Link to final Multimedia projects

This page contains links to all 19 multimedia projects created by students in Rich Murphy's 352 Online Journalism class spring 2012.

http://www.jclass.umd.edu/652352/2012spring/oj12/index.html

Signal

There is a new app called Signal that is journalism meets instagram. 


With Signal, the emphasis is on quick and easy photojournalism. Users capture media that they then upload to the app with a geo-tagged location and a short caption of around 60 characters. And if multiple people happen to be covering the same story, an algorithm for the app pushes the photos together, so the content becomes classified under the same story. 


Do you think people will actually use Signal, and does it have the ability to have the same effect as Twitter did for citizen journalism? 

#twitterproblems

The Montreal Gazette is doing damage control after one of its reporters, Anne Sutherland, tweeted pictures of nearly naked men from an event with her own "snarky" comments on the paper's twitter account.

The event Sutherland was covering was students protesting Quebec's tuition hikes, but then spiraled out of control after her inappropriate tweets.

Social Media has become more of the story than the actual reporting. The lack of supervision by social media is harming the reputation of the journalism field. It causualizing Journalism, making journalist lose their attention to accuracy and objectivity.

How do you think that News Organizations should handle the new issues that present itself now that social media has become such a medium for journalists? Do you think that social media should casualize journalism as a whole?

Newseum looks at social media in new HP New Media Gallery

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/arts-post/post/newseum-looks-at-social-media-in-new-hp-new-media-gallery/2012/04/26/gIQAOZsajT_blog.html

The Newseum has selected an interactive exhibition on social media as its first permanent addition at the museum since it opened in 2008. It’s only natural since Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Tumblr, as well as Google and YouTube have become part of the daily news feed.

Do you think social media is such a legitimate part of news gathering and sharing these days that it deserves a spot in a journalism museum? How do you feel about the newseum embracing social media as such?

Tweeting in the court room.

When Sara Ganim (the reporter who broke the Penn State story) spoke with our class earlier this sememster, she admitted that she is part of the new wave of crime reporters that uses Twitter in the courtrooms. Basically, as events occur during a case, the reporter(s) covering will whip out their cell phones in an effort to Tweet updates about the happenings in the court room.
Recently, a judge in New York ruled that such antics in the courtroom was "distracting" and that he didn't want the court to turn into a circus. He then banned any reporter from tweeting in the courtroom during a high-profile case.

Do you think the judge had the right do this? Do you believe that Tweeting during a case is distraction? What do you think the future holds for social media and covering the courts?

Social Media Advertising

(On behalf of Jamie, who can't add a post for some reason)

Do you think social media is an effective way of advertising news sites? "Social readers" aside, what about older generations--do you think that these campaigns are worthwhile in drawing in readers of all ages?

The Financial Times just appointed Emily Steele as its US Media and Marketing correspondent, after she worked as social media editor at The Wall Street Journal.  There's lots of talk about social media as a useful outlet, but is it really worthwhile in practice, especially when searching for expanded readership?  I use Twitter as a news source but only follow organizations with which I'm already familiar. 

Redirected from Poynter: http://aboutus.ft.com/2012/05/02/financial-times-appoints-emily-steel-us-media-and-marketing-correspondent/

What drives reporters to misconstrue information?

After reading the article below, I really wonder why reporters continue to do this when they know what the consequences are. Why would they do the exact same thing after they have seen "colleagues" get fired??

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/172798/second-reporter-loses-job-over-nbc-george-zimmerman-911-call-edit/

Should Journalists Pin?

Recently Pinterest has become an internet sensation. In terms of visits it's ranked as the #7 social networking site on the web. This puts it ahead of MySpace and Google+. But does this mean that journalists should hop on the pin boards? Recently PBS NewsHour  joined Pinterest and used it to present pictures and stories of children with cancer. For a website that has rapidly gained popularity, especially among women, for recipes, wedding planning tips and fashion photos, I'm not sure it would really be helpful in advancing and promoting the news. What do you guys think? Should a modern multi-platform journalist start pinning?

