This thought came to me as soon as I wrote my first post about what it takes to be a journalist in today's world: what exactly is an entrepreneurial journalist? That's what this blog is about, but I've never actually sat down to come up with a concrete definition. My entrepreneurial journalism class just started last week so my definition may change by the end of the semester, but my definition, as it stands now, is a journalist who uses new ideas and concepts that reflect what his or her audience wants to deliver fast, accurate, and timely news. The more unique the reporting, and the more unique ways in which one reports, the better.
A really good example of unique reporting is the website Newspaper Death Watch. This was introduced to me during my first EJ class. When ever a newspaper or news outlet goes under, Newspaper Death Watch reports on it. It also reports news about news outlets financial situations, like the removal or additions of paywalls. To go even further, the website lists newspapers that have died under a "RIP" section. With all the talk about how newspapers are dying and how print won't be around soon, Newspaper Death Watch seems like the only place that is keeping track of what's happening.
College Media Matters is another great example of unique reporting and ideas. Focusing entirely on college level journalism, College Media Matters has some great articles as to what's going on in the college journalism world.
So, why are new ideas like these so important? The way I see it, newspapers and news outlets don't have much money to hire every single aspiring journalist. They need to hire those who have proficient reporting and writing skills, and those who have new ideas that will attract more readers. If I find more websites like Newspaper Death Watch and College Media Matters, I'll post it here.
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