Final Individual Project

For my final individual project, I did a story on Casey Heffernan, a student at the UW who volunteered as a translator in Ecuador. There he worked with a team of doctors, nurses and other translators performing free and living saving surgeries for children.

For the final project, I was able to take the comments from my first cut, and refine the story.  One large problem with the original story was it didn’t have a real ending, and I thought I was able to add that in the final cut.  Another issue was that the original video ran over two minutes, but I was able to cut down the length and add some important information about the story.  I also was able to figure out how to export the video in a way which better served a Youtube project, because the original video looked too small inside of the Youtube video “frame”.

If I had the chance to redo the project I would try to get better footage of Heffernan during the interview.  It looks grainy and dark.  Also, I would try getting better b-roll type footage of Casey in order to give the story more variety. 

Overall, I am happy with the way the story turned out after I made the improvements.

The emerging world of Twitter, and what it means to journalists

Before enrolling in Com 466, I had only briefly heard of Twitter, and did not have a real grasp of what it was. But over the past view months, it seems that Twitter has emerged onto the national stage, and a term such is “tweet” becoming part of this country’s vernacular.

The micro-blogging tool is able to connect a wide variety of people together on the Internet, and allows for an exchange of information. By following certain people, I was able to find what information I wanted. You have the option of following friends and family on Twitter, or other users whose information is of interest to you. For example, choosing to follow athlete Shaquille O’Neal will give you a different incite than following journalist Jeff Jarvis. This level of customization and interaction make Twitter helpful and appealing.

But more specifically, I really learned how Twitter and its users are able to disseminate information quickly. By using tools within Twitter such as hash tags, a reader can quickly look at specific conversations happening on Twitter which are of interest. Twitter is also a tool which can be used for breaking news, and in many cases, readers can find information about these stories on Twitter sooner than they would through traditional news sources.

For example, I read an article, found here, earlier in the quarter which detailed how a man who found himself caught in the attacks in Mumbai, India, last November. He was able to use Twitter in order to share what was happening with the outside world. Through his status updates, he was able to provide nearly up to the minutes details of his experiences, something that a traditional journalist would most likely not be able to do unless they happened to be there.

When looking at the future of Twitter for journalists, Twitter can provide an effective platform for providing links to stories, blogs and significant information. Since Twitter has emerged, journalists have looked at the tool with confusion, skepticism and concern over security issues. Some journalists might ask how something that only allows you to transmit 140 characters at a time could be significant.

Daniel Terdiman, a senior writer for CNETNews.com, was in Mumbai when the attacks occurred. He noticed that journalists from traditional sources such as CNN, NPR and the New York Times were able to connect to sources using Twitter. These journalists were able to enhance their stories be including details from people who experienced the event first hand.

Terdiman goes on to say that journalists can continue to use Twitter to find stories and connect with credible sources over Twitter. By looking at the number of people following a source and the conversations the person has been having, a journalist can begin to determine how trustworthy someone will be. A journalist can then further inquire by sending a direct message to the person, in the hopes of making more formal contact. Even as journalists use this new technology, traditional journalism skills must kick in.

News organizations, which are in decline, must use Twitter as any other business in these difficult economic times. Shel Israel, an author who is writing the upcoming book “Twitterville”, says that businesses must utilize cheap tools such as Twitter to relate and interact with customers. In terms of media organizations, the customers become readers and viewers. Shel also says that he perceives Twitter as being “more conversational than journalistic,” meaning that journalists should be involved in conversations on Twitter, then link to stories and blogs.

Citizens and freelance journalists alike can use Twitter as a virtual newsroom, finding story ideas, sources and connecting with other people in the field. Much like the traditional news organizations using Twitter to connect with readers, citizens can promote their news sites and blogs through Twitter. For instance, by looking at the West Seattle Blog’s Twitter page, a reader can receive updates on stories, as well as find out if the blog is legitimate through prior posts and the number of followers.

For the time being, it seems that Twitter has emerged as relevant and is only growing. I have enjoyed learning about the world that is emerging through Twitter, and the opportunities it provides for journalists, citizens and news organizations alike.

Listen to the discussion led by Columbia journalism professor Sree Sreenivasan called “Twitter for Journalists,” featuring both Daniel Terdiman and Shel Israel.

Twitter Update

I am now following five more people or groups on Twitter:

newshour / The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer

jason_w_white / Jason White, msnbc.com senior editor

NYT_JenPreston / Jen Preston, journalist for the New York Times

jeffjarvis / Jeff Jarvis, blogs for buzzmachine.com

poynterchats / Poynter’s live chats

Final Video Project Cut

You can find the final cut of my video project here.

