links for 2009-04-20

The Parser — What would we do without the Internet Grammar Police? These folks assiduously correct the online writings of others — never quite catching on that the Web is designed to be fast, fresh and sloppy.

The point to consider here is that the two processes do not have to be mutually exclusive, and may even be complementary. Just a couple of years ago, we were wondering if the blogosphere was trivializing journalism; now, most of us, including traditional journalists, are willing to accept the fact that the two can not only live in harmony but also play off of each other.

Similarly, online games could help break down complex topics, and stimulate audience interest in the more mundane ones.

Marten said he has known Ron Sylvester, the Wichita Eagle reporter Twittering from his courtroom, for years and respects his reporting, but would likely extend the same privilege to other reporters too. The judge said he was quickly able to overcome one defense lawyer’s concerns that jurors might breach court rules to view the reporting and be inappropriately swayed.

“You either trust jurors to honor the admonishment or not,” Marten said. “This was pretty much a nonissue. I don’t see any difference between this and a journalist sitting in there taking notes.”