Timeless Tips for Producing Quality Journalism
Some journalism skills are timeless. They were as important when I started my career using a typewriter and fat editing pencils as they are today. And I think they will be important 40 years from now, when today’s journalism students are men and women of middle age, teaching the skills to young journalism students.Write tight
I learned the importance of writing tight as a student at Texas Christian University in the 1970s. Then, and for much of my career, you needed to write tight because newsprint was expensive and space in newspapers was precious. Now you need to write tight because online readers will move on to something else if you don’t hold their attention and because Twitter gives you only 140 characters to make your point.
More than a decade ago, I developed my workshop Make Every Word Count and the advice I shared there remains important today. Newspaper writers too often try to cram too many thoughts or details into their lead, a practice we call the “suitcase lead,” as though the writer were trying to cram as much stuff as possible in for a long trip. In my writing workshops I have long encouraged writers instead to write a g-string lead: brief and enticing.
Twitter actually presents a great tool for writing leads. If your lead doesn’t fit into a tweet, it’s probably too long.
Answer the 5 W’s (and How)
The 5 W’s are a cliché of journalism because their importance has not diminished with time. They were old-school when I started my career and they remain important today, whether you’re producing text stories, videos, interactive maps or data visualization.
One of my most-read blog posts is about why the 5 W’s are as important for business as they are for journalism. The reason it gets so much traffic is because lots of people search for the 5 W’s. I don’t know whether they are journalism students or bloggers with no journalism background trying to learn some journalism basics, but it gets about 800 views a month, nearly all of it driven by search traffic, so it’s certainly relevant. (Oddly, my post of the 5 W’s of writing for the web doesn’t do nearly as well in search traffic, but would probably be more helpful for the searchers.)
You should consider whether a blog post (or even a tweet) should answer the crucial questions of journalism: Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? I also add this question, essential to ensuring accuracy: How do you know that?
Tell a story
As important as the 5 W’s are, the elements of a story remain as important as when you learned them in eighth grade. Those story elements match up with the 5 W’s but turn those facts from a list of answers into a story:
- Character. Develop characters (exploring their personalities, backgrounds and motivations) and you answer Who? in a more memorable, engaging way.
- Plot. Unfold the plot and you answer the What? and How?
- Setting. When? is a place on the calendar or clock and Where? is a place on the map. Setting is the intersection of time and place in context.
- Theme. Give your story a theme, a narrative thread, and you may be answering Why? or How?
- Conflict and resolution. These story elements answer Why? and How?
Steve Buttry, Digital First Media (http://www.digitalfirstmedia.com/) April 19, 2012
Google Offers Data Journalism Scholarship
Journalism students with solid computer technology backgrounds can apply for a scholarship.Google will fund two scholarships for a master's program in data journalism studies at the University of Hong Kong.
The program's emphasis is on developing digital journalism tools for news gathering, storytelling, data analysis and data visualization.
Applicants should have at least a bachelor’s degree in computer science, information science, information engineering or a related discipline, and must demonstrate competency in computational problem solving, computer programming and database management.
The scholarships will cover full tuition for the 2012-13 academic year and will be awarded on the basis of academic merit or outstanding experience. Applicants with knowledge of data mining, data visualization and digital storytelling will have a definite advantage.
Apply by May 31, 2012.
For more information, click here.
International Journalists' Network, (http://ijnet.org/) April 19, 2012
Free Media Training on Peacemaking Journalism Offered
Journalists under 35 years old can apply for a free media training in Kyrgyzstan.The School of Peacemaking and Media Technology presents a five-day training designed to encourage open discussions on peacemaking related matters.
Kyrgyz- and Uzbek-speaking journalists who represent print and online media in South Kyrgyzstan are eligible to apply.
Applicants must submit a motivation letter describing past experience, willingness to work in a multiethnic team and one work sample in either English, Kyrgyz, Uzbek or Russian.
The classes will be conducted in April, August and November. Applicants will be accepted the rolling basis.
For more information click here.
International Journalists' Network, (http://ijnet.org/) April 12, 2012
Tips for Journalists Shooting Photos and Videos
International Journalists' Network wraps up a series on tips for journalists shooting video and
photos with what to capture in an image, amateur photo mistakes and the
pros and cons of photography.Click here for photography tips on what to put in the shots, rookie mistakes, and the pros and cons of storytelling with photography.
Click here for videography tips on shooting and focus.
Click here for tips on how to frame the perfect shot for videos and photos.
International Journalists' Network, (http://ijnet.org/) March 20, 2012
Journalism award seeks entries (Dominican Republic)
Dominican journalists under 35 living in the country or abroad can enter a competition.The Dominican Republic Ministry of Culture and the International Book Fair of Santo Domingo presents the 2012 Young Journalism Award.
The competition features five categories - books and literature, general culture, social issues, environment and sports.
Articles should have been published in newspapers, magazines or digital media between January 1, 2011 - April 15, 2012.
Winners of each category will receive DOP25,000 (about US$630) and a certificate.
The deadline is April 16, 2012.
For more information, in Spanish, click here.
International Journalists' Network, (http://ijnet.org/) March 20, 2012
Submit Entries for the González-Ruano Prize for Journalism
Journalists who published print articles in Spanish can compete for a EU€30,000 (about US$39,352) prize. The Fundación Mapfre presents the González-Ruano Prize for Journalism, honoring the best newspapers and magazine articles published in Spanish in 2011.
Entries will be selected based on their literary quality and cultural and social interest. Along with the cash prize, the winner will also receive a Venancio Blanco sculpture.
Apply by April 30, 2012.
For more information (in Spanish), click here.
Fundación Mapfre,(http://www.mapfre.com/fundacion/es/home-fundacion-mapfre.shtml) March 14, 2012
Ten Tips for Starting a Strong Journalism Association
There is power in numbers and connections, and an effective media
association can dramatically improve the work of a community of
journalists.But these associations take work and commitment. Here are 10 tips from former Knight International Journalism Fellow Christopher Conte, who helped Ugandan health journalists build a vibrant association that serves more than 700 members.
1. In the beginning: network, network, network. To build your membership, start with your personal professional contacts. Collect more names at workshops, conferences and other events. Other professional associations, training organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or even private companies may also suggest possible members. Be sure to include non-journalists; while your focus will be on journalists, the more you can connect them with researchers, practitioners, advocates and government officials, the more valuable the network will be.
