Traditional Journalists Embrace New Media, and New Journalism

The New York Times takes a deeper look into “The Politico,” a new website that is attracting veteran political journalists, and upstarts alike.

The sites financier describes the attraction to the new venture:

“Newspapers have to be all things to all people… On the Internet, there is no one site that delivers everything. It’s broken down into mini-mini-subdivisions of interests and they attract people who are passionately interested in one subject.”

A key difference for journalists:

“…unlike many old-school newspapers, The Politico is encouraging its reporters to promote their work elsewhere. Mr. Allen, 42, who covered the White House for Time, will continue to write a column for Time’s print version. Mr. Simon, 58, The Politico’s chief political columnist, said that he had arranged for his Politico column to be syndicated in newspapers across the country.”

An interesting quote from journalist John S. Harris, on what separates traditional journalists from the new breed:

“The most successful journalists these days have a promotional ethic that would be uncomfortable for a traditional journalist,” Mr. Harris said. “I admire those people who say, ‘I don’t want to go on TV; my work speaks for itself,’ but I don’t think that’s realistic for people who want to have an impact.”

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