Here's a link to an article about Journalists and Pinterest: http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/media-lab/social-media/159887/is-it-time-for-journalists-to-pay-attention-to-pinterest/

What's in a Name?

In a matter of three days, Slate published five different articles with name misspellings.  The names included Edgar Allan Poe's middle name,  Kanye West's first name among others.

It's astonishing to think that one organization could allow so many misspellings at all, and even more so in such a short period of time.  It's not like I can even blame the stresses of trying to break news and these stories had to be rushed.  Multiple authors at the same organization all made the same mistake, name misspellings.  What this shows me is that there's a lack of attention to detail at Slate that needs to be fixed and fixed fast.  Because if Slate slips up on small details like names, how can we know that they won't mess up bigger facts down the road?

So I pose the question, does online journalism in general not take enough editorial steps to avoid things like misspellings?  What do organizations need to do to make sure this doesn't happen?

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/regret-the-error/172065/slate-had-some-issues-with-misspelled-names-last-week/

The Washington Post Social Reader

Last fall, The Washington Post came out with one of the first Facebook social news apps using new technology. It brings stories from the Post, as well as partners The Associated Press, Reuters, Mashable and SB Nation, into Facebook. Much like the WSJ Social app, Washington Post Social Reader gives users stories personalized by what friends have liked and read; Facebook users read the stories without ever leaving Facebook.com.


What do you think of a big news media outlet having a greater presence on social media through this method?
How do you feel about the social reader? Is it to more information about you that friends shouldn't know, or will it get friends interested in reading the articles you read?


http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/146991/washington-posts-social-news-facebook-app-includes-ap-reuters-mashable-sb-nation/

The future of shield laws

Earlier this month, a Fox News employee named Joe Muto started writing a column for Gawker - a New York City-based "news" blog - under the alias of "Fox News Mole." Muto attacked and made fun of Fox as much as humanly possible (http://gawker.com/5900710).

Besides undoubtedly violating countless clauses of his contract, Muto is accused of stealing Fox footage and even computer tampering. A search warrant issued last week for Muto's apartment has brought media lawyers forth who argue he is protected under the state's shield law (http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/top-stories/171709/shield-law-could-protect-fox-mole-joe-muto/).

Is there any need for concern that applying the shield law in this case could weaken the possibility of a future federal shield law?

Social Networking within Social Networking

How Mashable is growing with Google+

Mashable is an independent news site devoted to digital culture and technology and was one of the first publishers to join Google+. Since joining, Mashable has been building their audience on the platform, growing Google+ into one of their top 10 sources of referral traffic. We chatted with Mashable’s Community Manager, Meghan Peters, about their first few months on Google+ and what’s made them so successful.

I think many of us realize that Google+ was a bit of a bust and most people stopped using after it was launched. I found Mashable's endorsement of Google+ to be a strange one and then was obviously curious about money relations and things of that sort. Recently Facebook bought the social networking website Instagram and also bought a newer social networking website called Viddy. How do you feel about these social media websites coming together? And is Facebook the new 21st century monopoly?

5 ways young journalists can stay motivated, thrive in the newsroom

http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/career-development/170328/5-ways-young-journalists-can-stay-motivated-thrive-in-the-newsroom/

Great motivation by Tom Huang at Poynter. Great share by Kate. 
Couple of his bullets points.

So let’s begin.

• Be a learner. I can’t think of another business where you can learn as quickly, widely and, potentially, as deeply as in journalism. Whether you are challenged to understand the latest trends on your beat, how to comb through an obscure public record, or how to employ a classic narrative-writing technique, you are learning something new every day. We make our living by our wits and curiosity. We get paid to ask questions. That’s pretty cool. So even when learning is scary and exasperating (um, what’s that latest tech tool?), let’s embrace that part of our jobs.

