Manage your time so you won't stress deadlines!

At IRE’s workshop this weekend, USA TODAY’s Alison Young helped school all of us about managing and juggling our time in this circus known as journalism.  I couldn’t have had a better topic to blog about this weekend.  Story assignments, interviews, deadlines, and daily demands ALL require so much time and energy from us.  So what do we do to ensure our journalism day is as productive as possible?  Well according to Young, the key to “balancing daily responsibilities and ambitious projects” lies in organization.  Young said that she sometimes thinks of her office as an air-traffic control room.  Different planes come in to land, take off to fly, and hover around in the atmosphere only to be picked up on the radar.  It is then up to us as journalists to have a clear vision of the stories we wish to focus on firsthand.  Young encourages us to know what the next three enterprise stories are, and to also have a vision of what the next six months of reporting will be.  She also gives us a few “Time Squeezing Tips” which include using “to-do” lists, having a folder system, using spreadsheets to track progress, using automated reminders, and timing your tasks.  However one of the most helpful tips that I received from Young that evening was the art of scheduling interviews for the next story before going into the editing process to save time.  But this tip served a dual purpose for me.  Hello.  I am Crimson Jackson, and I am a taskaholic.  Yes I just made that word up but I can explain.  As an emerging journalist, many tasks and opportunities come my way, but instead of slowing down and taking my time, I tend to work on every task at the same time.  Some would call it multitasking–but that would be an understatement for me.  I now know to wait until one task is mostly (if not fully) completed before beginning a new one.  So I plan to take on 2o1o with a strategy–or at least a better one thanks to Young, who definitely helped to make this workshop extremely beneficial to us taskaholics of the journalism circus.

It is intriguing; however not shocking that investigative journalism has included digital media in its communication sphere.

When one thinks of investigative journalism, he or she might consider the awe-inspiring and legendary cross generational focal-point of what we now consider investigative journalism—the 1976 classic film “All the President’s Men.”  Instead of getting distracted by the iconic luscious locks that were sported in the film, we must remember that a new generation of investigative journalists was born.  J-schools from all over the nation doubled in enrollment and the concept of reporting took on a whole new meaning.  Today, we journalists now have a new muse.  Digital media is indeed taking over the media industry, and although it lacks those iconic locks, it has forever shaped the way we see news.

So, as I observed the website for the Center for Investigative Reporting (CIR), I also began to realize that digital media is the new investigative journalism.  Yes, the groundwork for that style of depth reporting is still rooted in the door-to-door, in-depth interview, relentless research, all-nighter approach to journalism.  However, digital media is allowing for this type of hard-hitting news coverage to be conveyed through different forms.  The sky is indeed the limit and through the use of graphs, charts, maps, video, slideshows, and the many other devices being crafted for us this very minute, we are able to see investigative journalism as never before.

For example, when researching stories about the rising K-12 class sizes in California, not only can I read an in-depth story about the issue’s statistics and hard-hitting facts.  I can also look at an interactive chart that, by the click of a button, gives me a visual representation of the teacher-student ratio for each state, which I can then (if behooved) compare to California’s ratio.

And I know you all are probably tired of me talking about interactive maps, BUT this one is really really cool!  Not only does it allow you to click over the different school districts in California, but with every click you can see information for each district on grades K-3 including the total enrollment, the class size, and even the annual amount that particular district received this academic year for a K-3 class size reduction.

This site also includes personal testimonies from the teachers who experience the effects of the increasing size of the classrooms.  A few teachers from Plummer Elementary School in the San Fernando Valley are interviewed for a personal account of their observations.  However, it would have been nice to see interviews from teachers representing several school districts.  But hey beggars can’t be choosers, and the information that is presented on the issue is broken up and down rather nicely.

