Indiana University School of Journalism » 2008 » October

Moss emphasizes use of Web for visual storytelling

SoJ Web Report — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 13:37:01 +0000

Photo by Chris Howell

Alumnus Bryan Moss showed photojournalism students his most recent work at www.LifeinCorydon.com.

Check out Moss' Web site, www.LifeInCorydon.com.
Panel on women in news set for Monday (April 19)
Panel discusses media coverage of LGBT community (April 17)
Lehrer draws on many presidential debates to analyze political process (April 15)

Photograph editor, Web developer, designer and School of Journalism alumnus Bryan Moss visited associate professor Jim Kelly’s J344 Photojournalism Reporting and J560 Photojournalism classes this week to talk about online storytelling through words and images.

Moss, B.A. ’66, started out in newspapers, editing photos for 13 different newspapers in nine states, and has worked as a multimedia producer and teacher.

While at the Cincinnati Post, he helped design a new Web site for the newspaper that focused solely on high school football. The site, which folded after one season, won awards for its use of pictures.

The experience left Moss with a belief that the Web is the best place for visual storytelling. Today, he operates his own Web site about life in Corydon, Ind. (www.LifeinCorydon.com), where he lives with his wife, retired news photographer Mary Jo Moss, B.A. ’73 (English).

Bryan Moss is author of PhotoSynthesis, A Simple Guide to the Magic of Photography.

Seven attend PRSA conference

Gena Asher — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:58:18 +0000

Students from the IU chapter of Public Relations Student Society of America attended the Public Relations Society of America International conference in Detroit Oct. 21-24.

‘Covering IU Sports’ panel Nov. 6

Gena Asher — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 12:05:49 +0000

To take a close look at the interaction between sports reporters and the IU Athletics Department’s media representatives, the School of Journalism is hosting a panel discussion, “Covering IU Sports,” at 4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 6, in the IMU Maple Room.

With a new athletic director, a new era in men’s basketball and other fall and winter sports in the offing, IU sports news is in demand. Panelists will focus on the intersection of the public’s thirst for IU sports news, area sportswriters’ efforts to deliver that news, and the IU Athletics Department’s policies and adherence to NCAA guidelines regarding publicity.

The panelists will include Bruce Jaffee, IU Faculty Athletics representative; Tim Fitzpatrick, IU deputy athletic director; J.D. Campbell, IU director of Athletics Communications; Chris Korman, Herald-Times sportswriter; Michael Sanserino, Indiana Daily Student sportswriter; and journalism associate professor Owen Johnson, a member of the IU Faculty Athletics Committee.

Anyone interested in attending or asking a question or two is welcome to attend.

Panel on women in news set for Monday (April 19)
Panel discusses media coverage of LGBT community (April 17)
Lehrer draws on many presidential debates to analyze political process (April 15)

Downie weighs newspaper reporting’s challenges

Greg Ruhland — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:10:10 +0000

Photo by Jeremy Hogan

Former Washington Post executive editor Leonard Downie said journalists’ duties post-election are to "scrutinize the new president and Congress" as they deal with challenges.

Panel on women in news set for Monday (April 19)
Panel discusses media coverage of LGBT community (April 17)
Lehrer draws on many presidential debates to analyze political process (April 15)

Amid voters captivated by the upcoming presidential election, The Washington Post’s Leonard Downie startled some people in the audience when he announced he has not voted since 1984, when he supervised coverage of the Reagan-Mondale race.

“It’s important for me to have an open mind about the things we cover,” he told an audience Tuesday evening in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater. “If not, people could accuse us of bias.”

The former Washington Post executive editor’s discussed topics ranging from newspapers’ political endorsements to multimedia journalism to the challenges facing reporters who’ll cover the next administration during his free public lecture, which was the final speech in the IU School of Journalism Fall Speakers Series.

Downie, who retired Sept. 8, addressed questions from students and professional journalists Laura Lane, a (Bloomington, Ind.) Herald-Times reporter, and Indianapolis’ WTHR-TV broadcaster Ray Cortopassi.

Downie’s revelation about not voting surprised Lindsey Medlen, an Avon High School senior and Ernie Pyle Scholar applicant in the audience.

“Maybe he’s not voicing his opinion,” she said after the speech. “But it’s there.”

Downie abstains from voting and personally feels newspapers should not endorse candidates, though The Washington Post’s publisher disagrees. Still, the changing role of newspapers as “citizens,” he said, is to help the public decide its opinions by maintaining the strict separation between editorial and fact — a separation Downie likens to that of church and state.

