Robin J Phillips

I am digital director at the Reynolds Center for Business Journalism, which I joined in 2009. Before that I was Online Community Manager for azcentral, the online site for The Arizona Republic. Before arriving in Arizona, I worked at Newsday where I was Deputy Business Editor. I was the small business editor at BusinessWeek Online. I teach journalists to use Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools to expand and manage their networks. And I am a cofounder of #wjchat, a weekly Twitter chat about web journalism. You can reach me at Email: Robin.Phillips@BusinessJournalism.org OR RobinJPhillips.com OR @RobinJP

10 days to apply for Knight Community Information Challenge

By Robin J Phillips on May 22, 2013 in Basics, Tools/tech

Open Government challenge Knight Foundation There are just 10 days left to apply for the Knight Community Information Challenge.

Foundation directors Susan Patterson, programs, and Bahia Ramos, community foundations, put together a 5-point Q&A to help potential applicants during these final days. The deadline is June 1.

Five things you need to know about the Knight Community Information Challenge

This year, the challenge is encouraging community foundations to explore open government concepts.

The challenge is an open call for all types of ideas for offering news locally. Successful applicants do not have to implement the projects or create new tech platforms to be successful.

In 2013, the challenge will provide up to $50,000 in seed funding to community and place-based foundations (though open government projects may be considered for larger grants). In this slidecast, Ramos explains more.

2013 Knight Community Information Challenge from Knight Foundation

MORE DETAILS:

Finance Friday: How kids are learning about money

By Robin J Phillips on Apr 19, 2013 in Featured, Personal finance, Story ideas

Money as you grow: 10 things kids need to know to live financially smart lives

April being National Financial Literacy Month, we’ve instituted Finance Friday, and between now and the end of the month we’ll share resources for producing basic personal finance stories that will help your audience with the fundamentals of their household money matters.

Pay yourself first.
Put your money to work for you.
If you can’t afford it in cash, you can’t afford it at all.

Sound familiar? I’m sure it does. Those are the three legs of a sound personal finance plan. They are also tips that are echoed throughout financial literacy programs for kids.

A quick search of the web turns up several organizations, private and government-funded, that provide comprehensive financial literacy resources for those seeking to improve the financial capability of kids as young as pre-kindergarten.

These kids are playing Camp Millionaire, developed by Elisabeth Donati to combat "boring" curriculum.

Some are part of a state program, others are gathered by enthusiastic parents. And the National Council of Literacy has a simple site aimed at both educators or kids.

The President’s Council’s Money As You Grow program spells out financial milestones for children at five different stages. It includes this tip for 3-5 years olds: “You need money to buy things.” And for 18 and over kids: “It’s important to save at least three months’ worth of living expenses in case of an emergency.”

Other sites use games (including The Money Game), role-playing, activities, and other fun processes which try to keep kids from getting bored with the math. All of them try to give kids some knowledge and confidence about the world of money.

Any of these programs, or state-sponsored programs working with your education departments, would be able a good place to start looking for a story on kids and financial literacy.

Here are a few of the popular sites:

National Financial Educators Council - Financial Literacy for Kids
Camp Millionaire
Money as You Grow was developed as an initiative of the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability.
Squidoo Kids and Money page
Surf Report – Entrepreneurship education

PBS: These kids mean business | Back in the 1990s, a PBS documentary that centered on budding entrepreneurs across the country. If you know of something similar, share the link below. We’ll share.

Jobs alert: Digital First, New York Times, Simon & Schuster

By Robin J Phillips on Apr 16, 2013 in Featured, Job listings, Networking

Photo: Paul Wilkinson

A couple of interesting online news jobs have come up recently.

Digital First Media is looking for an editor to run its business channel online.

The business editor would work in the Thunderdome project which is based in New York City. The channel has not yet launched. The site is looking for a well-rounded, experienced business editor.

The ad for the job says the business channel manager’s duties will include “keeping the channel fresh 24/7 with the best, latest and most complete content available using shared content from Digital First Media’s sites, partner content from the several news organizations we use.

He or she would also be expected to report and produce content.

The New York Times is looking for a Digital Platforms Editor -

5+ years experience
passion for journalism in all forms
extensive knowledge of mobile trends
strong sense of The Times’s competitive landscape.

And Simon & Schuster, a business unit of CBS is looking for an editor to work on business books: Business Editor/Writer. According to the online ad, the idea candidate will be “a lively journalistic and analytical voice ot evaluate and create content.”

