Last week I gave a presentation to the young journalists in Poynter Institute‘s fellowship for college students — a program that I was part of in 2007. I was asked to talk about how we use metrics to track traffic on Poynter.org, but I didn’t want to just talk about metrics. Tracking traffic is important,Continue reading “How to build a bigger, more engaged audience online”
Tag Archives: Journalism
My new favorite beat: Writing about women’s issues in the media
Throughout the past year, I’ve started writing a lot more about women’s issues, particularly as they relate to the media world. Part of this has to do with my editor, who has prompted me to write about these issues and given me a newfound appreciation for them. I’ve always been interested in writing about diversityContinue reading “My new favorite beat: Writing about women’s issues in the media”
Lara Logan’s 60 Minutes interview renews attention to journalists sexually assaulted on the job
Osama bin Laden’s death dominated headlines in the media world Sunday night and Monday, and rightfully so. But there was other media news that was overshadowed as a result. I’m thinking in particular of Lara Logan’s courageous 60 Minutes interview, in which she recounted what happened to her while covering the protests in Egypt. AContinue reading “Lara Logan’s 60 Minutes interview renews attention to journalists sexually assaulted on the job”
Catching up with John Quinn & Chips Quinn scholars in Cocoa Beach
Last weekend I got to catch up with one of my great mentors, John Quinn, at his winter home in Cocoa Beach. My boyfriend Troy and I went there for a Chips Quinn reunion — a yearly event for those who have gone through the Chips Quinn program. The program, which is aimed at diversifyingContinue reading “Catching up with John Quinn & Chips Quinn scholars in Cocoa Beach”
Why journalists misspell names & why it matters to get them right
Throughout the years I’ve gotten used to people misspelling my name. My late aunt seemed to spell it differently every time she wrote me a Christmas or birthday card, and teachers used to misspell it, too. In the third grade I started to write “Mal” on top of my papers to avoid confusion, but myContinue reading “Why journalists misspell names & why it matters to get them right”
In aftermath of Giffords shooting, news orgs look for ways to correct tweets
One of the lessons that journalism pioneer John Quinn taught me a while back has stuck with me throughout the years: “Get it first,” he used to say, “but first get it right.” I was reminded of his words while watching conflicting media reports unfold shortly after the Gabrielle Giffords shooting. (See my related Poynter.orgContinue reading “In aftermath of Giffords shooting, news orgs look for ways to correct tweets”
Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Providence College’s Student Newspaper, The Cowl
Last weekend I spoke at the 75th anniversary of my alma mater’s student newspaper, The Cowl. The coordinators of the event asked me to write about how my experience as editor-in-chief of the paper helped prepare me for my job as a journalist. I talked about this, but I also wanted to explain why it’sContinue reading “Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Providence College’s Student Newspaper, The Cowl”
Comic Strip Depicts ’10 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Journalist’
Patrick Garvin, a graphic artist at the Florida Times-Union, sent me an e-mail earlier this week with a link to a comic strip he just created. The comic is based off of one of Jill Geisler’s popular Poynter Online columns from last year, “10 Reasons You Should Hire a Journalist.” Garvin said he created itContinue reading “Comic Strip Depicts ’10 Reasons Why You Should Hire a Journalist’”
Talking with Jack Shafer about Bogus Trend Stories
Last Friday I talked with Slate’s Jack Shafer about how he finds the bogus trend stories he writes about and what he considers to be some of the main characteristics of them. I got the story idea after seeing a few journalists tweet about Shafer’s latest criticism of The New York Times’ trend story aboutContinue reading “Talking with Jack Shafer about Bogus Trend Stories”
What it Was Like Interviewing Dan Rather at Poynter
Last week I got to meet legendary journalist Dan Rather. I wasn’t nervous in the days leading up to the interview, but then an hour or so beforehand, I could feel my stomach start to turn. At the same time I felt as excited as a little kid on Christmas morning, and was reminded ofContinue reading “What it Was Like Interviewing Dan Rather at Poynter”
Word on the Street 