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…so I’m cruising the hiways and byways of the Internet, checking out my favorite sites and dipping into my email when I come across one from the Society of Professional Journalists. Good after-hours reading. Hey – there’s a quiz at the end!
THIS WEEK’S QUIZ
What is the significance of Robert Outcault in journalism? For extra credit, in what newspaper did his work originate?
Now that’ll keep me occupied for a while, so I Google “Robert Outcault.” Name was kinda familiar…he was the cartoonist known in the 19th century as “The Yellow Kid.” From this moniker sprang the term “yellow journalism.”
Got the background from ThinkQuest. And further into this article is the meat that I’m currently gnawing on.
Yellow journalism is journalism at its worst. Journalism done for the masses meant to attract an audience. Truth, justice, and ethics are not part of the mix. And here’s the paragraph that has me mulling:
…this period of sensationalist news delivery (where the so-called yellow press routinely outsold the more honest, truthful, unbiased newspapers) does stand out as a particularly dark era in journalistic history. The demand of the United States people for absolutely free press allowed such aforementioned newspapers, which often appealed to the shorter attention spans and interests of the lower class, to print whatever they so desired…
Shades of (insert name of whatever publication or broadcast or Internet entity you feel fits here)!
This could have been written today…people think news should be free/or nearly free. They don’t want to pay for the good stuff – the real stuff – the stuff that takes time, effort, money to dig out. So they settle for second-hand and opinions and “almost” factual reporting.
Problem is not everyone will take heed of the advice at the end of this article:
If one disregards the obvious marketing that is used to hook readers, newspapers may actually prove to be reliable sources of information.
Sigh…ditto all media.
I “friended” a random person on facebook recently…and since have been reading his postings with great interest. So this week’s story ideas are courtesy information garnered from him.
Peter Brown is a clinical psychologist in my hometown, Brisbane, Australia.
Today he posted a Courier Mail story on how fear of pedophiles is putting all men in the danger of being accused. This story has been done over here…but some good quotes nonetheless.
But moving on…
I LOVED this one. How long does it take to form a habit?
Story idea – everyone, but everyone, has bad habits they want to lose and good habits they want to start using. Want to loose weight? Stop smoking? Be a nicer person? Quit chewing your fingernails? In order to be successful, you have to get in the HABIT of doing what cha wanna do. And that takes time. How much time? According to Brown’s posting:
Ask Google and you’ll get a figure of somewhere between 21 and 28 days. In fact there’s no solid evidence for this number at all. The 21 day myth may well come from a book published in 1960 by a plastic surgeon. Dr Maxwell Maltz noticed that amputees took, on average, 21 days to adjust to the loss of a limb and he argued that people take 21 days to adjust to any major life changes.
Good facts…interesting too because it explains why so many fail…they just don’t have a winning habit.
Here’s another one. Do you have a blankie? A bear or some over-loved worn-down object from your childhood that you just can’t let go of?
Psychologists call these items “transitional” objects…
objects that people feel a bond with, despite the fact that the relationship is, by definition, one-sided.
And these emotional attachments to objects is intense…the research Brown quotes shows that people become disturbed when they just cut up a photograph of the object they are attached to.
So the story idea here: are there folks in your community who (will admit to) have a “transitional” object they still hold on to. Who are they – why do they still have this lovey, blankie, bear? Do they hide it – are they ashamed of the child-like attachment? (what shape is it in?)
That’s it for now…but if you want to develop your own story ideas, never be afraid to listen to everyone you know. Last summer I was reading a reprint of a story from the LA times in my local paper…the story connected with me…and is now in my sights for shooting in the next month. Last night my husband and I were playing cards with his college roommate from 38 years ago and I found a story in his workplace – he owns a leather factory, making primarily belts but also fashion items with machinery more than a century old. Yes, we newsies are vultures…we eat our own young. But we provide great stories for our audiences!
Oh…and thank you Peter from some food for thought. I really do enjoy your blog and facebook postings.
This via OHITLT and crunchgear.com: real time manipulation of video.
Huh? What doest THAT mean?
Well…let’s say you’re setting up for a live skype and you notice there chipped paint on the wall behind you. No time to grab a brush and fix it, so you hop into your Diminished Reality software and erase it.
Here’s the link to the crunchvideo article.
Now for the real meat of this. Sometimes technology gives us wings to go where we shouldn’t go. I can see this or filmmaking…for fun. But for news?
Hey! Let’s clean up that background a bit…get rid of the graffiti on the wall…maybe cover up those stupid kids who are screwing up the scenery. Remove the offensive sign in the live shot of the demonstration.
Don’t even wanna go there…
(btw: when you look at the shot of the sink where the soap bar is removed, it still appears in the mirror. like i said – for fun only)
…unless you begin it on Day One of your adventure into the digital world AND you keep it up every day. Ya see, whether pro or aspiring pro, you’re gonna shoot hundreds of photos and hours of video and generate an awful lot of “stuff.” A wise person, of course, reviews and edits down even the raw data/video/photos – but you’ve still got a LOT of stuff. Get behind for a day or a week and the headache begins.
Well cruising b-roll has paid off again!
Pro-User Dennis Hart was caught in a nightmare of a situation, attempting to search thru twenty or thirty hard drives with hundreds of projects on them when he discovered DiskLibrary from ObviousMatter.
