Thanks to the recent case involving a blogger who was ordered to pay $2.5 million to an investment firm she wrote about, the evolving debate about bloggers as journalists rages on. The judge in the case ruled Crystal Cox is
New Media — Don’t Lament the Dying of the ‘Old Way’
The State of the News Media report drives home what we in the communications industry, whether we like it or not, already know: new media provides countless channels for people — who traditionally turned to newspapers, television, and radio for
Uncharted Territory on the Information Superhighway – and in the Courtroom
Blogs raise many challenging legal issues, including those involving defamation, privacy, and the legal definition of a blogger. From a legal perspective, emerging new media, which includes blogs, is rapidly evolving. The law has yet to catch up with the
Tenant’s tweet leads to lawsuit
Who knew that a 140 character tweet could lead to a $50,000 defamation lawsuit for a Chicago woman? Amanda Bonnen wrote the tweet in reference to a battle with her landlord over alleged mold in her apartment. (I’ve learned you
Is Jon Stewart the most trusted anchor?
Now that Walter Cronkite is gone, is there another news anchor who might be worthy of the being called “The Most Trusted Man in America.” Brian Williams? Matt Lauer? Charles Gibson? Nope! Think Jon Stewart. Stewart’s show that mocks traditional
My predictions about the Web were all wrong
In the late ’90s when I was studying abroad in Europe, one of my communications professors assigned a term paper that was to focus on our predictions of the Internet’s future. Until a recent spring-cleaning — a purging of sorts
Learning from Cronkite
It’s not just journalists who should take pause to reflect on the contributions of Walter Cronkite. All communications professionals can learn a valuable lesson from Cronkite’s matter-a-fact style, a signature of a truly credible man. A 1973 U.S. poll named
The passing of journalism’s rock
Walter Cronkite embodied all that journalism should be: open, honest, credible, and truthful. I fear the passing of Cronkite signals the end to an era when journalism stayed true to the fundamentals it was built upon. Cronkite’s passing comes at
The need for companies to get in the social media mix
Companies that aren’t jumping into the social media mix are making a mistake — wasting a big opportunity to reach out to audiences. Glossy publications with posed pictures and carefully scripted messages have dominated the traditional marketing landscape. But, now
Catching up with the times
It’s difficult to remember life before the Internet. Well, I actually got a taste of it every time I went over to my parents’ house. You see, until I recently took action, it was a non-wired zone. Yes, not be