After this year’s election, he said, a shifting news media will have the responsibility of scrutinizing the new president and Congress as they confront the economic, global warming, healthcare and other challenges of this century.

Doing so won’t be easy, but Downie believes journalists are “diggers of news, revealers of dark secrets, authenticators of facts, watchdogs of power and referees of arguments at a time of grave national challenges.”

His biggest concern? The fate of what he calls accountability journalism — the news that matters most to him. News like the Boston Globe’s 2002 exposure of clergy sexual abuse, or the Wall Street Journal’s coverage of unethical corporate backdating of stock options. Because this kind of reporting is expensive and time consuming, newspapers are cutting back.

Photo by Jeremy Hogan

Downie said while newspapers are cutting back on accountability reporting, the Internet has expanded audiences as it offers multimedia journalism.

Not all are, thanks to the Internet, which Downie said has expanded audiences and increased the impact of accountability journalism with its multimedia storytelling. And it’s given reporters more access to stories and reader tips. He thinks the Internet may even lead to TV news’ replacement down the road, as video from the Washington Post or other large news organizations rivals that of smaller TV teams.

“Journalists everywhere today are better educated, better trained, use better technology and work to higher professional standards than ever,” he said.

Lane and students weren’t so sure. They asked him if jobs would still be available, and Downie assured that many dismissed professionals have been older people. Up-and-comers who are willing to learn multimedia skills in a platform-neutral industry will be hired, he said.

Emily Brelage, another student who hopes to join the Ernie Pyle Scholars honors program, agreed with Downie’s predictions.

“I think media will be different,” Brelage said. “We have a bright future, but we have to be open-minded about how we are going to do journalism.”

Cortopassi questioned Downie on the challenges of overseeing Watergate scandal coverage. What began as a local Post story exploded onto the national scene, and “everybody was telling us we were wrong,” Downie answered. “The skepticism that exists now didn’t then.”

If anything rules his day, it’s quality reporting.

“The best writers are not people who just sit down and write beautifully,” Downie said. “They’ve done all the reporting, they have all those tiny details that makes for a very powerful description or narrative about an event that took place. The more you find out, the better judgments you’re able to make.”

One judgment he made involved a Danish cartoonist who put together a series of incendiary cartoons about the prophet Mohammed. The Post canned it.

Freshman journalism major Mitchell Blatt praised that decision.

“Whether to publish the Danish cartoon was noteworthy for me because it could have resulted in a lot of violence,” Blatt said.

Photo by Jeremy Hogan

Downie fielded questions from students in the audience as well as from professionals Ray Cortopassi, left, an Indianapolis-based broadcaster, and Laura Lane, right, Herald-Times reporter.

In questionable situations, Downie asks himself three questions: Is the story true? Can it be proven? And is
it relevant?

Downie bemoans the lack of business journalists and foreign bureaus in the country. The Washington Post, he said, is now one of only a handful of American news organizations that still maintains a fully functional news bureau in Iraq.

He has plenty of reasons for hope, he said, and much of that rests with the many students in the audience.

“I owe something to journalism students,” he said. His advice? Build upon internships from one level to another, he told them. Hone your talent. Volunteer for free, if necessary. And know something very well, he said, besides journalism.

The author of four books and a 44-year veteran of the Washington Post, where his career began as a summer intern, Downie has been an investigative reporter, a metropolitan reporter and editor, and has held various editor roles before leading the paper as executive editor since 1991. Under his leadership, The Washington Post won 25 Pulitzer Prizes and many other accolades.

Though he’s left the day-to-day newsroom operation, Downie remains a vice president at large at The Washington Post Co.

Hatteberg: ‘Be unique and develop your own style’

Ariel Tung — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:50:05 +0000

Photo by James Brosher

KAKE-TV video storyteller Larry Hatteberg met students and instructors during a visit to campus last week. Here, he greeted adjunct lecturer Chris Meyer.

Learn more about Hatteberg and his work.
Panel on women in news set for Monday (April 19)
Panel discusses media coverage of LGBT community (April 17)
Lehrer draws on many presidential debates to analyze political process (April 15)

Journalism students and staff had a glimpse into award-winning TV reporter and anchor Larry Hatteberg’s work when he visited the School of Journalism Oct. 22.

Hatteberg, whom assistant professor Mike Conway lauded as one of the great video storytellers, talked to students in J353 Advanced Broadcast News. Adjunct lecturer Chris Meyer and his photojournalism students also attended the talk.

