Nontraditional (to us) nontraditional (to them) jobs
Posted on February 7, 2008
It used to be that new media/multimedia jobs were those “nontraditional” jobs. (One could argue they still are in many newsrooms, but I like to think that more journalists are thinking about multimedia.)
Now that it’s becoming more mainstream, I’ve noticed companies outside traditional newspapers are looking for multimedia content producers.
This is good news for those who might feel “stuck” in their jobs. I’ve talked to many folks who say newspapers are all they know, and there’s nothing else they could do. Even if they wanted to move on to something else, they don’t think there’s anyplace they can go.
So now we have another incentive for building multimedia skills (outside of producing good journalism, of course) — you’ll be highly marketable.
Here are just a sample of postings I found (and notice that some are posted on journalismjobs.com, which to me means they are targeting journalists skills and value what they could bring to the job):
>> Multimedia Designer, University Communications at The University of California, Irvine
Under the direction of the Director of Web Communications, University Communications, the Multimedia Designer maintains and supports of the University Web presence through the design, creation, evolution, production and maintenance of multimedia programming used on the UCI Web site (www.uci.edu), Zot!Wire, today@uci Web site (today.uci.edu), chancellor Web site (www.chancellor.uci.edu) and other sites as needed. The designer develops and builds multimedia applications that showcase UC Irvine’s priorities and strengths for internal and external audiences. Working with graphic/Web designers across campus, facilitates the production of materials for highly complex interactive online presentations. Designs print materials (magazine, brochures, and advertisements) as required. As a member of the University Communications team, the multimedia designer will lead and implement projects though programming flash applications, supporting existing multimedia applications and performing a variety of Web site accessibility testing and quality assurance.
>> Multimedia/Online producer, Freedom Forum
The Multimedia and Online Producer is a full-time faculty member of the Freedom Forum Diversity Institute, Inc., a nonprofit school based at the John Seigenthaler Center in Nashville, Tenn.
The producer will be a technology specialist responsible for creating, editing and deploying a variety of online content, with an emphasis on video, audio and interactive multimedia for the Diversity Institute.
Examples of content include video journalism, podcasts, videocasts, Soundslides, interactive tools, widgets and other innovations perhaps not yet conceived.
>> Multimedia producer, McMurry
McMurry is seeking a Multimedia Producer, experienced in hands-on video production, podcasts, audio slide shows and related media for online presentation. The right candidate has at least three years of experience in multimedia production; is skilled at collecting, scripting and editing online content; and knows how to put together a talented production team in multiple cities on short notice. He or she is capable of producing short video pieces in a diverse range of subjects and is comfortable working in a challenging and fast-paced team environment with demanding clients.
The winning candidate is an idea person, knows how to make magazine story ideas relevant electronically, and understands both the world of journalistic editorial and marketing. This contract position—with the chance of becoming full-time employment—is an opportunity to take part in an exciting, high-profile project launch.
>> Multimedia Designer, University of Pennsylvania Health System
The Multimedia Designer in Marketing Services/Business Development supports the graphic design and multimedia needs for all UPHS web sites managed by Marketing. This includes the bulk of the UPHS public web site located at pennhealth.com, as well as additional public and internal sites. The Multimedia Designer also provides graphic design support for online advertising and cross-marketing relationships with other non-UPHS web sites.
The Multimedia Designer works closely with the print designers in the Creative Services division in order to integrate web design with offline design. This designer also works closely with the Senior Multimedia Designer to create a consistent and high-quality look-and-feel, navigational structure, and user interface across all UPHS web sites. The designer interacts regularly with other Web Division staff to understand graphics needs and to ensure that web sites are developed according to the design, and other Marketing staff to understand client needs and preferences.
The Multimedia Designer maintains an awareness and understanding of emerging technologies, standards, and trends in web design and applies those techniques as needed to help maintain a high-quality web presence for UPHS.
