Around the Wire: New Freelancer Guidelines, Brian Williams’ Downfall & More Media News

Welcome to the latest installment of Around the Wire, PR Newswire’s round up of journalism, blogging, and freelancing stories from the past week.

Photo by jreles; used under CC BY 2.0

1. Major News Organizations to Reveal New Freelancer Safety Guidelines (Poynter)

This week, a new set of freelancer guidelines were released. Aimed at protecting today’s journalists, the guidelines also will focus on the outlets employing them. These new initiatives are being introduced in light of the recent violence aimed at freelancers. The news outlets and advocacy groups promoting these initiatives understand the risks surrounding reporters in conflict areas and the valuable assets they have become to terrorist groups. The hope is to limit these issues in the future by creating and promoting new best practices.

2. Brian Williams Scandal Prompts Frantic Efforts at NBC to Curb Rising Damage (The New York Times)

As a reporter, integrity is everything. As someone who sits behind the desk of one of the nation’s leading news broadcasts each night, it may mean even more. Brian Williams is learning that the hard way at the moment.

Whether his story was “exaggerated” or “conflated,” it was wrong. NBC now has removed his name from the nightly broadcast, suspended him for six months, and been left in full damage control mode. The New York Times reports on the major predicament facing the network’s “crown jewel.”

3. Why a Year-Old Washington Post Article About Violence in the Central African Republic Went Viral (The Washington Post)

The success of today’s journalism is measured in a number of different ways. There are analytics to examine reader demographics, subject matter, social reach, you name it. But what it all comes down to in the end is why people are reading what they are reading. Seems pretty simple, right? Not necessarily.

Last month, a Washington Post article went viral that had been written nearly a year ago. To understand why involves a web of connections and timely events related to the violence in Central Africa and the Charlie Hebdo murders in Paris, an association that may not have been made without the analytics now used to measure journalistic success.

4. How to Diversify Your Blog Content with Different Forms of Expert Interviews (Basic Blog Tips) 

The blogosphere is an immense space. No matter how original or creative we think our posts are, there may be thousands more just like it. Standing out in some way, shape, or form is vital to your blog gaining any traction and diversifying your blog’s content is key to that.

5. Media News and Moves for the Week of Feb. 9 (PR Newswire’s Media Moves)

Media Moves keeps you up to date with who went where in the world of media. This week’s edition includes the first female editor at Money, a new digital editorial director at People Magazine, and promotions at Wired.

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Ryan Hansen is an audience researcher with PR Newswire keeping track of the latest New York media moves. Follow him @RPH2004 for tweets about media, food, and his general take on something that may be irrelevant.