Jason Sandford
Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.
Last week, I turned down an invitation to participate in the Asheville Citizen-Times‘ “networked journalism” experiment, a national project funded by the respected Knight Foundation. Since there’s been discussion on my previous posts about the grant, and likely to be more, I figured I’d go ahead and write about my decision.
About a month or so ago, I met with Citizen-Times Publisher Randy Hammer. He proposed the idea of including me. Background: Hammer joined the newspaper about three months before I decided to leave (in early 2008) to work for the Mountain Xpress. I’ve mostly watched him from afar, and respected the work he’s done at the newspaper during unprecedented economic pressures and changes to journalism. I don’t agree with every move made under Hammer, but then again, I don’t know how much say he’s had in what’s gone down over the last year (especially in terms of lay offs).
The Citizen-Times is one of five news organizations across the country to receive funding for this project. The others are the Charlotte Observer, the Miami Herald, the Seattle Times and TusconCitizen.com. The money comes from the Knight Foundation and is being administered through American University’s J-Lab. The Citizen-Times is calling its collaboration WNC LINC.
The idea is that each news organization identify five local “partners” – namely blogs – and find ways to collaborate. It could come in the form of generating content, or selling ads, or some other way yet to be spelled out. Each of the big news organizations is offering $5,000 to each of the five partners as incentive to participate. One key goal of the project is to figure out a way for these individual, “hyper-local” web sites to make enough money to sustain themselves. It’s an unanswered question that’s killing newspapers on the Web right now.
Hammer admitted up front that it was an odd situation. Having a former Citizen-Times reporter/editor, who now works for what some would consider a local competitor, join in the project would definitely raise some eyebrows, present potential conflicts and generally be awkward. But he was highly complimentary of this site in terms of its potential as a model for hyper-local news and said he was willing to work through all that.
The project has much to commend it. There’s the potential for broad exposure. National expertise in the field of journalism will be brought to bear. Who knows what creative ideas will be birthed, and shared, among all these new partners. Did I mention $5,000 in cold cash? It’s also clear that as blogging matures, bloggers themselves are understanding that their real power will come by banding together. There are a number of local and national examples of sites attempting to organize blogs under one umbrella that can offer up a variety of quality content and deliver the “eyeballs,” or Web traffic, that can translate into advertising dollars.
I took the proposal to my co-workers at the Xpress, as well as my own personal braintrust. The objection at Xpress was fairly straight-forward: the project would present too many conflicts, especially when Xpress is already working to collaborate with citizen journalists, whether it be via Twitter or blogs or another medium. Locally, there’s no doubt that the Xpress is blazing the trail in this arena. I also must add that I think these old media turf battles aren’t relevant any longer. Are the Citizen-Times and Xpress really competitors? Not really, in the sense that the newspapers are competing with anyone with a computer and a blog or Facebook account. And why hold on to an old resistance to working together when the goal really should be the production of great watchdog journalism that makes a local community stronger, better?
There were also many unanswered questions, in terms of exactly how the Citizen-Times would work with the partners it identified: exactly how would link exchanges work? would local blog content appear in the print newspaper? would the Citizen-Times impose specific editorial or journalistic standards on the blogs? would newspaper advertising sales staff work to sell advertising on behalf of the individual partners? what happens when the year-long project ends?
In my discussions with the Citizen-Times, these questions were beginning to be addressed, but there was nothing in writing, and no real firm plan for how to proceed with the project. The Citizen-Times appears to be taking the approach that “we’ll figure this out as we go,” and it wants its collaborators to help define the project. It’s their project, and that’s their approach.
Bottom line: I’m out, but I’ll be watching. I hope to learn from the project. I’ll be interested in who the newspaper signs up to participate. Honestly, there aren’t that many hyper-local web sites/blogs out there when you really start looking at what might have potential to develop a stronger presence with a journalistic bent. I’m also interested in your thoughts, loyal readers. What do you make of it all?
Meantime, you’ll see Ashvegas continue to mature and change, just has it has over the years. Just a quick note that the upcoming changes aren’t spurred by the Citizen-Times project. They’re changes I’ve been working on for quite awhile, and lining up for a big 2010.
So sit back and enjoy, loyal readers. I can’t do any of this without you there to read, chime in, critique, contribute.
A couple of quick notes:
Jamison, I’m not claiming to take out any ethical high ground, here. My vote was to participate in the project. I don’t think that’s unethical.
