50 blogs for journalists, by journalists 2014

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A list of blogs by journalists, journalism academics and photo-journalists sharing tips and perspectives on topics such as social media, data journalism, apps, tools, and the latest developments in the industry.

The blogs are grouped by subject and are listed in random order. We have not included any blogs hosted by news organisations or other sites.

This is an updated version of our 50 blogs by journalists, for journalists, published in January 2013.

General:

1. One Man and His Blog

Adam Tinworth has been blogging for over 10 years, writing about digital technology, publishing, and journalism. He works as a consultant on digital journalism, publishing, mobile and social media, and he is a visiting lecturer and module leader in the Department of Journalism at City University London.

2. Steve Buttry

Steve Buttry started training journalists in the 1990s, and was previously digital transformation editor at Digital First Media in the US. His blog offers great tips for journalists as well as media commentary on topics including paywalls, mobile strategy, entrepreneurial journalism, ethics and accuracy.

3. Media Disruptus

Journalist and educator Steve Outing writes about what’s next for media and journalism. According to his blog, he "always keeps one foot in the future”.

4. Social media desk

The blog is run by Melody Kramer and Wright Bryan of NPR. They share social media resources and observations on the industry.

5. Reflections of a Newsosaur

Alan D. Mutter is a veteran media executive and lecturer on new media at the Graduate School of Journalism, University of California at Berkeley. He writes in his blog explainer that he “fears our news-gathering companies are stumbling to extinction”.

6. David Higgerson

David Higgerson writes about data journalism, social media, and freedom of information, and does weekly round-ups of stories generated by FoI requests. He is a digital publishing director responsible for the regional websites within Trinity Mirror, and also uses his blog to reflect on digital opportunities for regional journalists.

7. Headlines and Deadlines

Alison Gow uses her blog to share her thoughts on journalism and digital storytelling, and publishes weekly reading recommendations. She’s editor of the digital innovation team with Trinity Mirror Regionals.

8. Cory Bergman

Cory Bergman is the general manager of breaking news, a NBC mobile-first news company. He is also a co-founder of a neighbourhood network of news sites called Next Door Media.

9. Jack of Kent

David Allen Green is a legal commentator at FT.com and formerly legal correspondent of the New Statesman. He has written on the Simon Singh libel case and worked as an appeal solicitor in the "Twitter joke trial" case. His blog is well worth following for all things law related.

10. Mary Hamilton

Mary Hamilton is audience development editor at Guardian Australia. She describes her blog as a conversation, a resource and a collaboration in her blogging principles.

11. David Hepworth's blog

David Hepworth is the editorial director of independent media company Development Hell and writes for The Guardian.

12. Jon Slattery

Jon Slattery is a freelance journalist and former editor of Press Gazette. He posts media quotes of the week and uses his blog to offer "an independent view on media matters".

13. A web editor's tale

Richard Kendall manages digital content and social media for the Peterborough Telegraph and posts tips and tools for journalists such as this useful post on image editing using Google Drive and Chrome Apps.

14. Meeja Law

Judith Townend collects general information about media law and ethics. She’s a researcher and freelance journalist, and a former Journalism.co.uk reporter.

15. JackLail.com

Jack Lail, director of digital for the Knoxville News Sentinel, uses his blog to share what’s new in the industry. He keeps up to date with the latest experiments with online comments and posts links to related resources.

16. Sarah Hartley

Sarah Hartley, managing director of Talk About Local and editor of Contributoria, writes about the evolution of journalism, participation, open data and technology. She’s one of the people behind Guardian backed journalism toolkit n0tice.org.

17. Deborah Petersen

Deborah Petersen’s blog focuses on social media, and highlights useful tools for journalists and success stories. Formerly a journalist at the Bay Area News Group, she’s now editorial operations manager at Stanford Graduate School of Business.

18. Zombie Journalism

Mandy Jenkins was managing editor at Digital First Media‘s Project Thunderdome, which was axed in April 2014. She uses her blog to share resources and curate news on mobile, social media and business.

19. EdWalker.net

Ed Walker, digital development editor at Trinity Mirror Regionals, posts about local journalism and the web. He has recently shared ten things learned from five years of running a hyperlocal site.

20. Journerdism

Will Sullivan, director of mobile for the Broadcasting Board of Governors, blogs about his thoughts on the future of journalism and posts many interesting links on topics from journalism tips and tools to book recommendations.

21. The Word Yard project

Writer, editor and co-founder of Salon, Scott Rosenberg shares weekly link selections on technology and the media. He recently started a series of posts called “Interviewing the Ex-Audience” that caught our eye.

22. The Joy of Unemployment: The journey of a freelance writer

Anneke Steenkamp gives advice to freelancers on all aspects of the job from including writing tips and notes on staying productive.

23. BuzzMachine

Jeff Jarvis is an associate professor and director of the Tow-Knight Center for Entrepreneurial Journalism at the City University of New York, as well as a well-known media commentator.

