Graduation is in exactly one month. Yikes.
But let's not dwell on that. Yesterday I had another front page story in the Diamondback, this one about how some teachers handle student laptop use in the classroom. I was far more pleased with the copy desk's chopping job on this story than Monday's. But you, dear reader, get the online link, where copy runs loose and editors aren't scrounging for space.
But on to more important things. I was incredulous about Monday's Romenesko headline "The days of the six-part series are gone, says Baltimore Sun editor." Mr. Cook, are you telling me I've spent four years and probably around $100,000 learning how to write news stories when all I have to look forward to are blogs, blogs and Twitter. Seriously?
Ironically, a little more than four hours later, a slew of Pulitzers were awarded to stories, columns, cartoons, and ahem, series.
And the next day, the following rebuttal, via Romenesko, "Why multi-part series are even more important for newspapers today." I'm really glad Temple talked about the value of series for reporters in addition to their obvious value to the community and public at large.
"They give the staff a way to grow," Temple wrote. Yes, it's nice when I can summarize my thought into a 140 character Tweet, but that's just a micropayment into the happiness bank. Writing a really good story, on the other hand, well that'll brighten a whole day or two. And though I haven't written a newspaper series yet, I can only imagine the weeks of joy and satisfaction that stem from seeing an idea blossom into a fully developed project.
Even better, series allow a newspaper to take readers to unexpected "journalistic heights," Temple said. Sure, we all know the beauty of crafting a mysterious lede or assembling an eye-catching multimedia package. But when a reader feels that same wonder -- well then we've really done our jobs.
Stories and series aren't going anywhere. I won't believe it. Sure, they might not be called newspaper series per say, and I'm willing to accept that multimedia is increasingly part of any good story. Let's go back to finding a new financial model that allows us to do those series rather than downplay their role the news business.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Same Headline, Different Story
I picked up today's copy of the Diamondback feeling anxious. My story was on the front page and I was hoping the copy editors had been merciful with their digital scissors.
One look past the jump told me they hadn't. Although the lede and nut graf on page 1 were unchanged, there was no way the rest of my 600-plus word story was in those two half columns on page 2.
A quick scan of the text assured my fears. It seemed like half my story was missing. Interesting anecdotes, quirky quotes and fun facts had been deleted into oblivion. I wasn't mad; after all, space is space. But I'd spent hours on Friday crafting sentences and weaving paragraphs together.
The story was on Bob Moyer, an alumnus who now works for Pixar. (That famous alum I mentioned in Friday's post was Muppeteer Jim Henson, who, like Moyer, created his own major here). While drafting an e-mail to Moyer with the link to the story, I considered sending my original draft too.
I glanced at the online version of the story and saw the words rust and chrome. That wasn't in the newspaper, I thought.
I read closer and compared the two versions. To my surprise, the online link was my original draft.
Yes! I thought. Then I paused. The headlines were identical. But the stories technically weren't, right?
Obviously, I'm excited that the paper posted my original work. But on some level it seems a little misleading to me to have two different articles under the same headline. Has anyone seen any other papers do this?
One look past the jump told me they hadn't. Although the lede and nut graf on page 1 were unchanged, there was no way the rest of my 600-plus word story was in those two half columns on page 2.
A quick scan of the text assured my fears. It seemed like half my story was missing. Interesting anecdotes, quirky quotes and fun facts had been deleted into oblivion. I wasn't mad; after all, space is space. But I'd spent hours on Friday crafting sentences and weaving paragraphs together.
The story was on Bob Moyer, an alumnus who now works for Pixar. (That famous alum I mentioned in Friday's post was Muppeteer Jim Henson, who, like Moyer, created his own major here). While drafting an e-mail to Moyer with the link to the story, I considered sending my original draft too.
I glanced at the online version of the story and saw the words rust and chrome. That wasn't in the newspaper, I thought.
I read closer and compared the two versions. To my surprise, the online link was my original draft.
Yes! I thought. Then I paused. The headlines were identical. But the stories technically weren't, right?
Obviously, I'm excited that the paper posted my original work. But on some level it seems a little misleading to me to have two different articles under the same headline. Has anyone seen any other papers do this?
