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Entrepreneurial Journalists Create New Models For News

Twenty journalists complete Knight Fellowships program at Stanford and present their new ventures for 're-engineered journalism.'

Is there a future for journalism? The question has plagued the news media over the past few years, but there is a group of bright-eyed journalists from near and afar who think they may have an answer.

“There is no one future for journalism, no over-arching news media, no single trusted source of news,” said Jim Bettinger, director of the Stanford University Knight Fellowships, a program for journalists who are passionate about improving the quality of news and making it relevant for new audiences. 

Bettinger directed his remarks Thursday afternoon to an audience who went to see the Knight Fellows—20 journalists from around the world—showcase their new "Journalism Ventures" at Cemex Audition. 

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  The fellows spent the last eight months at Stanford creating, prototyping and user-testing their ideas, taking into account the new social, technological, economic and demographic realities that call for re-engineering journalism. 

"The practice of journalism remains the same: collecting, distilling and distributing news and information,” Bettinger told audience members. “But the tools and techniques have changed dramatically with Flip-Cams and smartphones, Twitter feeds, Facebook updates and other digital news platforms."

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He said the journalists who participated in the 2010-11 program were being urged to change with the new realities. 

“It’s both daunting and exciting,” Bettinger said. “We decided to focus on journalism innovation, entrepreneurship and leadership, and asked each fellow to come to Stanford with a great idea—and create a model for other journalists to use.”

The projects blended technology, social media and crowd sourcing, and tended to carry the theme of connecting journalists with disenfranchised populations, to make stories more meaningful, dynamic and interactive with target audiences.

The fellows were given free reign to tap into the creativity, innovation and collaboration that are the hallmarks of Stanford and Silicon Valley. "Begin it, test it and network like crazy," said Dawn Garcia, deputy director of the Knight Fellowships, who introduced each fellow during the presentation.

Vietnamese freelance writer Phuong Ly created Gateway California, an online platform prototype connecting California journalists with the nonprofit groups that serve the state’s immigrants. 

“I want to help journalists overcome the barriers to telling stories that reflect the lives of U.S. immigrants beyond ‘ethnic festivals and deportation stories,’ Ly said.  She aims to launch her venture this fall. 

Sahar Ghazi of Karachi, Pakistan and former senior duty editor for DawnNews TV, wants to give voice to the younger population of her country. 

“The Pakistani media are chronically in crisis mode," Ghazi said.  "Two out of three Pakistanis have yet to celebrate their 30th birthday,” Ghazi said. “Social media can help the youth raise their voices.” 

In partnership with the Pakistan Youth Alliance, made up of 25,000 youth activists, Ghazi presented her new project, Hosh Media, at hoshmedia.org, a digital site where young people can blog, share their stories, news tips and videos.  Hosh is Ghazi’s vision for making mainstream media more representative of the people.

Ugandan journalist Angelo Azama says that good journalism in Uganda and elsewhere in Africa is not difficult to find. Good journalists however are an endangered species.   

Unlike the West media is protected by free speech.  “In most of Africa, where regimes are personalized, if your reporting offends the big man, it can cost you your freedom or your life,” Azama says.

Azama is creating a web-platform that makes protection of good journalism and good journalists possible - using social media to connect journalism protection organizations and newsrooms to reporters.

“Journalists who get into trouble at home tend to be those you want to assign to do a story. They are a valuable resource worth protecting,” he said.

Beth Duff-Brown is an Associated Press reporter who has written stories from around the world, from the boardroom to the battlefield.  Now Duff-Brown has turned her focus to journalism with a purpose: covering stories about the underserved, marginalized populations of women, particularly in the developing world. 

 She has created the prototype for sustained storytelling—breaking news, policy, government reports, interactive features about global issues from the perspective of women and girls in the developing world.  Duff-Brown is using social networking, iPhone and iPad applications, and Twitter and Facebook feeds to fulfill her vision of a news platform for “all women, all the time.”

All 20 fellows shared their visions for journalism’s future and their tested prototypes, many tied to social justice. As Bettinger said, “Rather than listening to project reports, attendees are hearing 20 strong statements of commitment, purpose and ambition.”

For more information about Thursday’s program, visit the Knight Fellowship website.

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