CURLING ENTHUSIASTS? anyone?

For those of you dismayed by the warm weather in the Chicago metro area today (crazy if you're one of those people), here is something to take your mind off of it. My partner, Nomaan Merchant, and I give you some insight into one of the world's most unique winter sports: curling. Click the link below to see the presentation:

https://depot.northwestern.edu/cmg451/public_html/curlingfinal.swf?uniq=n78zbg

Martha Stewart Hits the Press: The Importance of Online Site Design

As the world turns from print to online news, there is one element of journalism that is unlikely to endure change: the importance of design. Whether it's the front page of the print copy or the homepage of the online site, layout of stories plays a significant role in how readers reach and consume news.

The Binghamton Press & Sun Bulletin grants readers easy access to different forms of content, in an "F-pattern" which capitalizes up on users' search and scroll tendencies. Those seeking breaking news can turn immediately to the left side, as stories are updated by-the-minute with clear links and times. For those interested in deeper, genre specific content, the Bulletin provides multiple options. The top horizontal bar provides search options for each section -- from news, to sports, to business. And for those who choose to scroll pass breaking news, the same sections appear below, with an added featured story to each.

Advertisements are pushed way off to the right, which prevents users from feeling cluttered with forms of content unrelated to news. The use of blue background with white text for section buttons draws attention to those looking to capture more of the story. Breaking news stories are highlighted with traditional blue hyperlinks to highlight immediate local happenings. It satisfies the news cravings of both on-the-run and sit-and-flip readers.

Conversely, The Des Moines Register lacks similar striking colors. It's use of yellow or gray background with white trim gives off a blinding combination. As readers look to enter a section of the online publication, individual scroll bars appear, slowing down the process for readers looking to acquire news quickly. Even if you attempt to click on the section, the site stalls for a few seconds before the command loads.

Users looking to access breaking news quickly will find no clear section beyond the AP Wire column, which is sandwiched at the bottom center between car ads and news from the last seven weeks. Breaking news in sports and entertainment appears on the front page, which seems to be the paper's attempt to capitalize on soft news seekers. As an arrogant New Yorker, I may think nothing is happening in Central Iowa. But for local residents, the lack of direct links to metro news stories is cumbersome. Readers looking for a jigsaw puzzle? This is your site.

Live from your pants pocket...it's the news at five!

Growing up, there are certain fixtures of news that children especially appreciate. The theme song of a local television network or radio station's newscast. The photo of a favorite baseball player on a newspaper's back page. But the ringtone of a blackberry device as a news alert pops in?

Today's youngest generation has access to technical outlets that have changed how individuals receive and monitor their news. Pew reports that a narrow majority of Americans enjoy keeping up with the news "a lot". Sixty-one percent of college graduates...53% of individuals with some college experience...47% among high school graduates.

But how does one define keeping up with the news in an era of growing technology? One individual may consider reading at least one section in a daily newspaper as "keeping up". Conversely, tech-savvy individuals may consider picking up Chicago Tribune news alerts on their blackberry as being abreast of world happenings. With increasing options, news consumption has grown even more relative to the behaviors of the individual.As more and more people turn to digital devices, Pew reports minimal change in terms of percentage of individuals owning computers (73%) and PDAs (14%).

Currently, the big talk among news consumption is the shift from print to online. As devices to pick up online news continue to grow smaller and smaller, how long will it be before desktop computers become obsolete? Apple has just introduced its $600 IPhone, which it describes as "a revolutionary mobile phone, a widescreen iPod with touch controls, and a breakthrough Internet communications device with full browser capabilities". With those features, it is likely that news consumers will continue to redefine "keeping up" with world happenings. And how long will it be before something even more advanced arises on the market? For now, it's evident that the pants pocket is the new newsroom for a growing percentage of consumers.

Online Newspapers: Has the print copy run out of ink?