• Dream now. I’m pretty sure that you didn’t get into this business expecting it to be easy or to give you a great sense of security. If you are like me, you probably felt “called.” You fell in love with journalism. You dreamt about it. You decided to follow that dream. Well, now you’re here. Give it a year or two. Or three. Give it your best shot. And if your dream doesn’t work out, move on to your next dream. Dreaming gets harder when you get a mortgage and kids, and when your knees and other joints start to sound like a bowl of Rice Krispies. So: Chase your dreams now.

Unpublishing

The Columbia Journalism Review talks about a new situation the increased use of online journalism brings- 'unpublishing.' An editor at a USC digital news website ran into the dilemma after publishing a story about a woman who was laid off her job because her visa was too expensive for her employer. Fast forward a few years and the same woman is asking the editor to remove the story. She is trying to find another job in the United States but since the article is online, her issues with her visa keep coming up and hurting her chances of employment. Online journalism brings a new aspect to media in that stories from years and years ago can be pulled up in seconds. In this situation, what should the editor do? Is there a time period that an article should be removed after? Are there situations where it is acceptable to 'unpublish' an article at the request of the subject?

http://www.cjr.org/the_news_frontier/unpublishing_requests_are_on_t.php?page=all

Power in Journalism

As some of us get set to graduate in less than a month, I thought this article was a nice read. No matter how many times we've gone out for stories, we can all learn how to become a better interview-er. And although we are all talented writers/photographers/editors, conducting an interview can still be a challenge. Some tips by Beth Winegarner.

http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/newsgathering-storytelling/170873/5-ways-journalists-can-overcome-shyness-during-interviews/

Do you agree with her tips? Is there anything else to add, especially for those who are still in school and trying to secure an interview for a student publication and not a professional organization?

Blogging in an old-school setting

Even though the Washington Post deserves to be commended for how well it has adapted to the changing landscape of digital journalism — by creating a Twitter and Facebook presence, adding the Social Reader, incorporating more online journalism strategies such as SEO, etc — this column (it's short and an easy read, promise!) by Patrick B. Pexton, the Post's ombudsman, shows it's still difficult to teach an old dog new tricks. The column primarily focuses on how the publication handles its team of bloggers and the challenges they face. 

The Post maintains incredibly high standards for all its reporters, which apply to online content equally as stringently as its print version. Some of the bloggers felt the older editors were out of touch with the unique needs of blogging as opposed to writing for the paper. Specifically, the young woman (who was right out of college, cough cough...this is relevant) in charge of blogPOST, a blog dedicated to "covering breaking news and conversations on the web" (trending topics, essentially — also relevant for this class) resigned for a series of missteps she took regarding her reporting. A more accurate term, though, would be "aggregating," as the ombudsman pointed out, which can mean treading on dangerous territory that might cross over into plagiarism. The link above leads to her most recent post, which is discussed in Pexton's column (also linked above) and was the final straw leading to her resignation. 

I think we should review the different sides to this story. Was she correct in deciding to resign? Should the Post have offered her and the other bloggers more supports, or at least been more in tune with how blogging and digital aggregating differ from brick and mortar style journalism? Or, are their high standards appropriate given their reputation, and furthermore, maybe even necessary? Is it crucial for journalistic institutions to treat online writers the same as print writers if we hope to preserve the profession of journalism and separate ourselves from any old Tweeter or blogger? Discuss!

YouTube: 7 Years and Millions of Videos Later

Seven years ago Monday, YouTube loaded its first video, the 19-second “Me At the Zoo.”  Here are some recent stats from the company, now a unit of Google.

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/04/23/happy-birthday-youtube-7-year/

o        60 hours of video are uploaded every minute; one hour of video is uploaded every second.

o        More than 4 billion videos are viewed every day.

o        More than 3 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube.

o        More video is uploaded to YouTube in one month than the three major U.S. networks created in 60 years.
o In 2011, YouTube had more than 1 trillion views or almost 140 views for every person on earth.
The first video on YouTube, uploaded at 8:27PM on Saturday April 23rd, 2005. The video was shot by Yakov Lapitsky at the San Diego Zoo.

