Searching and Shooting

Photography, content, minor Web details — all must be on point for a good blog post. This morning, USA Today Multimedia Producer  and Professor Josh Hatch explained how search engine optimization and social networking are another piece of this puzzle. Not only must our titles appeal to the casual reader, but they must also be virtual bot-friendly.

Expanding beyond the title, it’s not also enough to write compelling content. Consistent site structure, tags, and representative image names all ensure that content will reach maximum viewership. We have to be our own IT department as journalists.

Photographer Laura Pohl gave us a crash course in photojournalism in the afternoon. She explained everything from framing to ethics to basic Photoshop functions. Patience, pre-visualization and composition featured prominently in our discussion.

Laura Pohl demonstrates the human tripod.

Pohl explained shutter speed, F-stops, and ISO.

Between the HTML and ISO, Weekend Anchor Rachel Wulff, of New Orleans’ WDSU, explained the growing need for television reporters to be both their own photographers and producers. She expressed more hope for the newspaper business model than the broadcast business model–a bit disconcerting to an aspiring broadcast journalist. According to Wulff, newspapers are adapting to the multimedia landscape more quickly than television stations. Interesting in a world buzzing about the demise of newspapers, but I tend to agree.

Timing, Accuracy Are Key, Say Pros

A twisted mass of charred metal rose above my head and up against a backdrop of dozens of front pages, which plastered “Evil” and “Terrorist” in different languages across the wall. As someone who lost a family member in the 9/11 attacks, this Newseum exhibit was especially heartwrenching. It represents anguish, powerlessness and      But in the context of the day, it reinstated my belief in the nobility of journalism.

Our visit to the Newseum was the third of the day. Our field trip also included stops at  Politico and the Associated Press.  Each instilled a respect for the profession and a taste of its potential. For the first time, a future in DC/national/international journalism feels tangible.

Senior editor David Mark spoke to us at Politico. Among his advice was to read a variety of news sources. Mark said he watches Keith Olbermann at night and listens to Rush Limbaugh in the morning.

Politico Life Editor Pia Catton said that “creative thinkers” make valuable journalists. But she also stressed the need to produce clean copy on time. Cooperation across positions is also critical.

“One of the key things about being in the newsroom…is to have a sense of comraderie and good humor,” Catton said.

At the Associated Press, Ed Tobias, manager business continuity and disaster planning, led us around the newsroom. The radio area, control room, and planning desk were among the areas visited.

“Although you may want to specialize in one platform, you need to know them all,” he said.

Director for Video Training and Development Denise Vance emphasized accuracy and timeliness.

“Get it fast, but do it well. Secondly, be the first ones there,” she said about reporting.

Jeff Parsons, director of online operations for online video, spoke about the business of journalism and the AP’s future as a multiplatform distributor.

“You need to be aware of consumer use of a product, but also how consumer use is generating revenue,” he said.

Highlights of the Newseum included the Pulitzer Prize-winning photograph and the aforementioned 9/11 exhibit.

I am so grateful for today’s opportunities. A sincere thank you to all of the talented individuals who met with us.

Regretfully, I did not have a camera today. View my classmates’ photos here, here and here.

Rules of the Trade

An important addendum to yesterday’s post:

Associate general counsel for Gannett Co. Inc., Barbara Wall, joined us to answer  questions about basic journalism law and ethics in the afternoon.

Our meeting extended past the scheduled time as we asked about copyrighting, fair use, and the need to reveal our identity. Hot topics included libel, right to privacy, and online responsibility.

The ethics debate has most engaged our group to date. I look forward to continuing conversation about the above topics in coming months.

Alum Relates Post-AU Experience

Today Lagan Sebert, an AU alumnus, emphasized his pro-active path through our program. He specifically spoke about his expedition into Colombia to film his thesis about internal refugees. The documentary was fascinating — view Sebert discussing “Busco Personas” with AFI.com.

We picked Sebert’s brain about how he moved from our seats two years ago to the lectern today.  Sebert currently holds an investigative position with The Huffington Post. Previous credits include WAMU  and Current TV.

