Indiana University School of Journalism » 2008 » April

IDS focusing on Web, multimedia

Rosemary Pennington — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:34:44 +0000

Photo by James Brosher

Podcast anchor Natalie Avon reads from a script during a taping of the "Hoosier Headlines" podcast in the Indiana Daily Student multimedia studio.

Visit the IDS Web site.
Ammerman to lead IDS in spring (Nov. 15)
Ed on Campus forms to support prospective magazine journalists (Sept. 22)
Spring registration: Course updates (Nov. 7)

If there were a buzzword connected with journalism these days, it would have to be “convergence.”

All school year, professors and visiting professionals have told School of Journalism students about the importance of building an expertise in more than one medium, that the days of working in one field and one field only are long gone.

The message is taken to heart at the Indiana Daily Student. This semester, the staff has been working to give its reporters a chance to get a taste of what media convergence means by launching a more multimedia-focused Web site, a project that was one of IDS editor-in-chief Carrie Ritchie’s main goals.

“From what I’d observed and learned at the St. Petersburg Times, this is the direction newspapers are now going in,” said Ritchie, who interned at that newspaper last summer. “They’re trying to find new ways to use their Web pages. I felt like we weren’t doing some of the basics we should be doing.”

Over the course of the spring semester, Ritchie and the IDS multimedia director, sophomore James Brosher, have worked to overhaul the IDS site. It now has a multimedia tab at the top of the paper’s front page and features podcasts, which allow print reporters the chance to learn audio reporting skills.

Photo by James Brosher

Even in multimedia projects, it’s all about the writing. Natalie Avon goes over the script before the podcast.

“The podcasts have been great,” Interim Director of Student Media Nancy Comiskey said. “I think Brandon Morely, our Web audio and video assistant, has really helped them get a lot of the stories up, but especially the podcasts.”

Not everyone in the IDS newsroom embraced the new multimedia focus quickly, though.

“There was some reluctance at first,” Ritchie said. “People weren’t quite sure what exactly we were doing. But once stuff started going up on the site the staff, seeing work get posted, they started getting excited. I think everyone in the newsroom has lent their voice to a video piece by now.”

Associate professor Jim Kelly teaches photojournalism and publication design at the School of Journalism. He said while students may be a little reluctant to learn skills they hadn’t expected to need, learn them they must if they are going to be able to compete in an increasingly tight job market.

“I have heard probably a dozen photo editors say that they will never hire again hire a photographer only,” Kelly said. “They only people they’ll hire from now on are going to be those who have multimedia experience.”

Photo by James Brosher

It takes two to create the podcasts. Ashley Braun uses the computer to capture and process Avon’s broadcast.

The IDS, Kelly said, is now giving the students working in its newsroom a leg up on the competition.

“The IDS going multimedia, focusing on its Web presence, is preparing students for the realities of the profession they’re about to enter,” he said.

All that hard work isn’t being noticed only by those within the School of Journalism. People outside the school are giving the overhaul a thumbs-up as well. IDS staffers recently found out the paper’s Web site is one of nine finalists for a national Online Pacemaker award. This Associated Collegiate Press award is designed to recognize the best student reporting on the Web. One of the judges, Will Sullivan of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, said the contest was pretty tough to judge this year.

“The quality, design, depth, breadth and timeliness of content being produced at these college publications rivals and sometimes beats that of most professional media outlets,” Sullivan wrote in an e-mail. “I was highly encouraged to see many papers producing podcasts, multimedia, blogs, forums and breaking news on their Web sites.”

It’ll be October before the IDS finds out if it wins the award, but multimedia director James Brosher said he’s pretty happy being a finalist.

“We’re all pretty excited about the Pacemaker,” Brosher said. “It’s an honor to be among so many prestigious papers. And to be able to know we can run with the ‘big dogs’ in multimedia is awesome.”

Perhaps not so awesome are all the long hours Brosher’s put into the IDS site redesign.

Photo by James Brosher

Preparations finished, Natalie Avon (left) and Ashley Braun get the week’s podcast underway in the tiny multimedia space at the IDS.