What does "Breaking News" mean anymore?

Author makes some good points, although I would still be accepting of reporting something 24 minutes after it's learned as "breaking."
I do agree a news conference is not "breaking." Maybe "new developments" is more accurate, but will that get viewer's attention?  Or are they so conditioned that "breaking" is just white noise to them anyway?
Are people in newsroom just fooling themselves? Or is it a sign of being out of touch with the audience?

How “Breaking News” Broke the News
Breaking news used to be “news of transcendent importance.” Now it’s a joke.

TMZ got the news up first, 3:30 p.m. ET. Dick Clark was dead at 82, felled by a “massive heart attack.” Because I follow TMZ on Twitter, I got the newsbreak at 3:31. Because a lot of the people I follow also follow TMZ, Clark’s death was announced, analyzed, and (sorry, this is Twitter) joked about for 20 minutes. At 3:52 pm, the CNN app on my iPhone blurped and announced a message:

Television personality Dick Clark, the longtime host of “American Bandstand,” has died, a publicist says.

 

Two minutes later my phone shook again, startled by an alert from USA Today.

BREAKING NEWS: Dick Clark legendary TV entertainer, dies at 82.

Twenty-four minutes after the TMZ scoop, and this was breaking? How’s that supposed to work? Does “breaking news” have any meaning anymore?

Facebook's role in decision-making

Earlier this month, the Detroit Free Press posted on Facebook that they would soon post the 911 phone call from a teenage girl whose boyfriend (and later mother) had been killed. Facebook users sounded off about how the Free Press wanted to post the audio to the call, saying it was "sensationalistic" and "disgusting."

Jeff Sonderman of Poynter points out that there were several journalistic issues about this story: "Was the 911 audio sensationalistic, or valuable reporting? Does a teenage caller deserve more sensitive treatment? Was it right to embed the audio on the news website’s homepage, rather than deeper in the site, so readers would not be confronted by it?"

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/media-lab/social-media/169623/how-the-detroit-free-press-used-facebook-to-involve-readers-in-a-controversial-publishing-decision/

However, the main question is: How much of a role does/should the audience have in what gets published? What is the role of journalists; to cater to the audience or to simply publish what they think is necessary? The Free Press eventually published it despite Facebook comments. Should they have withheld the audio or not?

Memes in the Media

With social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook already popular, it seems that many meme sites are now becoming influential as well.  People are constantly sharing funny jokes with their friends, and many internet memes relating to public figures in the news, such as "Texts from Hillary" have gone viral.  There is even a "University of Maryland Memes" page on Facebook that has thousands of followers.  What do you make of this trend, and do you think it will last, or just fade out like other internet fads?

Some examples:
quickmeme.com
whatshouldwecallme.tumblr.com
textsfromhillary.tumblr.com

Not to change your mind or anything...

Broadcaster Ranks Among Top 10 Worst Jobs

By Andrew Gauthier on April 11, 2012 11:41 AM

Being a broadcaster is the worst.

That’s according to a new jobs report from CareerCast, which ranked the best and worst professions of 2012.  TV and radio broadcaster ranked #10 on CareerCast’s list of worst jobs, just behind butcher and a few notches better than newspaper reporter.

Here's the best jobs: Jobs Rated 2012: Ranking 200 Jobs From Best to Worst

Web Developer is # 15.

From "misfired" to fired

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/2012/04/09/58611/nbc-producer-fired-over-zimmerman-call/format/print

NBC Producer Fired Over Zimmerman Call

By Frazier Moore

 

Associated Press, April 9, 2012 6:15 AM EDT

NEW YORK (AP) -- NBC News has fired a producer for editing a recording of George Zimmerman's call to police the night he shot Trayvon Martin, a person with direct knowledge of the matter said Saturday.
The person was not authorized to talk about the situation publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity. The identity of the producer was not disclosed.
An NBC spokeswoman declined to comment.
The producer's dismissal followed an internal investigation that led to NBC apologizing for having aired the misleading audio.

