Journalism’s shift to crowdsourcing funds, Kuwait’s increased control of online media and more in this week's Digital Media Mash Up, produced by the Center for International Media Assistance.
Crowdfunded journalism: A small but growing addition to publicly driven journalism
Over the past several years, crowdfunding via the Internet has become a popular way to engage public support – and financial backing – for all kinds of projects, from the Coolest Cooler to a virtual reality gaming headset to a prototype of a sailing spacecraft and a bailout fund for Greece. The area of journalism is no exception.
From April 28, 2009 to Sept. 15, 2015, 658 journalism-related projects proposed on Kickstarter, one of the largest single hubs for crowdfunding journalism, received full – or more than full – funding, to the tune of nearly US$6.3 million. (Pew Research Center, 1/20)
Kuwait passes law tightening online media controls
Kuwait's parliament on Wednesday passed legislation to regulate all web-based "professional" media, a day after a controversial cybercrimes law came into effect.
All forms of electronic media like Internet-based news services, bulletins, publications, newspaper and television station portals and commercial services are subject to the new law. (Your Middle East, 1/14)
Who cares if it’s true? A journalist’s need for speed
Reputable newspaper The Star recently ran a full story based on a series of tweets by @JustKhuti about her best friend Kamogelo Peterson, who had allegedly been hijacked, brutally raped, physically assaulted and killed. @Justkhuti painted a grim picture of a successful woman whose life as an actuary and pro tennis player had been cut short. The story was so moving that the country collectively mourned and raged against another senseless and violent sexual assault and murder.
However, shortly after, a number of Twitter users began pointing out inconsistencies in the story, which led to a conclusion that @JustKhuti had created Kamogelo and the grisly tale. (The Media Online, 1/21)
How to preserve your work before the Internet eats it
When he first started his career as a journalist, Kevin Vaughan carefully clipped each story, scribbled the date on top and tucked it into a file folder. That turned, eventually, to grabbing the day's paper and tossing it in a closet.
"It was like that for a long, long time."
By the time Vaughan started working at the Rocky Mountain News, the paper had an electronic archive. You couldn't see just how the story appeared that day, but you could read the text. And Vaughan saved less and less. He grabbed copies of his coverage of the Columbine shootings. He saved big packages. And he assumed his work would always exist online. (Poynter, 1/14)
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Main image CC-licensed by Flickr via Moyan Brenn.
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