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Stay tuned; good days are coming.
Any day that begins with bright sunshine, a cloudless blue sky, a new coral colored polka dot blouse and a hot cup of coffee has to be good, right?
After the gloomy rain we had earlier this week, such spring weather was sorely needed. Even more so today because it was the final prospective student open house of the year. Mom, Papa and Neeraj came to learn all about biomedical engineering. I ran around campus selling the j-school to admitted students and covering a lecture from an alum who's carrying on the legacy of one of our most famous alums. (That story will run in Monday's Diamondback, so I'll keep you in suspense until then.)
Back at work I got the interview set up for my AJR story (keeping lips sealed on that one too) and ran off to cover yet another event for yet another paper. After developing the story with my main source, my mood was almost back to the over-the-moon status I walked out feeling almost as good as I did over the winter. I shoulda known there was a bigger reason why.
It turns out Romenesko picked up my Mark Bowden post.
Ever since NewsVision, I've been incrementally repackaging myself as a journalist. I signed up for Twitter, fixed my resume, figured out how to create my own Web site, and most important, stepped up the writing.
Just as a heads up, the new Web site won't debut until after graduation. I'm going to step up activity on this blog, so stay tuned! There's lots to share.
After the gloomy rain we had earlier this week, such spring weather was sorely needed. Even more so today because it was the final prospective student open house of the year. Mom, Papa and Neeraj came to learn all about biomedical engineering. I ran around campus selling the j-school to admitted students and covering a lecture from an alum who's carrying on the legacy of one of our most famous alums. (That story will run in Monday's Diamondback, so I'll keep you in suspense until then.)
Back at work I got the interview set up for my AJR story (keeping lips sealed on that one too) and ran off to cover yet another event for yet another paper. After developing the story with my main source, my mood was almost back to the over-the-moon status I walked out feeling almost as good as I did over the winter. I shoulda known there was a bigger reason why.
It turns out Romenesko picked up my Mark Bowden post.
Ever since NewsVision, I've been incrementally repackaging myself as a journalist. I signed up for Twitter, fixed my resume, figured out how to create my own Web site, and most important, stepped up the writing.
Just as a heads up, the new Web site won't debut until after graduation. I'm going to step up activity on this blog, so stay tuned! There's lots to share.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Mark Bowden's Tips on Narrative Journalism
The closer I get to graduation, the more I worry I may be an anachronism. I dream of delving into long-form narrative journalism at a time where it seems the public’s attention span is increasingly limited to blog posts and sound bites.
The Internet has forced journalists to write shorter and faster, but, as journalist and bestselling author Mark Bowden pointed out, the internet also offers something newspapers and magazines do not – infinite space.
“We swim in a sea of information that’s as wide as the globe, but about an eighth of an inch deep,” Bowden said. “If you’re human, you’re thinking about the how and why behind a headline,”
Clad in a simple navy blue turtleneck and round gold glasses, Bowden spoke to my complex story writing class yesterday. His tips quelled some of my fears about entering an industry in transition and assured me that the narrative hasn’t lost its power.
Behind every breaking news tweet and cable news ticker is someone who wants to explain themselves. “People are dying to tell their stories,” Bowden said.
The key to being a successful narrative journalist is finding a story’s dramatic center, Bowden said. Zoning board meetings are dull. But talk to the man who wants to build a three-foot high fence in his backyard and the neighbor who’d have to live with it, and suddenly you’ve got characters and drama.
Bowden recounted his experience going on a drug raid with Anne Arundel County police. A young reporter working for the Baltimore News-American, he didn’t trust himself to challenge the police’s characterization of the raid at the morning press conference. So he turned the raid into a narrative and described what he saw. And of all the pieces written about that police press conference, I’ll bet his was the most-read.
The key to drawing readers is to make the subject matter accessible. Be ignorant, Bowden said, only half-jokingly. Ask the stupid questions, because chances are, readers are no more experts at technical scientific principles or covert military operations than you are, he said.
A good reporter stays on track by constantly sketching story structure. This tells you what you need to know, but more important, what you don’t. While Somali anger at U.S. forces was important for context, at its heart, "Black Hawk Down" was a narrative describing battle.