As I log on to post this blog, the top of my Firefox browser is inundated with online news. Latest headlines from an RSS feed. Bookmarks to newspaper websites. A New York Times widget.

The Pew report mentions that the average online consumer of news spends 32 minutes perusing the web, signaling a broad but not too deep audience. With a newspaper, there is a single option – read as many stories as you can, and fold those pages carefully. With online news, RSS feeds and news widgets are allowing consumers to read up on local and national happenings in a matter of minutes, without even signing on to an Internet browser. In that short amount of time, with a single line capturing the gist of a story, how many words and points does the reader even consume?

Even television news consumption faces loopholes. Pew reports that 48% spend at least 30 minutes consuming TV news. But with “bottom-line” feeds flashing across CNN, and news programs often repeating stories hour by hour, is there any way to decode the level of attention that people pay to their screens? As for sports news, I know that I leave the TV on for hours without spending a full 30 minutes listening intently. ESPNEWS repeats its half-hour reports in six to 12 hour stretches, without changing a single story. By the time the report ends, I am fixated more on the opening highlights that have entrenched my mind several times than the top stories at hand.

But with online news, who needs to rely on television for breaking stories? The Internet provides rapid changeover on both ends. Stories are uploaded around the clock and can be read around the clock. Yet, surprisingly, the growth of online newspaper readership is not from the youngest age bracket. While 12% of 30-49 year olds report reading the paper online, just 9% of 18-29 year olds do the same. With the ease of attaining online news, one would expect a large jump in consumption by younger viewers. In actuality, online news spurs exposure rather than depth, which is discouraging for aspiring journalists looking to capture a youthful audience.

As for myself, I am an outlier, with several large domestic newspapers lining my bookmarks on my Firefox browser. But when it comes to local papers, has the presence of online news done more harm than help? Pew reports that just 46% of the readers who went to newspaper websites yesterday visited the website of a local newspaper, compared with 92% of those who read only the print newspaper. This is a product of the hidden factor of news convergence. Albeit younger viewers are somewhat apathetic, cuts in newspaper staffs affect online news as much as the print copy, if not even more so. When searching for information on Barack Obama’s campaign run, large national papers like the Chicago Tribune and New York Times provide exclusive coverage. But on smaller, more concentrated issues like former NBA star Tim Hardaway’s controversial comments on gays, the Atlanta-Journal Constitution and Seattle Times hold the same Associated Press story. Is it necessary to catch up on news in the Chicago suburbs by skimming headlines and AP stories on the Daily Herald's website? Or do I gain more by popping a quarter in the bins at O'Hare Airport, where I often spend 2 hours reading several sections cover to cover. The online option is questionable.

The goal of online news is to foster a knowledgeable, informed readership among the general public? But if I’m able to recite the lines from the same story appearing across multiple online platforms, I’ll stick to the print copy.

Recycle the Newspaper and Cancel the Cable: Convergence in News

Rich Gordon defines convergence as the ownership of multiple content or distribution channels. But what effect does this have on the dissemination of news? Radio has become incredibly syndicated, as large companies like Clear Channel hold programming such as the Rush Limbaugh show on more than 300 stations. Newspapers rely increasingly on wire services, as small cities can’t afford to hold staff members to keep pace with national and even local happenings. Does syndication of news bring the same benefits as syndication of softer content such as TV sitcoms? Absolutely not.

Syndicating news does allow content to be distributed more efficiently. As the Internet grows as a distribution channel, the presence of large companies like Gannett and Tribune should improve methods by which readers receive their news. Readers of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution will find a large video section on the homepage of the newspaper’s website – a series of clips from News 2 in Atlanta. News 2 has a partnership with the AJC, providing video on topics ranging from Cobb County prisons to happenings at the Atlanta zoo. But with the 6:00 news fused with the front page of a newspaper via the Internet, is there even a need for a digital device beyond a personal computer?

