Archives for March 1999

Ethics debate: It’s time to move on

March 12, 1999 by JD Lasica

Electronic commerce is here to stay – deal with it

This column appeared March 12, 1999, in the Online Journalism Review. Here’s the version on the OJR site.

The following column is based on remarks made by the author at the Online Journalism Conference held March 10, 1999, in Berkeley, co-sponsored by Graduate School of Journalism at UC Berkeley and the Annenberg School for Communication at USC. Lasica appeared on the panel “Reestablishing Credibility.”

Last year I appeared at this conference as a panelist addressing online ethics, so it was a little ironic that at the time I was employed by Microsoft.

Not good enough, Amazon

March 10, 1999 by JD Lasica

Its new disclosure policy doesn’t go far enough

This column appeared March 10, 1999, in the Online Journalism Review. Here’s the version on the OJR site.

If there were a doomsday clock for Web ethics, it would surely be approaching midnight. Nearly every week the line between editorial and advertising blurs a little more, and the gulf between old media and new media mindsets grows ever wider.

The year’s most famous culture clash between old and new media, of course, came with the Feb. 8 disclosure in the New York Times that Amazon was accepting “co-op placement” payments for titles that it recommends on its editorial section pages. Turn to this week’s Literature & Fiction section and you’ll find “Evening News: A Novel” by Marly A. Swick touted under “Fine New Fiction”; turn to Mystery + Thrillers and you’ll find Laurie R. King’s “A Darker Place” heralded under “New and Notable.” Amazon received payments from the publishers for running the books under those headings. (Amazon does not, and never has, accepted payments to alter its best-seller lists. And, to be fair, it receives no payment for most titles it recommends.) [Read more…] about Not good enough, Amazon

Online news sites making wider use of audio

March 7, 1999 by JD Lasica

Handful of news publications begin to take advantage of audio content

This column appeared in the March 1999 issue of The American Journalism Review.

We usually think of the Web as a visual medium, but sometimes we overlook the other senses.

Far too few online news sites take advantage of live audio and sound clips, lumping them in with the multimedia bells and whistles of animation, video and other razzle-dazzle effects that bring modems to a wheezing standstill.

It’s no surprise to see CNN Interactive and MSNBC making wide use of audio. But it’s heartening to see small and mid-size newspapers plunging in, too. Among the early adopters are three papers in the Midwest. [Read more…] about Online news sites making wider use of audio

Attracting young talent to your online news staff

March 5, 1999 by JD Lasica

Step #1: Start with your newsroom’s corporate culture

This column appeared in the May 1999 issue of The American Journalism Review.

Web journalists today face a choice: work at the online division of an old media company, like Tampa Bay Online or Time Digital, or dive headlong into a new media company that exists only in cyberspace. More and more, they’re choosing the latter.

Consider Janelle Brown. When she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1995, she knew she wanted to be a journalist, but the traditional route of ladder-climbing at a newsroom didn’t appeal to her. “The idea of working at some really dry or dull newspaper didn’t interest me,” she says. “Old media seemed so hierarchical, while new media seemed so exciting and vibrant and starving for talent.” [Read more…] about Attracting young talent to your online news staff

Online shopping: Who deserves your trust?

March 5, 1999 by JD Lasica

This column appeared in the March 5, 1999, issue of the Industry Standard. Here’s the version that appeared in the Industry Standard.

When it comes to shopping online, who deserves your trust?

The big guys, certainly: Amazon, CDnow. But what about small outfits you’ve never dealt with? How do you know whether you’re dealing with a reputable Web merchant or a fly-by-night operator? And if they are legitimate, are they also reliable?

Users seeking to size up an online merchant can go about it in different ways: independent research; queries to a Usenet newsgroup; relying on a seal of approval by a private watchdog group; or visiting an independent Web site that monitors e-commerce retailers. [Read more…] about Online shopping: Who deserves your trust?

Dad’s cheat sheet for childbirth class

March 4, 1999 by JD Lasica

jd&bobby

By JD Lasica
BabyCenter managing editor

Some expectant fathers, unfortunately, start getting interested in their babies around the time their wives say, “Loving husband, it’s time to proceed to the hospital.” By then, it’s a little late to whip out the how-to manual.

My friends, spare yourself some messy surprises. Accompany your wife to a childbirth education class. Almost all birth hospitals hold sessions, and parents are usually given the option of attending two or three short evening sessions or one long daytime session. For me, the class was an eye-opener. [Read more…] about Dad’s cheat sheet for childbirth class

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