Both graduated from journalism schools.

I realize your point is that it would be interesting to see more programmers turned journalists. But your examples of these in practice show the opposite…..

The problem with your analysis is that you fail to put the change introduced by the interwebs into a proper historical perspective. None of these examples are adequate.

Read Clay Shirky. I can’t put it any better than him:

http://tinyurl.com/bpxulr

Also, it was rather entertaining reading through most of these comments. In reference to the recent comments about newspapers only just now acting in an attempt to dodge the “iceberg” that is the Internet, I feel you are missing a few points.

For instance, the introduction of a new medium for dispensing the news is not a new experience for print journalism. It’s survived through radio, magazines, and television, evolving and changing to adapt. Each time, there was a big hullabaloo about how it would be the end of print journalism, and each time the beast persisted to live. With online journalism, there is more of an infrastructure change, but fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your viewpoint) news corporations long ago merged into larger entities to better maintain even the weakest parts. Most of the larger print publications have long ago extended their domain to the online medium, so while print subscriptions might decrease, the company as a whole is very much intact and financially sound.

I don’t think print journalism will die because of the Internet. Rather, it will change into something similar but altogether different. Chances are it will become more localized and specialized, much like magazines did when it was no longer profitable to produce general interest/news mags.

Getting back to the original topic of this article… It would make more sense for editors (rather than reporters) to become adept at coding, as they are the ones who handle the layout and design rather than the actual content, though it does not hurt for a reporter to fully understand the range of media available to him or her through the Internet. Also, I thought it was funny that the author decided to use “hacker” as a synonym for “coder”.

It goes to show how little people know how the internet and digital cameras have effected the media / newsaper industry over the last 10 years with the main first effect coming from the digital camera just after the millenium where it opened up the proffesion of news photographer to people that where able to move pictures quickly without processing which was a skill in itself when competeing against other photographers and working against a deadline etc..

This then opened the door to speculators to come in and compete, and led to the paperazi agencies etc…, that gave News photographers a bad name the industry as a photo is a photohraph.

With the net now taking hold of editorial and good sources of regional, national and global news from good reporters and photographers Google is hardly good for the News Industry.

Their is only so much you can run with a algorythm unless the future is to turn into a robotic senseless society where everyday perspective is reflected through box ticking and worthless media as of now, because really everybody needs everyday SENSE to have a relate to, Google can only get away with so much.

cue Celine Dion

http://www.yout...h?v=PtS45bh_INY

The Time is nearly up for the nerds that think they can run the Newspaper and Media Industry aswell as have a backroom job aswell,

It takes a certain set of skills to source newsworthy content not to mention actually moving 2 feet away from the desk, IT and journalism are two different subjects only because technology has pissed all over the media industry the last 10 years does not give it the right to make it an obosolete proffesion,

Bring back the days where only a select few where allowed a look in at Newspaper level and media business’s could actually hire journalists for a journalists job.

Google etc.. Have to much of a say especially at regional level, who will source the News when all Newspapers have but are coders as most News and Photograhs are ripped from these sources, it will take the media down to a very base level.

They are backroom employees not the front line of a media establishment.

I’ve been to sites like NowPublic and Associated Content – but they lack the personal touch and feel that, I think, a journalist is looking for. They seem campy and out of touch with reality, not really focusing on news or anything worth reading.

I did sign up at a site called You Scoop It and it’s got some potential I think. The site looks nice and I think they’re still in their Alpha, but hopefully they’ll emerge a strong competitor in this online-journalism market.