It’s easy to lose sight of narrative in the inverted pyramid world of journalism. Newspapers tend to tell stories backward, Bowden said. A court story will lead with the verdict, describe the trial and mention the crime, sprinkling details where necessary. But sometimes, straying from this inverted pyramid offers the most compelling story.
After all, when a reader finishes a story, it’s not the beginning, but the end that’s freshest in their minds. To exercise his creative muscles, Bowden said he sometimes likes to rewrite stories with the lede at the end.
So, where can I find the story that will become the next nonfiction bestseller?
First, find something that interests you, Bowden said. Don’t worry if it’s outside your area of expertise or if it lacks timeliness. Write for story, not for setting, he said. (Though Mark Bowden’s editors probably don’t worry about nut grafs the way the editors of this budding journalist will.)
But it’s a lot easier for an editor to reject an idea than it is to kill a fully written, thoroughly reported story sitting in their hands.
Although the Internet means that stories aren’t told with words alone, Bowden’s advice reminded me why I’m excited to enter this field. Good stories will always need to be told.
After all, how many professions enable you to walk around in other people’s lives and let you understand their minds, their thoughts, their dreams, he said with a smile.
The Internet has forced journalists to write shorter and faster, but, as journalist and bestselling author Mark Bowden pointed out, the internet also offers something newspapers and magazines do not – infinite space.
“We swim in a sea of information that’s as wide as the globe, but about an eighth of an inch deep,” Bowden said. “If you’re human, you’re thinking about the how and why behind a headline,”
Clad in a simple navy blue turtleneck and round gold glasses, Bowden spoke to my complex story writing class yesterday. His tips quelled some of my fears about entering an industry in transition and assured me that the narrative hasn’t lost its power.
Behind every breaking news tweet and cable news ticker is someone who wants to explain themselves. “People are dying to tell their stories,” Bowden said.
The key to being a successful narrative journalist is finding a story’s dramatic center, Bowden said. Zoning board meetings are dull. But talk to the man who wants to build a three-foot high fence in his backyard and the neighbor who’d have to live with it, and suddenly you’ve got characters and drama.
Bowden recounted his experience going on a drug raid with Anne Arundel County police. A young reporter working for the Baltimore News-American, he didn’t trust himself to challenge the police’s characterization of the raid at the morning press conference. So he turned the raid into a narrative and described what he saw. And of all the pieces written about that police press conference, I’ll bet his was the most-read.
The key to drawing readers is to make the subject matter accessible. Be ignorant, Bowden said, only half-jokingly. Ask the stupid questions, because chances are, readers are no more experts at technical scientific principles or covert military operations than you are, he said.
A good reporter stays on track by constantly sketching story structure. This tells you what you need to know, but more important, what you don’t. While Somali anger at U.S. forces was important for context, at its heart, "Black Hawk Down" was a narrative describing battle.
It’s easy to lose sight of narrative in the inverted pyramid world of journalism. Newspapers tend to tell stories backward, Bowden said. A court story will lead with the verdict, describe the trial and mention the crime, sprinkling details where necessary. But sometimes, straying from this inverted pyramid offers the most compelling story.
After all, when a reader finishes a story, it’s not the beginning, but the end that’s freshest in their minds. To exercise his creative muscles, Bowden said he sometimes likes to rewrite stories with the lede at the end.
So, where can I find the story that will become the next nonfiction bestseller?
First, find something that interests you, Bowden said. Don’t worry if it’s outside your area of expertise or if it lacks timeliness. Write for story, not for setting, he said. (Though Mark Bowden’s editors probably don’t worry about nut grafs the way the editors of this budding journalist will.)
But it’s a lot easier for an editor to reject an idea than it is to kill a fully written, thoroughly reported story sitting in their hands.
Although the Internet means that stories aren’t told with words alone, Bowden’s advice reminded me why I’m excited to enter this field. Good stories will always need to be told.
After all, how many professions enable you to walk around in other people’s lives and let you understand their minds, their thoughts, their dreams, he said with a smile.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Am I reserved?
In the past couple months, multiple people have used the word "reserved" to describe me. To me, "reserved" synonymous with "shy," something I most certainly am not.