I don’t know how you figure I’m one of the highest paid employees at Xpress, but if I am, that’s not saying much. In terms of this blog and Xpress – one of the reasons Xpress hired me was because they liked what I was doing here.
Jamison, what other "media projects" have Xpressers been denied? I know of none, and none have been brought before the group, as mine has.
(btw, my last name is "Sandford," since we’re talking journalism and all. I make plenty of typos, too, though, so I forgive you.)
Dad, thank you for kind words! Love you, too.
And in terms of Jonathan – I’ve known him through work for the past few years now and have found him to be professional and thoughtful. Any insinuation that he’s anything else is simply false.
Thanks to all who commented on Gulahiyi’s pretentious and sanctimonious tone. It saves me from embarrassing Jason and myself by raising to the bait. Jason probably would have had to deny my comment in keeping with trying to maintain a civil discussion; civil. The words I have for this guy are not printable and do expose my dark side.
Jason has taught me (he’s my reverse mentor) that it’s better to keep calm and let it pass. Consider the source. (Although, I still remember a night in Chapel Hill when he came to my defense in a ‘not-so-civilized’ manner and I thank him for that.) So, no more to be said about, mr. gulahiyi – wouldn’t want to be ya!
Ashvegas is taking us on a journey through this remarkable transition from old media to new media. He’s got to struggle with his time invested in the old media and look for new ways to present news. He needs to pay the mortgage and keep cloths on his back so monetizing what he does here and working for a living is only common sense. Full disclosure is a plus for this blog. He came out and identified himself to the public a while ago. (Gulahiyi, I don’t think that’s your real name.) Keep up the good work Jason and it will pay off. There will be bigger and better things in your future, than an alliance with the old CT.
Thanks, Jason for being a really good news man and a wonderful son.
Love, Dad
Gulahiyi does seem to have mixed two very good points rather inelegantly.
First, Mr. Scott’s mention of the Ruminations Blog seems somewhat arbitrary. He uses it as an example of a lack of experienced professionals invading the news. I would challenge him then to point out one factual error, misrepresentation or anything that can’t be corroborated on Gulahiyi’s blog. The fact is that Gulahiyi has actually had some professional training in journalism and over several years and through several issues here in Jackson County he has consistently written with accuracy and clarity on matters that our local media have failed to investigate in depth either because of choice or lack of resources.
Mr. Scott’s reference was gratuitous and combined with his failure to mention that Legasus and River Rock – two entities that have received a good deal of attention on the Blog – are in fact his clients makes him at the least a dissembler.
A separate issue is Mr. Sanford’s stance on the grants and the whole issue of "citizen journalism" via forums like the internet and Twitter. Mr. Sanford may not be the ethical champion he portrays himself given the fact that his primary employer, the Xpress, is heavily invested and focused on the new journalism. Mr. Sanford is one of the highest paid employees at the Xpress and also seems to be exempt from their policy regarding outside media projects. Other employees of the paper have been denied the opportunity to pursue independent projects that may have conflicted with their primary employment. The grant and outside project understandably raised some hackles. Perhaps this is less a matter of a principled stance than a realization of where one’s bread is buttered.
The issue of "citizen journalism" and the internet and other modern technologies is one that is worth discussing. The internet is a repository of a great deal of opinion and blather that masquerades as journalism. Mr. Scott may have been right about the idea of who do you trust when it comes to journalistic content. Unfortunately the imprimatur of "professional journalist" probably isn’t much of a measuring stick. On his business’ website Mr. Scott brags that he has placed over a hundred news stories for his clients over the years. What manner of trust does that imply – that hacks and PR people can furnish lazy or unmotivated professional journalists with plenty of "professional" content?
An earlier poster leers at Gulahiyi for suggesting that there ought to be some ethic attached to journalism. It’s true, we’ve had our share of Hearsts and today’s variety, Murdoch but we’ve also had Sinclairs and Moyers and Murrows, people who have demonstrated a commitment to a pretty well defined journalistic ethic. Today in our cynical, self-aggrandizing, self referential culture it’s not surprising that we accept the trivialities of twitter and the self-indulgences of the internet as journalism. Perhaps that’s why we have so many people who are so susceptible to populist manipulation and demagoguery.
Gulahiyi: Why all the comments on your blog about Jason? He’s not the one who posted the link about you; his reader did and so what? I can’t see anything but graciousness in his post about not doing the newspaper’s project. You seem like you’re railing on him for no reason. No doubt you’ve gotten more attention from that one link on this blog than you’ve ever gotten.