2. Shield your membership list. A good membership list will be one of your association’s most valued assets. Cultivate it continually, but do not share it. Other organizations will covet it. Even if a like-minded organization seeks access, politely decline and offer to contact your members on the organization’s behalf. Your ability to reach a high-quality group of journalists is the most important lever you have to prompt other organizations to work with you.
3. Offer programs right away. Start offering programs as soon as possible. In the developing world, opportunists and hucksters sometimes establish organizations that look good on paper but are just shells designed to attract money. Workshops are an excellent way to educate your members and raise your organization’s public profile; choose topics of broad general interest to attract better media coverage and a good turnout. Newsletters and websites also are good educational tools and reputation builders.
4. Establish legal standing. Make sure your association meets all legal requirements to operate. At a minimum, you probably have to register it with a government agency. You also may have to adopt a constitution or bylaws spelling out how the organization will be run; you should publish this and make sure members understand it. You also will have to identify officers, establish rules for spending funds and hiring and meet various financial reporting requirements.
5. Serve your membership. An association exists to serve its members, not the individuals who lead it. A constitution or bylaws will ensure your association has a life independent of its founders or any particular leaders. Members should meet periodically to set policies and elect a board of directors for specific terms in office. Before you hold elections, establish a membership policy that defines who is eligible to vote. If you want your association to serve journalists, voting should be limited to bona fide, working journalists. One solution is to create different categories of members; non-journalists might be allowed to participate in meetings but not vote, for instance.
6. Define your board of directors. Directors, who meet regularly to carry out policies on behalf of members, should not receive any payment from the association, just compensation for their time and expenses. This ensures that they act in the best interests of the organization, free of conflicts and with transparency. Your bylaws should spell out the goals, purposes and policies of the organization in as much detail as possible. Board members should be limited to fixed terms.
7. Ensure routine maintenance. An association needs an office, or secretariat, to carry out daily activities such as maintaining a website, providing member services and helping ensure that members receive tangible benefits. The office should be led by a chief executive, or executive director. If funds allow, the executive director should have staff to handle communications, membership issues and fundraising.
8. Build your resources. Members can help plan and participate in workshops, contribute to publications and join listservs or chat groups your association can establish and moderate. You should collect and distribute stories that they write. You could establish a section of your website where they could post their resumes and portfolios. Remember: You should stress professional benefits at all times.
9. Set a dues policy. Ideally, your association should charge membership fees. When members pay they become more demanding – and that helps ensure your association remains responsive and transparent. Unfortunately, sometimes even modest fees can discourage potential members. You will have to assess whether the benefits of having paid membership exceed the potential loss of some members.
10. Pick good partners. In the beginning, the energy and commitment of volunteers may sustain the organization. But once your association has established a reputation, partners may emerge. The best kind of support, of course, is grants; research them and apply whenever possible. For the long term, don’t rely on grants alone. Support could come from organizations eager to work with you to promote specific interests and causes. These can produce income and good programs, but be careful: You should maintain the association’s journalistic independence and integrity. This is very important: If you lose your independence, you lose the loyalty of your members.
International Journalists' Network, Christopher Conte (http://ijnet.org) March 6, 2012
Tips for Journalists: Spotting Your Own Mistakes
Spotting Your Own MistakesMost journalists need a second pair of eyes to check through their copy in order to spot any factual, grammatical or spelling mistakes. However as more of us blog alone, without anyone to check our work, mistakes can get missed.
Here are a few tips from journalists on how to reduce embarrassing errors.
Getting Sloppy with Copy
This article started off as a discussion on the Media Helping Media LinkedIn group. I posted asking for advice on how to spot my own mistakes because I write a lot of stuff on the move. The copy always looks fine to me when I write it, but when it's published I regularly spot silly mistakes. Perhaps it's because I am sloppy; perhaps it's because I am a fast touch typist. But others have told me they have the same problem.
When I was a newspaper journalist I always relied on the news editor and the subs to put things right. Probably too much so. When I moved to radio and later TV there was less of a need to get the spelling right because I just voiced the script I had written - so I probably became careless.
And now, when I write training modules or post to my blog, I don't have the luxury of a second pair of eyes to check what I have written. So I posted on the Media Helping Media LinkedIn group asking for tips - and they flowed in. They were so good that I thought it worth including them in a short training module for this site because they may be useful for a wider audience.
The three tips for spotting errors in copy
There were several tips submitted in the LinkedIn discussion thread, but three stood out:
1. Try to fool the brain - change text size and colour, font and background
2. Don’t get caught up in the narrative - read from bottom to top so you are forced to think
3. Print and read out loud - to be able to hear silly mistakes in sentence construction.
Fool your brain
Terry O’Connor, a former print and online journalist and now a freelance journalist and trainer, suggested that it’s all a matter of tricking the brain. Terry wrote: "Since we journalists cannot (normally) put our work aside for a time and then re-read it, we miss the 'stranger's eye' that's essential for picking up mistakes. Our eyes might see the mistakes but our brain interprets what the eye sees as whatever we intended to write.
"So it's time to fool the brain by presenting the material in an unfamiliar way, thereby forcing it to see it as a stranger would -- a bit, anyway.
"If you have time, print the article and re-read it.
"If you don't have time or paper, change the screen resolution, page width, text colour, background colour, or all of these.
"If I'm in a real hurry I just select all, make the text white and the background black.
"This forces the brain to work as a stranger and you'll be surprised what you can pick up."
Read your material out of context
Phil Harding, journalist, media consultant and former Director of News at the BBC World Service said he doesn’t know of a foolproof method, but goes along similar lines to Terry O’Connor in trying to force the brain to look at the content differently.
"Leave it overnight.....print it out of course, if you can....changing the font.....reading the paragraphs in reverse order (part of the trick is not get caught up in the narrative).... and often best of all read it out loud slowly."
Read out loud
Nick Raistrick, the Director of Training at the Media Training Station Community Interest Company agrees with Phil Harding’s point about reading the material out loud, but he also turns to colleagues to check his copy.
"I read my copy out loud in a massive font with everything else closed on my desktop .... and still miss stuff.
