Dissecting the defining citizen journalist
Many people are debating the definition of a citizen journalist. I have conducted research on online citizen journalism, which you can read in a few upcoming research journal articles and a book due out later this year, Web journalism: A new form of citizenship?. My definition of an online citizen journalist is “an individual who intends to publish information meant to benefit a community.” This means citizen journalists and traditional journalists fall under the definition of a journalist. Not every person is a journalist, but any citizen can become one.
I will dissect my definition:
It is a First Amendment right to publish, and any infringement on that right goes against the ideals of the First Amendment. “Freedom to publish means freedom for all and not for some. Freedom to publish is guaranteed by the Constitution” (”Associated Press v. United States,” 1945, p.20).
Intent to publish is important because the rights of journalists must be protected as they gather information, not only after content has been published.
Information should be intended to benefit, rather than harm individuals or the public.
A community can refer to a geographic area or refer to a group of people with similar interests. The move online is proving that many people use more than geography to define themselves. The duty of the journalist is to serve people – that includes people who make up the masses and people who belong to smaller subgroups.
*Associated Press v. United States, 57 (Supreme Court of the United States 1945).
Online journalism classes to consider adopting
There are several controversies related to teaching newer media and journalism, one of which is that schools focus too heavily on teaching skills. I can teach a student online and broadcast skills that give them an edge when applying for a position. However, have I prepared them to become a leader in that changing field? Journalism graduates burn out quickly because pay is low and hours are long. This means that there is a good chance that future graduates will question their future.
I believe that we should teach them enough skills to understand how to use technology to engage people through words, social media, and visuals. However, we must also cultivate leaders who continually inspire change. I don’t just want to teach them a skill so they can emulate it. Because all they will know is how to follow, not lead. The abilities to think, be flexible, and problem-solve are traits that make employees invaluable to an organization. I want my students to be creators, not consumers. If they lose a job, I want them to think about starting their own companies or be wise enough to look to other types of organizations for work. I want to train my students to adapt and think of journalism as a career for life. This is why I believe journalism programs should expand beyond skill-building to provide classes that connect technology to bigger issues. So I spent this evening instead of grading thinking of ideas for new undergraduate classes not always found in journalism programs.
Digital Sandbox (freshman)
The class encourages students to express their creativity by using whatever digital technology they have to tell stories in text and in visuals for online display. Friend and colleague Bonnie Bucqueroux invented this class concept as a way to encourage learning through structured play, before students are exposed to rigorous journalism school training. De-mystifying technology by focusing on fun also helps reduce pressure and stress on students.
Online Multimedia Journalism (sophomore/juniors)
This class teaches students to understand how to communicate visually, how people process information in the visual and online realm, and how to create visual content for the web. If the digital sandbox class was adopted, students would learn to express the skills they acquired at a professional level.
Entrepreneurship and Online Journalism (juniors/seniors)
Prerequisite: Online Multimedia Journalism
This class teaches students how create a Web site, develop a business plan for that site and use social media tools to market the site. The class would encourage students to work together to launch one or more Web sites into the marketplace.
Online Organizational Behavior and Change (juniors/seniors)
Prerequisite: Online Multimedia Journalism
This class teaches students to view journalism from an organizational perspective. Students would be teamed with information organizations to identify the problems they face and develop a plan to address those problems. Students would not only have the opportunity to job shadow, but they would be participant observers in helping organizations make the most of the online environment.
Citizen Journalism (sophomores/juniors/seniors)
Students in this class would each be assigned to cover one community. Students would use online media to report on a community and would also recruit members of that community to contribute content to the site on issues facing that community.
Data Mining, Creation and Visualization (juniors/seniors)
Students in this class learn how to mine the internet for information. They not only learn how to find, evaluate, and aggregate sources of information and data, but they also learn how to present information graphically and visually. The class encourages students to do more than present information visually, but to also think critically, select samples, and to use social science research methods. This class reflects some elements of a class designed by Phil Meyer called Precision Journalism.
Defining and Envisioning Journalism (juniors/seniors or masters)
The class would address fundamentals such as the history of journalism, how journalism has evolved, how journalism functions to promote or limit democracy, what journalism is and who journalists are, news quality, and constraints on journalism. The class would also encourage students to envision how the field can retain the best from the past as we move into a digital future.
25 free audio editors
My student gave me the tip about this site. It lists 25 free audio editors and explains the advantages of each one.