>> Multimedia specialist, Harvard Business School Publishing
Harvard Business Digital, the online division of Harvard Business School Publishing (HBSP) is seeking a Multimedia Web Producer for its website, www.harvardbusiness.org HarvardBusiness.org is the primary Web destination for HBSP, housing the online version of Harvard Business Review, thousands of for-sale products such as books and case studies, and a new and growing selection of free content such as blogs, video, audio, and interactive tools.
Reporting to the Lead Producer, the Multimedia Web Producer will be responsible for creating, editing and deploying a variety of online content, with an emphasis on video, audio and interactive multimedia for Harvard Business School Publishing. Examples of content include video interviews, podcasts, interactive tools and widgets. Key responsibilities include: light editing/post-producing video and audio; authoring/editing XHTML, CSS and XML; formatting content and deploying it via content management systems, blogging applications, listservs, mobile platforms and flat HTML pages. This is a hands-on position where the individual will be working directly in a variety of applications and deployment environments. He/she also will assist in project conceptualization, planning and coordination. This is a highly collaborative, team-based environment where work in managed via a project management process.
>> Multimedia Production Analyst, Lockheed Martin
Description: Researches, prepares and produces audiovisual (film, videos, interactive multimedia, DVD or CD) for training for training, sales, promotion, documentation, and other communicative purposes for both internal and external audiences. Consults with user to assess appropriate medium, creates product concepts, plans production, produces video to include scriptwriting, location scouting, shot selection, video shooting, tape logging, music and sound effect selection, digital effect creation, final editing and tape duplication. Researches and prepares the material, writes scripts, selects visual aids, music, sound effects, etc.
Breaking through the online clique, er, I mean bottleneck
Posted on January 7, 2008
Does the online team at your newspaper feel like an impenetrable clique? Are you excited about doing multimedia, but you can’t seem to get anyone to listen to your ideas, help you get started or post your content?
I spoke with the fellows of the Knight Digital Media Center Multimedia Workshop at UC Berkeley today, where I shared with them my background, some of the projects I’ve worked on, and how I see multimedia evolving.
One of the questions I was asked several times was: How do I get started if I can’t get past the online bottleneck?
Wow. What a great question that I’m sure many journalists are facing in many newsrooms.
What I learned is some of them feel there are so many hoops to jump through to do multimedia, or that the one person who knows how to post the content is often too busy to work on their projects.
I know exactly how they feel. From both sides.
As a content producer at USATODAY.com, I used to have to pitch stories to the Rich Media team, hoping they’d have the time and resources to do it — and they had a “team.”
In smaller newspapers, oftentimes only one person coordinates all the multimedia content. As multimedia producer at HeraldTribune.com, I was inundated last January with multimedia requests from the newsroom when they were told “Web content” was to be a part of their performance goals (they didn’t realize at the time that “the Web” can be more than “multimedia”). I became the one who had to say no to projects.
As a reporter itching to get involved in online, what do you do? How do you get around this?
I think one way (which is what HeraldTribune.com is doing now), is to put the tools, resources, and the ability to actually post the content via CMS in the hands of the reporters and editors.
Gulp.
Wait a minute. That’s MY job as a multimedia producer.
I’ve been spending all this time learning about online storytelling and how to produce it. Now I’m just going to give away all those responsibilities.
You betcha. (Not that, I’ll admit, it feels very comfortable, especially during times of layoffs and buyouts. I’ve had my own growing pains around this.)
But we have to do it because that’s the only way we’re going to grow, and even survive. If we’re truly going to change the culture of our newsrooms to think ONLINE, the newsroom HAS to be able to feel empowered to use the tools the online team does. And I don’t mean they have to go do everything. Maybe they’re not using all the tools, but the ones that apply to them and their interests/passions — ie, some may be more audio savvy, some may be more into working with Flash, etc.
And they’re going to fail at times, yes, but they’re also going to be turning out some great content. And isn’t that the goal? To create great journalism?
But if you don’t stop hoarding the access to online, you’re going to find that your newsroom will go around you.