19 journalists to receive scholarships to SABEW’s 50th birthday

By Robin J Phillips on Mar 08, 2013 in Basics, Featured, Networking

Nineteen journalists have been chosen to receive scholarships to attend SABEW’s 50th anniversary conference in Washington, D.C., April 4-6.

Funding came from four separate sources – SABEW’s Dave Morrow and Benita Newton funds, plus charitable contributions from the Goldschmidt Family Foundation and the SABEW Chair at the University of Missouri, said Warren Watson, SABEW executive director.

Here are winners of this year’s grants:

MORROW FUND

Cassie Cope, student journalist, University of South Carolina
Matthew Kish, reporter, Portland (Ore.) Business Journal

NEWTON FUND
(Designated for journalists of color)

Wendy Lee, reporter, Southern California Public Radio
Meena Thiruvengadam, independent journalist, Chicago
Marissa Evans, independent journalist, Milwaukee
Gabriela Rico, reporter, Arizona Daily Star
Lisa Du, reporter, Newsday
Robyn Hutson, student journalist, Howard University

SABEW CHAIR
(Preference given to 2012 SABEW Best in Business winners)

Jim Doyle, reporter, St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Kevin Allenspach, reporter, St. Cloud (Minn.) Times
Joanna Sullivan, editor, Baltimore Business Journal
Elvina Nawaguna, reporter, Reuters
Karen Miller, business editor, Reading (Pa.) Eagle
Adam Sichko, reporter, Business Review (Albany, N.Y.)
Megan Schnabel, business editor, Roakoke (Va.) Times

GOLDSCHMIDT FOUNDATION

Steve Reiss, managing editor, Crain’s Chicago Business
Whit Richardson, business editor, Bangor (Maine) Daily News
Rachel Bonar, student journalist, Missouri State University
Sarah McBride, reporter, Reuters

Separately from SABEW, the Reynolds Center provided fellowships to two journalists to attend the 50th annual SABEW Conference. They are Jacquelinne Mejia of EC Hispanic Media and Darren L. Sands of BlackEnterprise.com.

Curt Nickisch: ‘Sequestration is about money, money is oxygen for biz stories’

By Robin J Phillips on Mar 05, 2013 in Basics, Economy, Featured

I was driving to work Monday morning and heard a report about Federal workers starting to get notices about furloughs from Curt Nickisch, at WBUR-FM, NPR’s station in Boston. I’m in Phoenix and was listening to KJZZ-FM and I thought, “Wait a minute. Sequestration from Boston? It’s a Washington, D.C. story.”

Well, maybe not. And certainly not now that it is here.

So I asked Nickisch, WBUR’s only business and technology reporter, about covering this story now that the impact is being felt across the U.S. He also offers tips for balancing the business angles with the political sides of the sequestration story.

His first response to my request for comments is telling: “I think I’d ask the question differently, why DC? Why not Phoenix, Sitka, Sioux Falls and Tuscaloosa?”

Curt Nickisch, WBUR-FM

You can find more from Curt at @CurtNickisch on Twitter or on his profile page at WBUR-FM.

1) You are WBUR’s business and tech reporter, why are you getting so much national airplay on sequestration stories?

It honestly hasn’t been that much airplay but I’m glad it stood out. One story (how sequestration cuts are already affecting higher education) was especially relevant for my local market where colleges are big business. At the same time, it happened to appeal to a national audience also because colleges are economic drivers across the country. And mailboxes nationwide are receiving the letters that Boston-area and other colleges are sending incoming freshmen, warning that their student aid package may shrink thanks to cuts in federal work-study money.

The other story was simply about federal workers receiving furlough notices Monday. Yes, Boston is a regional headquarters for the GSA, so this could have been told at any of the other ten. But it could have been done from nearly anywhere. There’s a federal building in Pocatello, Idaho. There are government observers monitoring catches on fishing boats out to sea. Somehow, like it or not, those voices sound more authentic than those of furloughed workers in a suburban D.C. office park. Far-flung reporters can use that to their advantage.

March 1 story: Boston’s Federal Workers Fear Sequester Furloughs

Feb. 27 story: Boston-Area Colleges Already Struggling With Sequester

2) Sequestration is one of those stories that could be on the politics desk or the business desk. Any tips on business folks making it their own?

Sequestration is about money, and money is oxygen for business stories. The key is finding slices of the $85 billion that are happening now where you are. More on that in an answer to Question 5.

But business reporters do need to remember that this is a political story, too. Sequestration is the result of a political choice, as clumsy as it came about, to reduce the budget deficit. The political choice has economic tradeoffs.

