New Media Bytes | Online journalism, web production and promotion

Thanks for visiting New Media Bytes. If you like what you see, subscribe to my RSS feed.

Tired of scrapping for bylines? Does having your mug in the newspaper fall short completely satisfying? For some, bylines next to established news orgs mean little, when compared to a writer’s personal brand.

That’s how it works in the “new new journalism,” notes the New York Observer. Writers’ who can create successful personal brands are coveted and semi-celebrity like. The Observer discusses how even The New York Times is fostering a change in journalistic culture by hiring bloggers and integrating them into the newsroom.
Read through this lengthy article and you’ll reach a prize on page 2, the story about 25-year-old Star magazine ‘editor-at-large’ Julia Allison. Allison went from dating columnist to a brand in her own right, and she explained why she took that path:

“All journalists are journeymen. You might have a P.R. team you work with at your magazine that’s taking care of the magazine, but who’s taking care of YOU? Ultimately, you’re replaceable if you’re not a brand.”

So should journalists jump paper and start their own journalism revolution?

NO!

But writers and photogs and non-journalists should start blogging, having opinions, podcasting, taking pictures, recording video and sharing. Have an identity. Read The New Influencers. Create a brand - and back it up!

In ‘new new journalism,’ competition is high for decent jobs and personal autonomy.

Can young journalists expect find attractive employment without establishing themselves as their own brand?