GigaOm’s legacy: Great explanatory tech reporting

Christopher Massie of Columbia Journalism Review interviewed GigaOm reporter Matthew Ingram about the tech news site’s closure and his future plans.

Here is an excerpt:

What work did you do at Gigaom that you’re particularly proud of?

I’m most proud of helping to build the team that became Gigaom. When I started there were 12 people in the whole company and there was just a small handful of writers. And when the doors closed I think we had 22 editorial staff. And I think helping to build that and shape that and grow that is the thing I’m most proud of. Even though it ultimately failed, I still think we built something good and worthwhile for a brief, shining moment.

I think the one thing we did and I did that stood apart and was the best was that, even before Vox came along, we did explainers, where you take all the sound and fury of a story like the NSA surveillance leaks and you try to break it down, sum things up, put things in context, and and figure out what’s important and what’s not. You know, the “Everything You Need to Know About X” story. Ultimately that’s a big part of what journalism is and needs to be, from my point of view.

What are you thinking about doing now?

Since the news broke, I’ve had a number of people reach out with potential opportunities. And I did have a couple of people I was talking to about things before the end came — just coincidentally, not because I knew things were falling apart. I would say broadly, I’m trying to decide whether to return to a more traditional form of media or to continue my quixotic quest to be digital only.

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