"I can't sub my own work at all, which is embarrassing as I'm so anal with other people's copy.
"I've developed an informal network of subs who I sometimes send things to... as long as it's reciprocal! Not always practical as deadlines loom though..."
Look out for sentences that don't make sense
Bob Doran, former senior BBC journalist and now media consultant and trainer agrees with both the reading aloud and fooling the brain approach.
"I always recommend reading your story aloud. Sometimes, a piece can look fine on the screen; it's only when you read it aloud that you spot the absurdities.
"I remember listening to a radio news story which began: A man has died after being shot outside a concert by Madonna (or some other star).
"The writer meant to say that Madonna was giving the concert. When it was read out loud, it sounded like she'd pulled the trigger.
"Read it aloud yourself and you'll see. This approach is particularly useful for radio and television scripts.
"If they (sentences) are hard to read because they're too long or too wordy, you'll know they won't work on air."
Walk away, if you can, and return to the text later
Catherine Kustanczy, reporter and freelance broadcaster suggests leaving the copy and returning to it later. She agrees with the reading out loud approach.
"Walk away for a day, an hour, it doesn't matter. Then come back. Read it once. Read it again, out loud. Always works for me."
Naomi Goldsmith, a journalism trainer at the BBC World Service Trust agrees with the approach of making the brain work.
"I change the look of the copy. I generally change the font style, make the size larger and print it out to read. The secret is to make it look unfamiliar."
David Brewer's business details are at Media Ideas International Ltd. He tweets @helpingmedia. You can add your own tips and continue the discussion on the Media Helping Media LinkedIn group.
Media Helping Media, David Brewer (http://www.mediahelpingmedia.org/) March 5, 2012
New Brand, New Initiatives for Christianity Today
Christianity Today International, the nonprofit organization that serves over 2.5 million readers every month through award-winning content in publications and web resources such as Christianity Today magazine and Leadership Journal, has rebranded as Christianity Today—a global media ministry.The rebranding, which includes a new visual identity and the launch of a new ministry website, ChristianityToday.org, reflects the powerful history of the flagship magazine, Christianity Today, and creates a clear connecting point for all of the ministry’s brands.
“We pray that the biblical, balanced, and thoughtful content we strive to create in all of our resources inspires and mobilizes the church and its leaders,” says Harold Smith, President and CEO of Christianity Today. “When Christianity Today magazine was first published in 1956, print was our only option. However, with today’s technology, we serve millions of Christians every month through a variety of digital, mobile and print platforms. Therefore, a new identity and new initiatives focused on the future of the global church are necessary to accurately reflect the depth and breadth of Christianity Today as a ministry.”
With the rebranding, readers and friends of Christianity Today can expect the same powerful content from their favorite publications and resources, as well as other opportunities to engage with the ministry through two new initiatives Smith references:
This Is Our City: The three-year multimedia project “This Is Our City” focuses on six diverse metropolitan areas throughout the United States, giving a comprehensive picture of cultural renewal in business, government, public health, education and the arts by Christians who are shaping American society in creative, dynamic and sacrificial ways. The project includes a social platform for stories of cultural investment driven by Christian commitment.
Global Gospel Project: Christianity Today’s “Global Gospel Project” is a multi-year, multimedia initiative that will provide the 21st century evangelical church with compelling ways and means of re-engaging the great doctrines of the church so that men and women will more deeply grasp, in both mind and heart, the astounding love of God in Jesus Christ. This in turn will not only ground them more securely in their faith, but also energize them to share the gospel in word and deed ever more faithfully in the world.
For more information or interview requests regarding Christianity Today’s rebranding and new initiatives, contact Cory Whitehead, Director of Brand and Digital Marketing, at cwhitehead@christianitytoday.com or 630-260-6200 x4220.
Related Links:
What's Changing at Christianity Today? - Q&A with Harold Smith
About Christianity Today magazine
About the Ministry of Christianity Today
Christianity Today (ChristianityToday.org) February 20, 2012
Expolit 2012 Organizers Set to Boost Influence in Hispanic Church
As organizers prepare to celebrate this 20th anniversary of the annual Expolit conference for the Spanish Christian literature and music industry in Miami this May, they're poised to expand the event's influence in the fast-growing Hispanic evangelical church."I believe that for the rest of this decade, Expolit will continue to be the main annual meeting place where networking takes place and strategic decisions are made for the Hispanic church," said Expolit Director Sam Rodriguez.
Expolit 2012 attracts thousands of daily visitors while showcasing Christian Spanish products and music with publishers, booksellers, distributors, ministries and musicians arriving from across Latin America, the U.S. and beyond.
The event, set for May 3-8 at the Miami Airport Convention Center (MACC), will include a record number of exhibitors with an unprecedented emphasis on ministries that will have booths scattered throughout the newly renovated and expanded convention center.
"The Hispanic church is a force to be reckoned with in the sense that it has much potential. Some people use the term 'sleeping giant,' waiting to be unveiled," explained Rodriguez, vice president of product development at Editorial Unilit. "Spanish is the third-most-spoken language in the world with more than 350 million native speakers. Next door in Mexico alone, there are over 100 million Spanish speakers."
He added that Expolit is "much more than a Christian trade show where business meetings take place on an hourly basis. It's also a place where ministry decisions that impact both individual lives and ministries are initiated, resulting in great exploits for God.
"I believe in the next few years, God will be showing just how big an impact the Hispanic church will have on the world-not just in Latin America. I think there are many ministries that will want to be part of what God is doing with Hispanics. And they're going to need some products in Spanish. The place where they can really experience what God is doing in the Christian Spanish market today is at Expolit."
Organizers also have a vision to expand the conference's role in further education, not only providing seminars of interest to Christian booksellers, publishers and distributors, but also offering workshops and events for ministries that will help grow Spanish-language churches across Latin America and in the U.S.
Reflecting this vision, Expolit 2012 will host a major congress for the Hispanic church in partnership with Enlace TV (TBN), Empoderados 21 and the Luis Palau Association in order to draw the leadership of the church with the message, Pasando la Antorcha (Passing the Torch).
