Using data visualization to tell a story
Reporting data can often be boring for readers but it doesn't have to be, according to three up-and-coming journalists who presented a Data Visualization session at the recent News Industry Summit. Eli Murray and Nathaniel Lash, both of the Tampa Bay Times, along with Kara Dapena of the Miami Herald explained how data visualization provides insights to stories and offered tips for finding the right tools and people.
MOREWriting for mobile is easy, so why aren't we doing it?
GateHouse Media has focused a lot of energy this year on serving its mobile audience. They've talked about blowing up traditional storytelling for some types of stories in favor of alternative story forms that work well on mobile. This article looks at how some traditional news websites (websites that grew out of print) handle stories as part of the mobile web experience.
MOREAttracting non-readers takes a maestro
Author and presenter Tim Harrower knows how to capture an audience's attention. His colorful and eye-catching visuals during his Writing for Non-Readers sessions at the News Industry Summit captivated writers, editors and designers looking for ideas to engage more readers, especially those who are typically non-readers.
MORENEWSCYCLE Solutions announces digital content management system release
NEWSCYCLE's ONSET 2016-2 includes an integrated Slack messaging tool, digital content placement options and URL tracking features.
MORENo cartoon? No problem!
Many community newspapers I've seen (and I've seen hundreds!) struggle to find a visual element to place on the opinion page.
As result, they'll often place an editorial cartoon on the page that really has little interest for – or impact on – readers. They are there to be ... well ... there.
Here are three better ideas!
MOREHow to approach mobile storytelling: Keep it simple
When you have a tiny screen – and a mobile phone is diminutive compared to desktop – you have a bit of a challenge when it comes to storytelling. Namely, you've got to keep things simple.
MOREUse digital tools to enhance, not replace, tenets of solid reporting
Meeting reader needs requires editors and reporters to multitask, and challenges are ratcheted up in today's digital newsroom. Here are a handful of elements – and accompanying digital tools – for ensuring your news product remains relevant to your readers and advertisers.
MOREHow to write a killer mobile headline
In the age of interruptions, mobile headlines need to be engaging – even compelling, and they shouldn't sound a bit like their print counterparts. Here are five tips for great mobile headlines.
MOREHillary Clinton’s historic nomination was a teachable moment for page designers
Newsrooms across the country faced criticism when headlines announcing Hillary Clinton's historic presidential nomination were run side-by-side with photos of not the nominee, but of her husband and of former presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders. Many media outlets responded with defenses about the constraints they faced with deadlines, the timing of Clinton's appearance and the lack of available wire photos featuring Clinton from that day's events.
Here are some tips for turning these dilemmas into teachable moments.
MOREWhat do you do when the protests stop and racism remains?
Hunger and race are two topics communities face every day. Few news organizations can sustain coverage of either over time.
How do we find and cover these stories, then? Reporting Stories Hidden in Plain Sight, a new web-based resource for journalists, is a first response.
The site contains a lot of literacy – definitions of terms, timelines and links to key data sets. There are also examples of good coverage of race and hunger and academic reports on the issues.
MOREAP environment series asks: 'What Can Be Saved?'
The Associated Press will roll out a series of in-depth, multimedia stories beginning today that will chronicle 12 examples of intense efforts being waged around the world to save or revive ecosystems, reversing some of humankind’s most destructive past actions and preserving vital natural habitats on Earth.
MoreThere's a reader revenue revolution happening. Will legacy news miss it again?
There are seven changes news organizations need to adopt to succeed during the reader revolution. Jim Brady, CEO of Spirited Media, lays them out in a recent post for the Reynolds Journalism Institute. They include: serving your audience first (not your newsroom) and having a point of view.
MoreAP, GNI to build tool to help local newsrooms collaborate
The Associated Press is launching a pilot project aimed at increasing local news coverage and improving the way member news organizations collaborate with one another.
With support from the Google News Initiative, AP will build an online tool that enables members to share their coverage plans to more efficiently cover local news.
It will also allow participating news organizations to share their journalism, increasing the amount of local news stories in their communities.
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