Report: ‘Seasoned’ NBC staffer misfired in Zimmerman case

By Erik Wemple

George Zimmerman, victim of accidental or deliberate misportrayal by NBC? (AP/Orlando Sentinel) Reuters reported last night that a “seasoned” staffer at NBC’s “Today” show was responsible for the much-discussed George Zimmerman foul-up. Citing two anonymous NBC sources, Reuters revealed that that NBC interviewed a “half dozen” employees as part of its investigation into how the show misleadingly edited the dispatcher’s call with Zimmerman that preceded the killing of Trayvon Martin.

Reuters story: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/04/06/us-usa-crime-martin-nbc-idUSBRE83502B20120406

The Today show's editorial control policies - which include a script editor, senior producer oversight, and in most cases legal and standards department reviews of material to be broadcast - missed the selective editing of the call, said the NBC executive.

Executives have vowed to take rigorous steps to formalize editorial safeguards in the news division following the incident, one of the sources said.

NBC News staffers who have been working on the Trayvon Martin story for several weeks in Florida were at first "in shock" over the incident, and later furious, another source, who is an NBC producer, told Reuters.

Majority of people who read news now get it on handheld devices

How will this affect the type of journalist you become?

Majority of people who read news now get it on handheld devices

by Jeff Sonderman
Published Apr. 9, 2012 11:54 am Updated Apr. 9, 2012 11:55 am

Pew Internet
More than half of Americans who regularly read news get it on handheld digital devices, according to new research. The Pew Internet & American Life Project found 54 percent of news-reading adults turn to cell phones, tablets or e-readers (question 23). There’s good news for writers: ”41% of tablet owners and 35% of e-reader owners said they were reading more since the advent of e-content.”
The main focus of the Pew survey was on e-books and how Americans are embracing them. A few interesting facts:

• One-fifth read e-books. 21 percent of all American adults said they had read an e-book in the past year.
• The prototypical e-reading person. The most-typical e-reader owner is a woman, 30 to 49 years old, who graduated from college and has a household income exceeding $75,000.
• E-book readers pay. Only 48 percent of people had purchased the most recent printed book they read; the majority had borrowed it or acquired it some other way. But a higher number, 64 percent, had paid for their most recent e-book.
• Pros and cons. Readers prefer e-books over print books because of efficient purchasing, ease of use while traveling and having a wide selection. But they prefer print books for reading with a child and for the ability to share them with others.

Class Discussion Links 4/2/12

NBC to do ‘internal investigation’ on Zimmerman segment

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/erik-wemple/post/nbc-to-do-internal-investigation-on-zimmerman-segment/2012/03/31/gIQAc4HhnS_blog.html?hpid=z6

NBC News Sends Correction over Twitter

Cool site: whatshouldwecallme.tumblr.com

Class Topics 3/26/12

What's cool on the web this week
Norville Big Break: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=zrqh1y62aKk

Journalistic Screw ups:
WJLA Tweet Gilberti shit: http://omurphy.net/images/WJLAShitTweet.jpg
http://www.mediabistro.com/tvspy/wjlas-super-tuesday-email-alerts-accidentally-declare-mitt-romney-winner-of-georgia-primary_b41291
TAL: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/460/retraction
http://omurphy.net/images/dixienormous.jpg

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/157246/wusa-removing-story-from-website-after-plagiarism-inquiries/

WUSA President and General Manager Allan Horlick says the station has removed a story from its website after learning that portions of it were taken from a Washington Post piece on the same subject.
The error happened, Horlick said by phone Friday, when an assignment editor saw the piece in the Post and cut and pasted the body of the information into an email that was then sent to Web producer Ashley Jennings, who thought it was a press release to be rewritten and published on WUSA9.com.

