — Mon, 07 Jan 2008 20:56:09 +0000

The Scripps Howard Foundation, affiliated with the company that gives me my day job, once again seeks entries for its National Journalism Awards. The program includes a Web Reporting category. Enter before Jan. 31 and maybe you'll get to bask in the glory. Details from the announcement:

Since 1953 the Scripps Howard Foundation has honored the best work in journalism through its National Journalism Awards program. The awards honor excellence in 17 categories, including one that you will find of interest. The Web Reporting Award carries a cash prize of $10,000. The postmark deadline is Jan. 31; winners will be announced March 7 and honored at an awards presentation April 18 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. Here are details:

The Web Reporting Award honors the news organization that demonstrates the best use of new media technologies and innovative techniques to report on a news story or news event while maintaining the highest journalistic standards.

Open to any news organization whose primary function is the gathering and disseminating of news information to the general public. The news story or event must have been originally published online in 2007. Also open to organizations that combine their traditional field with new media efforts or organizations that focus solely on online formats. No college news organization work is eligible.

Entries must provide a URL or URLs for judges to view the news story or event. Entry must include a written narrative describing the organization’s efforts, a description of the news story or event and its components, original date published online, as well as justification of why the entry should be presented an award. $50 entry fee. Prize is $10,000 and a trophy.

Entry form. Questions: Sue Porter at 513-977-3030.

Good luck, entrants!

2008 is the year of 'the year of...'

Jay Small — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 00:46:17 +0000

Happy New Year! Now can we put an end to all the "milestoning" already?

You know what I mean. The changing of a year provides a far-too-easy opportunity for writers -- journalists, opinion leaders, you name it -- to look back or look forward any of these tired ways:

Reviewing the past year. News media love this trick, because it fills space or time when news is usually slow (assassinations notwithstanding) and staffs are usually thin.
Predictions for the upcoming year. Bloggers love this trick because (a) it lets them say whatever they wish about search-optimizing rich keyword combinations, and (b) it lets them come back at the end of the year and crow about what great prognosticators they are.
Proclaiming the upcoming year "the year of [insert company name, sociological trend or technology term here]." If I'm to believe what I see, 2008 is the year of scale, the potato, the spaceship, creative destruction, frugal travelers, free, the frog, the small idea (hey, I may have a leg up on that one), and European cultural dialogue.

Golly, I can't wait. Couldn't we consider some alternatives? For instance ...

I wish local media would take whatever time or space they apply to year-end milestoning and use it instead to organize and distribute a categorized, detailed calendar of every public event they are aware of through the coming year. Town council meetings, ham and bean dinners, concerts, school dances -- everything. If your local paper did that, don't you think it'd be much more a keeper edition than a rehash of what you already know?
I wish bloggers would run out more if/then scenarios than predictions. If I follow, for example, a technology blogger, chances are I am most interested in understanding potential impact to me or my company if something happens. I'm less interested in somewhat educated guesses about what might happen, that come with no what-to-do advice if it does happen.
And I wish the media and public relations fields would simply stop labeling years that haven't happened yet, especially when the trick is used as a publicity stunt for one cause or another.

I issued predictions once, a few years back, and in hindsight they were wastes of pixels. Then I did the bloggers' trick of following them up a year later. Even less useful.

So you will find no more milestoning here. Maybe I can start a new trend. Maybe we can work together to make 2008 the year of ... um ... never mind!