We tend to think that speed, the velocity of the landscape is something we are wrestling with only now in these times. But this is a quote from Nietzsche in 1882:
"One is ashamed of resting, and prolonged reflection almost gives people a bad conscience. One thinks with a watch in one's hand, even as one eats one's midday meal while reading the latest news of the stock market, one lives as if one might "miss out on something"...Virtue has come to consist of doing something in less time than someone else."
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Notes from Sam Stewart's Lectures
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images to tell a story. Each news photo expresses timeliness, objectivity and a narrative. Photojournalism has changed dramatically since the advent of portable cameras and publications that distribute the images.
A powerful image has context in context, evokes emotion and inspires action.
Images assist stories by broadening audience reach, encouraging audience engagement and increasing the likelihood of the story being prominently published. Planning and brainstorming photo possibilities are an important part of preparing a story.
ETHICS OF PHOTOGRAPHY.
Multiple news agencies have codes of ethics for photography. They include accuracy, honesty with subjects, limiting editing, not paying sources or subjects, and not sabotaging other photographers. Manipulation of magazine cover photos is an important ethical question.
New technology and methods of publishing have changed photojournalism in recent years, and they present new ethical issues. While there are fewer print publications, there are more photographers than ever and more ways to distribute content. Publishers have to be careful to verify a photo's accuracy.
6 ELEMENTS OF A GOOD PHOTO.
Composition is the pleasant arrangement of elements, and it considers balance and framing, including and excluding, the rule of thirds, negative space and compression.
Lighting considers the time of day, magic hours, quality of the light and backlighting.
Color options include bold and contrasting colors.
Graphics include repetition and patterns, the use of lines, shapes, implied motion and converging lines.
Someone looking for moments is mindful of timing, storytelling, peak action and facial expression.
The best uses of perspective involve changing it to something unusual, considering different angels, getting level with the subject, focusing on the focus and simplifying.
Sam can be reached at samiamphoto@aol.com.
Blog Post group #2
Select three of the photos from the news photo assignment. You cannot select photos that your group shot. Critique each of the three photos based on what you heard Sam say in his lecture on Tuesday morning. Whether you liked the photo is secondary, what merit does it have as a news photo? Be sure to consider the information included in the caption as well.
After you critique three photos, describe the process your group went through from when the photos were assigned to when your group posted them on facebook. Articulate the process. Be specific.
Write your comments here on the watchdog blog. Your deadline is Wednesday at 5 p.m.
After you critique three photos, describe the process your group went through from when the photos were assigned to when your group posted them on facebook. Articulate the process. Be specific.
Write your comments here on the watchdog blog. Your deadline is Wednesday at 5 p.m.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Notes from Beata Balagova's lecture
Suggestions by Henry Dubroff, a veteran business editor:
--Become a financial news junkie. Pay attention to developments even if there appears to be no local angle.
--Look for hooks/angles in local releases.
--Read the last line of press releases first.
--Use your sources not only for quotes, but for insights and explanations and deeper knowledge of the information.
--Become comfortable with basic financial terms: assets, balance sheets, fiscal year, deficit, liabilities, public finance deficit, capital expenditures, stockholders equity, balance sheet, debt.
--Never be afraid to return to a company or a source as many times as you need to get the story.
--The best stories are often the ones that break late on your beat.
--Read all major publications in your field.
--Become a financial news junkie. Pay attention to developments even if there appears to be no local angle.
--Look for hooks/angles in local releases.
--Read the last line of press releases first.
--Use your sources not only for quotes, but for insights and explanations and deeper knowledge of the information.
--Become comfortable with basic financial terms: assets, balance sheets, fiscal year, deficit, liabilities, public finance deficit, capital expenditures, stockholders equity, balance sheet, debt.
--Never be afraid to return to a company or a source as many times as you need to get the story.
--The best stories are often the ones that break late on your beat.
--Read all major publications in your field.
Blog Post group #1
This assignment is for Nana, Melda, Nina, Rita, Miko and Anastasia. Choose at least one of the questions below to answer. Feel free to answer more than one. Write freely. Use your own life experience to help illustrate your answer if you choose.
Your comments will not be graded, but give me a chance to see how you think and put your thoughts into words. Don't worry about your English; I know for most it is not your first language. The most important thing is your thoughts.
1. What did Beata mean when she said, "Your ignorance as a journalist only helps the government?" Do you examples of this in your country?
2. Beata said that journalists don't want to be equal partners with politicians. What does this mean to you? Why shouldn't journalists be equal partners with politicians? Or should they?
3. Beata said that press releases have a perfect logic. What does this mean? How can journalists best use press releases? What are some of the practices of using press releases by journalists in your country or city or newspaper?