Discussion:
What are you discovering from your analysis?
Ads vs pay wall
Display-crowding vs. white space
Post reader, FB integration vs shared links?
When are pix needed vs headlines?
Social integration
Go to your site when breaking news to see response time, coverage, etc.
Mobile vs web page display
Users love photo galleries/lists TOP X #
load time

Review for mid-term
Dreamweaver exercises

When non-journalists play the journalism game

Our class on media ethics reminded me of an ethical issue that I came across on the Poynter website. I think this issue is relevant to our discussion, and will love to hear what you guys think.

http://www.poynter.org/latest-news/mediawire/152923/mayor-uses-alias-to-write-freelance-stories-quoting-himself/

Utah’s West Valley City Mayor Mike Winder was unsatisfied that the local news coverage mainly focused on crimes. He wanted the media to report more positive news. He decided to write and publish articles in local newspapers. However, he disguised himself under an alias, and not even his editors knew his real identity. He got his articles published quite easily, without even meeting with any editor in person and communicating via email and phone.

When it came to the articles per se, he said that his articles were truly factual. Yet, he quoted himself as the mayor in his articles. In an article about the opening of a Buddhist Temple in a Salt Lake City suburb, he quoted himself saying, "We applaud any time a group builds a place to celebrate peace and to encourage people to live better lives." Arguably, this might have portrayed the mayor under a positive light.

The mayor decided to reveal that he was the person hiding behind his alias, before other political figures will use it against him. The CEO of the Dessert News, one of the newspapers where the mayor got published, offered the following explanation:
"While we appreciate that Mayor Winder would, of his own accord, quit writing under the assumed name and then detail the error to us, we remain highly concerned that someone would purposely misrepresent himself ... We deeply regret that Mayor Winder would do this."

So, here are my questions for you all: Should the newspapers have examined more seriously the identity of the writer before publishing his stories? If his articles are indeed factual, is the use of an alias acceptable? Are the mayor's actions excused by his desire to create a more balance coverage? Did the mayor cross the line into unethical journalism by quoting himself?

AP Photo Project: Pakistani Army

http://www.whosay.com/ap/photos/143189

Two journalists embed with the Pakistani army created this presentation. Dealt with extreme conditions to take the user somewhere they've haven't been.

long-form journalism

http://longform.org/

Is long-form journalism a lost art? how many people sit down and read articles that run more than 1000 words? I personally have trouble with it. Even if I start reading a great article, I will rarely finish it if the word count runs over 1500. I get bored. I want to move on to the next thing. Has instantaneous news, sound bytes and the 24 hour news cycle contributed to our news ADD?

I have tried to read the following article about Mitt Romney and his stance on abortion, but I can't get through it. I challenge someone to read the whole thing...

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/the_conversion/2012/02/mitt_romney_s_abortion_record_flip_flop_or_conversion_.single.html#pagebreak_anchor_2

The Twitter Trap

The Twitter Trap
Howard Kurtz 2/22/12

Media Critic Howard Kurtz discusses how journalists incorporate Twitter into their reporting and when do you give away too much of the story before official publication. And who is actually breaking news nowadays? 
Mediaite recently noted that a young woman had tweeted the following: “@ShankarSharanya: Driver in front of my cab, STOPPED & fired 5 gun shots at the White House." Journalists picked up the story, even as D.C. police insisted this was a mere dispute between two cars, and it turned out there was a bullethole in the executive mansion.

 “So who broke the story? Sharanya? The reporters who retweeted her? No one?” asks Mediaite. In other words, is news the raw observation, or the discovery and refining of the raw observation?

Contrast that with Craig Silverman's Poynter article: False Paterno death reports highlight journalists’ hunger for glory.
In the rush to be first are journalists serving the public? Or just trying to have bragging rights among other journalists?  “If you’re right and first, no one remembers. If you’re first and wrong, everyone remembers.”
“Nobody’s going to scroll through a zillion time stamps to say, Oh, this guy had it three minutes earlier!” tweeted Esquire and Grantland writer Chris Jones. “Readers remember the best story, not the first story.”