Which is just so darn ironic. A lot of multimedia operations got started because reporters/photographers went around the system. Now, if they’re the ones blocking the way, the same thing may be done to them.
Multimedia journalism defined - part 2
Posted on October 20, 2007
You can learn the most about how jobs are evolving through job postings. I found two openings at MSNBC.com (via Ryan Sholin’s del.icio.us tags).
I share these here because:
1.) I think this is an interesting differentiation between an “interactive” and a “multimedia” position, and
2.) well, if you’re looking for a multimedia/interactive job, here are some options (full listing with video positions can be found here):
Interactive Editor
MSNBC.com is seeking an experienced interactive developer to join our team. The interactive team is a small group with an enormous audience and huge ambitions. We’re out to fundamentally change the way news is presented online.Think of it as storytelling: We use interactivity and multimedia to bring depth to news. We make data move. We make current events, important concepts, trends more relevant, richer and reactive. We innovate in a fast-paced environment. And we do it on a site with a billion page views each month.
What we need: an expert-level Actionscript coder/rockstar with significant dev experience (CS or equivalent background preferred). If you’re there, we’ll assume you have at least a few other languages in your tool belt, you can sling JavaScript and have mastered CSS/HTML, natch. You probably have a database-driven application in your portfolio as well.
We like: Information architecture and interface design experience, data mining and visualization skills, project management know-how. A media background isn’t strictly necessary, but it helps to have sensibilities about consuming media and how news should be presented.
Position available in the Seattle area. Please send a link to a recent portfolio site along with your resume.
Multimedia Editor
MSNBC.com is seeking an experienced Multimedia Producer / Picture Editor in the NYC area. We are looking for an individual who can collaborate with internal teams, parent companies and content providers. The Multimedia Team supports all section of the site by editing compelling photojournalism and multimedia on a daily basis and on bigger projects. Proven news judgment, high ethical standards and interpersonal skills are necessary. A successful candidate will have broad knowledge and curiosity about news of all kinds and show a keen eye for spotting interesting and newsworthy visual content. An innovative spirit, passion for digital media, and the ability to solve problems in a fast paced, sometimes hectic environment are highly desirable.A BA degree in Photojournalism, Multimedia Journalism or other disciplines that emphasize visual storytelling and multimedia production and/or editing is required. Strong candidates with equivalent experience or education will be considered. A minimum of two years experience producing or editing visual content for newspapers or online news is essential. Further knowledge of broadcast production, audio/video editing and/or Macromedia Flash is a plus.
Must be organized and able to manage daily and long-term projects simultaneously. Must be a self-starter but be able to work in a collaborative team environment. The ideal candidate will be flexible with their time as this position will include some night and weekend shifts.
Multimedia journalism defined
Posted on October 17, 2007
A well-said explanation by Tom McKendrick, multimedia producer at The Age:
“[Multimedia journalism is to] take all the different aspects of traditional journalism and to merge them into a whole package … true multimedia journalism is something where you have lots of different media all converged in one place. You have video and audio and photos and text and blogs and whatever else you might have in there all in one place.
“A multimedia journalist has to have a rare balance between the technical skills — the craft skills — and the journalistic skills — or the news sense.”
Is the splash page a lazy design solution?
Posted on October 14, 2007
Ever been tempted to put an intro on your multimedia presentation?
I confess I’ve done it many, many times myself. Mostly either to set a tone, as in this package about the five-year 9/11 anniversary and this package about Bantu refugees in Roanoke.
Another time I used it to show off a cool feature, as in this package about the new Herald-Tribune building.
But here’s some food for thought when you’re creating your next large or medium-scale multimedia project: Smashing Magazine questions whether we really need the “splash page.”
Designers use splash pages in their portfolios to impress potential clients with eye-candy. Companies tend to make use of them to draw users’ attention to their latest products. And users literally can’t stand them, because splash pages usually take a long time to load and provide (almost) no navigation options — except of “entering the site”.
They go on to show “How to lose your visitor” case studies and samples of splash pages used for advertising, disclaimers, to showcase designer talent, to choose a language/site and to tell what the site is about.
