Utah Stories on KSL

Utah Stories on KSL
March 30th, 2009

New media gets a nod from the mainstream media: KSL's Jed Boal runs a segment on Utah Stories

by Richard Markosian

KSL finally aired the story on us taped last week. Thanks to Jed Boal who got the story straight and on air despite the delay. See story and video here: Utah Stories on KSL

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

I nearly fell out of my chair this morning when KSL News Reporter Jed Boal called me after he came across one of our "Salt Lake City's Other Side" journals and wanted to do a news report on us.

I was surprised because the local TV stations have been less than receptive to Utah Stories. I think most main-stream news providers snub their nose at "new media" and blogs because they believe we are ruining journalism--we are the ugly step-child of professional journalism and muddling the public discourse by blogging rants and "reporting" with an complete lack of journalistic ethics. If this is what they think, then I happen to agree with them (in most cases).

Boal was in no way condescending. He was very friendly and respected what we are doing. We spoke about the decline of the local media. Boal says he considers "all competition good." and their attitude at KSL is that they are open to new ways of doing things.

KSL's website has flourished because they were the first local news provider to put a significant effort into free classified advertising. Due to their foresight, KSL.com is the most visited news media website in Utah.

Sadly, the newspapers and other local TV outlets are suffering greatly right now. I'm one of the few thirty-somethings that still subscribes to a daily newspaper. I believe that journalism is a fundamental facet of democracy, and the only way to keep that facet in tact is by rewarding quality work.

Presenting Utah Stories To The Main Stream

I told Boal in a nutshell Utah Stories wants to do three things:

Help local voices be heard: we want to help remove the disconnect between the people and the media by offering anyone a opportunity to write a story for us
Highlight the best of local Utah: by promoting local entrepreneurs in our local spotlights and free giveaways
Debunk myths and find truth and accuracy through all the clutter and spin of the current media setting

We are doing this by tapping into the talent pool currently available in Utah. There are some incredible journalists and seasoned professionals who have been laid-off who have been helping at Utah Stories. We have former AP writers, former KSL, KUTV reporters, and we will accept anyone with a voice who can tell a story.

It was a pleasure meeting Boal, he was a true professional and I think he will capture the essence of Utah Stories. Watch KSL 5 at 5:00 today to see the Utah Stories report by Jed Boal.