Even aspiring college journalists are subject to the effects of convergence. As a sports reporter for the Daily Northwestern, my stories extend beyond the hard copy and newspaper’s own website. Through a program called U-Wire, Sports stories from the Daily Northwestern are picked up by College Sports Television and CBS Sportsline on the web, through a service called U-Wire. U-Wire is a free service that extends college media to participating websites that have agreed to include the copyright of the college news source and byline of the story author while disseminating it to prime time websites. Gordon discusses the reality that journalists can no longer assume that they will be only working in one medium such as print. For now, it’s only my print story. But in five years, maybe live video feeds in flash will be the next form of content to become a part of UWire.

The marginalization of funding for newspapers’ staffs to cover events like the Big Ten Championships in women’s swimming leaves myself with a great deal of responsibility. As my Daily Northwestern story appears on multiple websites, convergence acts as a positive in this case in the realm of tactics. I know that the audience for my stories extends to groups other than Northwestern students. Five years ago, the average American spent 24 minutes per day on the Internet. As I wait for my story on the Big Ten Swimming Championships to appear tomorrow, I will be going to cstv.com to check first for copy editing errors. That read alone is likely to take 20 minutes. At twelve midnight Tuesday, 300 copies of the Daily Northwestern sat in the bins of my dormitory. I was able to follow the meet with a live webcast and live result feeds over the Internet. How many will read the issue tomorrow? I know I will, and that’s not saying much.

The journalistic Super Bowl: Content vs. Technology in an age of Digital Photojournalism

With the advent of digital technologies, the role of the nomad journalist has changed course. Reading Cheryl Diaz Meyer’s description of life as a backpack journalist in Afghanistan, I was taken aback by some of the grass-roots, on-field reporting difficulties. When viewing photos of a war-ridden place, consumers of news often focus on the elements in the picture. But as a klutzy person myself, I had never recognized that there was such a complex mixture of tools for the story coupled with tools for survival. In viewing photojournalism stories of barren lands, I’ve always anticipated that the journalists would have to carry pounds of video and photo equipment. But 90 liters of water? Not the first thing that comes to mind.

Field reporting begins with the journalist’s personal experience. But once the story begins to unfold, it is a product of public interaction. Meyer points out that Afghan soldiers and citizens were anxious for contact with the outside world. She cites difficulty in codes attempting to contact members in other Middle Eastern countries. But what problems existed beyond technical difficulties? Meyer gives little inkling of how citizens reacted to the presence of digital equipment. In a land where caves are searched for terrorists, how did the Northern Alliance react to a photo taken of a soldier standing on a tank? How did locals react to digital photos being taken? What were the differences in opinion between civilians and the military?

In an age where digital photojournalism is growing stronger, content still remains the staple of an effective story. Belo Capital Bureau President George Rodrigue emphasized that the chaos of the war and the role of political groups like the Taliban was the primary focus of the coverage. If a journalist knows how to use multimedia capable equipment, then the story’s visual effects are enhanced. Readers can tie their understanding of a story to a series of photos rather than having to absorb the meaning of words on paper. Yet, it is crucial for those words to capture the key points of a story.

And as the technology behind the content increases, editors and writers will have to keep pace. When logging onto the website of a major newspaper, multimedia bars with video options are now appearing before links to print stories. As Meyer points out, digital journalism allows photo and video to be uploaded within a matter of minutes. Photo editors who once edited 36 photos on a roll of film may now face 36,000 photos on a digital drive. Faster production time and a greater variety of content may enhance the presentation of a story. But journalism is a trade where the reporter, not the technology, is the primary relayer of the story. Editors will now face greater strains to ensure that the accuracy of the content projected parallels the expedience with which it is made available.

ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT SUSHIhttp://www2.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif

It's the sign of the times...and I know that I...am getting so...hungry

For those who haven't experienced it, the House of Sushi & Noodles is one of Chicago's best deals. $12.95. All-you-can-eat buffet. Oh, and bring your friends. It'll save you money on the antacids if you try to eat more than you should.

