I’ve done quite a few web trainings for broadcast journalists over the last year and I am still astonished by how few of them use a newsreader (news aggregator) or even know what one is! I like to think of them as a personalized wire service. Reporters and producers can widen their perspective beyond the AP, Reuters, and their local newspapers by taping into alternative publications, niche websites, and yes, blogs. Newsreaders help you scan more content tailored to your needs more quickly than visiting individual websites. My newsreader enables me to scan about 50 websites a day by visiting just one site. If I were a news director, I would practically mandate everyone in the newsroom set one up. Heck, they’re free. So why don’t you use one?
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