Even done well, are they necessary? Perhaps five or even two years ago they were essential in educating the user on how to navigate Web sites.
But today as more people of all ages are using the Internet, have splash pages become beautiful designs (as seen in the samples in the Smashing Magazine story) but lazy solutions?
One reader comments: “Interestingly, I think sites that usually have an “enter here” splash are usually created by designers originally from the print media who are maybe more used to slapping a front cover on things.”
Here’s what another one says: “… if your site has a splash page specifying a resolution, you need to redesign your site. If it has instructions on how to use the site, you need to redesign the site. If the splash screen is telling the visitor they MUST download Flash to continue…you need to redesign the site. The only place I want to see a Splash screen? On a porn site.”
Anyone know 5 ways to produce print copy without asking the newspaper for help?
Posted on October 8, 2007
This post, Five ways to produce online news without asking the web guy for help by Ryan Sholin, makes me cranky.
First off, and to get it out of the way, it’s written in a sexist manner. Sounds harsh, I know, but he even acknowledges it at the bottom of his post:
(Yes, I know, I know. Next time I’ll use the phrase ‘web gal.’)
Really. Well that’s nice. But in actuality, it would have taken almost as long to modify the text to be gender neutral as it did to write that disclaimer.
But most importantly, I do NOT agree that Web teams don’t need to be involved from the beginning or even at all.
Sholin suggests:
Here are five ways you can put together something wonderful for the web without asking the web guy a single question.
WHAT!?!?!?
Two examples of what Sholin recommends:
Record your video. Edit it in iMovie (free on your Mac) or Windows Movie Maker (free on your PC). Upload it to YouTube. Send the web guy the URL. Bask in the glory.
Produce an audio slideshow: Record your audio. Gather your photos. Forget about SoundSlides for the moment and edit it as a video file in iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. Upload it to YouTube. Send the web guy the URL. Bask in the glory of your award-winning tearjerker.
The suggestions are meant to help an already overloaded Web team. I agree 100 percent that with the emphasis in online publishing, the Web team is feeling the pressure and seeing mounting work loads. I deal with this every single day.
But at my paper, I also see graphics and photo swamped because their teams are smaller. And the reporters on nearly every section are being asked to do a lot more because they have fewer coworkers. Even the paper itself is shrinking in size. And I know we’re not alone.
So hmmm … maybe what we need to do here is to find a way to help them produce a print product without asking the newspaper for help.
How about: Is your editor too busy to put your story in the paper? Then report, write, photograph, design and graphically illustrate your own story and mail out a newsletter with your newspaper’s banner on it.
Would you do that?? If not, then why is it acceptable to “go around” your Web team?
They should and have to be involved from the very beginning to the end. You SHOULD be asking them questions. THEY’RE the ones who just might know the product the best. After all, that’s their full-time job.
Many people are commenting about Alan’s Mutter’s posting I wrote about last week. They’re in agreement that newspapers aren’t taking advantage of the Web talent and “young net natives” they have. But going around the Web team to “save them time” is the same brain drain Mutter’s accusing newspapers of doing in upper-management decisions.
My point is not that the newsroom shouldn’t be taking the initiative. I agree with that wholeheartedly. As the one multimedia producer on the team (plus Web producer plus early-, early-morning maintenance producer plus editor plus etc.) I can’t do it all. I can’t do all the projects, and I can’t even both teach everyone AND produce.
So they (and not just reporters — photographers, page designers, graphic designers and copy editors) HAVE to learn to master Web skills, too.
Sholin says:
Don’t wait around for someone else to hold your hand through this stuff. You’re an adult. You can handle this on your own. Get started today.
Very true. But your Web team also should be available for questions. They should point you in the right direction to learn your new skills. As Mutter points out in his post, if we’re truly on the same team, there’s no reason to keep reinventing the knowledge wheel within your own newsroom.
