I will be attending the following sessions Friday morning as part of Comm Week 2008:
Be sure to check back at 11:30 a.m. for the liveblog. I will also post a link to the live Web cast, if available.
Let the Web design blogging begin!
Will Wooten, visuals editor at The Miami Hurricane, has started a blog about online journalism, specifically the redesign of The Hurricane’s Web site.
Will is overseeing the aesthetic side of the project and will be posting updates and information about the redesign process. The blog will also act as a means for gathering feedback and discussing the new site.
And what is the name of this forum?
“Will’s Blog.”
Why such a simple name?
“The reason is, it is what it is. I don’t want anything creative.”
What about the design and color scheme?
“The serious bloggers are going to be using a reader anyway.”
Unrelated, my favorite quote from Will came as he was updating his resume last semester. As he was finishing, he realized something:
“I forget to put that I was Time Magazine’s person of the year in 2006 on my resume.”
When I was in China last summer for a feature writing study abroad class, our University of Miami group discussed the Internet, freedom of speech and censorship with a number of the Chinese journalism students. What we learned and gleaned from their perspectives was quite interesting.
As you can tell from my occasional China posts, I am very interested in these topics, especially speech/press-related issues. (Shameless plug: Check out our class blog and my stories from the trip).
Here is an excerpt from a New York Times article, Great Firewall of China Faces Online Rebels:
“In recent months, China’s censors have tightened controls over the Internet, often blacking out sites that had no discernible political content. In the process, they have fostered a backlash, as many people who previously had little interest in politics have become active in resisting the controls.”
During our stay, I found a few proxy sites to get around some of the censored sites. One of the strangest sites that was completely censored was Wikipedia.
I don’t have a problem with the Chinese people or China in general. I found the country fascinating and the trip the most enlightening I’ve ever taken. My problem is with the lack of freedom: Freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to peaceably assemble and to protest the government for redress of grievances.
Journalism and free speech are improving with time, mostly due to the power of the Internet. (mobile phones are also playing an important role). The government may continue clamping down in response, but people are gradually pushing back.
Yoni Greenbaum recently wrote about how TMZ.com conducts their story meetings: OPEN.
I don’t think this is radical at all, I think this is logical. Why haven’t we been doing this all along?
His Your newsroom could learn something from TMZ… No, really post explains,
“For those of you who watch the very popular television version of the “entertainment news, celebrity gossip and Hollywood rumors†website TMZ.com, you will know that their meetings are done in the open with seemingly broad participation. Editor and founder Harvey Levin stands at the front of the room and users a clear board to note stories that the show will be using. There is a free exchange as the individual staffers (or are they editors?) offer their story ideas.”
Greenbaum says near the end,
“Build the budget from those in attendance, editors can speak for staffers not in attendance, staffers can offer their own ideas based on what they’re working on or what they know is going on. Encourage that free exchange. I think you’ll find that the meeting will boost morale, encourage collaboration and even increase productivity.”
He also includes the following video about The New York Times‘ new integrated newsroom.
I completely agree with the idea. As I commented on Greenbaum’s post, it hits at the “two heads are better than one” cliche. As news editor last year I encouraged reporters to contribute story ideas in our meetings and come by the office on deadline days (Sundays and Wednesdays). As editor in chief this year I still encourage staffers to visit.
I would not say our twice-weekly staff meetings have been closed in past (any staff member is allowed to sit in or be in the office and some designers who are around sometimes do), but we have never before sent out a mass e-mail inviting staffers. But now, I will invite all of The Miami Hurricane‘s staffers to the next meeting and see how it works.
Our small newsroom may not be able to hold everyone, but we’ll see what happens.
Weigh in: Will you try this for your next story meeting?
One of the new adds to my Google Reader is Pat Thornton’s The Journalism Iconoclast blog. Here are some great posts.
My advice for j-students who want to make a difference (and get a job)
Build a digital résumé and make yourself stand out
Give your bloggers the tools to succeed
From me (shameless, I know):
Top Ten List of Tips for Journalism Students – The Linchpen
Random business-related link
MediaShift . Digging Deeper::In Digital Age, Journalism Students Need Business, Entrepreneurial Skills | PBS