"This Leadership event is the fulfillment of a personal goal and vision to see Expolit have a greater impact on the church," added David Ecklebarger, founder of Expolit and president of Unilit. "Expolit's mission, like that of Unilit, has always been to facilitate the distribution of Christian literature that will help the church expand God's kingdom. But now, through this congress with our partners, we have the opportunity to interact and impact directly the leaders of the Hispanic church. I thank the Lord for making the vision he gave me a reality."
Rodriguez agreed, saying Expolit "is a place where participants from various countries can work together strategically, planning overseas missions projects to other continents that are not Hispanic in nature. It's where businesses, for example, can partner financially to support an orphanage, and where both young and old can dream big dreams for God's kingdom and bring true transformation to the lives of millions around the globe."
More them a dozen key Hispanic church leaders-among them Luis Palau, Claudio Freidzon and Guillermo Maldonado-will take part in the congress, leading conferences and interacting with participants.
"Expolit has become a key place to network the global Hispanic church, especially when it comes to Christian leaders," Rodriguez related. "It's also a good place to launch a ministry and a great place to learn more about what's going on in the Hispanic church."
Attendees will have exposure to numerous global ministries. "The Hispanic church has blossomed into something far different from what it was 20 years ago. Expolit presents the perfect platform-a level playing field- regardless of denominational backgrounds, so that all can come to work together and learn from each other."
Rodriguez encourages all who are interested in missions and the Christian Hispanic market to attend Expolit, even if they don't speak Spanish. "It's a place that is ministry friendly," he said, adding that most of the attendees are bilingual.
"If Anglo ministries want to expand their reach to Hispanics, Expolit is the place to come," Rodriguez concluded. "The idea is combining all of our forces and efforts and using this synergy to be able to help further equip the church to accomplish the Great Commission."
To register or obtain further details contact: Wendy Rodriguez, Expolit Offices, Telephone: 305.503.1191, Ext. 146; Email: wendy@expolit.com; Website: www.expolit.com
Evangelical Press Association (www.epassoc.org) February 8, 2012
ChristianTrade’s Marketsquare Europe 2012 To Take Place in Budapest
ChristianTrade Association International is organizing a translation rights show in Budapest, Hungary. The event, to take place April 13-14, 2012, will take place just before the London International Book Fair.“We are excited about Marketsquare Europe,” says Kim Pettit, executive director of ChristianTrade. “If you are already traveling to London, add Budapest to your itinerary so you can meet with even more publishers on one trip.”
The 2012 event marks a return to holding Marketsquare Europe in the spring, rather than in the fall. “The first three ChristianTrade events in Europe were held in April,” says Pettit, “and they were very successful.” While those fairs took place in Amsterdam, Marketsquare Europe will take place in Budapest. It was selected because of its central location, openness, and proximity to Oradea, Romania, one of the region’s most active markets for translation rights. It is one of the most accessible cities to Central and Eastern Europeans, since Hungary borders seven other European countries.
“Training offered at Marketsquare Europe this year will focus on distribution and the use of social media,” says Pettit. “Hungarian Christian publishers stand ready to welcome their colleagues, and we already have interest from publishers in Romania, Serbia, Ukraine, and other countries.”
“Join us for Marketsquare Europe 2012,” adds Pettit. “Build partnerships with key publishers in the region so that together we can continue to provide Christ-honoring resources for an increasingly secular and pluralistic society.”
For more information or to exhibit at Marketsquare Europe, contact Kim Pettit (+1-719-432-8428; kpettit@ChristianTrade.com).
ECPA (www.FrontGateMedia.com/ECPAnews) January 11, 2011
A journalist's guide to verifying info on the web
When a frustrated computer programmer created a fake website and press release about a study showing Internet Explorer users are not as smart as people who used other browsers, major media organizations fell for the hoax.CNN, BBC and other news outlets ran stories on their sites describing the study. When it was revealed as a hoax, they had to admit that they hadn't properly checked their facts. (Oddly, this CNN story contains no mention that the study was fake.)
When a frustrated computer programmer created a fake website and press release about a study showing Internet Explorer users are not as smart as people who used other browsers, major media organizations fell for the hoax.
CNN, BBC and other news outlets ran stories on their sites describing the study. When it was revealed as a hoax, they had to admit that they hadn't properly checked their facts. (Oddly, this CNN story contains no mention that the study was fake.)
How could this embarrassment--and an instance of misinforming the public--have been avoided? Instead of rushing to publish, the news organizations should have followed a few simple verification steps, say digital journalists and journalism trainers Mandy Jenkins and Craig Silverman. Jenkins, social news editor for the Huffington Post, and Silverman, editorial director of OpenFile.ca and editor and author of Regret the Error have these tips for verifying information found on the web:
• Start with a Whois lookup on the domain to see who has registered the url.
• Check the Internet archive to get a feel for the overall history of the site, organization, or person reporting the information.
• Check the site's Google PageRank. If the page rank is high, that probably means credible sites have been linking to it.
• Is there a clear and credible owner of the site? Check the site footer. Does it point to a real ownership entity?
• Run blog and news searches to see if the person, topic or company has been talked about before.
• Are people sharing it on social bookmarking sites like Digg?
• Make some phone calls and try to get the source of the info on the phone before you publish anything.
• Check names. Do they have a personal history? Is the name drawn from history or literature? Hoaxers often like to be clever by giving themselves historical names.
• Do the numbers add up? In the case of the fake Internet Explorer story, the study supposedly questioned more than 100,000 users, a scale that would be very difficult to pull off.
When news organizations do decide to report something that isn't 100 percent confirmed, they should make it very clear that "this is what we know, this is what we don't know, this hasn't been confirmed," Silverman says. "It's important to be brave and transparent about what you don't have."
Jenkins and Silverman shared their advice during their presentation, "B.S. Detection for Journalists," at the fall 2011 Online News Association Conference in Boston. The slides from and video of their presentation can be viewed here.
Jennifer Dorroh, IJNet (www.ijnet.org) November 17, 2011
World Journalism Institute Heads to Africa
New York, N.Y., November 15, 2011-Almost two dozen professional African Christian journalists will gather in Uganda January 15-27, 2012, for the first World Journalism Institute Workshop for Christian journalists on African soil.Eighteen working journalists, chosen by the World Journalism Institute, will participate in the two-week workshop on the campus of the African Bible University outside of Kampala.