Post-Hurricane Katrina: Progress in sight?

This blog was modified from "New Orleans of the Future May Stay at Half Old Size," by Adam Nossiter. The story was originally published in The New York Times on January 21, 2007. Read the full story here.

After Hurricane Katrina, the city of New Orleans was reduced to empty streets, deserted homes, and a population skeptical that their city would return to its prior way of life.

Seventeen months later, the growth of one of the Gulf Coast’s largest cities remains stagnant, and experts still wonder if it will ever achieve a full recovery.

“Where there are high concentrations of poverty, people can’t see a way out,” said William Oakland, a retired economist from Tulane University who has studied the city’s economy for decades. “Maybe the diaspora is a blessing.”

That diaspora has brought dramatic change to the Big Easy. Prestorm, the city’s population stood at 444,000, and was on decline since it’s peak value of 627,525 in 1960. Currently, the population is 191,000, well below half the prestorm total, with little influx of new residents.

“It will be a trickle based on what we know now,” said Elliott Stonecipher, a consultant and demographer based in nearby Shreveport, La. “Low tens of thousands, over three or four or five years, something in that range. I would say we could start losing people, especially if the crime problem doesn’t get high visibility.

But did Katrina spur problems that had never existed before?

Before the hurricane, about 4 out of 10 men of eligible were unemployed or disinterested in attaining one. The unemployment rates among blacks were above 25 percent, with more than half of black men ages 16-24 sitting jobless.

According to Oakland, the Lower Ninth Ward and Central City experienced endemic employment problems, as more than half of working-age people were not looking for jobs.

"The job mobility was very low among the poor, so they just stay where they are, and the social welfare system shored them up,” he said. “It’s not normal to have that level of non participation in the labor force.”

Natural disaster behind, the city’s government continues to struggle in its efforts to revive the population, let alone the city’s working class. Attempts to rebuild hospitals, schools and public housing projects have stalled.

Janet Speyrer, an economist at New Orleans, sees these stalled plans as a sign of further depths for the city. With the combination of these chronic problems and current hurdles, the near 50,000 former city residents who have established themselves elsewhere may be even harder to bring back.

“The longer it lasts, the more likely it is that our population is plateauing, the longer the uncertainty continues,” she said.

For more coverage and information on post-hurricane efforts, visit here:
Recovery Budget - Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour
Katrina Flash Photos - Minnesota Public Radio
Chris Ackerley's Hurricane Witness Diary - BBC News

Visual Journalism: The World's Cheapest Airfare

As an aspiring young journalist, one of the most attractive elements of this field is that it takes you places.

Unlike a print story, visual journalism allows journalists to take readers places using photos, voices, and graphics, in addition to the “outdated” form of written words.

Although I have a car and am not one of those guys who displays an adamant distaste for the usage of maps, a 24-hour day can only take you to so many places. The journalist’s eye for facts and perspectives combined with multimedia technology makes it easy to “visit” places that one may never venture to in their lifetime.

Take the Georgia Capitol Building. I have never been to Georgia and don’t plan on visiting any time soon. But with the Atlanta-Journal Constitution’s (AJC) multimedia feature, I can visit the Capitol Building without needing a hotel room or $500 for gas.

http://www.ajc.com/multimedia/content/multimedia/projects/statecapitol/index.html

The AJC’s feature on the structure grants users an interactive timeline of Georgia’s governors and their terms, with photos of each politician and a short blurb describing their background. It also contains an interactive map of the four capital cities prior to Atlanta. This relays a historical perspective, which allows readers to step back in time and understand the changing life conditions around this single structure.

The feature also allows readers to go inside the capital building. A page with each floor comes up, fully equipped with three-dimensional floor plans and corresponding photos of the rooms. With just a click of the mouse, I can capture an inside look of the famous fourth floor House and Senate galleries, where state legislative issues are discussed and voted on in session.

