How many local television stations still have old videotape, or even old film, lying around in a dusty back room or basement? "A priceless perspective on the last half century," says WRAL reporter Laura Leslie, whose station in Raleigh, N.C., is now digitizing its videotape …
A new social media journalism venture has had its hands full since launching on January 5. Within 48 hours, the Reported.ly team was scrambling to cover the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris from its posts in Ireland, Greece, Italy and the United States. Staffed by veterans of NPR …
Smooth as silk. I'm sure that's what the developers had in mind when they named Silk, a free tool for creating interactive visualizations. The online software can build tables, charts and maps in just a few clicks. It's what I used to create our new list of …
One of the most basic skills every journalist needs is the ability to come up with stories worth reporting. It may be basic, but it's not always easy. Some reporters have lots of ideas but they fail the "so what" test. Just because something's interesting to you …
We've updated our list of national awards and prizes open to broadcast journalists. Click "explore" in the upper right to sort the list by deadline, application fee or prize money. Please note that the number before the month is not the exact deadline; it indicates …
You're hired! Now what? That first full-time job in a newsroom can be an intimidating experience. There's so much to learn, and most of the veterans are way too busy doing or protecting their own jobs to help a newbie out. But it's critically important to make a good …
It's that time of the year again: time to enter a journalism awards contest. NPPA's Best of Photojournalism competition opens for submissions today; RTDNA is now accepting entries for the Murrow Awards. If you're sending your work to any of the award competitions, give yourself the best …
A television station runs a photo of the mayor and wrongly states she's flashing a gang sign. TV reporters share photos of themselves on social media appearing to make light of serious stories. Two Chicago stations can't get the facts right on a jail sentence. What a year for …
It's always edifying to me to look back at the year gone by and see what posts have been most popular at NewsLab. It reminds me of what NewsLab readers are most interested in, which helps me plan for the year to come. This year-in-review post …
It started with a tip from a source to KNTV. It sounded crazy but it turned out to be true. The world's biggest food distributor, Sysco, was storing raw meat, milk and other food in unrefrigerated storage units before delivering it to restaurants. NBC Bay Area …
If you tell an investigative reporter they'll never find what they're looking for, you can bet they won't give up until they get it. Just ask WRC reporter Tisha Thompson, who spent 6 years unearthing the State Department's list of accident reports and driving violations committed …
Whatever you call them, "man on the street" interviews are a staple of TV news. Done well, they can reflect public opinion on important issues in your community. Done badly, they're just a waste of air time. So how do you shoot them well? Start by …