Again, don’t get me wrong, please. The newsroom SHOULD use the tools Sholin suggests. And they’re great ideas on ways to publish content alternatively. But we should all be a team. And that means each player is going to have his OR her own expertise to bring to the table. That includes the Web team.
And maybe what bothers me the MOST about this post is that Sholin says this:
None of this requires any technical know-how. You don’t need any training to point-and-click your way through this process.
I completely disagree. Software to newbies can be so intimidating. That’s probably the No. 1 reason they haven’t ventured into the online world yet. AND, please, let’s not forget the importance of learning online storytelling, too. The audio slideshows are a unique blend of reporting and visuals. Photographers have to learn how to tell a storyline, and reporters have to learn to think visual. Add motion pictures to the mix and it gets even harder.
We all have to start somewhere, and whenever you start learning, there’s going to be a learning curve. Your early work is going to be green. But your Web site should have the same publishing standards as your print newspaper. It should be planned, reviewed and edited. And that means your Web team should be involved.
MNPW: How to teach a cat to fetch (or training your newsroom)
Posted on August 22, 2007
On the second day of the Multimedia News Producers Workshop, Photojournalist Mike De Sisti of postcrescent.com and Multimedia Producer Jenni Pinkley of startribune.com talked about how to take all this knowledge back to our newsrooms.
Pinkley put together a YouTube video (above; you have to click on it, I can’t embed it, unfortunately) describing how we get everyone as excited about multimedia as we are. It’s as simple as:
>> Measure and gauge interest
>> Create a buzz; show them they can have fun
>> Be patient (they’re scared).
Just watch the video. It’s much more fun.
Which reinforces to me that learning has to be as fun and exciting as all these new applications with which we’re now working.
Reporters, photographers, copyeditors and assignment editors are used to a certain workflow, and they know what’s expected of them. And now we’re asking them to redefine how they tell stories. Oh, and at the same time, they need to figure out how to operate this machinery and navigate these software applications and content management systems they’ve never seen before. Yeah, and do everything they’ve already been doing on the job, too. Thanks so much.
I don’t mean to stereotype here because there are exceptions in hopefully every newsroom. But I do feel the majority of people find change to be stressful, even when it’s good change. Add on top of the stress of changing workflows and expectations that people are just plain worried about keeping their jobs. This is a tough time to be asking them to move outside of their comfort zone.
So it’s important to remind them that this is fun. And it’s for them. These audio and video clips, interactive graphics, slideshows and more enhance their stories. It makes their writing more accessible to readers, which, I imagine, can only make them shine as multimedia stars when the company is looking for ways to downsize.
Pinkley described how she teaches her newsroom, which is a part of the paper’s overall training program for their staff. Classes are for about 6-10 people in two sessions of approximately three-hour blocks, during which they gather and edit audio.
She also worked on SeeSaw, a compilation of life samplings told through multimedia, with reporters and photographers in her newsroom. The benefit of this evergreen content is that as it adds to the community development of the site, it gives the newsroom a chance to learn and play with multimedia projects and storytelling.
Mike De Sisti teaches reporters video at his paper. In this example video shown below (click on the image to go to the page to watch it), which he played during the session, he worked with Post-Crescent reporter Kate McGinty to produce a video project.
What a great way to educate a.) the public on what reporters are doing with video, and b.) reporters on what they can do in telling a story through video. And as a bonus, she got a chance to show off what she learned.
The mechanics are a critical part of learning multimedia, but it’s also essential to understand what kind of multimedia to use when. For his paper, De Sisti has put together a multimedia production star system that rates the overall necessary skill level of each project.
I’ve heard of other papers using tiered systems for multimedia projects, and I think these are important to share with reporters and photographers and particularly assignment editors so they can understand the different levels of projects. I particularly like the production time guides given.
>> One star: Raw video, recorded for no more than 45 seconds. The final product has no editing or titles. Production time: 1-2 hours, which includes shooting, ingestion, formatting and posting.
>> Two star: Very rough cut video. Two to four cuts in a short video with limited titles. Production time: 2-4 hours, which includes shooting, ingestion, formatting and posting.