"It turns out that an Ashvegas reader had mentioned my blog in a comment on a principled story about journalism and blogging. Apparently, the Mountain Xpress is not large enough to contain all of Mr. Sandford’s prolific journalistic output. And so, Ashvegas gives us another chance to drop a coin in Mr. Sandford’s cup (credit card payments gladly accepted) and / or patronize the advertisers that make the blog possible. My point here is that nasty economic realities are inseparable from even the most noble efforts at journalistic integrity."
And your point is? Talk about pretentious…
Golly, it looks like I done tugged on Superman’s cape. Sorry, all, but I think I’m somewhere in that vast middle ground between "sycophant" and "hater" but if you want to crucify me, go ahead, because I find it rather amusing.
First of all, I didn’t mean to suggest that Mr. Scott is anything less than a wonderful human being. I just found his generally worthwhile comment a bit odd when juxtaposed against his webpage where he boasts of getting favorable news coverage for his developer clients. Anyone else catch that nuance?
Diogenes missed the point of my "modest proposal" and it’s my fault for resorting to irony. I just don’t see how bloggers pose much of a threat to legitimate journalism. Why are we even talking about them in the same paragraph?
Lucy Morgan came up from Florida and did some excellent reporting on the Big Ridge development in Jackson County. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen work of that quality in WNC. But I would like to. Is that an insult to Jason and his colleagues? Not in my view.
If anyone cares to point out the specific ways I have been unfair or inaccurate I would be happy to perform amazing acts of penance. Fire away.
Love y’uns.
Of course the MX would be against anything different and fresh, that paper is so stuffy, no wonder most people reffer to it as the Mountain Opressed. Its a Local rag that takes itself way to seriously for its own good, Im not saying the ACT is any better its actually the worst paper that I have ever read but the MX is so bland, its almost the same issue every week, people whining about something, or telling others what to do or how to live their own life.
Gulahiyi: Pot meet kettle. You come off as more than a "tad’ pretentious yourself, brother.
Talk about pretentious!
Gulahiyi wrote: " If licensing bloggers, if requiring them to live up to a code of ethics, if subjecting them to the censorship of a panel of lawyers…if all that is what it takes to protect and promote the integrity of journalism in 2009, then let’s do it."
Name a time anywhere when writers, journalists, reporters were licensed? Or adopted a code of ethics.
You are guilty of delusional thinking or pure fantasy. And, from the tone of your post are wallowing in a oozing, mushy sack of sour grapes.
Ash — you’ve opened up an interesting can of media worms.
You rock!
Gulahiya — does responding to this post make me one of those "You folks don’t have much reason to act so full of yourselves."?
Stop being a hater!
I am a little surprised that the C-T can actually find five local reliable news blogs that are not currently linked to a print/media news source. This is one of the only blogs I know with that particular criteria.
It must have been a difficult decision to turn them down.
I think by remaining an outsider to this process you allow us, the reader, to continue to trust your insights regarding the progress of network journalism in its entirety.
I’m still wondering about Avett tix. Did you score, Ash?
In other news, it will be some time before my donations total 5 thousand.
Although this discussion strikes me as a tad pretentious, I can’t help but wade in, especially since my blog was mentioned as an example of something (I’m not sure). Let it be known that Mr. Scott lists among his clients a certain developer that I have satirized on numerous occasions. I’ve had a great deal of fun critiquing the ham-handed efforts of PR hacks to greenwash this environmental and economic disaster that has been dropped on Jackson County, and in so doing, perhaps I stepped on Mr. Scott’s toes. He hasn’t answered my email.
I don’t read Ashvegas much anymore, as the Asheville scene is not very relevant to my life in Cullowhee. I do remember when Ashvegas was almost entirely a send-up of WLOS newscasts. That was cute and amusing, although it grew tiresome for this reader. When I learned the then-anonymous creator of Ashvegas actually worked for a competing media outlet, the constant attacks on WLOS didn’t seem so cute or amusing after all.
If licensing bloggers, if requiring them to live up to a code of ethics, if subjecting them to the censorship of a panel of lawyers…if all that is what it takes to protect and promote the integrity of journalism in 2009, then let’s do it.