“I haven’t really had much of a life this semester,” Brosher said. “There have been a few times when I’ve been here until 4 or 5 a.m. Certainly not leaving until after midnight has been pretty common. There’s just so much to get done.”

It’s not done yet. The students and their publisher say they’ve given the IDS a multimedia foundation it can build on in the coming years.

“What they have been able to accomplish this semester is just amazing,” Comiskey said. “I’m just really proud of them.”

SPJ honors Adams, Jacobi, Kibbler

Gena Asher — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 17:30:08 +0000

The Indy Pro Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists honored the late David L. Adams with its Indiana Courage Award during the annual awards banquet Friday.

Adams, who died suddenly last June, was director of student media. IDS students nominated Adams earlier this year, citing his dedication to journalism education.

The chapter also awarded professor emeritus Peter Jacobi a third place award in the arts and entertainment features category for his columns in the Herald-Times. Former H-T reporter Anne Kibbler, who joined the School of Journalism communications team earlier this month, won third place awards in lifestyle features and in environmental coverage.

Routledge publishes The Global Journalist (May 13)
School research group launches survey (May 10)
Faculty, student work set for AEJMC presentation (May 10)

HSJI live chat set for April 30

Gena Asher — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 11:43:16 +0000

High School Journalism Institute Director Jack Dvorak will answer questions about the program during a live chat Wednesday, April 30, 7 p.m. (Eastern Time).

For 62 years, HSJI has offered workshops for journalism advisers and high school students who come to Bloomington, Ind., from all over the country to learn more about their craft. This year, teachers attend June 16-20 or June 23-27 while students attend one of three sessions July 7-11, July 13-17 or July 19-23. To learn more about HSJI, check out its Web site.

Participants should log onto the Chat page of the Web site and click on the link to the chat. Chat transcripts are archived on this page for those who miss the live discussion. The last live chat was April 15 and featured Associate Dean for Graduate Studies Amy Reynolds answering questions about the admissions process.

Ming wins video contest

SoJ Web Report — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:59:14 +0000

Graduate student Tian Ming has won a national student video contest for his entry describing his experiences with U.S. higher education as a Chinese national.

The video tells the story of a Chinese student’s makeshift barbershop, which the student started as a way to provide not only a service but also a venue for Chinese students to meet and socialize.

The U.S. Electronic Fairs for China and India, a joint initiative between the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of State, sponsored the contest.

Pennington medical reporting wins Cannon award

Gena Asher — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:47:59 +0000

Graduate student Rosemary Pennington won the 2008 Douglas L. Cannon Broadcast Journalism Award for Excellence in Medical Writing. This is the third year in a row her work has been recognized by the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. The stories were created last year while she was a producer with WBHM FM in Birmingham, Ala.

One story focused on a domestic violence intervention involving stylists, while another explored the first homeless shelter in Alabama designed for women with severe mental illnesses.

The award will be presented during the medical association’s annual meeting in Sandestin, Fla., May 23.

Canon donates lenses, cameras

Abby Tonsing — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:14:17 +0000

Photo by James Brosher

Scott Myrick, right, director of the visual communications lab, helps lab assistant Jeremy Lacey put a new 300 Canon millimeter lens on a Canon body.

Thanks to Canon Professional Services marketing rep Brian Matsumoto, the School of Journalism has about $15,000 worth of camera equipment to add to the multimedia lab inventory.

The equipment includes three Canon 20D digital SLR cameras, a 300mm f2.8 telephoto lens, a 70-200mm f2.8 telephoto zoom lens, a 35-350mm f3.5-5.6 telephoto zoom lens, a 100mm f2.8 macro lens, a 28-35mm f2.8 zoom lens, and a 17-35mm f2.8 zoom lens.

Of the lenses, valued at about $9,000, one is an extreme telephoto lens designed for football and basketball photography and another is an extreme telephoto lens designed for soccer photography, associate professor Jim Kelly explained.