Mindy Belz, editor of WORLD magazine and distinguished foreign correspondent, is the lead instructor for the conference. Nat Belz, creative director of Trak magazine, will teach a Christian worldview component, and Drew Belz, co-founder of Fancy Rhino, will lead videography instruction.
Robert Case, director of the World Journalism Institute, said, "This workshop is the latest phase of our effort to keep up with God as he moves across the planet in his worldwide revival. We are blessed to be able to offer our African colleagues the expertise of the unique Belz family to improve their reporting and writing skills."
During the workshop, the journalists will report for the WJI Times Observer, the online magazine of the institute. Afterwards, they will return to their respective countries, and continue to report for their own publications. Some may be asked to write for WORLD magazine.
More than fifty African journalists applied to attend the workshop, representing Egypt, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe.
The workshop is part of the Belz International Media Program, named after the pioneering journalist and publisher Joel Belz, founder of WORLD magazine and past president of the Evangelical Press Association.
The World Journalism Institute exists to recruit, equip, place and encourage Christians in the newsrooms of America first and then the world. The institute sponsors weekend conferences around the United States and a multi-week journalism course in New York City. It also prints a series of monographs dealing with the intersection of Christianity and journalism.
For more information:
Kim Collins
World Journalism Institute
www.worldji.com
office@worldji.com
212-659-3609
Russia-U.S. Journalist Exchange Program to Help Break Stereotypes
Washington, D.C. – A new, two-year exchange program will offer 48 young journalists from Russia and the U.S. the chance to work in newsrooms and build mutual understanding, thanks to a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation announced today in Moscow.“This exchange will help establish professional relationships between the young journalists from two nations, both important in the world, yet once dire enemies,” said Eric Newton, senior adviser to the president of Knight Foundation, which is funding the program through a $250,000 grant to the International Center for Journalists.
The Young Media Professionals Exchange Program is an outgrowth of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission’s working group on media.
“Knight Foundation brings a wealth of expertise and knowledge in the best of American media practices and values to the Young Media Professionals Exchange Program,” said Dawn L. McCall, Coordinator, U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Information Programs. “The exchange provides opportunities for U.S. and Russian journalists to share experiences and strengthen their journalistic practices, which benefits both our countries.”
At the beginning of the exchange, Russian journalists will spend several days meeting officials and media leaders in Washington, while their U.S. counterparts do the same in Moscow. They will then work at media organizations for as long as one month.
The International Center for Journalists will coordinate the selection of suitable U.S. news organizations for the Russian journalists, and the Moscow Union of Journalists will find hosts for the Americans. The Moscow Union of Journalists will plan the program and cover the costs for participants in Russia.
The first 24 participants will be selected in February 2012. The first exchange will take place in April 2012. Applicants must be under 30 years of age, with at least three years of experience. Strong preference will be given to candidates who speak English and Russian.
Applications will be accepted on Nov. 15 at www.icfj.org. For more information, contact ICFJ's Robert Tinsley at btinsley@icfj.org.
Knight Foundation supports transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts. We believe that democracy thrives when people and communities are informed and engaged. For more, visit www.knightfoundation.org.
The International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), a non-profit, professional organization, promotes quality journalism worldwide in the belief that independent, vigorous media are crucial in improving the human condition. Over 27 years, ICFJ has worked with more than 70,000 journalists – both professional and citizen – and media managers from 180 countries. For more information, visit www.icfj.org.
International Center for Journalists, (www.icfj.org) October 4, 2011
Five ways to crowdsource your reporting with Facebook
With more than 750 million users worldwide, Facebook is a great source of collective knowledge.Journalists increasingly use this tool through the creation of Facebook pages to engage their audience and allow them to participate in the news cycle.
And users respond. According to Facebook’s stats, the average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events.
Vadim Lavrusik, Journalist Program Manager for Facebook, recently published a post in the “Facebook + Journalists” guide detailing how news organizations are using this social medium to crowdsource stories.
Here are some of the examples from the guide along with others found by IJNet.
To find stories and personal testimonies. In the wake of the 10-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and Washington, the Associated Press used its Facebook page to ask readers for their personal stories. The news wire also told its audience that a reporter might contact people for verification purposes.
The Joplin Globe also asked its readers to share how their lives changed 100 days after the devastating tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri.
On a lighter note, The New York Times asked readers to share the best dishes they’ve made since Memorial Day. Readers were asked to submit their recipes, which might be published on the paper’s website.
To submit photos and videos. News organizations are turning more and more to their audience to ask for photos and video of breaking news events.
The Washington Post recently asked readers on its Facebook page to send photos that show how they’ve been affected by Sept. 11.
Another example is KMOV-TV8, which asked its audience to send photos and videos of the tornado damage through its Facebook page.
There’s also an application that makes it easy to publish crowd-sourced photo galleries. You can see how The New York Daily News is using the application created by Olapic here.
To find individual sources: Having a hard time finding sources for your latest assignment? You might find them through Facebook.
Reuters recently used its Facebook page to find a retail investor who had been through the “worst-case investing scenario” for a story.
The Star Tribune of Minneapolis, Minn., used its Facebook page to find people who suffer from summer allergies for a story on that topic.
To submit questions. You can ask your audience what questions they want answered from a source you’re going to interview. That’s what The Daily News of Greenville, Michigan, did. One of their reporters asked readers to submit questions for local police about how to protect themselves amid a spate of thefts.
To verify information. If you don’t know something, ask around. Chances are some of your readers might know the answer.
That’s what KSAX, a small TV station in Minnesota, did. On Facebook, it posted a photo of an unidentified animal that had been struck by a vehicle . The audience helped identify the road kill. For the record, it was a badger.
Maite Fernandez, IJNet (www.ijnet.org) September 8, 2011
Four data tools for journalists who prefer working with words
Tasneem Raja, digital interactive editor at Mother Jones, offered some
great tips for managing data at a recent Hacks and Hackers meet up in
San Francisco.Nearly 150 people attended "Riding the Data Wave: Tools to Make Open Data Relevant," held at Storify headquarters.
With U.S. journalists now looking for data on government websites three to four times a week, now is the time to learn how to work with that vast repository of information.