>> Three star: Project is shot, edited and posted the same day. Includes 1-3 brief interviews (A roll) with other shots (B roll). Titles are used as intro and to introduce people. Production time: 4-6 hours, which includes shooting, ingestion, formatting and posting.
>> Four star: Often supplements in-depth enterprise stories. Video may contain several interviews and voiceovers or on-camera reporter interviews. Production time: May take several days to complete, which includes shooting, ingestion, formatting and posting.
MNPW: Why multimedia?
Posted on August 17, 2007
Nora Paul, director of the Institute for New Media Studies at the University of Minnesota, kicked off the Multimedia News Producers Workshop by talking about why exactly we publish multimedia.
Here are some of my notes from her presentation:
“Multimedia storytelling is another way to build understanding between neighbors at a time when we often notice our differences more than our similarities — Sunnyvale, CA City Council minutes“
So why do we create multimedia?
Well, there’s a few reasons why we’re doing it right now:
>> More people than ever have access to broadband
>> YouTube has made video sharing possible
>> Sites such as Blinkx are going YouTube in their video sharing
>> Evidence shows that the audience wants it, so therefore, rich media has become part of the business model.
But that doesn’t mean we haven’t had or aren’t still encountering hurdles:
>> Newspapers loathe to support R&D. Only in the late ’90s was attention paid to how we can recraft our product
>> DotCom bust also burst the excitement around multimedia
>> Because newspapers operate as an assembly line, it’s been difficult to create a multimedia production environment (a better model is the TV newsroom — all positions work on the newscast — get better explainer on this!)
>> Newsroom culture is so difficult to change. Studies show that the newsroom is like the military and healthcare. All are like triage operations and very difficult to introduce change.
>> The lack of training in news skills (this is a benefit of multimedia — more training and more money is being spent now)
What is multimedia?
This is difficult to answer because it’s hard to define. The range of multimedia terms is so indistinct. For example:
>>TV has defined pieces, ie., b-roll, nat sounds, feed, voice over
>>Print has defined pieces, ie., headline, column, byline, cutline
>> Online, not so much. One may call it interactive, another non-linear, another multimedia. These aren’t commonly defined terms.
The elements of digital storymaking, a project by the Institute for New Media, tries to define multimedia by creating a taxonomy, analyzing projects and measuring the effects digital stories have on users. You can view a .pdf with more information here.
Definitions are so important
Newsrooms are finally paying attention to multimedia — but if we don’t have a clear, shared definition of multimedia, we won’t know when we’ve hit on an answer: Is it to drive traffic, inform our communities, do kick-ass interactives to win contests? What is the point of the game?
Not until we’re clear on this definition will we know who/how many we need, what are the rules, how will we know when/if we’ve won?
Here’s how Paul categorizes what’s being done now with multimedia:
>> How is it displayed? Are all the pieces thrown on the page? (Paul calls this ghetto-ized)
>> Multiple-media vs. multimedia Paul defines mutliple-media as story-level ghetto-ization — ie, sptimes.com’s Wetlands special report, whereas multimedia has parts woven together where if you take one piece out, it unravels — ie, washingtonpost.com’s The Women of Kabul
>> The display is the thing (ie, Kansas.com’s On Gossamer Wings)
Paul closed her presentation telling us about how a photographer with still, video, audio skills takes his still and video camera with him out in the field. He defines his position outside the profession as a photographer; inside the profession as a multimedia news producer.
That gave me goosebumps. For years I’ve defended my job as an online producer/editor as being a journalist, too. Now they are defining their jobs with my title. Love it.
A multimedia/online news growing pain
Posted on July 12, 2007
Mindy McAdams is calling for more breaking news multimedia by showcasing a breaking news audio slideshow produced by photojournalist Dan Limmer about a protest in Kennebunkport, Maine, and providing an analysis of the piece.