Writing a research paper
It is sometimes assumed that students and faculty know how to structure a research paper. Research papers for journals vary in length, but they usually run about 5,000 words or 28 pages in length. A paper is usually composed of six parts: Introduction, Literature Review, Method, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion. This Web page provides some nice advice addressing the purpose of each section. But it is important to understand that each section has a purpose.
Here are few tips. First, always state the purpose of your research and tell me what you are studying in the beginning, you are my guide. In the Literature Review section, focus on addressing literature related to your independent variable first and your dependent variable second. Another tip is to use the Discussion section to explain or speculate “the why” behind your results. This means you should cite research that contradicts or explains your findings, instead of just saying what you found in your results. The Conclusion section is meant for the bigger picture meaning behind your results, and if you don’t have a bigger picture, delete the Conclusion section.
A great handout on writing research papers can be found at Dr. Pamela Shoemaker’s Web site. When you get to the site, select “Typical Research Paper Organization.”
Easy free audio player embeds
I wanted to share with you several sites that show you how to incorporate audio players onto your Web page. The first one is the only one without advertising. I also have a handout on my teaching page that shows you step-by-step how to create these audio players under the Audio heading.
1. Hypergurl audio player
2. Imeem is a social networking site for the sharing of video, music, and photos.
3. Houndbite audio player
Connecting text to visuals
A common mistake I see many journalists make is that they write a visual story without watching the visuals in front of them as they write. Too often, a video or slideshow story is not connected to the visuals. A good story is hooked to the visuals and audio. In broadcast, disconnected shots are referred to as wallpaper video, meaning that the story could be told without the visuals.
So that means that students or people should have the visuals in front of them when sitting down to write. If you do not have video to address a specific aspect of a story, then delete that aspect or keep it short. If someone says, “Look over there” on camera, you can incorporate that chunk of audio into your writing.
For example, “Look over there” (audio). Alice Thompson watches a humming bird while eating dinner (narration). And we should see a visual of her watching the bird.
Think about adding pauses, adding sound, and really think about your visuals when writing. Visualizing is a part of visual writing and adding too much text can sometimes drown your story. The National Press Photographers Association has some nice examples of visual writing.
Free video editing software options
There are a lot of inexpensive video options out there, and there is no reason why a newsroom or a person should not include video online. A Flip video camera can be purchased for as little as $129, and you can even buy a tripod for the Flip camera for $15. The Flip camera limits your creativity when shooting, however the Flip is comparable in quality compared to a professional camera, as shown in this blog post.
Many video editing software applications are free as well. iMovie is a Mac-based program that is popular in newsrooms, and Microsoft’s Movie Maker is a free application that is commonly used by PC users. However, there are few other video editing programs that you may not be aware of including Yahoo’s Jumpcut, JayCut, Wax and Avid’s Videospin. About.com compares the first three applications.
The drawback of free editing systems is that they tend to be less precise when making edits and they have fewer correction and exporting options. If you are looking for a superb editing system at a low price, think about Final Cut Express. Apple sells it for $200, but you can purchase it for less if you are a student or educator. It has almost all of the same features as Final Cut Pro. And you can buy it on eBay at a less expensive price.
Journalism should reflect more than the usual suspects
As a teacher, I challenge my students to go beyond event-based reporting. I push my students to focus on an issue, get great visuals and sound, seek out an unofficial person to represent an issue, and encourage them to incorporate useful information in their stories. This process truly challenges student to go beyond the university’s events calendar, press releases and stories found in local publications. Researchers estimate that 25% to 80% of traditional news media stories contain information from public relations officials or press releases. Research has not only demonstrated that a significant portion of information stems from press releases, but news stories also tend to be identical in the framing and the wording of press releases.
I have been pushing the incorporation of the previously mentioned components for years, but I was struck by this post by Jack Lail is managing editor/multimedia for The Knoxville News-Sentinel. Lail argues that journalists should include information in their stories that is value to readers.
“If you don’t think your business is being useful to your users/readers/viewers, then I would suggest your journalism is failing.”
I believe that many successful bloggers use their blogs for this purpose. I love to learn, and I encourage my students to construct content that provides useful information in both their blogs and in their stories, and I encourage you to push your students to go beyond including the usual suspects in their stories as well.
Glen Terrence Cameron, Lynne M. Sallot, and Patricia A. Curtin, “Public Relations and the Production of News: A Critical Review and a Theoretical Framework,” in Communication Yearbook 20, ed. B. R. Burleson (Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage, 1997), 111-55.
