This is a practice post for the final project

This is what we can do.

We can use this as our shell.  Students can write their introduction here and then use links to their multimedia presentation.
They can use GWC flickr page to create photo slideshows.
They can use GWC YouTube channel to post video.
It can all go here on class blog.
Let's test the link to flickr right now.

Notes and Links for Guidance on Final Project

What is a multimedia story?

A multimedia story is some combination of text, still photographs, video clips, audio, graphics and interactivity presented on a website in away that complements each part, but does not repeat content. .

So instead of having a text version of a story accompanied by a video clip that essentially tells the same story, different parts of a story are told using different media. The key is using the media form - video, audio, photos, text, animation - that will present a segment of a story in the most compelling and informative way.

What isn't a multimedia story? 

CNN, the Washington Post and MSNBC.com are examples of multimedia sites. They have text. They have video clips. They have audio. They have still photographs. They have interactive graphics. But the main stories on these sites are often produced in either text or video or audio to stand alone. Photos are used with  text often  photos the same way they would be used  in a newspaper or magazine. The video is usually the same version that appears on television. Rarely are video, text, still photos, audio and graphics integrated into the same story. Usually, they are stand-alone stories, each produced for a different media about the same subject, that are then aggregated into multimedia packages.

That's not what we want to do in the final project.

Storyboarding

Why do a storyboard?

A storyboard is a sketch of how to organize a story and a list of its contents.

A storyboard helps you:

• Define the parameters of a story within available resources and time 
• Organize and focus a story 
• Figure out what medium to use for each part of the story 

How to do a rough storyboard

Divide the story into its logical, parts, such as:

• an opening paragraph, that tells why this story is important 
• snippets of profiles of the main person or people in the story 
• time, place of the event or situation 
• examples of a process or how something works 
• pros and cons (this is good if you are going to tackle an issue)
• the history of the event or situation 

Here are some examples of good multimedia storytelling:

Story Shell: (Classic NPR Style) Hurricane Katrina Aftermath

Story Shell: (Narrative emphasis) JD Learns to Cook

Issues Shell: Protest Movements in Oakland

Story Shell: Guerrilla Art Galleries in San Jose

They covered up 'radio' in the sign at NPR headquarters

It's about time.
This photo was tweeted by a Los Angeles-based NPR producer.  “A picture tells a thousand words: ‘National Public Radio’ painted over by NPR at HQ,” the tweet stated.
In 2008 Jane Stevens led workshops with NPR  staff on how to shift from being a radio-centric journalism organization into a web-centric journalism organization.
Basically, Stevens and others asked the NPR staff to rethink how they tell stories and how their stories reach their audience.
It is an understatement that there was resistance to the whole idea. If the LA producer's tweet is any indication, there is still some anger about the shift in emphasis.
"Back in the days that there was just radio, your station was the only point of entry to all this content," Robert Spier, director of content development for NPR Digital Media told writers for the American Journalism Review. "You couldn't get NPR except through your station because it was only available on radio, and radio was time and geographically bound." Today, of course, "the user expects to be in control of his or her experience."
That has NPR rethinking how it operates. That's a good thing and what needs to be done if NPR is to survive in the digital age.
According to poynter.org, an NPR spokeswoman said the panel reading “National Public Radio” has been covered for several years. The new permanent sign has NPR’s logo and address.
The NPR staff, really, the entire journalism community, needs to embrace the digital age. There is no going back to the good old days.

Don't Blame the Player, Blame the Game

I would have hired Kendra Marr.
Why? Because her resume and my resume are so alike. Same undergrad and grad school. Same love of journalism. We both worked in the San Francisco Bay region. Both of us are women of color.
I think I also understand how the kinds of plagiarism accusations could lead a young reporter to resign from a good job.
Sure, the player has to shoulder the blame. But I blame the game, too.

The Internet, and Internet-research techniques, make is so easy  to find facts, stories, sources and so much more. Sometimes it is easier to use a paragraph or two from an already published source than it is to report it out yourself. And don't get me started about cutting and pasting. Yes, I can understand how someone can cut and paste reference material on the wrong take (Google Docs, anyone?) and , in the rush to deadline, forget what is yours and what belongs to someone else.
Too easy to make a series of career-ending errors.
Back in the day there was a warning that "Speed Kills." Maybe for 21st century journalism the saying should be "Speed Kills Careers."
Being first, especially for websites such as Politico, is important. Maybe too important. Top the "we're first" syndrome with making sure you post hypes of your story on Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and whatever other flavor of the day social media channel you use.
Sometimes it seems if there isn't any time to check back with a source or make the second phone call, or, even worse, tell the editor that the story won't be ready until tomorrow.
I share your pain, Kendra. I see myself in you and realize that it could have been me.
But I blame the game, too. These days, journalism is about speed more than it is about accuracy and objectivity.
That's why I'm not so quick to blame the player. I gotta blame the game.

