Why you should come to "Death of the Newspaper"

* You are a journalism or communication student, and eventually you will be looking for employment. Come here to get a handle on the direction the media industry is headed -- you've always wanted a newspaper job and you can still have one, but what special skills can you bring to the table beyond the "five Ws"?

* You are a journalism or communication student and you have to write a paper. Maybe it is on traditional media vs. new media. "Death of the Newspaper" is the perfect place to come for insight and links to relevant articles and web sites.

* You are a journalism professional who has been trained in the sound traditions of journalism - ethics, interviewing, inverted pyramid, etc. But you want to do research on making the transition from the traditional media world to working in new media. Death of the Newspaper can provide resources.

* You're interested in media and want to learn about all aspects of media - not just the editorial side but the business and industry of traditional media, in particular.

This blog is still in its formative stages, and I'm working on developing a cohesive theme. But blogging is all about self-expression, and while I'm forming that theme I will take a smorgasbord approach. I will try to write as many posts as my time allows pointing you to interesting articles, tidbits of information, and other web sites and blogs where you can find even more insight and analysis on the transition from old to new media.

I will update my link lists (to the right) with the most relevant sites and information. One of my essential daily reads is Editor & Publisher. It's the oldest publication covering the newspaper industry and it dates back to 1884. It covers all aspects of the print industry - editorial, advertising, circulation, and technology. Their online section chronicles news and developments in online journalism and industry. I consider E&P to be one of the best sources of journalism about journalism.

E-Media Tidbits at Poynter.org is another favorite site of mine. It's written by a group of people who work in online journalism and publishing. Poynter is a trusted source to me, primarily because of their demonstrated commitment to journalistic excellence, ethical reporting, and diversity in the media among its practitioners and its subjects. Poynter owns the Times Publishing Company, which operates the St. Petersburg Times of Florida, widely considered to publish some of the best newspaper writing in the country.

These two sites are important to me, and the mission of this blog, because they effectively link the best of "old" media with the future of new media. I will constantly be on the lookout for more resources that realize this critical link.

Ethics, excellence and fairness are at risk of expiration along with the physical newspaper. It is so important to hold onto these tenets as media transform and as the journalistic culture broadens and shifts. So the point of this blog is not to celebrate the death of the newspaper; it's to serve as a sort of clearinghouse and thought space for how we can preserve what makes American journalism so strong as we head deeper into the Information Age.

Can we do it? I think so.