Hatteberg, who has been in a television career with KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kan., for 45 years, told his audience what it takes to be a broadcast journalist. One must be able to tell stories visually, work independently and possess multiple skills such as writing, shooting, interviewing and editing, he said. However, to distinguish oneself from the rest, Hatteberg said it is important to “be unique and to develop your own style.”

While Hatteberg acknowledged that the job is tough and may not be for everyone, he assured students that the job provides financial security to those who do it well, and it is a ticket to travel to different places. He encouraged students to get internships at TV stations and try it out.

Hatteberg said the subject, not technical aspects, makes a good story. He stressed that it is important to let the interviewees talk. “Reporters sometimes say too much,” he warned.

But technology does affect the work. Hatteberg advised being well-versed with equipment and technology to avoid affecting the interviews.

“If you pay too much attention to your equipment, your subject will perceive that you are more interested in it,” he said. He prefers to use wireless instead of a hand-held microphone, to avoid making interviewees feel self conscious.

“Once the subjects forget they are recorded, they say the most wonderful things,” he said.

To demonstrate, Hatteberg showed some clips from his television feature, “Hatteberg’s People.” One of the clips, “Nancy Kassebaum’s Incredible Journey,” showed Hatteberg interviewing former U.S. Senator Nancy Kassebaum, who now is based in Tokyo.

Photo by Mike Conway

KAKE-TV’s Larry Hatteberg talked about video storytelling with students in the Ernie Pyle Lounge during his visit to campus.

Hatteberg said he felt so strongly about the story idea that he bought his own ticket and interviewed Kassebaum, even before his boss knew about his plan.

When a student asked if he had any difficulties getting access to interviewing Kassebaum or any other subjects, Hatteberg said that he had known Kassebaum for years, and that one has be in the business for awhile to establish credibility.

Conway asked Hatteberg to explain how to get people to talk candidly. Hatteberg said he always shows interest in his subjects by talking about the things they are interested in, to draw them out and make them comfortable.

Hatteberg mentioned other ways to make the interview go more smoothly. He advised students to dress appropriately for interviews, whether they are at funerals or important meetings.

“Remember, you’ve got to blend in, not stand out,” Hatteberg said, “You’ve got to like people. It’s a people business.”

Courtesy photo

Hatteberg on the job in Wichita.

Conway said Hatteberg is in such high demand for journalism conferences, seminars and school visits that it had taken him four years to arrange the visit. Conway said that he first saw Hatteberg’s work when attending the late professor Richard Yoakam’s class as an undergraduate in the School of Journalism. Later, Conway worked at KAKE-TV with Hatteberg for four years.

Just as Yoakam showed his students Hatteberg’s work in the Ernie Pyle Hall in the early 1980s, Conway shows his students Hatteberg’s stories every semester in his broadcast and video storytelling classes.

“I want our students to have a chance to watch his work and find out how he approaches his stories to produce such compelling work,” Conway said. “Larry has always worked by himself and in the changing world of journalism, more of our graduates need to know how to write, shoot and edit video and find important stories.”

Photojournalism instructor Chris Meyer, another person impressed by Hatteberg’s work, had encouraged his students to attend Hatteberg’s talk and see his work. Meyer was interested to see how Hatteberg translated his story ideas into visual stories. Like videography, Meyer said, photography is about telling stories visually and using multimedia skills.

Grieves talks on transborder journalism

Riya V. Anandwala — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 20:00:20 +0000

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

Doctoral student Kevin Grieves talked about his research on transborder journalism during a session Oct. 22 in the Ernie Pyle Lounge.

To an audience of other doctoral students and associate professor Radhika Parameswaran, Grieves spoke on “It takes courage: Transborder journalism in the SaarLorLux region,” which addresses journalism that crosses borders in the region of Saarland in southwestern Germany.

His work started as a paper for his international journalism course in fall 2006. But Grieves was intrigued by how journalists feel about working in such areas and that led him to go deeper into the research. This is a part of his dissertation, which he hopes to complete by the end of this academic year.

He conducted his study in the Saarland in southwestern Germany, in Lorraine in northeastern France and in Luxembourg.

"I spoke with journalists and managers at a number of radio and television stations, large and small, public and private. I also spent time in archives, in a university library and in stations’ video archives, watching old and current transborder programs," he said.

He traveled to Europe in the summer of 2007 as part of a U.S. and German exchange program for broadcast journalists and conducted a number of interviews then.

Parameswaran said his presentation was thoughtful.