How do news consumer trends affect journalism students?

News providers must serve the new multi-device-owning ‘digital omnivore’
http://tinyurl.com/7l34zu9

A new report analyzing the state of mobile devices and media for 2012 finds that consumers are rapidly adopting both smartphones and tablets, while also still using PCs. The result, comScore says, is that media companies must face “the rise of the ‘digital omnivore’ – consumers who now go about their days engaging seamlessly through multiple online touchpoints.”
How does knowing how people are consuming news change the way you prepare yourself for a career in journalism?

ESPN's Jeremy Lin Post

Jeremy Lin/ ESPN Headline Coverage

Maybe the best way to avoid disparaging remarks is better writing. Stop using clichés.

http://www.blogger.com/goog_172004221
Posted Wednesday 22nd February 2012 from Twitlonger

Poynter
Federico on ESPN headline: ‘It was an awful editorial omission and it cost me my job’
http://tinyurl.com/7xsw35h

Romenesko
http://jimromenesko.com/2012/02/18/really-espn/

Daily News
http://tinyurl.com/83jaf5x

ESPN made YouTube take down the Max Bretos video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k3FcpAM7OVk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

ESPN Apologizes For Max Bretos "Chink In The Armor" Re: Jeremy Lin
All 17 seconds of air time
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VR-U-UFA8iU

Smart Phones?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/12/smartphones-cause-stress_n_1202924.html

Are smartphones a tool to help journalists, or do they make our lives more stressful? On the one hand, having a smartphone is extremely convenient when you are out reporting. You can use it to take photos, check email, send tweets and even write articles, but do they degrade the quality of our lives when we are not working? No one likes getting an urgent late night email, or text. Do smart phones keep us too connected as journalists? Do you think they will upset our already hectic work life balances when we get out into the field?

Examples of photo manipulation

Sacramento Bee fires Bryan Patrick for photo manipulation
Read the explanation

Digitally Manipulating Photos

There are some stories hitting the internet discussing whether the cover photo of Adele on Vogue was Photoshopped to make her look thinner.  What do you think? Is it acceptable (and expected) on fashion magazines? Where do you draw the line?  Would this be acceptable for a news magazine?

What input should the person who was photographed have?
Adele has been very public about being comfortable with how she is.

More HTML coding tutorials

Tips & tools for journalists who want to learn programming skills

by Katharine Jarmul  Published Nov. 22, 2011 9:59 am

This article has some simple tips for basic coding that will make your online work easier.
http://www.poynter.org/how-tos/digital-strategies/153925/tips-tools-for-journalists-who-want-to-learn-programming-skills/


CSS Basics: http://www.cssbasics.com/

Learn to code: Codecademy is the easiest way to learn how to code. It's interactive, fun, and you can do it with your friends.
http://www.codecademy.com/#!/exercises/0

Video: Sarah Ganim's presentation at UMD

http://www.merrill.umd.edu/deadline/index.php/2012/02/13/reporter-who-broke-penn-state-sex-abuse-story-visits-merrill-college/

Reporter Who Broke Penn State Sex Abuse Story Visits Merrill College

By Ana Sebescen Published: February 13, 2012

Ganim said she first knew there was a story to follow while on a “very routine call” with a regular source.
“I make a habit out of asking at the end of every conversation, ‘Is anything else going on?’” she said. “As soon as I heard the name Jerry Sandusky, I knew I should pay attention.”
She jotted Sandusky’s name down on a sticky note to research further.
“[This job involves] lots of long hours and lots of extra time that you don’t get paid for, but I always knew that there was a pay-off. This is how it ended up paying off,” she said.
 
What are some of the other take aways from Sarah's presentation that you can see yourself using as a reporter and why?