4. Beata said that a healthy skepticism is important. What does this mean exactly? Do you think journalists you know have a healthy skepticism? Do you? Why would you need this to be successful?
5. Describe the relationships you have with your sources (if you are a journalist). How often do you see them? In what circumstances? Are you friends? Do you share personal information?
6. Beata said that when journalists write stories they have to do a lot more work and gather a lot more information than they will put into their stories. Do you do this (if you are a journalist?) Why would this be a practice for a good journalist? How do you know when you do have enough information for a story?
Write your comments. The deadline is Tuesday at 17:30.
Your comments will not be graded, but give me a chance to see how you think and put your thoughts into words. Don't worry about your English; I know for most it is not your first language. The most important thing is your thoughts.
1. What did Beata mean when she said, "Your ignorance as a journalist only helps the government?" Do you examples of this in your country?
2. Beata said that journalists don't want to be equal partners with politicians. What does this mean to you? Why shouldn't journalists be equal partners with politicians? Or should they?
3. Beata said that press releases have a perfect logic. What does this mean? How can journalists best use press releases? What are some of the practices of using press releases by journalists in your country or city or newspaper?
4. Beata said that a healthy skepticism is important. What does this mean exactly? Do you think journalists you know have a healthy skepticism? Do you? Why would you need this to be successful?
5. Describe the relationships you have with your sources (if you are a journalist). How often do you see them? In what circumstances? Are you friends? Do you share personal information?
6. Beata said that when journalists write stories they have to do a lot more work and gather a lot more information than they will put into their stories. Do you do this (if you are a journalist?) Why would this be a practice for a good journalist? How do you know when you do have enough information for a story?
Write your comments. The deadline is Tuesday at 17:30.
curious: the photo assignment
You are in teams of three except for a brave duo. You are to take two different news photos. The photos:
Cannot contain anyone you know.
Must not be manipulated or staged.
Must contain people.
Must have information about every person in the photograph. If people will not give you their name, then you must use another photo.
For many of you this is the first news photo you will have taken. It is an experiment. You will learn by doing. Look for something of interest happening. Open your eyes and shoot shoot shoot. Make sure everyone on the team shoots and participates in the photo selection process.
Post your 2 group photos and their captions with all the relevant information onto the EJI 2010 facebook page by 10 p.m. Monday.
Cannot contain anyone you know.
Must not be manipulated or staged.
Must contain people.
Must have information about every person in the photograph. If people will not give you their name, then you must use another photo.
For many of you this is the first news photo you will have taken. It is an experiment. You will learn by doing. Look for something of interest happening. Open your eyes and shoot shoot shoot. Make sure everyone on the team shoots and participates in the photo selection process.
Post your 2 group photos and their captions with all the relevant information onto the EJI 2010 facebook page by 10 p.m. Monday.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Ideas
Greetings all:
It's your assignment that you will be posting here to the watchdog.
Five groups. Four ideas from each group. Be sure that each of your ideas are written in one complete sentence. Beneath that sentence that encompasses your ideas, tell me--your editor--who will be your sources, the shape of the story, how you envision it.
Remember: our EJI website has video, sound, images. Your ideas can be in the form of a live camera, a video stream, a radio story, a photo essay, text. You can use graphs, charts, interactive or static maps. Be creative. Don't suggest obvious ideas but don't reach for ideas that are so unusual that they will not be relevant to your readers/viewers.
Some things to consider: Are these stories journalism or are they public relations or advertising? What is the difference between these three forms?
Do these stories interest your audience? Do they interest you? How important is it to have interesting stories? How can you tell if/when a story is interesting?
Post by noon tomorrow. And then enjoy your walking tour of Prague. I'll see you in the pub.
Professor Kelly
It's your assignment that you will be posting here to the watchdog.
Five groups. Four ideas from each group. Be sure that each of your ideas are written in one complete sentence. Beneath that sentence that encompasses your ideas, tell me--your editor--who will be your sources, the shape of the story, how you envision it.
Remember: our EJI website has video, sound, images. Your ideas can be in the form of a live camera, a video stream, a radio story, a photo essay, text. You can use graphs, charts, interactive or static maps. Be creative. Don't suggest obvious ideas but don't reach for ideas that are so unusual that they will not be relevant to your readers/viewers.
Some things to consider: Are these stories journalism or are they public relations or advertising? What is the difference between these three forms?
Do these stories interest your audience? Do they interest you? How important is it to have interesting stories? How can you tell if/when a story is interesting?
Post by noon tomorrow. And then enjoy your walking tour of Prague. I'll see you in the pub.
Professor Kelly
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