In effort to reconcile this apparent disconnect, I looked up the word's definition.
Dictionary.com: "avoiding familiarity or intimacy with others: a quiet, reserved man."
Unsatisfied, I decided to go to the people who know me better than most.
"Would you say I'm a reserved person?" I went into the kitchen and asked my parents.
"No," my dad said with a smirk and no hesitation.
"I didn't think so either." I said. I told them how it's bothered me to hear people say that. But then Papa said something about how at large gatherings, he's fine just talking to one or two people.
In my case, I relish meeting new people but hate being the one to initiate contact. Once someone else comes and says "Hi" to me, I'm an open book. I'm not comfortable making the first move, though that doesn't mean I won't.
Hmm, maybe that's what people meant by reserved. Time to give the dictionary another try.
MerriamWebster.com: "restrained in words and actions."
Ah ha. So reserved can also be synonymous with "composed" or even "controlled." Now that I can deal with.
In effort to reconcile this apparent disconnect, I looked up the word's definition.
Dictionary.com: "avoiding familiarity or intimacy with others: a quiet, reserved man."
Unsatisfied, I decided to go to the people who know me better than most.
"Would you say I'm a reserved person?" I went into the kitchen and asked my parents.
"No," my dad said with a smirk and no hesitation.
"I didn't think so either." I said. I told them how it's bothered me to hear people say that. But then Papa said something about how at large gatherings, he's fine just talking to one or two people.
In my case, I relish meeting new people but hate being the one to initiate contact. Once someone else comes and says "Hi" to me, I'm an open book. I'm not comfortable making the first move, though that doesn't mean I won't.
Hmm, maybe that's what people meant by reserved. Time to give the dictionary another try.
MerriamWebster.com: "restrained in words and actions."
Ah ha. So reserved can also be synonymous with "composed" or even "controlled." Now that I can deal with.
Monday, April 6, 2009
The Value of Communication
I saw Tai Shan's cuddly face staring at me from this week's Washington Post Magazine feature and I expected five pages of "awww" reading.
I didn't expect another somber life lesson.
But then I read this:
So, basically, capitalism rewards the worthless things in life. OK, that's a bit harsh, but echo that with what one of the other interns told me last week, while we were talking (what else) jobs.
Her recently graduated boyfriend works at an engineering firm and makes more than double what I can even dream my entry-level salary will be.
"I love him, but he's a horrible writer," she said.
"Why is something as essential as the ability to convey thoughts in a coherent manner undervalued?" I asked, not really wanting an answer.
Journalism isn't just reciting the news or telling a story. At its heart, journalism is about fostering communication. And with the increasing specialization or, as one attendee at NewsVision called it, the "niche-ification" of the internet, I fear losing the common ground of the newspaper that fosters communication between, and not just among groups.
I didn't expect another somber life lesson.
But then I read this:
"We're all losing our shirts," said the National Zoo's Berry. "People think: Oh, you're making money on these damn pandas. You're making a fortune. Every penny we make is plowed back into this species."
Then again, he added, "this is about advancing science and all biology . . . It's worth losing the money on. We lost money on Apollo, too, you know."
So, basically, capitalism rewards the worthless things in life. OK, that's a bit harsh, but echo that with what one of the other interns told me last week, while we were talking (what else) jobs.
Her recently graduated boyfriend works at an engineering firm and makes more than double what I can even dream my entry-level salary will be.
"I love him, but he's a horrible writer," she said.
"Why is something as essential as the ability to convey thoughts in a coherent manner undervalued?" I asked, not really wanting an answer.
Journalism isn't just reciting the news or telling a story. At its heart, journalism is about fostering communication. And with the increasing specialization or, as one attendee at NewsVision called it, the "niche-ification" of the internet, I fear losing the common ground of the newspaper that fosters communication between, and not just among groups.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
NewsVision 2009
Journalists hoping to walk away from the first annual NewsVision conference March 30 with clarity on the industry’s turmoil probably needed a stiff drink at the post-conference happy hour at the Capital Grille.