When listeners heard from a federal worker in Boston expected to get a furlough notice to take six unpaid days between April and October, I’m sure some listeners thought: ‘How inefficient. Poor family.’ Other listeners thought, ‘That’s not that bad. I’m okay with that.’

When you find a good local business story in the sequestration issue, don’t neglect to balance how much taxpayers are saving, so your audience can weigh the political choice at issue.

3) How did you get up to speed on such a complex story that has been so securely based in Washington, D.C.?

My public radio colleagues in D.C. have really been doing the heavy lifting on the political and macroeconomic scope of this story. They’ve been raising listener fundamentals on the issue, and mine, too. That frees me to tell more locally-differentiated stories. Some of those can go on to add value for a national audience.

Parents at a South Boston Head Start program fear that sequestration may slash the program. Photo: The Boston Globe

4) Sounds to me like you are reaping the benefits of doing good local work — localizing national stories and the universal appeal of any good business story. How do you do that in a quick-turnaround news world?

I feel like the sequester, with its long-set deadline and slow-drip release, has made that fairly manageable. My editor here at WBUR, Tom Melville, had been wondering aloud for days about the growing uneasiness that federal workers must be feeling as the sequester deadline neared. We knew we were going to do the story. We only had to figure out when to do it. Likewise, I expect in the next weeks and months, we’ll see a crescendo of the sequester’s effects.

You probably still have to turn around the story quickly. For my college piece, I did in-person interviews with people from four campuses and produced the story in one day. But at least you can anticipate the news.

5) What tips to you have for other business reporters looking for local impact of the sequestration?

Robin, in the Reynolds Center’s backyard in Arizona, wildfire season is fast approaching, it flares up first in the southwest. Hotshot crews must be done hiring now, what are they doing? Will fires be worse? Are cutbacks at the EPA already slowing permitting for new construction in your market? I like how Frank Morris at KCUR-FM in Kansas City had a great local/national story about USDA meat inspectors.

I think every business reporter probably already knows where the federal government has its fingers in their local economies. There’s a rendezvous of taxpayer dollars in all those public-private partnerships you’ve reported on. Look at direct federal spending and employment. Look at regulated industries and businesses. Definitely look at your airport control tower. But there may be some surprising stories you can find and even perfectly time that haven’t been told yet.

Data journalism for all: Goal of new Kickstarter project

By Robin J Phillips on Feb 01, 2013 in Basics, Best Practices, Featured, Technology

A new journalism-related Kickstarter campaign has had some traction this week with a goal of raising $32,000 to create a package of training materials for people interested in learning programming to do journalism.

The initial eight courses are expected to cover languages, tools, concepts needed for online storytelling. All together they will create a package of training material – ebook, screencasts, code repositories and forums – that can be used by individuals or within news organizations.

The For Journalism at Kickstarter project is being led by Dave Stanton, aka @gotoplanb on Twitter, a technology fellow at Poynter and managing developer at Smart Media Creative.

Here’s his explanation and an introduction to his team (from the Kickstarter page):

Stanton and his team are $9,000 toward their goal after one week. Pledge packages range from $5 or more which will earn you a Twitter high five to the $10,000 University Level which means every student, faculty and staff member will have access to the materials.

Other levels will allow individual journalists access to the training materials. If funded, the team hopes to launch the courses in August or soon after.

The Atlantic pulls ‘sponsored content’ on Scientology’s ‘milestone year’

By Robin J Phillips on Jan 14, 2013 in Basics, Best Practices, Featured

I saw this article tweeted several times before anyone reacted to the fact that it is not a news story:

David Miscavige Leads Scientology to Milestone Year (The page was removed after The Atlantic campaign was the subject of much criticism on social media. See more below.* )

If you hover over the bright yellow button that says “sponsor content What’s this?” you see

“Sponsor Content is created by The Atlantic’s Promotions Department in partnership with our advertisers. The Atlantic editorial team is not involved in the creation of this content. Email advertising@theatlantic.com to learn more. “

Scientology paid content in Atlantic

Well, that sounds like advertising to me. Is the yellow button enough of a label to distinguish this story about unprecedented David Miscavige and his role in the growth of Scientology from news and other opinion on The Atlantic? I don’t think so.

It looks like members of Scientology or their friends were geared up to comment on the piece. And there are other, very positive comments from people who don’t declare whether they are members or not.

This is not the first sponsored spot on the site. Also on The Atlantic categorized as “sponsored content” are:

Citizen-Centered Services from 14 days ago.
Smarter Social Programs Yield Thriving Populations from a month ago.

Yet, there is a big difference. On those two sponsored articles, the author is clearly identified at the top of the piece, right under the headline.

