The bigger question all this raises is when and whether we need articles. Oh, we still do. Articles can make it easy to catch up on a complex story; they make for easier reading than a string of disjointed facts; they pull together strands of a story and add perspective. Articles are wonderful. But they are no longer necessary for every event. They were a necessary form for newspapers and news shows but not the free flow, the never-starting, never-ending stream of digital. Sometimes, a quick update is sufficient; other times a collection of videos can do the trick. Other times, articles are good.

Jeff goes on to ask, “Can we agree to a new accepted wisdom: that the most precious resource in news is reporting and so maximizing the acquisition of facts and answers is what we need?”

• An article can be a byproduct of the process.
• The process is the goal of the process: keeping the public constantly informed.
•  When a story is complex and has been growing and changing, it is a great service to tie that into a cogent and concise narrative [by writing an article.]
• Is writing articles the best use of scarce reporting resources?
• if someone else has written a good article (or background wiki)  link don’t  write
• Add reporting, fill in missing facts, correct mistakes, add perspectives, don’t rewrite.
• “Now we should write articles when necessary.”
• New structure changes  the skills and the character of the journalist.
• Now journalists need a a passion to report, to dig up facts, to serve and inform the community  through collaboration with that community.

: Seconds after I posted this to Twitter, Chad Catacchio said that by the time the article is written, its’ not news, it’s history (albeit the fabled first draft).