Survey of Online Journalists: Uneasy Optimism

Someresults from the survey:

* Loosening of standards and less careful reporting (45 percent)
* Giving more voice to others and reducing the clout of journalists (31 percent)
* Growing emphasis on speed (25 percent)

OK to show point of view: "While not a clear majority, these journalists working in new media sense more deeply than those in the mainstream press that 'it is becoming more acceptable to report news with an obvious voice or bias.

NVDL: It's not as much about voicing your opinion as about knowing how to react or respond to data; what does it mean? How can this information be transformed into a meaningful message? How can I use this information to warn the public of an impending credit crisis that they don't know about or suspect? Being able to interpet it intelligently. The media is used as a tool by celebrities, businessmen and politicians, and more often than not all the Media does is dumbly shovel or domino what they are given. I am not a shoveller or a photocopy machine. I like to believe I was born with a brain and a bit of intellect - to get the insight and pearl of wisdom and make that the story [instead of shovelling symptoms and self-evident news.]. A lot of people in this industry have yet to - GASP - tippy toe towards that step.

Spared cutbacks: Not only have online journalists mostly been spared from the layoffs that swept the news industry in 2008, 39 percent said their staffs have increased compared to a year earlier.

* Relying on home pages, not social media: "Another area where these journalists have yet to embrace the most cutting-edge thinking is in their management of Web content. These members of ONA are mostly still tied to the model of bringing audiences to their own Web sites, rather than on pushing their content out."

The study notes that this practice runs counter to what innovators in the industry are doing: pushing content to users through social media sites, e-mail and mobile technologies. Among survey respondents, "just 9 percent considered posting to social media sites essential," Pew reported. - Poynter.org

NVDL: Uneasy Optimism - that sounds about right. There's still a LOT of carnage in store, and a lot of passive learning to go [if passive learning continues to be the education of choice.]

clipped from www.poynter.org A new survey of online journalists shows they are more optimistic about the future of their profession than their counterparts in legacy media but are concerned that the Internet is changing journalism for the worse. The study also found that most online journalists have not embraced emerging trends in revenue streams and distribution models. The window into the thoughts of online journalists comes from the Pew Research Center's Project for Excellence in Journalism (PEJ), which surveyed 292 members of the 1,800-person Online News Association. (The study is included in Pew's State of the News Media 2009.) According to the study, more online journalists believe journalism is on the right track than those in legacy media. The optimists made up less than half of the respondents (45 percent), but Pew notes that "this was a much more even split than seen among legacy national journalists a year ago.

World's first internet president logs on

Web already shaping policy of new South Korean leader

Jonathan Watts in Seoul
Monday February 24, 2003
The Guardian

South Korea will stake a claim to be the most advanced online democracy on the planet tomorrow with the inauguration of a president who styles himself as the first leader fully in tune with the internet.

From calls for a softer stance towards North Korea to demands for a revision of the security alliance with the US, websites are already shaping the position of Roh Moo-hyun's new administration.

"The development of internet technology has changed the whole political dynamic in South Korea to an extent that the outside world has not yet grasped," said Yoon Yong-kwan, the head of foreign policy formulation in Mr Roh's transitional team. "It will affect foreign policy."

The rise of webocracy has already made South Korea a place of exhilarating but unpredictable change.

In recent months online campaigns have swung the presidential election, stirred tens of thousands into anti-US protests and nudged government policy on the nuclear standoff.

New Korea's hi-tech credentials have been a focus of national pride. Its biggest claim to international fame is the development of internet services, which are far ahead of most countries. Almost 70% of homes have a broadband connection, compared with about 5% in Britain.

Because of the high connection speeds, much faster than most British broadband, people use the web more for shopping, trading and chatting. Koreans are said to spend 1,340 minutes online per month, and 10% of economic activity is related to IT - one of the highest levels in the world.

"The internet is so important here," a western diplomat in Seoul said. "This is the most online country in the world. The younger generation get all their information from the web. Some don't even bother with TVs. They just download the programmes."

The voice of this New Korea is OhmyNews, arguably the world's most domestically powerful news site, which has built up almost as big a readership and as fearsome a reputation for moving public opinion as the Sun.

"OhmyNews is as influential as any newspaper," a South Korean diplomat in Tokyo said. "No policymaker can afford to ignore it. South Korea is changing in ways that we cannot believe ourselves."

Polls showed that the victory in December of Mr Roh - who claims to be the world's first president to understand HTML website coding - came from a huge surge of support from twenty- and thirty-somethings. In South Korea, where elections are usually decided by regional rather than generational loyalties, this was a dramatic development.

It was not the last. An OhmyNews report on an accident in which two girls were crushed to death by a US army tractor prompted one surfer to call for demonstrations. Within a week, South Korea was witnessing the biggest anti-US protests in its history.

"We are becoming very powerful," said Bae Eul-sun, one of the Ohmynews editorial team. "The pay is lousy, but it is very satisfying to work here because I really feel like I can change the world little by little."

When the new administration takes power, its external priorities will mark a continuation of the "sunshine policy" of outgoing president Kim Dae-jung, who focused on maintaining a strong alliance with the United States while engaging with North Korea.

But Mr Yoon said policy towards North Korea would be developed to reflect public opinion better. This is likely to give more influence to domestic media and less to the US.

"We will maintain strong ties with the US, but our young people have tasted democracy and they speak out about what they feel. They believe bilateral relations are important but unlike the older generation they don't think it is taboo to make demands of the US."