As you can see (to the right), there is no explanation about who wrote the Miscavige piece.

WHERE WERE THE EDITORS?
I have no idea how much money customers pay for “sponsored content” on The Atlantic, but editors should be included in decisions about such clear public relations material being passed off for editorial content. Before we allow businesses to buy space on news sites to tell their own version about their success, the editorial side of our business needs to have a say in protecting our assets.

This is such an important issue on the business desk. Editorial staff need to be involved in “advertorial” and other “paid content.” We know that our credibility is the most valuable thing we have.

I suppose a very observant reader might possibly see the following image at the bottom of the article (which is adorned with photographs of new Churches of Scientology around the world), but I’m not sure:

The Atlantic Church of Scientology

(* After receiving an outpouring of criticism on social media, The Atlantic removed the Scientology page and replaced it with this note: “We have temporarily suspended this advertising campaign pending a review of our policies that govern sponsor content and subsequent comment threads.”

Much of the criticism was focused on The Atlantic accepting such advertising from Scientology. I believe that criticism misses the point. There are bigger issues here involving blending paid content and editorial content and how you allow comments on advertising.

As news business models continue to be hammered out, editorial staff need to make sure they are involved.

Erik Wemple, of the Washington Post, did a tick-tock of The Atlantic’s Scientology problem, start to finish

And this all comes in the same week that CNET’s Greg Sandoval quit because of what he called dishonesty over the relationship between CNET, it’s parent company CBS and rival DISH Network. )

Platform-neutral Loeb Awards, SABEW’s Best in Business deadlines

By Robin J Phillips on Jan 10, 2013 in Basics, Career tips, Featured, Networking

Don’t forget about 2012 too quickly.

SABEW’s Best in Business awards and The Gerald Loeb Award are accepting applications for work published or broadcast during the calendar year 2012. So dust off your best and submit them. I’ve attached a few more journalism-related deadlines below.
red ribbon
SABEW’s Best in Business Awards – Jan. 31

The 18th annual SABEW Best in Business awards competition is open for work published, broadcast and posted in the calendar year 2012.

New divisions for coverage of Small Business, Technology – and a new division called Innovation. Innovation entries could be packages that combine multimedia elements in unique, interesting ways. It could be a mobile app or a data visualization project. It could be a story that uses nontraditional narrative techniques.

Eligibility, category, entry and deadline information is below. Winners will be notified in February, and a complete list will be posted at sabew.org. Award certificates will be presented April 5 at ceremonies at the 50th annual SABEW spring conference at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Best in Business is open to regular members of the Society of American Business Editors and Writers in good standing at the time of entry. Entries must be submitted by 8 p.m. Central time Jan. 31.

Gerald Loeb Award – Feb. 1

UCLA Anderson School of Management and the G. and R. Loeb Foundation invite business, financial and economic journalists from print, online and broadcast media to submit entries in 14 competition categories and nominations for two career achievement awards for the recently restructured 2013 Gerald Loeb Awards for Distinguished Business and Financial Journalism.

Gerald Loeb was a highly successful financier and founding partner of E.F. Hutton.

In marking the award’s 40-year partnership with UCLA Anderson, a transition toward platform neutrality has been implemented and competition categories have been restructured to reflect the most current forms of journalism. All categories are now classified into either Platform Neutral or Platform Specific groups.

The Gerald Loeb Awards were established in 1957 by the late Gerald Loeb, a founding partner of E.F. Hutton. His intention was to encourage reporting on business and finance that would inform and protect the private investor and the general public. UCLA Anderson has been presenting The Gerald Loeb Awards since 1973 and the awards use a two-tier judging process comprising a preliminary round and final round. The awards banquet and celebration is held in New York City every June and is attended by the country’s top business and financial publishers, editors, journalists, producers and celebrities.

Applications should be entered into the submissions portal by Feb. 1.

Society of Professional Journalists Mark of Excellence Awards – Jan. 24

Annually, the Society of Professional Journalists presents the Mark of Excellence Awards, honoring the best in student journalism. The awards offer categories for print, radio, television and online collegiate journalism. Entries are first judged on the regional level. First place regional winners advance to the national competition and are recognized at SPJ spring conferences. National winners will be showcased on spj.org.

The contest is open to anyone enrolled in a college or university in the U.S. studying for an academic degree in 2012. International SPJ student members may also enter. Students who have had full-time, professional journalism experience, outside of internships, are not eligible. Entries must have been published or broadcast during the 2012 calendar year.

Applications due Jan. 24.

