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Abraham Hyatt

WMTM Redux: Founder Ron Buel Responds

Last weekend’s We Make The Media conference has generated more debate on blogs and Twitter than any other journalism event in recent memory.
Ron Buel, the founder of the event, has now weighed in on the sometimes-heated conversation. But since the conference site doesn’t have a comments section, we asked Buel if we could [...]

Riding Bulls in the Rose Quarter on a Saturday Night

by Abraham Hyatt

It’s the smell of manure in the hallways of the Rose Quarter. It’s the dark brown dirt — several feet deep — that covers the basketball court. It’s the chatter in the women’s bathroom about which bull rider is cutest. It’s the real cowboys dressed up for a night out with the family. It’s the [...]

10.06.2009 See the rest →

How to organize a conference in Portland in 6 (sort of easy) steps

by Abraham Hyatt

It looks so easy: A few panelists sitting in front of a room of people. Some platters of food for lunch. An RSVP list on Upcoming. And ta-da! It’s the basic formula for a Portland camp or un-conference. How hard can it be, you think to yourself, to turn my great idea for an event [...]

08.08.2009 See the rest → 2 comments

Little newspaper — save thyself

by Abraham Hyatt

On Tuesday, Democratic U.S. Sen. Benjamin Cardin, from Maryland, introduced legislation [PDF] that he hopes will save American newspapers. Cardin wants to let papers operate as nonprofit organizations. The plan has its merits — ad and subscription revenue would be tax exempt — and its risks. Would large donors threaten newspapers’ autonomy? Exactly how the [...]

03.26.2009 See the rest → 3 comments

What Twitter could have given Sam, and Portland

by Abraham Hyatt

Late last month, when the whole Gov. Blagojevich indictment situation was threatening to taint Barack Obama’s transition, two writers at the Politico put together a list of “five rules of scandal response” that the president-to-be had intentionally, or unintentionally, imposed on his staff. Rule No. 1 was simple: “Be transparent, to an extent.”
Sam Adams didn’t [...]

01.29.2009 See the rest → 9 comments