Hi, I'm Joey Coleman, a journalist in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada who is a open data activist, engaged citizen, and proud blogger. This is my personal website, or the place I try to break the Internet
It is just over 5°C in Hamilton at 9:00 pm this New Years Eve. I am walking in Downtown Hamilton, going nowhere in particular. COVID has ruined New Years Eve, Again. The present Ontario COVID regulations require restaurants to close at 11:00 pm, indoor gatherings are limited to 10 people, and outdoor gatherings to 25 people. With 50 percent capacity limits, the restaurants along King William were full, there is the blinking of four way lights on vehicles picking up food delivery orders for those celebrating tonight at home. The buses are free, as they are each New Year's Eve. The 9:00 pm B-Line bus leaves Main and John empty. The sounds of distance fireworks fill...
There is no special Sunday print edition of The Hamilton Spectator on this Sunday Boxing Day. It is the end of a tradition and another marker of the decline in the importance of print advertising....
I am finding joy in this second Christmas of COVID. Friends have delivered gifts to my porch; I enjoyed a beautiful walk on this warm Christmas Eve, had a good laugh watching tonight's local evening newscast, and am enjoying the relaxation of this restful weekend. I sit beside a Christmas tree, my Spotify library playing in the background (radio gave me enough seasonal music already for this year), wearing a knit cardigan, and a book to finish reading sitting beside me. I am blessed with great friends, both old and new. I am thankful for the time I've had with many of them in recent weeks. There isn't much more to say. For your reading pleasure, newspaper design editor Brad...
Third-Party Apps are the business model as the Market makes limited open hours its new normal....
F&F can benefit from looking at the British Review of Journalism, but be wise to avoid becoming navel-gazing like the BJR....
who is working at these laptops, why, what it means for the revenue of these cafes, if it is impacting the "regulars" who frequent these places, and how long the present trend may hold....
Propublica looks into St. Jude's Children's Hospital and finds it is not living up to the mission of its fundraising statements. Equally concerning is that St. Jude's is fundraising in regions of the United States where they do not treat children, taking funds which local children's hospitals could use more effectively. It is quite the read, well researched as only Propublica does. Following Propublica's probing, St. Jude's slightly improved their practices. US cable television ratings from Thursday show just how much of a powerhouse Fox News is in prime time. What happens when someone steals the car of the Toronto Star's Chief Investigative Reporter? He writes about it. Kevin Donovan's vehicle was quickly moved to the Port of Halifax. By...
Readings and thoughts on a Saturday morning. New York Times Adds 455,000 Subscriptions in Third Quarter - I have a subscription to the NYT. No other publication covers such a breadth of topics at such high quality. I do wish the NYT's would expand their Canadian coverage. Licensed to thrill: Kim Sherwood set to ‘expand the James Bond universe’ - overdue for the James Bond universe to expand. It is a great franchise. Looking forward to fun thrills in the future. From the article "to write three contemporary thrillers set in the world of James Bond but where the original 007 is missing, presumed captured or even killed." Soaring newsprint costs make life even harder for newspapers - is...
A local newspaper in Tennessee is following its sister paper in going fully digital by ending its daily print edition in favour of digital editions while retaining the Sunday print edition. A couple of key points from the article for other local newspapers to keep in mind: Journalism matters - this paper is part of a smaller chain which is mindful of its community responsibility and continues to invest in journalism. A local paper must be local and have the resources to provide the best coverage in numerous beats. Frills do not matter - this paper plans to use digital to show more photos and more data. Too much of the online content offered by newspapers is just filler, thrown...