Another step into unknown territory...

Two top Washington Post staffers -- the national political editor, John Harris, and reporter Jim VandeHei -- are leaving the Post for a new, Web-based, multimedia venture into covering politics. The new project, still unnamed but part of Allbritton Communications, is about as multi as media gets, incorporating TV stations, a Congress-insider newspaper to be launched in January and a Web site tying it all together.
And these guys were top of the food chain at The Paper you go to for political news. Or maybe the paper you used to go to. VandeHei and Harris were apparently offered some good green to stay, as well as control of the Post's online political realm. But Allbritton is really backing their new thing, letting VandeHei hire six reporters at salaries that he says are better than anything at the Post or even the New York Times.
Plus, they'll be flying those reporters around the campaign trail. I almost want to add, "Just like real reporters!" It seems some are treating these guys like pariahs for leaving such an institution for the Internet -- and some are downright offended.
Will this nameless venture succeed? Revolutionize news media? Provide a path for others to follow? Beat the Times and the Post in political coverage? Maybe. It could be nothing more than an expensive, hare-brained scheme, but the move does at least show the momentum behind the New Media movement and the faith (some) journalists and businesspeople have in it.
I hope they do a good job.

Facebook takes over the world.

Reading the Boston Globe online this morning, I noticed the "Article Tools" list looked off, just slightly longer than usual. Printer friendly ... e-mail to a friend ... share on Facebook.
Whoa. What?
Clicking on the Facebook option, I was taken in a new window to the Facebook login screen, and then to a page where I could add comments or send the article to a specific friend. And then, with a click of the Share button, a link to the article appeared on my profile.
The link takes you first to a list of all your shared articles, and another click brings you to Boston.com. Interestingly enough, it brought me to Page 2 of the story, I guess because I was on the second page when I clicked Share on Facebook.
First the Globe, next, the world.

Is your name really Michael Bolton?

This little gem, thanks to Wired News:

According to internal documents provided to Wired News and interviews with key executives, Gannett, the publisher of USA Today as well as 90 other American daily newspapers, will begin crowdsourcing many of its newsgathering functions. Starting Friday, Gannett newsrooms were rechristened "information centers," and instead of being organized into separate metro, state or sports departments, staff will now work within one of seven desks with names like "data," "digital" and "community conversation."

Nothing like nonsensical corporate jargon to save newspapers. But the story does go on to say the company has four goals:

Prioritize local news over national news; publish more user-generated content; become 24-7 news operations, in which the newspapers do less and the websites do much more; and finally, use crowdsourcing methods to put readers to work as watchdogs, whistle-blowers and researchers in large, investigative features.

If anyone in a newsroom - ahem, information center - ever asks me if I have a case of the Mondays, I'm quitting journalism and going out for defensive linebacker for the Pats.