Writing is tough. Anybody who has sweated over a keyboard or notebook knows great writing doesn't come easily. And Lee Powell of the Associated Press says writing for online video is even tougher, with always-now deadlines and an audience whose attention span is notoriously short. Powell usually …
When is it news when nothing much changes? When the lack of change signals little to no progress in making broadcast newsrooms more diverse. The latest research from Hofstra University's Bob Papper, produced for RTDNA, says the percentage of minorities employed in radio and TV newsrooms …
by Tim Blotz The Associated Press alert that chimed on my newsroom computer a few years ago was short and direct. “Bulletin: Jeane Kirkpatrick has died.” I leapt from my desk and shouted across the room to my 5 p.m. newscast producers, “Folks, we have to add …
Do independent hyperlocal news sites face different ethical challenges than bigger news organizations? Yes, according to a new report, Rules of the Road, from American University's J-Lab. Author Scott Rosenberg says hyperlocal sites have "fewer traditions and rules and more confusingly blurred boundaries." So how …
What are the key steps to effective video storytelling? For Jason Lamb of KTUU in Anchorage, focus and observation, combined with meticulous logging of video, add up to a winning formula. This year, Lamb won a Murrow award for writing and an SPJ award for …
It's obvious that much has changed in the ten years since 9/11. Ask Americans what they think is the most important problem facing the United States and terrorism doesn't even make the list. The number of Americans willing to have the government violate their "basic …
You already know that prospective employers are looking for journalists with social media skills. The Statesman-Journal in Salem, Oregon, certainly is. Executive Editor Bill Church recently advertised an opening for a "talented reporter with high digital IQ." If you’re talented, aggressive, responsible, innovative, socially adept, digitally …
A motorcyclist pulled over for speeding in Maryland uses his helmet camera to videotape an officer threatening him with a gun. State police later confiscate his cameras, computers and hard drives and charge him with a felony. A bystander records an arrest in Massachusetts with his cellphone …
Some critics would have you believe there's very little point in getting a college degree in journalism. Writing in The Nation, Michael Tracy asserts that a journalism degree is unnecessary because you can get a job in the news business without one. What's worse, Tracy …
Remember when the home office meant your company's headquarters? Many journalists never set foot in the home office, working instead from a local station, broadcast center or news bureau. But today, "home office" has an entirely different meaning for legions of journalists who freelance, work …
When an earthquake hits, as happened on the East Coast this week, or when a major storm comes ashore as appears likely with Hurricane Irene this weekend, YouTube can be an invaluable source of video. Since just about everyone these days has a camera on …
By Stan Heist When I was a news photographer I carried a lot of gear in the back of my car. Perhaps the most important thing – and most seldom used – was a small blue duffel bag that I called my “go-kit.” Inside the go-kit were …
