For those looking for thoughtful reporting of news in the media, then Jim Romenesko’s self-titled site is one not to be missed. Romenesko is a well-respected and highly influential thought leader in journalism and media circles. College Media Matters recently said that “Romenesko is fast becoming a social media machine,” so join Romenesko’s Twitter and Facebook following in addition to making JimRomenesko.com one of your must-read sites.
When and why did you start professionally writing?
I started working at the Milwaukee Journal after graduating from the Marquette University College of Journalism. From there, I went to Milwaukee Magazine, where I was senior editor. I’ve specialized in crime reporting, technology reporting and media coverage at various publications and websites.
How would you describe the content of JimRomenesko.com?
The site covers what’s important and interesting in the media world, from my perspective. I try to make it of interest to both journalists and media consumers who don’t work in the news business.
What do your family and friends think of your blogging?
They think it’s the perfect line of work for me! They know I’ve always been interested in the Internet — I first went online in 1989 — and that I was blog pioneer, starting my own site long before the word “blog” came into being.
What blogs do you read?
I have dozens of them in my RSS feed and bookmarks folder — everything from Gawker to Slate to Gizmodo.
How much time daily do you spend writing for the site?
I am generally at my computer by 7 a.m. and try to shut it off at 5 p.m. I then switch to casual browsing on my iPad. If I see something that *has* to be tweeted or posted, I turn my computer back on and go to work.
How much do you correspond one-on-one with readers?
I get emails, Facebook messages or Twitter DMs daily. Sometimes they’re sending tips, and other times it’s just a compliment or criticism.
What joys did you not expect when you started blogging?
I never guessed that I’d attract such a large following; I remember (in the late 1990s) when I was happy to get 100 visitors a day. I now have over 41,000 Twitter followers.
What pains?
It’s my fault, but I’m rarely able to turn off the computer and take a vacation. I don’t feel I can let my sites go dark for an extended period of time.
What’s something your readers don’t know about you?
I was a family newspaper publisher at age 8, and still have those “newspapers” in my archives. I lost a tooth while producing one of those papers, and there’s blood on the paper as evidence of it. (“Actual tooth blood,” the story states, with an arrow to the stain.)
What’s been one of your favorite stories/topics to cover so far?
The Jayson Blair/NYT saga was very interesting because it toppled Times editors and, quite frankly, put my site on the map in media circles. Here’s how the Los Angeles Times described my role in that scandal.
ADVERTISERS: For the next week, use Discount Code “Blogads50” to receive 50% off a rectangle, sidebar or square button ad on JimRomenesko.com!
