Owlspotting

About a month ago, an editor turned down a story pitch I made. I believed (and continue to believe) that the story was indicative of today’s media landscape and the information consumption patterns of an Internet-addicted generation. Pitching the “Internet video” story to the editor (for the third time) I said: I’m going to try […]

This morning, the Washington Post had an article by star reporter David Finkel that talked about the American political left beging “online and outraged.” It’s a rare occurence to see such a personal angle in a story about blogs — especially in a newspaper the size and scope of the Post. As a journalist, I […]

I am not the biggest fan of the Post Magazine, but sometimes they nail it. Here’s a story about lunch in Washington and the boom of the “fast-casual” restaurant scene (think Panera, Cosi, Chipotle, Baja Fresh or Au Bon Pain). I always felt there was something city-specific about these joints, but I could never pin […]

Somebody asked me recently: What is courage in American journalism. He gave me abour two hours of in-flight thinking time, during which I wrote the folowing: “For Aristotle courage was the middle ground (“the golden mean”) between cowardice and foolhardiness. I believe that in American journalism courage is the middle ground between carelessness and complacency. […]

Legati-va bine centurile pentru ca s-a ridicat limita de viteza pe autostrada informationala. Numarul americanilor care consuma stiri online zilnic a urcat la cifra record de 50 milioane (un sfert din populatie) arata un studiu publicat joi de Pew Internet & American Life Project. Cresterea numarului consumatorilor de stiri se datoreaza in mare parte cresterii […]

When do you decide to unsubscribe from a magazine or a newspaper? What are the conditions that need to be met for one to pick up the phone (or the mouse), call the circulation department and say in the most sour tone possible: “Listen, your publication has become about as useful to me as ribbed […]

(Articol scris pentru HotNews.ro si publicat original aici.) In 2005 aproape 2,000 de jurnalisti american si-au impachetat birourile in cutii si au iesit din redactii poate pentru ultima oara. In ultimii cinci ani, ziarele americane au pierdut sapte la suta din forta de munca, aproape 4,000 de oameni. Viitorul ziarului american si al presei traditionale […]

NOTE: Although this post is in Romanian, it refers to an article I wrote in English about the Romanian blog world. Read it here. La inceputul lui februarie anuntam ca scriu un articol despre ce va insemna 2006 pentru bloguri in Romania. Predat cateva saptamani mai tarziu, articolul a aparut astazi in revista de limba […]

The world of American Journalism will never be the same. Knight Ridder, the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States (32 papers) has accepted a bid from McClatchy, a company half its size. Knight Ridder’s sale has been in the making since last year a group of investors began asking that the company bring […]

Kevin Sullivan of the Washington Post returned to Romania for a second story in one month. His first, about the American air force base built in my homeland, was enjoyable if only because it carefully dealt with a cultural cliche: the endless wait for the Americans. His second fails because Sullivan embarks on a journey […]