The change is already apparent. In comparison with the efforts it made during the last North Korean nuclear crisis in 1993-94, Seoul has taken a far more active role in trying to head off a confrontation - even at the expense of infuriating its ally.

Bank Online: Branches Will Make You Cry

The bottomless pit of bad service at our banks

Woe betide you if you’re visiting a bank branch. In fact if you don't heed the advice here and you DO visit a branch - as I did - you might be reduced to tears (see above)

Despite all the warm and fuzzy advertising that suggests banks and their customers will be roasting marshmallows over the fire place today, tomorrow and together, a good place to start delivering on these promises is by making things happen in those all important face-to-face in-branch encounters.

Red and Green

The two banks I visited over the weekend were the ABSA branch in Rosebank, and a Nedbank branch in the new shopping centre in Norwood.

In both branches I was made to wait extraordinary amounts of time (my banking foray began at 9am and concluded just before 12 o’ clock – midday. Can’t they make things simpler, do things better, get things done any faster?

The Customer Is Made To Wait

It seems to me that it boils down to terrifically bad customer service. I visited a nearby ABSA branch to take out a small loan, and after that 1 hour 30 minute negotiation I was told that I would be called the very next day, and ‘just come in and sign a contract’. Over the course of the next day I was in meetings, but received no ‘missed call’.

By Friday I had still heard nothing, and so at around 3pm I visited the person’s office who claimed she had called me. I said: “Well, since I’m here, let’s do it.” She then explained that I had to come in the next day. My guess is she had forgotten all about it.

On Saturday morning I arrived fairly early, and waited for a length of time. I brought along a book, and was able to move through at least two chapters while waiting.

Once I was called in, the lady assisting me made several trips through revolving glass doors to fetch other papers. At one point she handed me my credit rating (1, the best possible score) and upon returning I asked for another squiz at my credit record.

Disorganised

Her numerous trips around the building were apparently to gather all the necessary paperwork. Having sat down she said she must have left it somewhere, and then said: “I’ll quickly do another printout for you,” which she did on the spot.

Paperwork

Much paperwork and many signatures later, I was able to extract myself out of the bank and rush to the Bedbank bank branch before it closed.

Complicated

I had a very simply request at Nedbank: ‘please give me a balance’ sheet for my American Express credit card. Nedbank is AMEX’s South African service provider.

Steer Clear of AMEX Credit Cards

When I was abroad in South Korea I found it IMPOSSIBLE to check the balance on my credit card, and not for lack of trying. I tried at ATMs, I called the AMEX people in Seoul who said they could not provide me with my balance, I had to contact my branch in Seoul.

Redirect

They did helpfully redirect me to a website, which until the present time hasn’t been able to perform this function either. I logged on today and received this message:
We're sorry, your User ID could not be retrieved.

When I log in as a new user, I get this message:
We're currently experiencing technical difficulties. You can also call the 1-800-AXP-1234 for immediate assistance.

I recall the same message back in South Korea some years ago. Yay!

Even more disconcerting is once I returned to SA I paid off my card, and then attempted to cancel it altogether. Another obstacle!

Disconnected

I called a local call centre to discontinue my AMEX card, provided in exhaustive detail all the information (ID number, telephone number, address etc etc).

At the time I was on pay-as-you-go on my cellphone, but I recall that everything that needed to be communicated was. We were at the "Thank you” part of the conversation when my airtime ran out.

The card was never discontinued. I guess the credit card company thought: “Maybe he hung up because he suddenly changed his mind?” Actually, no.

Power to the People

In the Nedbank branch the advertising actually permeates the building. Don’t get me wrong: The advertising works. Remember the ‘Power to the People’ billboards that were equipped with solar panels that really did provide (solar) power to the people?

So I’m in the bank and a bittersweet symphony is lilting in the background, talking about not needing to stand in queues…while a poster shouts colorfully out at me: MAKE THINGS HAPPEN.

Except the man in front of me is eventually so exasperated, he leaves the queue and the bank. Ten minutes later a red haired man behind me mutters something and walks off.

For about half an hour we’re all standing behind one individual, and then another employee joins her with a large packet of envelopes and forms. I inform her:

“If you have business with her, even if you are an employee of this bank, I suggest you join the queue. We’ve been waiting here a long time.”

The gist of the woman’s case (who has bottlenecked the queue) was that the bank had called her, claiming that a card had been delivered to this branch.

Trouble

She had gone to the trouble to come to the bank, only to find that no one knew where her card was. Thus an extensive search was underway once I arrived. Once again: disorganisation! terrible customer service!

When I finally stepped up to the enquiries desk, time rapidly running out to a 12:30 appointment, I said: “You know your bank is about ‘Making Things Happen’. You really should. I’ve spent the entire morning in this bank and another bank for very simple service, and it seems like nothing is happening, except bad service.”

She asked how she could be of service at this point. All I required was a printout, which mercifully took one minute, and then I left.

Tip:

A friend of mine who works and banks with Standard Bank says the last time he even entered a branch was over 2 years ago.

He does all his banking online, and says it makes things a lot simpler, better, and it's a lot faster too.

You can too, though the catch is, you have to visit your branch to activate this function, and it may require an additional visit to upgrade to higher functionality (beyond checking your balance).

Good luck, and take my advice: take a book along the next time you visit your local branch. You're going to need oodles of patience.