Held at Washington D.C.’s Newseum, the conference, titled Journalism Jobs in Transition, unearthed fascinating paradoxes within the changing media landscape. Organized by the Philip Merrill College of Journalism in partnership with the Online News Association, sponsors included The Newspaper Guild and the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism.
The next few years will probably get even tougher, speakers warned, but the fundamentals of good storytelling will come out stronger.
“I’m optimistic about the future too, but I’m scared to death about how we’re going to get there,” said Lou Ferrara, a managing editor at the Associated Press. “It’s not as simple as creating a Web page anymore.”
But the media world revolves around the Web. In a survey released today, 39 percent of online journalists reported increases in their newsrooms over the past year. The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, also found an “uneasy optimism” among online journalists. While 82 percent are at least somewhat confident that the industry can find a profitable business model online, 57 percent said the Internet is changing journalism values and 54 percent think journalism is headed on the wrong track.
This may be because the media as we have known it, where editors handpick information and package it in a newspaper or broadcast, is disappearing, maybe for good.
Since the concept of packaging has changed, journalists should stop distinguishing between platforms, Ferrara said. Washingtonpost.com Managing Editor Ju-Don Marshall Roberts added that the rapid pace of technological development means that any business model must have flexibility built in.
But as journalism undergoes massive transitions and the global economy suffers through the recession, that business model will likely take a few years to emerge. We’ve raced from a world where readers explored content in a newspaper to one where users exploit search engines and social media for information, said Eduardo Hauser, CEO of DailyMe, Inc., a personalized content aggregator. We can’t handle either and are trying to reconcile the two extremes, he added.
While the Internet has dramatically reduced start-up costs for independent ventures, the PEJ study found that 71 percent of online journalists work for legacy Web sites and 63 percent say original reporting is their most important content. Least important to these journalists is user-generated content.
And yet, the Internet’s potential for interactivity is what makes it so powerful. In connecting people, the Web has given users control over what they consume. Social networking gives the media a chance to harness that energy and improve their own content. Tools like Twitter are no different than real-life networks, said Orlando Sentinel technology columnist Etan Horowitz.
Instead of posting a generic call for story ideas, “think about how you’d talk to someone at a cocktail party or a networking event,” Horowitz said. Enter with low expectations since “you don’t know what you’ll get.”
Scott Karp, CEO of Publish2, a content-sharing site, emphasized collaboration within and between newsrooms. USA TODAY’s Patrick Cooper discussed reporters as curators of a specific subject, telling stories and becoming a go-to source for readers much like Gene Sloan and his Cruise Log blog.
Journalists must also rethink the fundamentals of storytelling. For decades, media has focused on text while using video “for eye candy, not for context,” said Tom Kennedy, former multimedia managing editor at washingtonpost.com. Journalists now have a repertoire of tools – text, photos, audio, video, podcasts. The key is determining which tools go with which stories.
The industry’s flux makes it the perfect time to be creative in storytelling. “If you’re not making a certain number of mistakes, you’re not experimenting,” PBS Senior Vice President Jason Seiken half-jokingly said.
Washingtonpost.com’s Marshall Roberts said that, for the first time, her newsroom feels like a start-up. “The scary part about that is it’s like driving down the highway with the lights turned off,” she said. “We have to embrace the chance that we could fail.”
But failure is a scary prospect for those who rely on journalism to pay the bills. Yet another paradox arose as panelists discussed how journalists can remain competitive during turbulent times.
Politico co-founder and Editor in Chief John Harris likened today’s reporters to athletes, each with his or her own talent to hone. The deluge of content has reduced the importance of brand names and the wave of entrepreneurialism means reporters can use their talents and create niche content.
While Harris emphasized mastering one skill, other speakers reiterated the need to be proficient in all areas of storytelling. The conference’s keynote speaker, NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller mentioned that the organization is spending $2.5 million ($1.5 million of which came from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation) to teach its entire staff digital storytelling skills.
Fundamental changes in the distribution and consumption of news have left journalists uneasy and put American democracy at risk. But we have the unique opportunity to not only witness history, but shape the future of the media industry, Schiller said. For someone eight weeks away from graduation, that was reassuring and inspiring.