Here’s what he has to say about it:
“Indexes whatever’s on the disk automatically and puts it into a search-able data base. All for only $39. Tried it on a nearly full Terabyte drive and it worked flawlessly. Indexed thousands of files in under 15 minutes. Faster than data transfer. Highly recommend.”
I checked out their website and the program (which, from what I could see onsite is Mac only) will organize file formats from document to image to video and more.
Might be the magic pill for that oncoming headache…
With election day coming up, I’m working with my husband on educating our youngest on how to make an intelligent decision when she goes to the polls.
Where should she get her information before marking her ballot? Friends? Mentors? The media? All of the above?
Story idea: how DO folks arrive at their ballot choices? Is it based on careful thought or impulse? Does it tie in with their moral/spiritual beliefs? Is it based on rumors or gossip they’ve heard…on advertising? Do they vote a straight party line?
Our goal is to – first – have our daughter consider her own beliefs. What is important to her AND why is it important? Then the homework begins. Yes – listen to everyone, but listen for FACTS. Not opinions. The world abounds in opinions. It can get confusing. But if all you’re dong is listening to other folks’ opinions, they are the ones marking your ballot. Not you.
Next – in our state, California – read the election materials send out by the state/county – whoever prints it up. The arguments for both sides of the initiatives are presented as well as a neutral analysis of effects and costs.
This is not true of candidates though – so research becomes even more critical. When she reads the paper – watches TV – cruises the internet – she needs a mental list of facts she wants and needs to get those answered. What are the candidates stances on issues important to her. Does the candidate follow the wishes of his constituency or his or her own values. (Either is acceptable if you know your candidate and constituency.) What kind of person are they? (What is their track record as a politician or person – are they HONORABLE?)
Yeah – lots and lots of questions. That is IF you are gonna do it right. The little marks you put on paper can make a difference – what kind is up to how well you did your homework.
…when applying for jobs. A conundrum for me – I have some totally amazing work from the past, but nothing recent. Been spending way too much time on my duff pondering and writing. The curse of age.
What brings this on? A great posting by Chris Dunn from 10,000 Words on how and why to keep an up-to-date portfolio. While meant for still photogs, VJs can certainly take heed.
First – the three reasons to regularly edit your portfolio (my comments in parenthesis):
1. Forces you to revisit your recent work (time can reveal how old your work is – while my shooting is still steller, the quality of the video and editing patterns are a tell-tale).
2. It helps you notice patterns that you may want to change or continue. (In my years in the field I went thru several “style” changes…the worst being the early 90′s shoot like an idiot phases which aped the worst of the trend of stuff shot on grainy super-8 with continual camera movement)
3. It tells others you are an active photographer. (or VJ. Active meaning when they check out the dates on your stories they are frequently from the last few months. Keep adding on new and taking out old…this article recommends for still photogs 8-12 images. For VJs probably four stories is pushing it…and you should show a breaker or well-handled general news story/daily, a feature/in-depth which shows your ability to visualize, and if you are a true VJ, one that clearly demonstrates your writing/producing abilities)Summarized: keep that demo reel, getaway reel, resume reel current. Continually check it over and update it. Analyze your personal style and make sure your visuals demonstrate your trademark style. Shoot shoot shoot.
Looks like an old lady is heading back into the field to heed the advice above…
Yesterday I posted an example of kinetic typography…using words only to tell a story onscreen.
Well, today Mindy McAdams sent out a link from 10,000 Words via facebook that tells all. What is it and how to do it.
Here’s an example in of using KT for a news story.
I gotta try this!
Once upon a time I had a principal I thought would make a difference – and he did for many. His dream was a non-traditional school which would reach students and give them both responsibility and freedom to learn and excel. But (my opinion) he moved on and back into the jungle of educationese and was lost amid the hoards. His legacy is a high school that almost is what could have been – although it is a remarkable school nonetheless.
Today I got an email about a school that is and may be everything a school should be.
Bob Greenman with visualthesaurus posted a story today that almost made me cry with joy.
Now I was only a teacher for eight years – three in a fairly non-traditional high school and five in what is termed a “comprehensive” high school. Schools where seat time and discipline were paramount. Rigid. By the BOOK.
Greenman’s story is about Edward R. Murrow High School.
“All of this — the absence of bells, bathroom passes and most regimentation, the college-like atmosphere, the subject titles — and the effect it would have on students’ lives, now and long after high school, existed because Saul Bruckner, Murrow’s principal, believed in the dignity of young people and the need to treat them with respect, understanding and compassion.”
A principal who valued freedom above order. Where chaos seems to be the order of the day, but learning IS the current that drives students.
The dream is possible. And it is all about freedom. To think. to grow up. To be responsible. (Transparency: I was NOT motivated to showcase this school just because of the name and the fact they prefer broadcasting over athletics. Not too much. My principal also valued technology and freedom, but was fettered by regulation and the ruts of time-worn tradition.)
Addendum: Why should I be posting this on a VJ blog? I’ve always maintained that videojournalism is the link between everything a student learns in school. The English for writing, Social Sciences for understanding society and a perspective of history, math for analysis and linking data, PE for being able to grab and gear and run, art for aesthetics, and so on. Education comes together in the studio, the edit suite, in the field where above all they learn responsibility (with their gear, time management, getting it done).
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