Rather than attending lecture for my editing class today, we have been given the opportunity to sit in on a talk given by Pulitzer Prize finalist and national reporter for the Washington Post Anne Hull.
For those who may not know, Hull, working in collaboration with Post reporter Dana Priest, is responsible for the story that ran in February of 2007 about the less-than-acceptable conditions of the Walter Reed Army Medical Hospital. The online version of the story is accompanied by three audio slide shows, featuring Hull as a narrator. I like the package as an example of how a top-tier prize-winning reporter can still dip their feet into the multimedia realm of their story-telling.
Other pieces by Hull include stories about gay youth, welfare reform, AIDS and immigration.
There are very few TV shows that I like enough to actually work into my nightly schedule. With the writer’s strike, it’s even less. Tuesdays, I’ll admit, are usually dedicated to the heartfelt and motivating weight-loss stories of NBC’s Biggest Loser, but tonight I’m switching things up. (But still rooting for the Orange team!)
PBS’s Frontline prides itself on “thought provoking journalism on air and online,” and more often than not it delivers. Tonight at 9p.m. eastern they are airing a new special called “Growing Up Online.”
In “Growing Up Online,” FRONTLINE peers inside the world of this cyber-savvy generation through the eyes of teens and their parents, who often find themselves on opposite sides of a new digital divide. From cyber bullying to instant “Internet fame,” to the specter of online sexual predators, FRONTLINE producer Rachel Dretzin investigates the risks, realities and misconceptions of teenage self-expression on the World Wide Web.
The documentary also glimpses into the phenomenon of social networking, plagiarism and the disappearance of paper media in schools; all relevant topics to a journalism student like myself and worth a watch this evening. Here’s a preview from PBS:
It’s pretty exciting when a cool piece of journalism comes from an untraditional soft-news source. Surfline.com is an online resource for surfers to scope out ocean conditions all over the world, check out sweet photos and stay on top of surf news. Other than a vertical drop-down style of navigation that bothers almost every one I know, the site is nicely done. I especially enjoyed “Eye of the Storm,” an audio-backed photo story.
Gotta hand it to their staff for presenting some pretty standard-big-blue-wave-tiny-surfer-dude photos in a way that drew me in by adding some audio to the piece. Listening to the surfer being interviewed, I got to hear the actual “surfer slang” accent give some nice details on what it was like for these guys to be towed into enormous, potentially life-threatening waves. This could be the perfect example of a piece that could have been just as easily created using Soundslides, but I assume it is only a matter of time before that software becomes more popular outside of the journalism community.
Job Post of the Week: MTV News Production Assistant
Where do I apply? How? When? They’re not very generous on the job responsibilities details but it’s MTV. I’ll take it.
MTVNews.com is seeking a full time Production Assistant to support daily news operations (via both written stories and video). The Production Assistant reports to the Vice President of MTV News Digital and will work closely with the Senior Producer on a day-to-day basis.
The Basics – Qualifications/skills: - Some production/digital media experience (internships/student activities OK). - Photoshop - Avid / Final Cut Pro or similar non-linear editing application. - Basic HTML (text formatting, tables, lists) - Willingness to learn MTV News’ digital content management systems - Some background in writing/journalism a plus. - Experience with shooting video and/or photos also a plus.
The ideal candidate is: - Versed in web and video production. - Interested and immersed in music, movies and popular culture. - Energetic, dynamic and creative; reliable and punctual. - Cool under pressure.
This one has been bookmarked and is on top of my pile so far!
I love Bloglines. I can read blogs minus the obnoxious ads (a necessary evil, I know) and confusing, distracting layouts. Text, links and photos with little mess. But this simplicity and cleanliness that bloglines delivers also sells the reader short. Side elements of a blog like a Blogroll, related links, archives, etc. are left out if a reader service is used, and some of my favorite time wasted online comes from clicking from blog to blog via, you guessed it, blogs! Once my Bloglines list was built I forgot that reading blogs and RSS feeds should be a changing and expanding network process. If you find something that tickles your fancy, click the link to the actual blog and see where it takes you. Don’t be a slave to your feed reader!