AP-Google Scholarship – Feb. 8

The AP-Google Journalism and Technology Scholarship Program fosters new journalism skills in undergraduate and graduate students developing projects at the intersection of journalism and technology.

The program is targeted to individual students creating innovative projects that further the ideals of digital journalism. A key goal is to promote geographic, gender and ethnic diversity, with an emphasis on rural and urban areas.

Have you created original journalistic content with computer science elements? Are you thinking up new ways to tell a story with technology? Are you a “techie” who knows how to construct a journalistic story through multimedia? We’re looking for students pursuing studies at the crossroads of journalism, computer sciences and new media. If you’re on the cutting edge of digital media beyond the classroom, this scholarship is for you!

Students from diverse backgrounds, as well as those attending rural-area institutions, are strongly encouraged to apply. A selected number of scholarships will be based on financial need.

AWARD – Six students will receive scholarship awards of $20,000 each for the 2013-14 academic year. Half of the award will be granted in the first semester. The remainder will be awarded in the second semester upon proof of project proposal update and maintenance of a 3.0 GPA. Awards will be made payable to the post-secondary institution.

Scholarship winners also will receive a one-year ONA membership and recognition at ONA’s annual conference.

DEADLINE – The deadline for the 2013-14 academic year is Feb. 8, 2013. Apply here.

CONTACT – For more information about the AP-Google Journalism and Technology, contact Scholarship Manager Irving Washington.

Knight International Journalism Award – Feb. 22 deadline

Every year, we honor outstanding colleagues with the Knight International Journalism Award. We’re seeking candidates who, despite difficult circumstances, produce pioneering news reports or innovations that make a significant impact on the lives of people in their countries. Nominees can be reporters, editors, technologists, media managers, citizen journalists or bloggers. Please send in your nominations by Friday, February 22.

The award reflects the mission of ICFJ’s Knight International Journalism Fellowships, supported by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. The Fellowships are designed to advance media innovation worldwide.

Winners will be honored at ICFJ’s Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C., on November 7, 2013. For more information, please contact Michael Zanchelli at mzanchelli@icfj.org or 1.202.349.7610. We truly appreciate your recommendations.

Nomination form here.

Data Journalism Awards 2013 – April 5

The Data Journalism Awards are given for outstanding work in the field of data journalism in any media worldwide. They reward outstanding examples of data driven investigations, data driven applications and storytelling with data visualization, which cover matters relevant to society and aim to have results or an impact at a societal level.

Media companies, non-profit organizations and freelancers or individuals are all eligible for the Data Journalism Awards.

Works produced by individuals or teams of staffers from media companies and non-profit organizations, as well as freelancers or individuals are all eligible for entry.

Works that are the result of a collaboration between organizations may also be submitted.

Those works produced by staffers or freelancers collaborating with government agencies, business or trade organizations with a stake (financial or of other nature) in the issue at hand are not eligible. Works that include significant input from the members of the jury will not be accepted for entry into the competition.

The DJA administrators have the final authority to determine whether an entry is eligible or not. Applications must be submitted before April 5.

→ → And from IJNET, International Journalists Network, Seven 2013 journalism fellowships to apply for now

Journalists: Fill your 2013 calendar with networking opportunities

By Robin J Phillips on Jan 09, 2013 in Basics, Career tips, Featured, Job listings, Jobs, Networking

It’s a new year. Time to fill your 2013 calendar with journalistic training and networking opportunities.

Journalists from several national organizations regularly gather to network in Phoenix. Photo: Robin J Phillips

There are lots of ways to network with fellow journalists, but conventions can be one of the best for finding helpful training, meeting new people, sharing ideas and checking out the job fairs.

Take a look at this list and while you’re exploring the conventions, join a few groups. The annual fees are usually low, and the opportunity to keep in touch with like-minded journalists all year can be priceless.

JOURNALISM CONVENTIONS 2013

Feb. 28-March 3: NICAR 2013 Investigative Reporters and Editors, Louisville, Ky.

April 4-6: American Copy Editors Society, St. Louis

April 4-6: Society of American Business Editors and Writers, Washington, D.C.

June 20-23: American Women in Sports Media, Scottsdale, Ariz.

June 20-23: Investigative Reporters and Editors, San Antonio

June 24-26: American Society of News Editors, Washington, D.C.

July 18-21: Native American Journalists Association, Tempe, Ariz.

July 31-Aug. 4: National Association of Black Journalists, Orlando

Aug. 21-24: Asian American Journalists Association, New York

Aug. 22-25: National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association, Boston

Aug. 24-26: Society of Professional Journalists, Radio and Television Digital News Association and the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Anaheim, Calif.