Idaho Newspaper Publishes Full-Page Illustration of 'Fact Check' Press Release

This is the first time I've ever heard of a newspaper handling a press release like this. Thanks to the folks at the Poynter Institute for writing about this. It should make us all think before trying to oversell something in a press release.
Here's how Poynter set the scene:
"The Times-News of Twin Falls, Idaho ran a full-page illustration on its Sunday opinion section front that fact-checked, point-by-point, a press release from Republican Sen. Mike Crapo.
"This page appeared as a section front on the Sunday, Oct. 9 opinion section.The newspaper tells readers that it gets dozens of press releases every day; before publishing them, 'we also like to check all releases for both spin and accuracy before we publish them.' In this release, Crapo's office announced legislation to cap the capital gains and dividend tax rate. The newspaper says the release's description of a 'guaranteed' tax from the health care overhaul is a 'half truth' because most people will never pay it.
"The newspaper concludes that although the release is factual, 'the data is also spun harder than it should be,' and it calls on politicians to avoid 'the most hyperbolic of methods to crunch statistics.' "
Click here to read what a blogger for ACES, the American Copy Editors Society, has to say about the page.

What are You Reading it On?

A new report from comScore shows nearly three out of five tablet owners (58 percent) consume news on their tablets at least occasionally. Twenty-two percent do so almost daily. The report, according to a post on poynter.org, a website that is part of the Poynter Institute "a school for journalists, future journalists, and teachers of journalists,  also breaks down the times of day people are most active on different devices. The patterns largely confirm conventional wisdom, but the illustration is helpful nonetheless. Smartphone and tablet browsing spike early, about 8 a.m., as people awaken. Computer traffic peaks slightly later, around 9 a.m. After that, however, the patterns diverge.
•Computer traffic stays strong through the morning, peaks again at lunch time, and falls sharply in the evening.
•Tablet traffic sags through the afternoon, but surges to its highest point from about 8 p.m. to midnight (notably, tablets account for more news traffic than either computers or smartphones during that period).
•Smartphone traffic is remarkably even throughout the day. This seems to be because people carry them at all times and use them for a variety of brief tasks wherever they are.
Click here for the comScore report.

Spotify Hides Your Music Taste From Facebook Friends With Private Listenting Mode

I'll admit it. I'm fascinated by the new Facebook feature "Timeline" and what it may mean to managing news.
Andrew is doing some research on it and will report to the class on Monday, Oct. 3 on how we might use Timeline to promote Oak News content (no pressure, Andrew).
In the meantime, here is an article from Mashable about using the Spotify music app.
I'm thinking in addition to music critics, the media will create DJ jobs. The DJ will program music choices within a genre and then send it out to FB followers.
Or maybe the job of music critic will expand to include programming an hour a week of music in the genre they follow.
The possibilities appear to be endless.

5 Reasons People Share News on Facebook & How You Can Get Them to Share Menlo Oak News (we hope)

This is a good article from the Poynter Institute, a Florida-based foundation that provides training for folks in the communication business.
The article focuses on a recent New York Times study that asked people why they share links to news stories on Facebook, Twitter, or email news stories to friends and families.
Check out the "five primary motivations for sharing" and then check out the "six types of people who share."  I think I fit into three categories, "selective," "connector," and, sigh, "careerist."
Tell me what category you fit into.

Washington Post: 'Word of Mouth' provides lots of news, plays important marketing role

On the first day of class, I asked how you learned that Osama bin Laden had been killed.
Many of you said, friends or family told you.
In other words, your news source was "word of mouth."
Now the Pew Research Center and the Knight Foundation, two biggies in communication research, have released a report that says "word of mouth," that is getting news and information from family and friends is a more important news source than radio, the local newspaper or even the Internet.
Here's a good Washington Post story about the report and what it means for the future of communications.
Enjoy.

You Make the Call: Was Fox Sports Out of Line?

Earlier this month, Fox Sports flashed what it said were "actual headlines from the local papers in Chicago" about Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, including one that said he "lacks courage." (You can see the three here.) A skeptical Chicago Tribune sports staff did some investigating and found that Fox's "actual" headlines were in fact fabricated. Fox Sports' Curt Menefee admitted that yesterday in an apology during yesterday's pregame show. Click here to see the video.
The fake headlines and the apology are the talk of the journalism world. Click here to read what Copydesk.org said. Holdoutsports.blogspot.com said, "It's one thing to display an incorrect graphic.  It's another thing to blatantly lie to your viewers to try to make a point.  Let's hope that FOX sports can be more responsible going forward."
I would have fired the folks who did this. Too harsh? Maybe. What do you think? Was the on-air apology enough? Should Cutler sue or demand another apology?

