A fresh perspective

"We don't want to be bores or scolds," the crew at Online Journalism Review -- http://www.ojr.org -- says in its statement of purpose. They're doing quite nicely in that regard. The OJR offers a steady stream of well-written, provocative pieces, sometimes ahead of older and better-known industry publications.

The Online Journalism Review is based at the Annenberg School fo Communications at the University of Southern California. The e-zine, which went online in 1998, includes on its staff seasoned journalists who've spent most of their careers in the print world, as well as newcomers whose working lives have been largely on the Internet.

The mix is a good one, providing a fresh but layered look at what's good and what's bad about online journalism and its slightly creakier competitors. I don't check in nearly enough -- so many Web site, so little time -- but when I do, OJR seldom disappoints.

In a recent issue, for instance, you'll find a piece on old-line journalism's love affair with The Onion; a look at the difficulties facing photojournalists on the Web; an interview with Jim Romenesko of MediaNews.org and ObscureStore.com fame, and a column by Matt Welch on ethics at Brill's Content.

One of OJR's prime appeals is its work as a watchdog for online journalism. As any reporter who's spent a few hours on the Web can tell you, not everything that presents itself as a news site on the Web is truly a news site. Basic journalistic principles are in short supply at some rags.

OJR helps separate the professionals from the showmen. "A parallel might be a comparison between Olympic and professional wrestling," the statement of purpose says. "Both are wrestling, but each operates under different rules and serves different athletic gods."

In addition to media criticism, OJR also offers helpful pointers on using the Internet for research. A recent piece, for example, focused on accessing property records online.

OJR's Web site also features a good list of resources for online reporters, a jobs board, and information on college journalism programs, among other things.

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