If you’ve ever wanted to know what would happen if you were to disable comments on your website, a group of newsrooms tried it out to see what would happen and the findings are now available.
The study found that benefits of having a comment section outweigh the negative effects of not having one. Removing the website comments can hurt the user experience.
You can read more here.
Journalists faced challenges on many fronts in 2020 and RTDNA is calling out the groups of reporters who went above and beyond in the last year.
RTDNA is recognizing election reporters, fact checkers, consumer reporters, health care journalists, and local broadcasters.
Telemundo Wisconsin (WYTU-TV) is adding anchor Alexis Dominguez to join co-anchor, Miguel Ramirez on Noticiero Wisconsin every weekday at 10 p.m.
Dominguez comes to Milwaukee from Colorado Springs, where she was the Telemundo anchor and reporter for KRDO. After graduating from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University, she got her start as a reporter in Sherman, Texas.
Originally from Chicago, Dominguez is thrilled to be headed to Wisconsin and to be closer to family.
“Alexis is a great addition to Noticiero Wisconsin,” said Kent Harrell, News Director at Telemundo Wisconsin and CBS 58. “She’s a creative storyteller and fresh personality that will fit perfectly in the Wisconsin television market. We’re excited for her to join the team.”
Dominguez joins the station in January.
Emilee Fannon is joining CBS 58 (WDJT-TV) in Milwaukee as the station’s Capitol Bureau Correspondent.
Fannon will join the station in January and will be based in Madison. She spent the last three years as the Capitol Bureau Chief for WKOW-TV in Madison. During the 2020 Presidential election she interviewed President-Elect Joe Biden and Vice President Mike Pence, along with other prominent figures from both campaigns. Before coming to Madison, she covered politics in the Illinois capitol of Springfield as a statehouse reporter for three years.
“I strive to cover the political stories that have the most effect on people right here in Wisconsin,” Fannon said. “I’m excited for the opportunity to take that passion to a larger stage and reach even more people.”
“Emilee brings a wealth of Capitol experience to CBS 58,” said Kent Harrell, News Director at CBS 58. “She knows the players and knows how to get the whole story. She will strengthen our commitment to fair and balanced political coverage that our viewers deserve.”
The year 2020 will stand out in history in many ways. Poynter is taking a look back at the milestone year with a review of the best and worst of the year in the world of broadcast news.
The review highlights the media personality of the year, best national news, best Twitter follow, best podcast, biggest destruction of a career, best show about the media, and many others.
Check it out here.
The Newsroom will take a brief holiday break this week. We’ll be back next week. Stay safe and have a happy holiday week!
If you’re into broadcast news (which you must be if you’re reading this) and you’re also looking for podcasts to listen to, we’ve got just the thing for you today.
A new 12-episode podcast titled “We Interrupt This Broadcast” celebrates the history of broadcast news. It debuts in February.
You can learn more about the podcast here.
Diana Gutiérrez is coming to Milwaukee in early January to join ‘WISN 12 News This Morning’ and ‘WISN 12 News at 11:00 a.m.,’ in early January.
Gutiérrez joins Adrienne Pedersen and Eden Checkol weekdays from 4:30 a.m. to 7:00 a.m. and will also serve as co-anchor on ‘WISN 12 News at 11:00 a.m.’ with Eden Checkol on weekdays.
Gutiérrez was a news reporter for WCIU-TV’s weekday morning show ‘The Jam’ in Chicago. She has also worked as a general assignment reporter and weekend morning anchor for WBND-TV in South Bend, Indiana. She has covered stories ranging from breaking news, immigration reform, severe weather, to community events.
Born to immigrant parents, Gutiérrez is a Mexican-American Chicago native who is bilingual and speaks fluent Spanish. She developed a passion for journalism after studying abroad in Madrid, Spain and discovering the importance of rich cultures, close communities, and personal stories – all components that help inform her approach to important local coverage.
Gutiérrez is the vice president of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) Chicago chapter, an organization dedicated to the recognition and professional advancement of Hispanics in the news industry. She also serves as a board member of the Daisie Foundation, a nonprofit organization that helps inner city families.
“Diana is a great journalist who has not only worked in Chicago, but all around the Midwest,” said Matt Sinn, news director of WISN 12. “She’s a tremendous storyteller who’s known for making sure voices in different communities are heard. We have had our eye on Diana for some time, and I’m excited we are finally able to make her part of our team.”
“Words cannot express how excited I am to join WISN 12. From the first time I met the team, I knew they were something special and shared the same love I have for storytelling,” said Gutiérrez. “I don’t take any story for granted because that’s a piece of someone’s experience that we get to share. As journalists we have to dig deep and stay curious, and I am ecstatic to do that in Milwaukee.”
Yes, the COVID-19 vaccine is here, but the end to the pandemic will take some time, effort from the public, and clear reporting from journalists.
Poynter wrote this week about what journalists need to know about the vaccine, with a list of facts about the vaccine and vaccine distribution.
You can read the article here.
Poynter is writing this week about how some newsrooms are changing the words they use to describe people in the criminal justice system. in order to replace dehumanizing language.
Person-first language is a linguistic prescription that puts a person’s humanity above other identity labels, with the intent of avoiding marginalization or dehumanization. It first gained traction in the disability rights and medical spheres, where disabilities and diagnoses were often conflated with identities. Advocates began to shy away from labels such as “diabetic” in favor of “person with diabetes.”
Read more here.
Is a public meeting really open to the public if attendees are risking the health of other attendees by not wearing masks?
It’s an issue raised by the Wisconsin Newspaper Association.
The article cited reports of village board in which mask mandates are not being followed at public meetings. Wisconsin FOIC President Bill Lueders said in the article that the those not adhering to the mask mandate or providing attendance were breaking open meetings law.
WBA Newsroom