Lynda Lee Kaid, “Newspaper Treatment of a Candidate’s News Releases,” Journalism Quarterly 53 (1976): 135-57
Encoding & exporting video advice
Few resources exist addressing the best approach to exporting and encoding video for the web. This post is based on my experience and the expertise of others including Nancie Dodge, webmaster of Arizona State University’s Cronkite Zine, and Dave Cornelius, Stardust High School Journalism Program director. I also cited a resource that Angela Grant pointed to in her blog, News Videographer, related to this topic.
- It is best to shoot steady quality video because it “reduces the number of pixels that change from frame to frame, giving you better quality at higher compression rates (lower data rates),” according to Adobe.
- You must choose a media player. It is best to export to a Flash Player because 98% of the population has a Flash plug-in installed on their computer, while 59% have a Windows Media Player and 62% have a QuickTime player. If you have more up-to-date stats, let me know. The simplest route is to upload your video to YouTube and use their player. I have provided a handout on uploading video to YouTube on my teaching page. However, if you do not want the YouTube logo on your screen. Here are your options:
If you choose to export using QuickTime, it is best to export your media as a MPEG4 and select H.264 for HD. Selecting H.264 also helps with the resolution and audio quality. Here are the steps needed in Final Cut Pro (FCP).
- After your video is edited in FCP, choose File > Export > Using QuickTime conversion
- File Format > Select MP4
- Use > Select Broadband - High
- Ctrl-click your .mp4 movie clip > Open with QuickTime Player
There is a drawback related to exporting to a Flash player, it requires Flash software. And YouTube stopped accepting .flv’s six weeks ago.
- After your video is edited in FCP, choose File > Export > Using QuickTime conversion
- File Format > Select QuickTime movie
- Use > Select Broadband - High
- Open Adobe Flash CS3 Video Encoder
- Drag .mov to Encoder window > Settings > Flash High Quality > Start Queue
- Open your .flv
- Import video > Continue > Progressive download from a web server > Continue > Select skin and color > Finish
- Control > Test Movie > Produces a .swf
I also put this information in a handout on my teaching page under Video including information on compressing your media clips using Apple’s Compressor, which is a part of Final Cut Pro. This post was getting too long. Compressor is a media compression and encoding application. I suggest trying these different approaches to see what works for you. And if you have suggestions, please let me know.
Tips on promoting your blog
I started blogging almost two months ago. It has been a learning process. As I had predicted in my first blog post, it is addictive, time-consuming, and fun. I wanted to share with you some tips on how to promote your blog.
- Ask a blogger to review your blog before announcing your blog. Write a few posts to ensure that it is ready to go public.
- Sign up for Feedburner to allow people to subscribe to your posts via RSS. RSS allows people to read your subscriptions on readers such as Google Reader, Netvibes, My Yahoo, or Bloglines without having to bookmark. To do this, you have to add the URL produced from Feedburner to your blog before people can subscribe to it. In basic WordPress, you have to copy and paste the URL in Widget, go to Edit > RSS Widget > Paste URL
- Always provide an About/Contact section
- Add your blog URL to any web page with your name on it (e.g., LinkedIn, Facebook, Faculty web page).
- Facebook is not only about socializing, but also promoting. Post your posts on Facebook, MySpace, StumbleUpon and any other social networking site. My friend Tom Johnson does this with his blog.
- If you have blogger friends who write about your topic. Let them know about you. They may write a post about you or they may add you to their blogroll. This will increase traffic and exposure to your blog.
- You can cross-post to promote your blog and to reach a wider audience on a blog such as Open Salon or the AEJMC blog.
- Add your blog to Wikipedia under external links. Think about what key words people would use to find the topic that your blog is about.
- Sign up for an account on Technorati, BlogPulse and other blog search engines to add your blog to their directory.
- Allow people to comment on your blog.
I have ten more tips on my teaching page under Promoting Your Blog. The Innovation in College Media blog listed several blog tips as well.
Click icon to subscribe to posts- Dissecting the defining citizen journalist
- Online journalism classes to consider adopting
- 25 free audio editors
- Writing a research paper
- Easy free audio player embeds
- Connecting text to visuals
- Free video editing software options
- Journalism should reflect more than the usual suspects
- Encoding & exporting video advice
- Tips on promoting your blog