Digital Editors' Network

Jeff Jarvis has some interesting things to say about the role of journalism in his latest Guardian Column (re-published on his blog). His summary News organisations can no longer afford to own, employ, and control - to vet, verify, and sanitise - everything that happens. The only way they can expand is to work cooperatively with witness-reporters, community members, experts, people who publish on their own, finding and sending readers to the best and most reliable among them. How? Via the link. I feel a slight contradiction here. Without the role of providing the content we take on the role of providing access to the content that is out there. What makes us different from a search engine is that we apply some editorial guidelines to the process - we vet, verify and sanitise. That's supposed to be our USP in a digital age. How is that different from " finding and sending readers to the best and most reliable" Regardless of the language used it seems that filter rather tha...

Having trouble persuading your peers of the value of this digital stuff? You aren’t the only one. Trade journalist Paul Conley has come across some pretty entrenched views : Consider the editor who told me he wouldn't think about providing headlines for mobile devices because "no reasonable person needs more than a PC to stay connected." Or consider the reporter, told by his boss to include links in his copy, who insists that his publication "has to hire a specialist to do hyperlinks for me." Or consider the managing editor who told me she'd fight any attempt by her staff to launch new online products because she liked her job and her schedule "just the way it is." Sound familiar? The temptation may be to leave the hard-headed behind and go for the fresh young team. There are plenty out there. New journalist Meranda Watling is one . Thing is, the industry is being flooded with “kids” like me. Bright-eyed and ready for anything, willing to take ev...