He emphasized the need to actively seek assignments and do legwork outside of the classroom. You can’t expect to learn how to edit video and audio and put together stories only from the classroom, he said. And, Sebert said, radio can pave the way for success in other media:

Interviewing is a Skill

…that I have far from perfected. Interviewing a fellow student on tape with a steady hand while maintaining eye contact, taking notes, and asking relevant questions was hard.  I know that as a broadcast journalist working in this multimedia world, I will need to improve.  Becoming a better interviewer is a goal for the upcoming semester.

Our class today consisted of an afternoon of the aforementioned interview work, directed by Professor Angie Chuang, and a morning of Web journalism coaching with Professor Amy Eisman. Primarily, I learned the need to work with, not against, trends in consumption of media. Journalists on the Web need to write  for task-oriented audiences. And when interviewing, journalists themselves need to be task-oriented.  Failure to direct flow of conversation will leave us without desired information. Fluff in our writing will turn away potential online readers.

Meet Alex Thompson.

A small town boy stuck behind the camera in Lima, Ohio — that was Alex Thompson just a month ago.  Now, he’s a Metro card holder chatting comfortably in front of the lens in the nation’s capital.

“I couldn’t get to DC fast enough this summer, ” he said. “I am so ready for a change.”

Thompson counted down the days until his move since hearing of his acceptance to American University’s graduate journalism program in March. Don’t get him wrong, Alex’s town “has its charm.” But with a father on the village council  for a population of 1800, little was left uncovered for this journalist in Ohio.

For Alex, the change is twofold: career and personal. He applied to graduate school after deciding to expand his production-based undergraduate skill set.  ”It would be a crime to not put this face in front of the camera,” he said, laughing. Alex’s move to DC is step into the limelight.

The transition has not quite sunk in (“What free time? I’m in grad school.”). But this roller-coaster junkie fully embraces his new role as reporter and Washingtonian.

“I am a firm believer in journalism being a fourth estate,” he said. “Connecting people with their government and keeping people honest…that’s what I think is the coolest thing.”

“I watch C-SPAN like a fool, man.”

Aspiring Journalists: Success a Click Away

Web experimentation is key, but the art is alive and well, says expert Amy Eisman.

Economic pressures and ever-changing media consumption are not an end-all for journalists, said Amy Eisman.  The media convergence expert emphasized the powers of storytelling, truth, and curiosity in an exclusive interview today with American University graduate students.

“People still want honest and truthful assessments,” she said. Eisman, director of the school’s Weekend Interactive Journalism Program, said she believes a journalist’s success lies in the ability to let go of the “gatekeeper” role.

The curiosity that feeds diverse media consumption is not unlike the curiosity Eisman said drives her professionally. “What’s a better profession to learn a little bit about everything?” she said.

HTML, CSS and the Ensuing Cloud

I wish I captured the blank looks on our faces.

But the below will suffice.

One of Professor Johnson's infamous diagrams

This diagram of C-Names and  IP addresses says it all.  These figures are probably too small to read, but they’re still not as small as most of us felt after Professor Johnson‘s subsequent lecture on FTP.

Introductions and basics out of the way, our second day of Bootcamp was intense. A morning of grammar and an afternoon of basic computer programming made for a beginning journalist’s  nightmare. However, a journalist at any stage knows that without the basic building block of fact, you can’t tell a story. Similarly,  the commas and coding we learned today, although not as invigorating as landing a perfect interview,  will provide us the tools it takes to build a career.  It’s incredible to think that hours of investigation could be lost via a missing HTML bracket or distracting grammar misstep.

Highlights of the day included a vigorous debate over whoever vs. whomever and a half hour executing FTP processes. Not the most stimulating work, but  it will ensure our best makes it out there.  I’ve learned that the details make the story. It’s safe to say the former carries a more literal meaning for me now.

Welcome!

Join me as I work through American University’s Journalism Bootcamp, the first step of my graduate journey.

“Bootcamp” is a three-week course in general journalism practices. During this time, I hope to polish the fundamentals I learned as an undergraduate and intern into a solid base for my broadcast and international news studies.