“All of these are professional quality lenses that had been used by CPS as loaners to working professionals while their own equipment was being repaired. They are all in good working shape,” Kelly said.

Kelly’s acquaintance with Matsumoto, who is based in Itasca, Ill., goes back to Kelly’s teaching days at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Matsumoto is an alumnus of the school.

“So, when I came over here, he wanted to help me with the program,” Kelly said. “It’s his idea. He kind of knows what would be useful and he provided it.”

This is Canon’s first equipment donation to the school, though the company did underwrite photojournalist Susan Meiselas’ visit here in February.

“It is a select and small group of universities that get this level of support,” Kelly.

According to Director of the Visual Communications Lab Scott Myrick, the school already had eight Nikon digital SLR cameras and no Canon-mount lenses for students to check out to use with personal cameras.

“So, the lenses are a huge help. They work great with the donated cameras and with cameras people bring from home,” Myrick said in an e-mail.

Students in photojournalism classes and upper-level multimedia classes can check out the cameras for several days at a time, Myrick said. He cautions that the lenses are too big to handle without a monopod, but the school has plenty of monopods to check out as well.

Bloomington Volunteers videos featured on CATS

Jeff Johnson — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 19:23:51 +0000

School of Journalism graduate student Rob Schmidt has produced a special program featuring videos produced by professor Mike Conway‘s Video Storytelling class that will be running on CATS Channel 7 during National Volunteer Week.

The class worked in collaboration with the City of Bloomington Volunteer Network and the IU School of Journalism’s Video Storytelling seminar. The students chose the volunteers for their multimedia project from a list of 86 nominees for the Bloomington Community Volunteer Awards.

Showtimes on CATS Channel 7:
April 29	2 p.m., 8 p.m.
April 30	3:30 p.m.
May 1	9 p.m.
May 2	2 p.m.
May 3	9:30 a.m., 8 p.m.

The Bloomington Volunteers Web site
Students work with UPIU.com mentor (Dec. 12)
New class to look at WikiLeaks (Feb. 7)
Public affairs reporting students tackle biomass debate (June 22)

Wong receives research grants

Gena Asher — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:44:16 +0000

Assistant professor Joann Wong has been awarded a Grant-in-Aid for Research of $2,500 from the Office of Vice Provost for Research. She also received a Journalism Grant-in-Aid for research. Both grants are for survey research about the 2008 presidential election.

Routledge publishes The Global Journalist (May 13)
School research group launches survey (May 10)
Faculty, student work set for AEJMC presentation (May 10)

Johnson radio show features Bob Dotson

Gena Asher — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:40:20 +0000

Associate professor Owen V. Johnson hosts Profiles on WFIU. His next broadcast is Sunday, April 27, and features an interview with veteran NBC News correspondent Bob Dotson. WFIU is at 103.7 on the FM dial.

Routledge publishes The Global Journalist (May 13)
School research group launches survey (May 10)
Faculty, student work set for AEJMC presentation (May 10)

Camaj receives travel grant

Gena Asher — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 20:10:54 +0000

Doctoral student Lindita Camaj has been selected to receive a 2008 Summer Pre-Dissertation Travel Grant from the Office of the Vice President for International Affairs and the Office of Research and University Graduate School. This grant will enable her to travel to the Balkans this summer for preliminary dissertation fieldwork activities. She will explore research sites, archives and other resources, and meet with local scholars and contacts in order to establish the feasibility of her research projects.

Routledge publishes The Global Journalist (May 13)
School research group launches survey (May 10)
Faculty, student work set for AEJMC presentation (May 10)

Indiana University School of Journalism » 2008 » April

IDS focusing on Web, multimedia

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SPJ honors Adams, Jacobi, Kibbler

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HSJI live chat set for April 30

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Ming wins video contest

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Pennington medical reporting wins Cannon award

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Canon donates lenses, cameras

Bloomington Volunteers videos featured on CATS

Showtimes on CATS Channel 7:

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Wong receives research grants

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Johnson radio show features Bob Dotson

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Camaj receives travel grant

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