Online Journalism Oct 2 Blogs Interactivy Sources

University of North Texas Department of Journalism Oct. 2, 2008 Interactivity, Blogs, Sources

What We’ll Do Today
Your Blogs – Campaign Websites
Interactivity
In-Class Writing
Political Coverage ‘08/NTNewsNet
HOMEWORK:
- Do a complete analysis of PegasusNews.com. What works? What doesn’t? How would you improve it? 300 – 400 Words. Be prepared to ask questions to Mike Orren who will be speaking to our class next class.

Developing Sources
Lifeblood of your career as a reporter
Get over your shyness, it’s time to open up
Learn to talk to everybody – yes, strangers!
Everybody is a potential source when you’re covering a breaking news story
Start with newspaper clippings
Pick up the phone or hit the streets

Importance of Interaction & Involvement
Two key factors
Shift in flow of mass communications from one-way to multi-directional flow.
Impacting how news is defined, the way it’s presented and how journalists do their jobs
What people learn from the news
User-controlled, user-driven content enhance learning
Readers making mental connections to stories
“ Participating” in the news

Traditional v. Digital Storytelling
Traditional
Focus on text
Photos
Periodic updating
One-dimensional
Long-form narrative
Digital Media
Immediacy
‘ Non-linear’ presentations
Richness in words, pictures and sounds
Shorter ‘segments’

The Five ‘I’s
Interactivity
Involvement
Immediacy
Integration
In-depth

Interaction & Involvement
Traditional
One-way flow
Inform, educate and entertain
Editor/Reporter/
Producer driven
The ‘old’ wire services
Digital Media
Multidirectional
Inform, educate, entertain & ENGAGE
Editor, reporter, producer & reader/view
Online, TV news

Text Static Graphic: Photo Text Box Online Discussion Lurker Link
Interactive:
Timeline
fact box
Slideshow
map
Quiz Interactive Game Interactive Flash Content Online Discussions Reporter Email Interaction/Involvement Continuum Low High The greater the interaction and involvement, the higher the learning

‘ Working’ Your Sources
‘ Sponsorship’
Finding someone who you know who trusts you to introduce you to the source – a ‘referral’
Self-sponsorship
Let me show you my work: ‘proof’
‘ Matchmaking’
Asking a source to identify other people to talk to about the subject
Primary & Secondary Sources
Corroboration
Verification
Accuracy

Follow the org chart
Start at the top and, if needed, talk to everyone you need to get the information you need to be fair and accurate
Anonymous/confidential sources:
Avoid them at all costs
The Downside: Janet Cooke, Jayson Blair, Stephen Glass
The Upside: “Deep Throat”
The controversial: Judith Miller

Never ‘promise’ anything to a source
Commit ahead of time
Variations of ‘Anonymous’ Sources
On the record: Everything the source says, it will be printed
Off the record: You and the source agree not to talk to you, but none of the information can be attributed to that person
‘ On background’/ Not for attribution: Use the information as background, but not for attribution

The Web: Friend & Foe
Wikipedia is NOT a source
Google, Yahoo!, MSN, MySpace, FaceBook are NOT sources
Verify the legitimacy of the website and/or source or author of the website
Find the contact information
Where did the site get its content from
Go to the PRIMARY/ORIGINAL source of content
Determine if the site is affiliated with a special interest group, political affiliation, etc.
Often overlooked resources
Libraries
Reverse phone directories: http://reversephonedirectory.com
Find expert: http://profnet.com
Investigative Reporters & Editors: http://www.ire.org/inthenews_archive/

Public Documents
Political contributions
http://opensecrets.org
Real estate records
Register of the Deeds office
http://dallascad.org
http://denton
COUNTY CLERK’S OFFICE
Voter registration records
http://elections.dentoncounty.com/VRsearch/down.asp
Salaries of county employees
Corporate records
Public companies: plug in stock symbol on the Business pages of most websites or go to the company website
Congressional voting records
http://projects.washingtonpost.com/congress/members/h001016/
Court filings
Federal, Civic and Criminal
Military records
Register of the Deeds office or via FOIA
Motor vehicle registrations
Building inspection records and housing permits
City budgets
Police records
School District records

The Freedom of Information Act
Established by Congress in 1966
Make public records available
Request is made to get access to these records:
Weeks, months, years
* From When Words Collide: A journalist’s Guide to Grammar and Style & EB White’s ‘Elements of Style

Online Journalism Oct 2 Blogs Interactivy Sources

by Neil Foote on Oct 11, 2008

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Online Journalism Oct 2 Blogs Interactivy Sources — Presentation Transcript