Raja, who has also worked at The Bay Citizen, has no illusions about how most journalists view data in the newsroom. "A lot of people become journalists because they want to avoid the math," she says. With data, they find themselves steeped in numbers and confusing software.
Here are her four picks for journalists who are not yet converted to data geekery -- these free tools will help clean up and present data, making it easier for your news organization to use.
1. Google Refine Billed by the company as a power tool for "working with messy data," Raja calls it simply "amazing." Most journalists are news gatherers by nature, but as a data newbie you might find yourself with heaps of files that won't play nice together.
That's where Google Refine comes to the rescue. If you know Python great, if not you can drag and drop, Raja says. The team at The Bay Citizen used it to develop an award-winning bike accident tracker, where it helped integrate data from different sources.
2. Tablesorter "It's dead simple," Raja promises. This is another way to get your data into one usable format, for example take those Excel files the city government has sent over and quickly convert them into a CSV file for a database table.
3. Mr. Data Converter may become your "new best friend," Raja says. The free app converts your Excel data into one of several web-friendly formats, including HTML, JSON and XML.
4. Geocommons A fast, free, accessible file converter for geographic data and maps. This is a lifesaver, Raja says, when the planning department sends over a Shapefile and you need to convert it into KML, a file format used to display geographic data in an Earth browser such as Google Earth and Google Maps.
Nicole Martinelli, IJNet (www.ijnet.org) September 5, 2011
Five tips for journalists on personal branding in Facebook
"Journalists are now brands and that's a positive thing," says Sandra
Crucianelli, a TV reporter in Argentina and an expert on social
networks.Crucianelli hosted a recent online seminar organized by the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas on the role of journalists in social networks. Crucianelli, author of the book "Digital Tools for Journalists," gave some tips on how to get the most out of Facebook pages.
Here are IJNet's main takeaways.
• Journalists should interact with the audience using their real identity. People do not want to interact with the brand of a newspaper or a TV station; the audience wants to interact with people, Crucianelli says. It's important to use your full name rather than a nickname and a real, unaltered photo.
"Our profiles on social networks are worth a lot," notes Crucianelli. She added that profiles must follow certain standards of quality and journalists should hold themselves to high standards when participating in social networks, from profile photos to sharing information.
• It's important to create dynamic interaction with the audience, Crucianelli says. It's a two-way channel for communication so journalists should respond to users when appropriate and not just limit themselves to promoting links to stories. She also advises to avoid being arrogant. "On social networks, it's generally not a good idea to take a know-it-all stance."
• Journalists should act as community managers. Crucianelli says it's best to let users to interact freely, but it is also important to intervene if the conversation gets out of hand. "Now journalists are also community managers," she underlines.
• Use Google's search engine and specialized sites to find information on Facebook. Facebook's internal search engine is the best place to start, she says. However, if the search does not show help you find what you are looking for, Crucianelli recommends an advanced Google search. For the best results, type "facebook.com" in the "searching site or domain" field.
Crucianelli also recommends sites to search for content in Facebook including Openstatussearch.com, Youropenbook.org, Itstrending.com, which shows the most shared content and Facetofind.com, which indexes videos posted on the social network.
• It's important to spend time on your site. Crucianelli advises spending half an hour or an hour per day, minimum, on your Facebook page. The page can be improved with various applications such as Webuzzapp.com, Faceitpages.com, Involver.com and Facebook's official guide for journalists.
For more Facebook tips, see IJNet's Facebook reporting guide.
Maite Fernandez, IJNet (www.ijnet.org) August 30, 2011
Print media must "prepare to unplug the printing press," expert says
In a time when the future of journalism and the effects of Internet on
print media are debated non-stop, newspaper companies must be ready for
changes.To learn more about how newspapers and journalists should prepare, IJNet interviewed Toni Piqué, a newsroom integration and organization consultant who has worked with dozens of media outlets in Europe and Latin America. The Barcelona-based adviser also co-founded the Paper Papers blog.
IJNet: Recently, the debate around newspapers has revolved around apocalyptic visions on the future of journalism. How do you see this phenomenon?
Toni Piqué: It's like (Antonio) Gramsci said: "The crisis consists precisely in the fact that the old is dying and the new cannot be born; in this interregnum a great variety of morbid symptoms appear." These are the times when opportunistic people appear, the ones who could not join the profession, and take revenge.
IJNet: Is print journalism coming to an end?
TP: Yes, the paper will die. But it has nothing to do with philosophical questions. The paper will die because of financial issues. It’s expensive to make, print and distribute. And it has many disadvantages compared to another distribution system called the Internet which gives you a huge variety of formats and possibilities to customize.
The fact that many more people, thanks to technology like the Internet and its offshoots, are able to participate in the reporting process, providing information or points of view, doesn’t mean that journalism is dead. Quite the opposite. It means that journalism is expanding.
IJNet: So this debate about the end of journalism is the result of the transition process?
TP: Sure. We're not talking about the science of making bridges, where someone has to watch that the builders are strong, safe and experienced, because if not there would be consequences.
Journalism is about a human right, not the property of a professional group or corporation. It's like health; it’s owned by the people. When you get sick you go to the doctor, although we know how to manage some diseases. I have a headache, I take an aspirin and I feel better. But this does not make me a doctor.
It is very easy to talk about citizen journalism, but nobody would like to be cured by a citizen doctor, or wants highways built by a citizen engineer. It does not work that way [in those situations] and it doesn’t in journalism either.
IJNet: What does it mean to be a newspaper consultant now?
TP: It involves telling people one thing: you must be prepared to unplug the printing press. And they must prepare now: what day of the week will be the first one when the newspaper won’t be printed, which will be the second, which will be the third.
Being a consultant also means rethinking content strategy. You have to think about a company that is more broadcast and less print. There’s a difference, (but) the reporting is the same. What the reporter does on the street is the same and the important editing part is the same as well. Go here, don’t go there. That remains the same.
We also have to get newspaper editors out of that (…) mentality that newspapers are the essence of journalism and the everything else is not. Remove the thinking that everything out in the web is noisy and vague. Or (the ideas) against Twitter. Those who say, “What can you say in 140 characters?”
The approach has to be much more positive. I have all these tools that allow me to be a journalist, not only for a few hours each day but longer. Today I can publish more during over more time.
