It seems there is more talk than ever about “personal brand journalism.” As journalists, we’re told all the time to “brand ourselves” online and given endless opportunities to beef up our digital footprint with portfolios, social media accounts where our opinions are the star, and fancy websites complete with self-portraits.
But in the pursuit of fair and balanced journalism, where we’re not to become part of the story, how much does our personal brand matter? Is it disingenuous to care about our brand, or will we simply fall behind without an emphasis on getting our names — and work — into the noise of the Internet?
And the rise of news startups built around big names like Ezra Klein, Glenn Greenwald and Nate Silver only complicate the issue.
In MediaShift’s series on personal brand journalism, we explore these questions and more.
SERIES POSTS:
Check out these previous MediaShift articles and other stories online about the rise in personal brand journalism:
Mediatwits #117: Personal Brand Journalism on the Rise as Vox Launches, hosted by Mark Glaser, with guests Kara Swisher, Alan Mutter, Elise Hu and Andrew Lih
> First Look Media’s Andy Carvin: Be A Journalist First, Brand Second, by Angela Washeck
> How BizJournals.com Showcases Personal Brand Journalism, by James Breiner
Previous Coverage
> Personal Branding Becomes a Necessity in Digital Age, by Mark Glaser
> Journalism Students Need to Develop Their Personal Brand, by Alfred Hermida
> Mediatwits #107: Washington Post Goes on Hiring Spree After Loss of Ezra Klein, by the Mediatwits
OTHER COVERAGE:
> From Ink to Inc., at Vanity Fair
> FiveThirtyEight and the Rise of the Lengthy Personal-Brand Manifesto, at Poynter
> Ezra Klein, Glenn Greenwald and the Odd Rise of Personal Brand Journalism, at the Guardian
> Gene Weingarten: How ‘Branding’ Is Ruining Journalism, at the Washington Post
> Branded Journalists Battle Newsroom Regulations, at Poynter
> 5 Tips for Personal Branding on National Freelancers Day, at Project for Excellence in Journalism
> Confessions (Strategies) of a Branded Journalist (Or a Journalist With a Reputation, If You Prefer), at Steve Buttry’s blog
> Why Journalists Need to Build Their Own Brands, at Alan Mutter’s Newsosaur blog
> Journalism Is Not Narcissism, at Gawker
> Journalism Is Personal, at Ann Friedman’s blog
> Five Tips for Journalists On Personal Branding In Facebook, at International Journalists’ Network