CIR has many other investigations on their site that can be found under the “CIR Investigations” tab.  They were also founded in 1977 which I am claiming with no proof was maybe just kinda sorta inspired by “All the President’s Men.”  C’mon.  Think 1976 people!  Anyhoo, what had me at hello was their site’s objective:

“Our innovative new model relies on in-depth collaboration with other news organizations, journalists, public policy organizations and universities, and fully exploits new storytelling technologies, to provide citizens—local and global—with critical, actionable information that impacts their lives.”

And there you have it.  This sweet combination of investigative reporting and interactive media is cause for a new outlook on the future potency of media.  I am sure our iconic journalism forefathers Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein would agree.  Enjoy! http://www.centerforinvestigativereporting.org/investigations

Consider The Truth Laid Bear a sort of directory for impatient online news junkies—a.k.a. the Crimson Jacksons of the world. This site started over three years ago, and has since broke new ground in the blogosphere of the Internet world.  The site is also well-organized, and can be of great use to students and researchers that need to get information on a specific topic.  Just type in a few key words and SHAM-WOW! Blogs available on that topic appear to the viewer.  It also proves to be quite beneficial for those of us that don’t like to thumb through thousands of topics, looking for our subject, and possibly getting thrown off-course by other intriguing topics.  I like to call it the Ritalin to my online A.D.D.  However, by searching for a blog through certain keywords, viewers would also be cutting themselves off to the other great blogs of the world that are out there by letting a computer decide which blog is correct for you.  But for those of us who like getting to the point, and getting the information as soon as possible, TTLB is a godsend.  What I found extremely interesting was the “Blogosphere Communities” tab that gives viewers a listing of the different bogs based on geographic locations, interests, religion, sports, politics, and culture.  But who decides what blog belongs to what category?  Maybe I’m taking the old adage “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” a little too far, but I believe it applies here.  If I did a blog on the Iranian oil industry, with a bit of religion, and politics thrown into the mix, what category would it be put under?  Would I have the power to categorize it myself or would the pseudonymous N.Z. Bear do it without my input?  I checked out the FAQ part of the site to answer these questions that were eating away at my curiosity, but all I could find was information regarding a type of blog scan that takes place.  Another feature that amused me was the ranking system TTLB used to place the weblog.  Categories range from “Higher Beings” to “Insignificant Microbes” and according to the FAQ site, it provides a “gentle reminder that this all shouldn’t be taken too seriously.”  If it is supposed to be a community or rather an “ecosystem” of blogs, it isn’t a fair one.  For example, if I am just starting out and don’t have too many viewers on my blog just yet, I am automatically placed in a category—and not a very attractive one at that.  I mean, who wants to read a blog from an “Insignificant Microbe”? Hence the reason why the “Higher Beings” are ruling the realm of blogosphere hierarchy, while the newbies are on the bottom of the food chain.  Such a system causes more alienation than it’s worth.  TTLB is not the only blog site with a weblog ranking system now, but it had definitely been a trailblazer in this way of categorizing blogs.  However, there is no doubt that the idea of a blog directory is absolutely genius, and I for one enjoy the pros of categorization. Enjoy! http://truthlaidbear.com/

Sketch from the interactive narrative story "A fire, a family, a flag."

I have always been a narrative type of gal.  A moving and compelling story always ignites my journalistic flame.  So after visiting Interactive Narratives, a site that links readers to interactive and narrative stories from around the country and around the world, I couldn’t help myself after reading “A fire, a family, a flag” from the St. Petersburg Times.  What made this story stand out was that it tied together graphics and text in an interactive form I had never seen before.  Not only is the print piece compelling (that is the fundamental element for ANY true narrative story), but the site gives readers a detailed floor plan that lets you click on the “hot spots” throughout the house.  Sound cool yet?  Well for those yet to see the wow factor, what topped it off for me was that once you click on these “hot spots” you can see pictures taken from inside the actual home, that reveal the damage the fire caused.  Not only does the text explain to you what happened and where, but you can actually see for yourself the condition the house is in, as if you were walking through it yourself.  Text is expected.  Pictures add depth.  However, an interactive floor plan is just genius!  It ties both textual and graphic material together in an interactive medium that helps us visualize the scenario.  The story is heartbreaking itself, and leaves a lot to the imagination.  I would have liked to see more text for a nice balance.  The story was too short, and left out a lot of details about the fire and the family.  It did focus on the fact that Brett Seitz’s platoon-signed flag was still intact, leaving the reader with a wholesome patriotic aftertaste.  But it did not pull its weight in regards to giving readers a full multimedia view of the story.  The fire took place Aug. 29, so maybe this is a developing story.  The article noted that the cause of the fire had yet to be determined.  It would be interesting to see how the family has recuperated from this disaster.  Where are they now, and how do they plan to rebuild?  If they choose to redo the house, another interactive floor plan could serve as a different type of guide.  Instead of “hot spots” readers could click on different parts of the home that were modified and remodeled. 