Meanwhile, I’ll continue to devote evenings to combing through public records and blogging about what I find, if and when and how I feel like it. Take it with a grain of salt, I always say. I would gladly relinquish the job to the "professionals" but they’re already busy with their probing journalism on the latest microbrews, Avett Brothers tickets, downtown restaurants, Mumpower utterances, etc. I’m glad that Mr. Scott has found journalism he can trust. I have never intended to fill that role. And since it appears he gets paid by Legasus, I don’t expect him to like what I say about Legasus. Why didn’t he just say so?
You folks don’t have much reason to act so full of yourselves.
Thunder, I think they’re starting to get it. And yes, Yenne certainly understood it.
Diogenes – I agree.
Jan, thank you for the compliment. I think the C-T still provides a lot of critical local information. I watch it closely, but that’s because I used to work there. There’s much more I could be doing here to provide information to the community.
Yes, Jonathan – what about truth, and fact-checking? I hope none of that kind of investment gets lost in all this.
Marty, thank you for your kind words. Your point about presenting quality information in an immediate AND an interesting fashion is key, I believe. What’s the best way to serve both those masters?
As a trade press journalist and as a blogger, I’m keenly interested in this project and your take on it.
From a local news perspective, I find Ashvegas and BlogAsheville to be the best sources for immediate local information. I pick up the Xpress paper weekly, but, more and more, I find that the aforementioned local blogs do the best job of reporting the local news in a more immediate and interesting fashion. That’s why I subscribe to your feed–it’s one of the first things I read each morning as I start my work day.
Keep up the great work, Jason. Your blog is on the leading edge of local journalism and the future is yours.
It’s an interesting time to be in the newspaper business, and I hope the profession will figure out how to survive. We need good journalism for our democracy to flourish, and if newspapers can learn how to make money from their online content, we’ll all be better off for it.
A few things that concern me as newspapers continue their gradual metamorphosis into blogs:
1) The anonymity of reader comments. When people use their real names — which they are required to do in most newspapers’ "letters to the editor" pages — they are less likely to give false or libelous information, as Wally Bowen pointed out in a recent column in the Mountain Xpress.
2) Search engines that suck. Too many newspapers have terrible search engines for their online editions. Examples: Some stories make the print edition but for some reason don’t ever become "searchable." Or you can find it online the day it appears but then have to wait two weeks until the story becomes archived. And most stories don’t stay on the web forever, resulting in broken links and lost content.
3) Don’t believe everything you read. As "citizen journalism" via web blogs, Twitter and Facebook becomes people’s preferred method of receiving news, does truth suffer? I trust what I read on Ashvegas because it is being reported by an experienced journalist. News releases are labeled as such and news tips passed along by an Ashvegas reader can be taken with a grain of salt. But what about most bloggers, who have no journalism experience and may have an axe to grind? When newspapers mimic blogs, will readers be able to distinguish between the credibility of their online editions and, say for example, http://gulahiyi.blogspot.com/?
I think you definitely made the right decision not to get involved with this. Anything involving the Citizen-Times should be avoided, especially if Randy Hammer is involved in any way.
Your blog provides much more information to me and my family than we ever get from reading the Citizen-Times or the Mountain Express. Im prety sure everyone at the C-T reads your blog regularly and doing so must make them realize how lame most of the newspaper really is.
I don’t know of anyone who buys the printed C-T anymore, and their web site is only rarely looked at. In short, there is hardly any news in the C-T — and what is there is old and largely irrelevant.
We never look at the Mountain Express web site, but do pick up the printed Mountain X. They do a good job covering local government.
IMO competition between the daily CT and Mtn. X is minimal. They compete for advertising but not much else.
The Asheville Citizen-Times just doesn’t get online media, they never did…even when you were there. When they let John Yenne go, they proved to me beyond a shadow of a doubt that they just don’t have a clue.
When I say "they" I mean management, whether in Asheville or where ever Gannet is headquartered.
BL, thanks for your note. From the Mountain X point of view, if I participated in the project I’d be helping the competition, because they’d be directly benefitting from content here.
Hey Jason, it’s not clear what the cons were on this decision, except for the disapproval of Mtn X. Pros seem fine, and the part about letting the participants define the project seems reasonable. I’m not sure what the nature of the relationship is between this blog and Mtn X or what your current obligations are to that publication to avoid any conflicts.
For the record: I don’t even think about Mtn X online. I only pick up the paper version. I don’t read the CT on paper–I look at the online version probably 10x/month.