I didn’t become a journalist to make a newspaper. I became a journalist to inform the public.
Valentina Gimenez, IJNet (www.ijnet.org) August 24, 2011
Social media training gives voice to rural India
Video Volunteers, a human rights NGO founded in 2003, is introducing social media to amplify the voice of its participants.The organization raises awareness about the world’s obscure and underprivileged areas by training citizens to report on pressing social issues using community media.
Its IndiaUnheard initiative has community correspondents dispersed across 24 Indian states and it has seen the effects of this bottom-up approach in domains including LGBT life, water supply, education and medical care.
In a Q&A with IJNet, Jessica Mayberry, Video Volunteers founder and Siddharth Pillai, communications manager for the group, discuss the training process, bringing new media to rural areas and current projects.
IJNet: How do you find and select community correspondents?
SP: The call for nominations is sent out through email, Facebook, Twitter, various online forums to a network of NGOs, activists and other individuals who are encouraged to nominate acquaintances and collaborators who meet the criteria for selection. Once the deadline for nominations has passed, the applicants are interviewed via phone by our project coordinators.
JM: We have a deep NGO network in India. But there is a challenge to identifying community media producers across the country, when you are located in one place (in our case, Goa.) So in the future we plan to start expanding our network regionally - focus on areas that the media ignores.
IJNet: What does the training process entail?
SP: The social media training is basic. Most of the correspondents are from remote and most marginalized parts of the country and society. Some even lack familiarity with the computer. An outline of the training is listed below.
Social Networking Topics: · Facebook · YouTube · Free SMS
1. Introduction to Social Networking – why? Explain to the participants briefly that social networking does the following things. It connects people and builds communities online...? Say why it is important for community media: · Our videos can be watched from anywhere in the world for free · We can promote our videos on multiple forums · We can tell people about current programs, events, news (for instance the Newsx program) · We can gain a following or a fan base who will support us
2. Show the participants how to get to these sites on the Internet. Facebook and YouTube, Way2SMS
IJNet: What type of equipment is given to the community correspondents?
SP: Community correspondents are given a Kodak Zi8 camera with basic accessories and a toolkit on community media. They are paid Rs. 1300/- per video (about US$30) which includes the cost they incur for accessing internet and burning DVDs of their footage from their local internet parlor.
JM: At the moment, we don't give them computers and so we do the video editing, according to their script.
IJNet: What are the community correspondents up to now?
SP: Other than their regular videos, they are currently working on a climate change campaign in collaboration with the NGO Laya, on the UNDP video project One Day on Earth and a campaign against illegal evictions in the North East in collaboration with WITNESS.
For more on Video Volunteers, click here.
Lindsay Kalter, IJNet (www.ijnet.org) August 21, 2011
Highlights from the 2011 journalists engagement survey
While editors at U.S. daily newspapers overwhelmingly say they think
audience engagement has become an important part of practicing
journalism, they're often not sure what that means or how to go about
it. Many have yet to embrace tools that allow them to understand and
interact with their audiences. Not even half of respondents said that
they use social media to listen as well as share information, that they
interact with readers in comments sections, or that they use their
analytics reports to help make news decisions.A telephone survey of 529 managing editors, executive editors, and editors of daily community newspapers in March, April and May of 2011, validated that audience engagement is on the minds of editors, and not just the editors I interviewed this year who are on the cutting edge of experimentation. Many acknowledged that their news processes need to be more social and collaborative, and some mentioned hiring people specifically with that in mind.
The survey was administered by the Center for Advanced Social Research (CASR) of the Missouri School of Journalism.
Highlights of the findings included:
• Editors are thinking about making the news more social and participatory.
• Editors see engagement as part of good business. Over and over in the open-ended responses, they said connecting with and listening to their communities is vital to their newspapers' survival. That said, they don’t know how to fit it in when newsroom staffs and resources are shrinking.
• 45% say they do not interact with their audiences in the comments section of their websites.
• The majority of editors receive reports about their website analytics, but only half say they use the reports to make decisions about what to cover.
• Editors often have a narrow view of what engagement can mean. The industry would benefit from more discussion about best practices and strategies.
Abridged from Reynolds Journalism Institute, August 15, 2011
Eight journalists to follow on Twitter for information on China
Twitter can be a great resource for news about China. Yolanda Ma, senior
editor of IJNet's Chinese channel, offers these picks for whom to
follow on the microblogging service for updated information on China in
English.Our recent post introduced a few sites to follow for news about China in English. Some of those sites also have Twitter feeds, including China Digital Times, ChinaSMACK and China Media Project.
That's just the beginning, though. Twitter provides a number of correspondents who report from China and provide opinions in English. Here is a handful to start - remember that the "people similar to..." function on Twitter is a good way to expand your network.
Evan Osnos
Evan Osnos is a staff writer at The New Yorker covering China. His column, letter from China, is a must-read for China observers. He often writes long-form in-depth stories, including many profiles. He tweets mostly his own writing and sometimes online discussions too.
Tania Branigan
Tania Branigan, based in Beijing, works for The Guardian. She retweets a lot and has public twitter conversations. Her tweets give a good idea of what foreign correspondents focus on and what the life of an expat journalist in China is like.
Mark MacKinnon
MacKinnon covers East Asia for Canada's national newspaper, The Globe and Mail, so his tweets are wide-ranging. He focuses on mainly on economy and politics.
William Albano
William Albano is an tech and marketing writer who works in Taipei office of a Silicon Valley startup. He tweets stories from a wide range of media outlets and is a rich and useful curator of China-related news.
Malcolm Moore
While most of China correspondents are based in Beijing or Hong Kong, Moore is in Shanghai for the Daily Telegraph. He sometimes tweets (or retweets) about TV dating shows or dogs being banned – those colorful details of China life that are rarely reported by the foreign press.
Tom Lasseter
Lasseter is the Beijing Bureau Chief for McClatchy Newspapers. He shares what he is reading, what his friends recommend and of course RTs. He is also constantly engages in Twitter conversations with other China-related tweeples, which makes his tweets more interesting.
Gady Epstein
Correspondent for The Economist in Beijing. Has a conversational style of tweeting and usually RTs with comments.