24. The Editor's Desk

This blog welcomes "anyone who loves words and the news", according to an explainer on the site. Andy Bechtel, copy editor and professor of journalism at the University of North Carolina, writes about editing and posts interesting Q&As.

25. #realtalk from your editor

Edited by Ann Friedman, #realtalk uses GIFs to illustrate ideas and reactions to the main challenges faced by journalists in their work.

26. How to be jobless

Erica Buist started the blog in 2013 as a jobless hack with a masters degree. She is now on the Guardian Digital Journalism Scheme.

27. Newspaper Death Watch

Paul Gillin has over 20 years of journalism experience and uses his blog to chronicle "the decline of newspapers and the rebirth of journalism”. He recently posted his observations on the "Innovation" report commissioned by the management of The New York Times.

Mobile and visual:

28. Backpack Journalism Blog

Bill Gentile is a documentary filmmaker who teaches at American University in Washington, DC. He blogs about his backpack journalism project and he is a pioneer of the craft.

29. Rhys Griffiths

Rhys Griffiths is social content manager at The Football League and former regional digital publisher for Local World in the south east. His blog includes observations on mobile reporting, content marketing and local journalism.

30. Mobile Journalism

Nick Garnett is a BBC Radio 5 Live correspondent and blogs about his experience in mobile journalism. He posts tips on software and kit such as using an iPad on a tripod for video footage.

31. VJ Technology

Glen Mulcahy from Irish broadcaster RTE uses his blog to provide resources for journalists interested in producing video for the web. He tests and reports on the latest technologies, and his newest post mentions a custom 3D printed monitor mount.

32. #iPhoneReporting

US radio journalist Neal Augenstein writes about mobile journalism with a focus on working with iPhones and iPads. He was the first radio reporter to use an iPhone as his main field kit in 2010.

33. Football Photographer Blog

Matthew Ashton runs AMA Sports Photo Agency, a sports photographic agency based in England. He shares behind the scenes information on the life of a sports photographer, as well as tips on how to get started in the industry.

34. Media Attention

Cameraman Paul Martin uses his blog to give a glimpse of insider knowledge when it comes to filming TV news.

35. Video Journalism

Freelance video journalist Cyndy Green writes about visual storytelling and offers helpful advice to journalists such as “how do I choose a camera?”

Data journalism:

36. Claire Miller

This data journalism blog by Claire Miller is a must read for anyone interested in data. Miller works on Wales Online's data store and publishes useful resources for journalists such as Data Journalism for Beginners: Cleaning Up Your Data.

37. Teaching Online Journalism

Mindy McAdams is an online journalism professor in the US, and her blog is a valuable resource for all journalists. She offers practical tips like setting up a private WordPress blog for group editing, and posts observations on media education.

38. Baby Steps in Data Journalism

Mindy McAdams also writes a more technical blog about her experience of teaching herself data journalism.

39. Musings on Maps

Daniel Brownstein blogs about data visualisation, with a focus on mapping techniques.

Academics:

40. Online Journalism Blog

Paul Bradshaw is the head of online journalism at Birmingham City University and a visiting professor at City University London. His blog is a must-read and features guest contributions from all over the world.

41. Reportr.net

Alfred Hermida is associate professor at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of British Columbia. His award-winning blog deals with "media, society and technology".

42. PressThink

Jay Rosen's blog states in its introduction that it’s a mistake to refer to the press as media. He is a professor of journalism at New York University, and writes about the "fate of the press in a digital era".

43. George Brock

George Brock is an ex-editor of The Times currently heading the journalism department at City University London. His posts comment on the industry on topics including local, social media, and law.

44. AndyDickinson.net

Andy Dickinson writes about video and online journalism and social media, offering helpful tools and tips. He teaches digital and online journalism at the University of Central Lancashire.

45. Media Nation

Dan Kennedy is an associate professor at Northeastern University, specialising in alternative business models for news. He posts news and commentary on his blog.

46. Alan Geere Online

Alan Geere is head of news journalism at Southampton Solent University. His blog is a mix of reflections on the industry, international issues, and snippets of life in Southampton.

47. MulinBlog

Dr. Mu Lin is an online journalism educator from the US who blogs about multimedia production, mobile journalism and data journalism. He posts useful guides like “how to embed video and photo in a Google interactive map” as well as observations about the industry.

48. Common sense journalism

Doug Fisher teaches digital and social media as a senior instructor at the University of South Carolina. He writes about the challenges editors face in the ever changing environment of digital news and about the importance of common sense in journalism.

49. Sports field guide

Joe Gisondi is a professor at Eastern Illinois University and posts tips for sports coverage, commentary and notes on ethics.

50. News Cat GIFs!

We can’t have a list of blogs without GIFs of cats reacting to news situations. News Cat GIFs! was started by Ivan Lajara, who also writes Journosauce, a blog on digital journalism.

Can you think of any blogs written by journalists for journalists missing from this list? Share your recommendations in the comments below.

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