On Campus, It's One Big Commercial

I'll be my mortgage money on this.
I bet Natasha Singer was either an intern for the New York Times this summer, has been a New York Times intern at some point, or is a campus stringer for the New York Times.
I bet she came up with a story idea about students who represent companies--from Red Bull to Target--and sold it to the New York Times.
The result: A story on the front page of the Times Sunday Business section.
I thought the story was very good. I'd like to know your thoughts. Take some time, read the story, and post them in the comments area below.
One more thing, take a look at the multimedia elements with the story. There's a video, a photo slideshow and, I believe, part of a podcast. This package for the web follows the format the was developed for NPR and which we will base group projects on at the end of the semester.
OK, here are some questions that you can, or cannot use, to frame your thoughts.

1. I this story is too long for reading on the web. Can you edit the story into a length that you think is appropriate for the web? If so, email me you edited version.
2. What do you think of companies using student brand managers to "reach students where they eat, sleep, study and sweat?" 
3. Can you provide any examples at Menlo of campus brand ambassadors, student reps for companies such as HP, Microsoft, etc., or corporate-sponsored academic competitions?

NYT Story: Clever Corporate Communications, Good Idea or bad Idea: Talk Among Yourselves

The New York Times had a great story last week. The web headline was, "New-Form Press Release, in Blog, Tweet and Haiku."
The heart of the story centered on how offbeat writing styles for press releases are creating buzz (do we need to define buzz? OK buzz means people are talking about it) in the worlds of social networking and public relations.
Now this offbeat style isn't widespread. This isn't happening in the button-up world of Wall Street. But funny, snarky, poetic and offbeat press releases are all the rage in Silicon Valley.
Click here to read the story. Please post your thoughts about the story. Here are a few questions to think about and, if you want, answer.

1. Is it better to have mastered writing a traditional press release before offering up a playful one?
2. Why do you think Silicon Valley has embraced this trend and Wall Street hasn't?
3. Can you give an example of when an off-beat press release would be OK? Can you give me an example when an off-beat press release could be seen as offensive?

 

Beat Reporting: What Does it Take to be the Best?

Chip Scanlan knows journalism.
He worked for the Washington, D.C.bureau for Knight Ridder. He also worked at the St. Petersburg Times and the Providence Journal. From 1994-2009, he was a faculty member of the Poynter Institute, which provides training for journalists.
In 2002, he wrote an article about beat reporting.
"The best beat reporters I’ve known are well-organized, determined, with a clear sense of mission and a wide range of sources. They are constantly reading about the beat and striving to learn new things. They are well-versed in the language, issues and events that matter. They are judged by the breadth of their knowledge and their success at communicating the important stories on their beats," Scanlan wrote.
Click here to read more about his view on beat reporting.

If there are graphic novels, why not graphic journalism?

Dan Archer  "comics journalist" and a recent John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford. Here's how he introduces the concept of comics journalism.
"To some, the only connection between comics and newspapers is in the funny pages, or a single panel editorial cartoon. However, a new breed of journalist is emerging: one that is as comfortable conducting interviews and following leads as he or she is sitting behind a drawing board with brush pens."
Click here to read the first of a two-part series on comics journalism. Hey, is this something we can try on Menlo Oak?
Click here to check out Archer's site "Archcomix."

Associated Press publishes 'situational stylebook' for Sept. 11 anniversary

This September will mark the 10-year anniversary of the September 11 terror attacks. It’s an occasion that will be commemorated, both on the day itself and, in many cases, in the weeks leading up to it, with journalistic coverage of the events and their aftermath.
To assist its members as they create that coverage, the Associated Press just released a style and reference guide whose content is dedicated to 9/11.
The guide is intriguing — not only as a useful tool for the many journalists who will be, in some way or another, writing about 9/11 over the next few weeks, but also as a hint at what a Stylebook can be when it’s thought of not just as a book, but as a resource more broadly, says Megan Garber, writing for the Nieman Journalism Lab. AP’s guide (official name: “Sept. 11 Style and Reference Guide”) is a kind of situational stylebook, an ad hoc amalgam of information that will be useful for a particular set of stories, within a particular span of time.
Click here to learn more about the AP's Sept. 11 guide.

Good writing or lack of transparency?

Paul Farhi of the Washington Post started a controversy with a story that pointed out that the highly-regarded New Yorker story that reconstructed the raid that led U.S. military forces to, and ultimately kill,  Osama Bin-Laden. 
Farhi did not bad mouth the job reporter Nicholas Schmidle did on the article, "Getting Bin Laden". The writing is top notch. No one has disputed the accuracy of the story. The Post's Farhi, takes on Schmidle's sourcing. "He relied on the accounts of others who had debriefed the" SEALs, Farhi wrote. "A casual reader of the article wouldn't know that."
"Neither the article nor an editor’s note describes the sourcing for parts of the story. Schmidle, in fact, piles up so many details about some of the men, such as their thoughts at various times, that the article leaves a strong impression that he spoke with them directly," Farhi added.
What do you think? Did Schmidle and his editors need to add some kind of note or post script about the sources of the story?