Melissa Chan
Chan is the Al Jazeera English correspondent in China. Her tweets are not always about politics or economy, but often more juicy and with impressive quotes.
Jack Liu contributed to this story.
Yolanda Ma , IJNet (www.ijnet.org) August 21, 2011
Are deadlines a lost cause?
Whether you're a journalist trying to meet deadlines or an editor who
needs writers to make them, deadlines are a constant of the profession.Having been on both sides of the equation - as an editor and a freelancer - it's never easy. As a journalist, I'd rather pull an all-nighter than blow a deadline but as an editor I'm fine with giving deadline extensions -- as long as I know before that deadline has come and gone that it's necessary.
Better communication between journalists and editors is key. As one editor put it:
"Editors need to have regular conversations with their reporters, coaching a little bit each time.This is quite different from the traditional: “Look, I gave you the assignment two weeks ago. Today is the deadline and I want that story!"
How do you deal with them?
The following are replies submitted to Ijnet...
Submitted by Anonymous on 08/16/11...
As central as deadlines are in doing our work as a news organization, there always got to be a back-up plan because whether you like it or not, someone is going to miss his/her deadline.
Submitted by Anonymous on 08/15/11....
My students almost never meet them - despite deadlines being tied to grades. I try to impress upon them that they can't just take a lower grade in the work world, but it seems to have little effect. I’m not sure how to motivate them to meet deadlines. I’d really like to hear how other people handle it. Grades don't seem to be enough, so I’m looking for other motivators.
Submitted by Anonymous on 08/12/11...
24/7 news cycles makes deadlines more fluid. If you're talking digital journalism, the idea of a hard deadline has more or less vanished. (Don't tell the contributors, though, I still want the stories on time!).
Submitted by Anonymous on 08/15/11...
Deadlines are a constant -- maybe the only constant now. It doesn't matter if the news cycle has changed, journalists still need to meet them. Those who rely on digital wiggle room will soon be looking for work...It is a journalist's job to meet deadlines of assignments and release new information before competition does.
Submitted by Anonymous on 08/12/11...
Like you, I don't think about not meeting them, I just do. I try to pitch stories w/a turnaround in mind, so I know realistically when it'll be done.
Nicole Martinellio, IJNet (www.ijnet.org) August 12, 2011
International journalist Dan Wooding offers free subscription to unique news service
(ANS) -- International journalist, Dan Wooding, is offering media
outlets, Christian leaders, and anyone else who wants “to keep up with
world news and how it affects Christians,” a free subscription to the
ASSIST News Service (ANS).Wooding, 70, began this unique service, that carries unique news about the persecution of Christians around the world, missions, features on inspiring people and popular culture, some 20 years ago. It is based in Lake Forest, California.
With a team of talented writers stationed in some of the world’s hot-spots including India, Pakistan and Egypt, ANS brings up-to-date news stories right into people’s in-boxes.
Many of these stories are carried widely by the Christian media and have also been picked up by secular media including USA Today, the Washington Times, The Minneapolis Tribune-Star, the New York Post, Paul Harvey, WorldNet Daily, The Fox News Channel and the Los Angeles Times.
Wooding has been a journalist now since 1968 and has worked for two of the UK’s top-selling newspapers, been an interviewer for the BBC in London, and now also has a weekly radio show in America called Front Page Radio and a monthly Internet TV show called His Channel live.
What makes Wooding and his team of writers unusual is the fact that none of them get a salary for their media ministry - they each raise their own support and look upon themselves as “Media Missionaries.”
Rick Warren, senior pastor of Saddleback Church, Lake Forest, California, one of America’s largest churches, and author of “The Purpose Driven Life,” has provided an endorsement for Dan Wooding’s autobiography, “From Tabloid to Truth,” which is one of his 44 books. Warren said, “Dan Wooding has lived one of the most amazing and exciting lives you could ever imagine.”
If you would like a free subscription, just send Wooding an e-mail at assistnews@aol.com and give your name and e-mail address and he will add you to the list. Also, please feel free to tell your friends and colleagues about this free offer.
However, please bear in mind that this is a news service, so you will be receiving several stories each day, many of which you will not read anywhere else.
The website for ANS is www.assistnews.net and, by the way, your e-mail address will not be shared with anyone else and is only used to send you these ANS stories.
ASSIST News Service (www.assistnews.net) July 29, 2011
Is the Internet good for journalism?
The Economist has launched an online debate as to whether the Internet helps or harms journalism.As part of its month-long debate on the future of the news industry, the weekly asked readers about the role of the Internet in journalism.
The magazine maintains that "that the Internet is making journalism better, not worse."
What do you think?
The following are replies submitted to Ijnet...
Submitted by Anonymous on 08/4/11...
It’s debatable. As a journalist in Africa Uganda in particular, its good to in a way that it keeps you informed about what’s happening elsewhere in the world but at the same time it kills journalism ethics since it promotes armchair journalism in such a way that journalists instead of going to the field to know whats exactly on the ground, they opt to google it since the internet has everything.
Submitted by Anonymous on 08/4/11...
Platform, not a solution. The Internet acts as a platform for journalism -- and a very powerful one -- but we don't really know yet if it can provide society with the kind of reporting it needs to remain informed.
Submitted by Shajan Kumar on 08/03/11...
The impact of Internet on Journalism is very sensitive. It has become very easy for the Journalist to communicate through Internet and get information they required at any point of time. But how authentic are those information? One has to be very careful.
We all are forgetting the basics of Journalism. The Grassroots Journalism, Investigative Journalism… The only advantage was the Citizens Journalism.
The open source of Internet information has to be vetted well. Journalists can also help developing this information source. It should be a give and take system.
Digital demand is getting wider. There is nothing impossible here.
The social media networking is also helping Journalists a lot. Scoops are delivered overnight.
Submitted by Anonymous on 07/29/11…
It's all about access -- remember there are a lot of places where people still don't have reliable internet and where governments can shut it off. With the traditional press, they may have more difficulty than just flipping the switch.
Submitted by Anonymous on 07/29/11…
The internet is a medium, just like the radio or TV or wire or print. It's a delivery system and so far it's the fastest, cheapest and most democratic one we have.
IJNet (www.ijnet.org) July 29, 2011