Sara Ganim: #oj12 Tweets During Presentation

Learning Basic HTML Links

Basic HTML http://www.w3schools.com/html/html_intro.asp RSS Tutorial http://www.w3schools.com/rss/ World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) http://www.w3.org W3C Accessibility Guidelines http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10 W3C Language Codes http://www.w3.org/WAI/ER/IG/ert/iso639.htm Layout Templates and Techniques Web Design Practices http://www.webdesignpractices.com CSS Layout techniques http://www.glish.com/css The Layout Reservoir http://www.bluerobot.com/web/layouts Positioning Tutorial http://www.brainjar.com/css/positioning Navigation Buttons and Creation Programs AAA Buttons http://www.aaa-buttons.com Eos Development http://www.eosdev.com/eosdev_Words.htm Free Navigation Buttons http://www.freenavigationbuttons.com Crystal Button http://www.crystalbutton.com

Social Media A Success during Super Bowl

Looks like companies got their money's worth out of social media during the Super Bowl.
Brands Scored On Facebook During The Super Bowl: Engagement Soared 60%

Biggest, record-setting social media moments of the Super Bowl

@twitter

The highest Tweets per second #SuperBowl peak came at the end of the game: 12,233. 2nd highest was during Madonna's performance: 10,245.

Newspapers Moving into Video Creates Job Opportunities for Graduates

The Post Crosses into TV Territory

In yet another example of the merging of media, the Washington Post ombudsman published a story Sunday about the paper's video push.  All journalism students should be aware of the business side of the industry.  You must keep up on trends to make sure you are developing the skills the work force demands. Taking broadcast, print and online classes puts you ahead of the competition. 

How do you see the skills you are developing making you more marketable?

Post videos, turning readers into viewers  
Video is becoming an increasingly significant, and profitable, part of the digital content offered by The Post and other news sites. You’ll be seeing more of this in 2012 and beyond.
WaPo Video Examples
http://www.washingtonpost.com/multimedia/videos

Social Media will be all over the Super Bowl

The ads during the Super Bowl get as much hype as the game. This year during the game advertisers are looking for ways to get viewers to interact while watching. 

According to TBO.com, "Nielsen recently published a study that found Apple iPad owners keep their tablets in their laps about 70 percent of the time as they watch TV, which represents 30 percent of the time they use the tablets."

So if you have your tablet or smart phone close by advertisers want to prompt some interaction.  How effective are the ads towards building brand awareness and generating sales? How do the ads tie into the coverage?  And will people at Super Bowl parties actually participate while in a crowd, or while drinking a cold Bud Light?

For this week's assignment see what type of interactive prompt during Super Bowl coverage gets your attention or the attention of the people at your party.

Comment some of your observations here and we'll talk about them in class.  Include links.

More background: Super Bowl Advertisers Go After 2nd Screens
And in another sign that marketers are trying to engage viewers over social media web sites: USA Today's Ad Meter, which ranks the popularity of ads, is for the first time allowing viewers to vote for their favorite spot on Facebook.

"This year, we're seeing a whole new level of social media activity for Super Bowl advertisers," said Tim Calkins, clinical professor of marketing at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
This is the first year that advertisers have tapped into the growing number of users of iPhones and other smartphones during the Super Bowl. In its ads, domain-name hosting site Godaddy.com will feature a QR code, a black and white two-dimensional code that people can scan by putting their smartphones up to the TV so they can go to the company's website. This is a first for a Super Bowl ad.

Contest for Best Super Bowl Ad Takes Place on the Sofa
Enjoying Super Bowl ads has never required much effort. Sit back, grab a beer and enjoy the experience. This year, though, that party is over.  Marketers are asking consumers to come armed with their technological devices and be prepared to interact with the commercials they see on the screen.

Super Bowl 2012: Everything You Need to Know About Watching It Online
Shows: The Most-Shared 2012 Super Bowl Ad Teasers So Far