Video Project Summary and Reflection

For my video project, I interviewed Casey Heffernan, who is a student at the UW.  He recently traveled to Guayaquil, Ecuador and served as a translator for a team of doctors performing free surgeries on children with life-threatening conditions.  He talks about how he became involved with the program, gives some incite into his experiences in Ecuador, some of the people he met and how critical his role in the process was.

Some reporting challenges I ran into were figuring out a way to tell his story without video from his trip.  He did have a lot of pictures which helped out a lot.  It would have also been great to have more B-roll of him, something I discovered during the editing process.

I think given the time frame and some technological problems, I have met my goals so far.  It is difficult to make a true judgment until I see the final cut of the piece.  I learned how some software can be frustrating when dealing with file types and compatibility issues.  If I were to do things differently, I would create a more detailed script in order to keep the story better organized and to simplify the editing process.

The video can be found here.

Twitter Update

I am now following these people on Twitter, check them out.

knightpulse / Knight Pulse, interested in the future of news

jayrosen_nyu / Jay Rosen, journalism professor at NYU

TomJolly / Tom Jolly, sports editor at the New York Times

KGeee / Katherine Goldstein, blog editor at the Huffington Post

citmedialaw / Non-profit at Harvard University providing legal assistance and resources for online and citizen media.

 

Rough Cut Script

For my video project, I plan on telling the story of Casey Heffernan, who recently went to Ecuador.  He was there volunteering as a translator, between American doctors and patients who only spoke Spanish.

1.  0-20 seconds.  Introduce the story with a voice over explaining the problems that people in Ecuador face without proper medical care, showing pictures of people of the country.

2.  20-45 seconds.  Interview Casey.  He explains how he became involved and how he prepared for the trip.

45-55 seconds.  Close-up on Casey as he studies Spanish, a shot over his shoulder looking at a Spanish textbook.

55-80 seconds.  Casey explains what it was like translating for the doctors, any problems he encountered.

80-95 seconds.  While Casey is still explaining, show pictures that he took while in Ecuador.

95-110 seconds.  Casey explaining what the experience met to him, whether he would do it again, the importance of his work, and how someone else could become involved.

110-120 seconds.  Closing, last view of pictures and reflections.

End video

Five tips for reporting in the digital age

After reading Gilmor’s Chapter 9, which can be found here, I pulled five tips from the text that will benefit citizen and professional reporting:

1.  Be wary of what is considered “true”, especially on the web.  Double check sources of information.  In a “cut and paste” world, sources can be falsely attributed and text can be edited from an article.

2.  Digital tools can be used to manipulate the public.  Especially when dealing with photos and video, these tools can alter content to shape opinion or create news.

3.  To avoid being “spun” or manipulated by someone, it is critical to consider what someone has to gain from being interviewed for a story.  Online, posters and commentors can also spin their contributions to sites and storys for personal gain.

4.  Citizen journalists, and professional to an extent, can use the Internet to easily connect with others and fact-check information and stories for themselves.

5.  Usersof online media need to develop what the author calls a “heirarchy of trust.”  This heirarchy would place a traditional media source such as the New York Times at the top of the list, and other non-traditional sources and blogs much farther down on the totem pole.  These sources may require more verification and should be looked at with a grain of salt.

Twitter Update

I am now following these people and organizations on Twitter:

nytimesbits / News and analysis from the technology industry throughout the day from the New York Times.

maureenwm / Maureen Alley, managing editor of Website Magazine.

mattmansfield / Matt Mansfield, Medill journalism professor in Washington, D.C.  Also, he is the president of the Society for News Design.

smh_multimedia / Multimedia and photos from the Sydney Morning Herald.

steven_king / Multimedia storyteller based in Washington, D.C.

Assessing two different Internet video columns styles

I read Mark Briggs’ Journalism 2.0 article comparing two different video columns and their effectiveness on the web.  He compared the video columns of David Progue of the New York Times and Walt Mossberg of the Wall Street Journal.  Both columnists focus on technology, but use different styles in their video columns to get their points across.

Progue used a more traditional, television style news story approach, shooting in multiple locations and graphic overlays and transitions.  Mossberg took a different approach, basically sitting in front of his webcam and talking about different productions, with the occasional picture of what he was covering shown in his place.

When evaluating these two approaches, it seems that Mossberg’s style of video will fit in better in the future of news on the web.  As Briggs says in the article, “The audience for video has become extremely forgiving and is now open to all levels of quality.”  On the Internet, if the simple approach is less expensive, easier to produce and is still effective, this style would seem more likely to fit into the future of news.