“I could see quality in his research,” she said. “His professional background has really helped him in this research. Also, he interviewed journalists, which is not very easy to do."

Grieves worked for CNN in Atlanta from 1994 to 2001 and then moved to Oregon Public Broadcasting for a year.

Other Ph.D. candidates Ammina Kothari, Lindita Camaj and Jeff Cannon gave their feedback after the presentation.

Grieves will present a version of his talk during interviews with universities. After having worked for a number of years as a writer and producer for television news, he’s now preparing for a career as a professor of journalism.

"In a rapidly changing media world, my aim is to suggest different ways of conceptualizing the profession of journalism, which in turn has an impact on how we think about journalism education," he said.

Dilts wins Trustee Teaching Award

SoJ Web Report — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:50:22 +0000

In being named the school’s Trustee Teaching Award winner for 2008, professor Jon Dilts is again recognized for his versatility and skills as an outstanding teacher, said Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies Bonnie Brownlee in announcing the award.

The TTA is an award each academic unit on campus gives each year to recognize outstanding teaching during the year. Dilts was an early winner of the Kemp award and served as the school’s associate dean for undergraduate studies until 2000. He currently represents the school on the Bloomington Faculty Council.

While his specialty is communication law, Dilts regularly teaches across the curriculum, from large undergraduate lectures to smaller specialty classes at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.

The school administers the Trustee Teaching Award through its elected policy committee, which reviews a variety of teaching measures in making its recommendation. In recognizing Dilts, the committee report said, “The committee noted that Jon taught a high number of required courses during 2007 and a mix of large and small classes. He also taught a mix of graduate and undergraduate courses. He managed, with all of that variety, to maintain consistently excellent student evaluations. Evaluations and other statistics also indicated that students viewed his classes as both challenging and stimulating.”

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

Hatley Major is Kemp Award winner

SoJ Web Report — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 19:47:41 +0000

Assistant professor Lesa Hatley Major is the 2007-2008 winner of the Gretchen A. Kemp Teaching Fellow award.

Hatley Major joined the faculty in fall 2006 and has taught a wide range of courses, from J200 Reporting, Writing and Editing 1 to J660 Public Opinion. She regularly teaches in the broadcast curriculum, has developed an undergraduate and graduate course called "Sex in the Media," and this fall has taken on the role of mentor for the 2008 class of Ernie Pyle Scholars.

The outside reviewers were unanimous and enthusiastic in their naming her for the award. Said one: "Lesa Hatley Major demonstrates a genuine desire to know her students as individuals as well as learners and it is clear that the value she places on this is understood and appreciated by her students.

One of her students wrote, “As the last months of my college career come to an end, it will be Major who I will go to for questions and concerns for my future. She is dedicated to her students and their learning. The importance she places on keeping current with what students are reading, listening to, and watching is in part evidence of her commitment."

The Kemp fellowship is named in honor of Gretchen A. Kemp, a longtime faculty member in journalism and the director of the High School Journalism Institute. Kemp established the fellowship shortly before her death in 1987 to recognize and promote outstanding teaching in the school. A recipient is named each year based on nominations by colleagues, students and alumni and a selection process that includes judges from outside journalism who are recognized teachers in their own right.

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

Career Cafe Thursday

Gena Asher — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 12:45:14 +0000

Questions about getting internships? Drop in during this week’s Career Cafe, 1-4 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 13, and chat with Career Services Director Marcia Debnam about your plans. First come, first served for this open session in the rear room of the journalism library.

Experts Workshop provides networking, feedback (Nov. 15)
Sign up now for Nov. 12 Experts Workshop (Oct. 28)
Untold Stories:
Workshop focuses on nonprofits (Sept. 23)

Parameswaran, Henson article in ICA journal

Gena Asher — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 11:42:22 +0000

Associate professor Radhika Parameswaran and doctoral student Lori Henson are authors of the article, "Getting Real with ‘Tell it Like it Is’ Talk Therapy: Hegemonic Masculinity and the Dr. Phil Show," which appears in the current issue of the International Communication Association’s journal, Communication, Culture and Critique.

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 » October

Moss emphasizes use of Web for visual storytelling

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Seven attend PRSA conference

‘Covering IU Sports’ panel Nov. 6

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Downie weighs newspaper reporting’s challenges

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Hatteberg: ‘Be unique and develop your own style’

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Grieves talks on transborder journalism

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Dilts wins Trustee Teaching Award

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Hatley Major is Kemp Award winner

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Career Cafe Thursday

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Parameswaran, Henson article in ICA journal

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