Held at Washington D.C.’s Newseum, the conference, titled Journalism Jobs in Transition, unearthed fascinating paradoxes within the changing media landscape. Organized by the Philip Merrill College of Journalism in partnership with the Online News Association, sponsors included The Newspaper Guild and the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism.
The next few years will probably get even tougher, speakers warned, but the fundamentals of good storytelling will come out stronger.
“I’m optimistic about the future too, but I’m scared to death about how we’re going to get there,” said Lou Ferrara, a managing editor at the Associated Press. “It’s not as simple as creating a Web page anymore.”
But the media world revolves around the Web. In a survey released today, 39 percent of online journalists reported increases in their newsrooms over the past year. The survey, conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism, also found an “uneasy optimism” among online journalists. While 82 percent are at least somewhat confident that the industry can find a profitable business model online, 57 percent said the Internet is changing journalism values and 54 percent think journalism is headed on the wrong track.
This may be because the media as we have known it, where editors handpick information and package it in a newspaper or broadcast, is disappearing, maybe for good.
Since the concept of packaging has changed, journalists should stop distinguishing between platforms, Ferrara said. Washingtonpost.com Managing Editor Ju-Don Marshall Roberts added that the rapid pace of technological development means that any business model must have flexibility built in.
But as journalism undergoes massive transitions and the global economy suffers through the recession, that business model will likely take a few years to emerge. We’ve raced from a world where readers explored content in a newspaper to one where users exploit search engines and social media for information, said Eduardo Hauser, CEO of DailyMe, Inc., a personalized content aggregator. We can’t handle either and are trying to reconcile the two extremes, he added.
While the Internet has dramatically reduced start-up costs for independent ventures, the PEJ study found that 71 percent of online journalists work for legacy Web sites and 63 percent say original reporting is their most important content. Least important to these journalists is user-generated content.
And yet, the Internet’s potential for interactivity is what makes it so powerful. In connecting people, the Web has given users control over what they consume. Social networking gives the media a chance to harness that energy and improve their own content. Tools like Twitter are no different than real-life networks, said Orlando Sentinel technology columnist Etan Horowitz.
Instead of posting a generic call for story ideas, “think about how you’d talk to someone at a cocktail party or a networking event,” Horowitz said. Enter with low expectations since “you don’t know what you’ll get.”
Scott Karp, CEO of Publish2, a content-sharing site, emphasized collaboration within and between newsrooms. USA TODAY’s Patrick Cooper discussed reporters as curators of a specific subject, telling stories and becoming a go-to source for readers much like Gene Sloan and his Cruise Log blog.
Journalists must also rethink the fundamentals of storytelling. For decades, media has focused on text while using video “for eye candy, not for context,” said Tom Kennedy, former multimedia managing editor at washingtonpost.com. Journalists now have a repertoire of tools – text, photos, audio, video, podcasts. The key is determining which tools go with which stories.
The industry’s flux makes it the perfect time to be creative in storytelling. “If you’re not making a certain number of mistakes, you’re not experimenting,” PBS Senior Vice President Jason Seiken half-jokingly said.
Washingtonpost.com’s Marshall Roberts said that, for the first time, her newsroom feels like a start-up. “The scary part about that is it’s like driving down the highway with the lights turned off,” she said. “We have to embrace the chance that we could fail.”
But failure is a scary prospect for those who rely on journalism to pay the bills. Yet another paradox arose as panelists discussed how journalists can remain competitive during turbulent times.
Politico co-founder and Editor in Chief John Harris likened today’s reporters to athletes, each with his or her own talent to hone. The deluge of content has reduced the importance of brand names and the wave of entrepreneurialism means reporters can use their talents and create niche content.
While Harris emphasized mastering one skill, other speakers reiterated the need to be proficient in all areas of storytelling. The conference’s keynote speaker, NPR President and CEO Vivian Schiller mentioned that the organization is spending $2.5 million ($1.5 million of which came from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation) to teach its entire staff digital storytelling skills.
Fundamental changes in the distribution and consumption of news have left journalists uneasy and put American democracy at risk. But we have the unique opportunity to not only witness history, but shape the future of the media industry, Schiller said. For someone eight weeks away from graduation, that was reassuring and inspiring.
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