And best of all, with this form of visual journalism, no tolls or security checkpoints required. This story caught my eye because it introduced a place that is far from accessible, and most importantly, it takes you way inside that place – the White House or compound of a celebrity’s mansion first come to mind as sites that would relay similar eye-catching web hits.

But the one feature that the Georgia Capitol piece misses is voice. The AJC currently has another piece on the daily lifestyle of Iranian citizens, using a captivating mix of photos and corresponding commentary. Iran = another place I’m not planning on visiting any time soon.

From a local bazaar bustling with native clothing purchases, to a visit to local teahouses and nightclubs to smoke water pipes, this form of visual journalism gives the reader a sense of Iranian culture. Culture is often best understood by daily activities.

http://lpe.ajc.com/gallery/view/gallery/insideiran/

Spending two weeks in the nation, the reporting AJC photographer shows people living their lives – partaking in prayer, women preparing to dress properly. A normal print story could describe daily life activities of an Iranian, such as the visiting of a dentist, which is shown here. The words “pulling teeth” or “waiting in line” induce an air of familiarity.

But relying on the visual actions of the individual grants readers a reflection of practices extending beyond the select few who are highlighted. This form of visual journalism allows people anywhere in the globe to step into the nation for five minutes, which is more time than most could ever safely attain.

Pink is the New Colonial Blog

If Thomas Paine were to write “Common Sense” for the year 2007, several thoughts might come to mind. What war are Americans looking to mobilize for? What do Americans think of the current government? What sense of liberty do Americans hold?

Journalism is one of the greatest forms of liberty out there. Free media is an outlet to voice opinions about thoughts, and receive feedback in a public setting.

Dan Gilmor notes that personal journalism didn’t die with the muckrakers. The work of Stephens, Riis and Tarbell to enlighten society on microcosms of dysfunction from urban tenement life to oil blunders left a stamp of progressive action.

But do the blogs we read today leave the same trail of progressive motion that the pamphlets of the 18th century? There are news blogs out there, such as Evanston native Jim Romenesko’s guide to top stories in journalism.

Then there are the blogs on the growing topics that captivate the minds of soft news readers daily. For celebrity gossip hoards, there is “Pink is the New Blog.” For those who can’t stand reading the same Associated Press story on steroid use in major league baseball in 50 newspapers, Deadspin is a viable alternative.

By no means do I believe that hard news doesn’t exist. But when drawing a timeline from Thomas Paine to George W. Bush, the largest change that has taken place is what defines captivating news.

Just look at street corners in the greater Chicago area. The Tribune and Sun-Times sit in locked bins, requiring the ever so pricey 50 cents to purchase a copy. The Red Eye bins are often empty by 12 o’clock noon on campus.

Is there really any problem with this? Digesting thirty pages rather than butchering six sections sounds appealing. As Gilmor points to, one job of newspapers is to provoke public opinion. From their inception to the present, this still holds true, even with the Red Eye.

Size and price aside, the corporate era of journalism plays as large an impact as the shifting interests of readers’ news topics.

Companies like Gannett and the Tribune Company have a large stake in the newspaper business today. But when WGN faces off with the Tribune in a battle of resources, where will those assets go?

Gilmor cites corporatization of journalism as inevitable because of the consolidation of industries, disintegration of family enterprises and alterations to the rules of American capitalism.

He leaves out the aspect that effects most changes in public opinion: source of consumption. With the presence of technology lurking in the background, who would’ve predicted that Northwestern students consume television news via computer? Likewise, there was no telling that the crashing of an Internet network would cause more outcry than the stories displayed on news websites.

If Thomas Paine were to write this pamphlet today, he’d likely find Gilmor's assertion that the collective attention span of news consumers has shortened significantly. But most importantly, it is highly unlikely that the stories demanding coverage tomorrow will suffer from the marginalization that plagues news today.