What AP looks for in storytellers

Posted on July 5, 2007 by Melissa Worden

Sandeep Junnarkar spoke to Ted Anthony, founding editor of asap, about how the new service has grown during the past two year, how it is tackling multimedia storytelling, and what skills AP looks for in new hires. (Link via News Videographer)

Here’s an excerpt:

OJR: Can you tell me about the qualities you are seeking in journalists to tell stories in alternative ways?

Anthony: … We were looking for people who were flexible in their storytelling–and by that I mean people who wouldn’t say, we don’t do things that way. Too many news organizations in today’s world are populated with many people who say, we don’t do things that way. Those people are not going to be doing things at all if they keep up that attitude. We have to be willing to acknowledge that there is a certain core group of values and skills that we have, but that beyond that we are in this brave new world and we have to be able to think critically about how a story should be told and whether a story will resonate, will echo if it’s told in the best way. I really was aiming to hire people who are willing to say, “okay, we will not be bound by convention.”

We’ve started using asap multimedia on our site, and I’m impressed with some of the projects — such as Dan Deacon’s soundboard explained, A look inside the Yale Yearbook, and The return of the hat.

I like ‘em. They’re edgy and interesting. And, honestly, much better designed and consistently well-put-together than some of the other AP multimedia I come across.

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Tags: multimedia, storytelling

Comments

One Response to “What AP looks for in storytellers”

  1. Angela Grant on July 6th, 2007 10:03 am

    He specifically mentioned the hat story in his interview. Hmm…Checking it out. Thanks for the link!

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