Howard Owens on the roles of modern journalism

Howard Owens always offers good insight. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call him the Journalism Listmaster (2008 objectives for today’s non-wired journalist).

Here is his latest list, on the Six roles, or job duties, of modern journalism:

  • The Ethical Role
  • The Guide/Filter Role
  • The Understanding and Context Role
  • The Conversation Leader Role
  • The Aggregator Role
  • The Straight News Role

I particularly like the following, which hits on the potential value of having a greater number of reporters and editors blogging:

“I know many really, really smart reporters and editors. These people should have blogs, and they should serve readers better by taking the news of the day and putting it in context, combing articles for the tidbits that need to be weaved together to make a bigger whole, and explaining what it all means.”

New to the neighborhood: EveryBlock

A new hyperlocal site created by Adrian Holovaty and others called EveryBlock was recently reviewed by Al Tompkins, who writes “Al’s Morning Meeting” on Poynter Online.

Check out Tompkins review here, but be sure to give EveryBlock a look-see of your own.

The site currently includes New York, Chicago and San Francisco. Miami should be an interesting one…

Weigh in: What do you think of the site?

UPDATE, Jan. 25 at 12:14 P.M.: Journalismenterprise.com also did a review here.

UPDATE, Jan. 25 at 1:31 P.M.: Mindy McAdams posted about it too.

NYT: Afghan journalism student sentenced to death for blasphemy

I’d fallen behind with reading the New York Times in my Google Reader, but just ran across this disturbing item:

 

KABUL, Afghanistan — An Afghan court in northern Afghanistan sentenced a journalism student to death for blasphemy for distributing an article from the Internet that was considered an insult to the Prophet Muhammad, the judge in charge of the court said Wednesday.

The student, Sayed Parwiz Kambakhsh, 23, who also works for a local newspaper, was charged with insulting Muhammad by calling the prophet “a killer and adulterer,” the judge, Shamsurahman Muhmand, said in a telephone interview.

 

The articles were written by his brother, the story says. Furthermore:

The case is the third time that clerics have called for death for a blasphemer in the six years since the removal of the Taliban leadership and reflects the deep conservatism that prevails even under the more liberal government of President Hamid Karzai.

Kambakhsh has the right to petition the decision to the and supreme courts, the article says.

Weigh in: What’s your take on this situation?

Update, Jan. 31 at 2:37 A.M.: CNN has a follow-up story:

Afghan lawmakers back reporter’s death sentence – CNN.com

Get "Wired," journalists

Wired Journalists is a great new social networking site on Ning for journalists that’s quickly taking off. What’s a wired journalist? Howard Owens explains.

To compare “Wired”: It’s like a closely-knit Facebook group. And while it doesn’t have the functionality of Publish2, which I just recently was accepted to and have yet to fully utilize, it’s extremely easy to use and looks like it’s going to be a great forum.

Here are some blog posts on the subject. But don’t take our word for it, check it out for yourself here.

Introducing WiredJournalists.com » Invisible Inkling

Introducing WiredJournalists.com, a place people looking for new knowledge to get help | Howard Owens

WiredJournalists.com | Zac Echola