At the end of her post, she brings up a most interesting question:
Dan thinks it might be problematic if a package like this one were edited by someone who never went to the scene:
“If a paper employed a producer, it would help overall in time/resource management. But in a news situation, I would want to be sure the multimedia was mixed in context to the photos and in accordance with ethical standards. That may be difficult for someone who wasn’t there.
The concept of editing audio and integrating still photos (the “vision” aspect of the multimedia) can’t be overlooked as challenging and time consuming. Going back to square one after already mixing sound once because it doesn’t flow or tell a story is a drag. Fortunately, this one came together on the first try.”
It’s a very important question: Will a producer who was not on the scene tell the story accurately? Obviously, the photographer could sit down with the producer and ensure that the real story comes through. But in cases where that’s not possible, what will be done to ensure that the finished product is accurate and true?
This is one of our growing pains.
I agree with Mindy and Dan that it’s quite difficult for someone who wasn’t on the scene to put together a multimedia story — it’s like writing a print story from someone else’s notes.
For this type of project, reporters/photographers are doing more than “spraying the scene” with video or recording an interview for an audio clip. They’re creating STORIES while they’re out in the field, and video, photos and audio are gathered with a storyline in mind.
Pass off the content to someone else to put together, and you risk wasting any creative intents by the reporter/photographer and, more importantly, getting the facts wrong.
But, whew, that’s a lot of extra work for reporters/photographers to do. Newspapers are cutting personnel, and leaner newsrooms means there’s more on everyone’s plates.
Not to say that reporters/photographers aren’t eager to learn new online skills. But they’re still expected fulfill their print obligations, and multimedia is one more thing they would have to get done for the story that could take them away from covering something else. Really, when it comes down to it, which is going to win: Multimedia or another news story?
So what’s the solution? With tighter resources, it doesn’t make sense to send two reporters to a scene — one for print and one for online. And it just gets us away from the integrated newsroom philosophy (which I fully support), so it’s not a viable option.
It’s got to be a change in workflow philosophy to reverse publishing.
When the newsroom ALWAYS thinks online FIRST — and decides the best way to tell that story (text, audio, slideshow, video or an interactive graphic/database) –THEN takes that story and modifies/edits it for print, the reporter/photographer always will be the creative behind the multimedia.
It WILL work. Editor & Publisher reports: Gannett’s Democrat and Chronicle, under the new “Information Center” directive, has learned that the online features can drive print circulation.
Editors discovered this in September when they prepared a multimedia package on local sex offenders, which included a database of registered felons and various audio and video reports. The Web package was prominently placed on the homepage Sept. 28 to promote much of the same material in a Sunday print presentation three days later. The effort resulted in the biggest Sunday single-copy sales of the year, with 4.9% more than any other Sunday. That record was broken two months later when the same approach was used for a report on police overtime.
Unfortunately, all is not rosy with this method; reporters/photographers still feel stretched too thin:
Still, the increased workload and broader news scope are stressing some staffers, who also worry about accuracy and the need for down time. “They are stressed out,” says Lou Mleczko, president of the Detroit Newspaper Guild, which represents newsroom staffers at Gannett’s Detroit Free Press. “It reduces the amount of time available to do reporting and other things they have to do. Errors are appearing online, and that is because there is not enough time to look things up. Editors are in such a panic to get things up on the Web.”
Maybe the answer is to switch everything around. Instead of having the same staff try to do both, why not keep the teams with concentrated focuses, but flip the resources. Instead of having our main production efforts going to print production, and a small online team, why not have the main production efforts be for online, and employ a smaller set of editors to package the print product?
Until we figure out the best workflow, I think management will look for ways to make the current systems most efficient, and that probably will mean we’ll see many organizations channel content through an online editor/producer. It will be essential for that person to make sure they tell the story accurately.
(BTW, all this leads me to wonder: Am I working myself out of a job? I’m a journalist, and I love to tell stories. But I don’t go out in the field to do the reporting — the reporters and photographers do that. So when my ideal scenario happens, what happens to the online producer?)
What AP looks for in storytellers
Posted on July 5, 2007
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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