History of online media
The first set of class/lecture notes: History of Online Media.
Design frontiers
We’re going to touch on more of the visual aspect of journalism today. Evan Allen passed along a good Slate piece that speaks to visual design AND the whole print/Web thing:
Also note the link in there to the Sports Illustrated tablet demo; pretty remarkable.
Is newspaper science reporting vanishing?
A few of you are reporting on Boston-area science reporters, and wanted to point this out this piece:
Incidentally, I’m not sure I agree with her, but as one heck of a science reporter, we should listen to Angier.
Cliff’s Notes of basic interview rules
- Do your homework/research
- Have a list of questions
- Take notes or record
- Always ask if there’s anything else you should ask
- LISTEN
The key lesson of the climate change email controversy
So this morning, it seemed like it was settled:
E-mails suggest science not faked, but doubt lingered was the headline of the AP story. The AP said it had done an “exhaustive review” of the hacked emails between climate change researchers.
But wait! It’s never over til it’s over: the Daily Mail piece apparently also did their own “exhaustive review“.
The lesson: I don’t think any of us know enough to know, but it underscores the importance of you as journalists not pursuing an agenda on any side of a hot political issue. The best thing you can do for the reader is tell the straight and honest story, even if it looks like it’s bad for “your side.” As Shakespeare wrote in The Merchant of Venice: the truth will out. Help that happen, wherever it may take you.
Blog times
Hi — hope you all had a good Thanksgiving. I’ve been away, so I will be responding to your emails shortly.
Meantime, a few of you have mentioned your blog times being off. Sometimes that just happens, but sometimes it can be fixed. If yours are not accurate, please try this:
Dashboard > General Settings
On that page are a couple of choices on how you display your day and date and time. Please re-fill those in, then save. We’ll see if that helps.
Your interviews — and your assignment for Tuesday, Nov. 24
David’s mention of his interview this Friday is a good alert: you should all be getting in touch with your reporters by Monday at the latest to start finding a time in early December for your interview.
Deadline reminder: your final blog post is due the week of Dec 14-20. You don’t *have* to wait til that week to write about the interview, but you *can* wait until then.
You will need to post a total of eight blog entries, including both your reporter interview and your report this week on the Baron-Ainsley Globe session Thursday.
To prepare for that interview, please read chapters 8 and 9 in Stovall — Reporters and Reporting for class on Tuesday, Nov. 24. In particular, pps. 157-162 on Interviewing. Even more in particular, note the Interviewing Tips box on p. 161.
A puzzler for you all
So I just took the Orange Line home after class. At my stop, Green Street station, I see a WBZ-TV live truck. Whenever I see a live truck I always poke my head in and ask what story they’re doing. The woman answers the story is about high theft of iPhones — at Stonybrook Station (a stop that tends to have a lot of crime to deal with). I said, “You know you’re not at Stonybrook, right?” She answers, “Yeah, I just go where they tell me.”
So before assuming that WBZ-TV doesn’t know their Green Street from their Stonybrook, I decided to DVR the news tonight, to see what angle they are taking on the iPhone theft at Stonybrook story. I’m puzzled, but I will be interested to see.
UPDATE: OK, just saw the story. The live shot, and all of the MBTA B-roll was shot at Green Street station, but there was no mention of specific stations; only a general story about the theft of mobile phones on the T, period. Not iPhones at Stonybrook. Why do you think they shot it at Green Street? My guess is a prosaic one: because the live truck can easily part at the curb at Green Street, but would block traffic more at Stonybrook. I have no idea if that’s the reason, but that mundane fact would be my guess.
When you post…
…please send me the link to your blog in that email. Please do not make me have to email you back and ask you the URL. Please just send it when you notify me.
Thanks.
Journalism 101 