Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute

Circulate in the news

Circulate in the news

More Quotes

Brian Johnson, associate head, Department of Journalism, University of Illinois
Q: Is the news industry inadvertently sabotaging efforts to develop a way to monetize news content? How?
A: Now that they have been giving away content, a media leader or leaders need to step forward with a plan.  They are sabotaging efforts by not coming up with a unified plan to be paid for the content.

Christine Gorman, editor, Global Health Report

Q: What do you think is the single biggest barrier to developing a new business model for journalism?
A: Need to think not just about business model but ethical issues (maintaining independence from the funding) figuring out how to build communities that want this stuff, willing to contribute information, reporting as well as money.

Q: Is the news industry inadvertently sabotaging efforts to develop a way to monetize news content? How?
A: Think this question presupposes an answer of yes.  “They gave it away for free.” That horse is out of the barn.

Q: What do you think we should do – as a group – to make progress in finding a way to sustain journalism?
A: Not sure because I am not sure we have a true common interest beyond the broad idea of “saving journalism.”  Think we should take an incubator approach and try a lot of different things and share results.

Karl Hille
Q: What do you think is the single biggest barrier to developing a new business model for journalism?
A: The old model.

Q: What do you think we should do – as a group – to make progress in finding a way to sustain journalism?
A: Stop selling ourselves short online? Everybody’s giving it away because everybody else is giving it away and the market rate remains $0.

Bill Densmore's Recommended Reading

1. "A Perfect Storm for the Demise of Journalism … or for the Rebirth of the Journalist" By Charlie Terry.  Veteran online content marketer Charlie Terry expresses some optimism amid ideas at "Gatekeepers to InfoValets" but worries newspaper companies won't adapt.
2. "Newspapers Still Colluding to Charge for Content" THE April 8 interview that Charlie Rose did with Tom Curley and Arianne Huffington. It's a must watch.
3. "Opening Up Closed Doors: What News Execs Asked Brill" By Staci D. Kramer
4. "The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette A Model For Newspaper Paywalls? Not Really" By David Kaplan
   
5. "Newspapers Gather In Secret (With An Antitrust Lawyer) To Collude Over Paywalls"
6. "New Player in Race to Save Journalism"
7. "How the Obama administration can save newspapers" By Tim Rutten
   
8. "UPDATED: NAA Gathering Not a 'Secret' Meeting, Say Participants" By Joe Strupp and Jennifer Saba
   
9. "Secret Newspaper Conspiracy Meeting Probably Not Illegal" By Hamilton Nolan
   
10. "Collusion Course: Does today's hush-hush meeting of newspaper executives violate antitrust law?" By Ben Sheffner
    
11. "New antitrust relief for newspapers opposed" By Laurie Kellman
    

Circulate Bios

Bill Densmore
Co-Founder

Bill is one of the inaugural Donald W. Reynolds fellows at the Reynolds Journalism Institute. Circulate is the first commercial project created from his research project, “The Information Valet Project.” Bill also serves as director/editor of the Media Giraffe Project at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and the New England News Forum. A veteran journalist, Bill has written for the Associated Press, the Boston Globe and ComputerWorld Magazine.

Jeff Vander Clute
President

Jeff is founder of Semesphere, Inc., a Palo Alto, CA-based consulting firm that developed several social media and networking applications. Jeff has known and worked with Bill for 15 years, and provided the technical lead on “The Information Valet Project.” He was the principal developer of the Internet’s first mass-market social network, Tripod Inc., which grew to 33 million users worldwide.

Martin Langeveld
Executive VP

Martin spent 30 years in the newspaper business, including 13 as publisher. He started the Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass., where he worked in ad sales, circulation, promotions, marketing, and, eventually publisher. He later became publisher of the Eagle’s sister newspaper, the North Adams Transcript, and executive vice president and director of interactive media for New England Newspapers, Inc.

Joe Bergeron
VP, Product Development

Joe founded the Computational Economics Group at Williams College, conducting research in computer modeling of economic markets. As a software engineer, his experience includes development of financial transaction and retail systems. As a member of JAND China, Joe helped technology and retail startups, corporations and non-profits develop operations in Mainland China.