The site is sponsored by ONA (Online News Association) and members can contribute something themselves or nominate someone else’s work.  Interactive Narratives is designed to share these interactive stories from the best and brightest in online journalism—and it does not disappoint.  Stories like “Das palafitas as ilhas de concreto” produced by Sidclei Sobral, are featured as written and produced, in its original language.  However the graphic and digital effects for these stories are done so well, you would have sworn you spoke the language.  These pieces compel you through other news mediums and the site definitely stays true to its narrative online visual storytelling.  I recommend this site to the true narrative buff.  And also to the emerging journalist seeking an example of what interactive narrative journalism is all about, and can be about.  Enjoy! http://www.interactivenarratives.org/

Interactive map from NPR's website

It is official: I am tardy for the blogging party.  And although I am behind the pack of my fellow Knight Fellows with my first blog, I believe that I have stumbled upon an excellent subject for my first blog entry. For many busy Americans (like myself) that find themselves behind the rest of the digital-media world, all hope is not lost thanks to National Public Radio’s website.  NPR is sporting an interactive map that goes along with the article “Obama Announces Massive Power Grid Update.”  The article announces President Obama’s “smart grid” upgrade plan that could potentially preserve the nation’s renewable energy sources and replace America’s current “aging power infrastructure.”  But who cares about that stuff, right?  The map is gorgeous!  Although the article is informative, revelatory, and a whole list of other impressive adjectives, this interactive map steals the show.  It practically begs to be clicked, and once the reader complies, there is no turning back.  After clicking on the map’s links one cannot help but “ooh” and “ahh” like a six year old.  In fact, that is what makes this particular news site so appealing for this blog.  The map is a very fundamental idea, that just so happens to tap into our inner first grader.  It can be used by any age group, from the pretty colors, to the righteous designs and patterns, and finally the expository captions.  The map is titled “Visualizing the U.S. Electric Grid”–and rightfully so.  The map displays the U.S. electric grid.   And in one mouse-click, one can see different maps of the country’s major power sources, power plants, proposed solar power transmission lines, and the proposed wind power lines for 2030.  Sound mediocre?  Well I do not blame those who say yes.  Because in text, information like this is simply not as sensational as in an interactive map.  With pretty colors!  Okay sorry, but I couldn’t help myself.  There is a load of information in these different maps; however the visual display makes absorption bearable.  And science can now be deemed cool again! People of all ages can understand the main conception through the map’s cohesion of aesthetic and factual concepts.  Although it may be difficult for young children to totally grasp the concept of the government’s plan to move energy from areas with high levels of solar and wind power, to the areas where domestic consumption of energy is needed most, they can at least enjoy the clicking on the pretty colors.  The story that has been linked to the map serves as great background information that helps readers understand the map better.  However the map is also needed to visualize the factual data provided in the article.  And just as much as we digital-media consumers love to read the hardcore facts, our inner-child can’t help but “ooh” and “ahh” at the visualization of those facts as they come to life right before our eyes.  Let “oohing” and “ahhing” commence! Enjoy! http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=114204680