Assistance Wanted
Photographers and Assistants have their say.
Wanted:
Hard working, energetic, responsible person able to carry 90-pound bags and rewire small electronics. Must not be afraid of heights or susceptible to motion sickness. Be equally as enthusiastic about working with fashion models and celebrities as with livestock, inanimate objects, mops and brooms. Must be able to wake up early, work long hours and function on little sleep. Valid driver's license and passport required; multiple languages a plus.
Introduction
Here follows the lecture prompts for part I of my 2008/9 lectures on Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR). For part II on sources - see here.
Because of the speed at which new initiatives (and relevant research examples) come and go in this field, I'll be adding updates on this post from time to time.
But to stay fully up to date with developments, keep an eye on my blog and website.
Computer Assisted Research (CAR): why?
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Once research was the domain of librarians and researchers - not anymore.
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Rapid developments in online technologies; contributor finding, fact-checking, current awareness, multimedia.
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Changes in the news landscape (fragmentation of market and 'efficiency drives').
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Journalists must now do all their own research.
Attitude Counts
Guidelines for Assistants
By Pamela Kruzic
The following is a compilation of responses that the author received after posting an inquiry on the ASMP members-only forum at [www.asmp.org] combined with her own experience as an assistant. Information providers: David Budd, Alan Farkas, George Fulton, Ira Mark Gostin, Tom Hussey, Jeffrey Jacobs, Deborah Gray Mitchell, Harrison Northcutt, Michael Sharp. Edited by: Ira Mark Gostin and Michael Sharp. Special thanks to Jerrianne Lowther and Roy Buckner.
about cij
The Centre for Investigative Journalism (CIJ) advances education for, and public understanding of; investigative journalism, critical inquiry, and in-depth reporting and research.
CIJ is a registered charity offering high-level training, resources and research to the community, journalists, students, non-governmental organisations and others interested in public integrity and the defence of the public interest.
The Centre runs international summer schools, produces publications to help present landmark investigations, offers training in appropriate techniques, organises debates, speakers and screenings on critical issues - all designed to nourish the culture and professional standards of investigative journalism.
We are assembling a significant archive of investigative material. It can assist and defend investigations and provide research materials, advice and resources to NGOs, community activists, journalists and researchers. The CIJ offers particular assistance to those working in difficult environments where freedom of speech and of the press is under threat and where reporting can be a dangerous occupation.
Words of Wisdom: Chad A. Stevens on learning important multimedia skills
Posted by Jessica Stuart, October 1st, 2009 No Comments »
We're kicking off a new series on the blog, talking with educators and journalism students about the value of Journalism school and the multimedia skills students need to start their careers.
There has been a lot of discussion lately on whether it's worth it to go to Journalism school, and whether students are learning the multimedia skills they need to be successful in a pretty rough market. As the school year gets back underway, we're getting more and more questions from students wondering what skills they need to acquire to land jobs.
Obviously, there are no simple answers to these questions, but we hope to offer up some words of wisdom for students and others interested in the profession, especially during this time of transition.
Chad2
We're going to kick it off with Chad A. Stevens- a former MediaStorm Producer, who is now an Assistant Professor at UNC Chapel Hill.
Words of Wisdom: Chad A. Stevens on learning important multimedia skills
Posted by Jessica Stuart, October 1st, 2009 No Comments »
We're kicking off a new series on the blog, talking with educators and journalism students about the value of Journalism school and the multimedia skills students need to start their careers.
There has been a lot of discussion lately on whether it's worth it to go to Journalism school, and whether students are learning the multimedia skills they need to be successful in a pretty rough market. As the school year gets back underway, we're getting more and more questions from students wondering what skills they need to acquire to land jobs.
Obviously, there are no simple answers to these questions, but we hope to offer up some words of wisdom for students and others interested in the profession, especially during this time of transition.
Chad2
We're going to kick it off with Chad A. Stevens- a former MediaStorm Producer, who is now an Assistant Professor at UNC Chapel Hill.
In 2007, Dóchas members adopted a Code of Conduct on Images and Messages. The purpose of this Code is to provide a framework which organisations can refer to when designing and implementing their public communication strategy.
The Dóchas Code offers a set of guiding principles that can assist organisations in their decision-making about which images and messages to choose in their communication while maintaining full respect for human dignity.
By signing the Code, Development NGOs commit to a set of principles, ensuring that they will avoid stereotypical or sensational images. The adoption of the Code means that aid agencies will choose images and messages that represent the full complexity of the situations in which they work, and that they will seek the permission of the people portrayed in the photos they use.
Data visualization resources
While I was shamelessly picking the brain of Matt Waite in recent weeks, he advised me that if I don't have more than three to five weeks to spend on "data" (sort of akin to what we used to call "computer-assisted reporting"), what I should focus on is teaching the students something about data visualization.
Street Level was founded in 1989. From its inception it has provided artists and the public with the opportunity to produce and participate in photography and lens-based media. It aims to make artistic production accessible, both physically and intellectually, to a wide audience. Recognised for its integrated practice, the organisation promotes the work of artists through exhibitions, commissions, residencies, and publications; an education programme; community collaborations; open access facilities and training courses for the public.
The exhibitions programme supports both emerging and established artists from local, national and international sources. Earlier exhibitions have included such diverse artists as Ian Breakwell, Chila Kumari Burman, Peter Kennard, Daniel Reeves, Maud Sulter, Andrew Stones, David Levinthal, and Elizabeth and Iftikhar Dadi. Critical ideas are also fostered through talks, symposia, and publications. Exhibitions and projects from the past five years are being listed on the archive section of the website.
The education programme involves a range of collaborations in the community, with schools and with agencies working across areas of inclusion, social justice, and equalities. It aims to enable the creativity of non-artists, increase involvement by under-represented groups, and assist the artistic programme by engaging participants. A chronological list of projects will be listed on our education archive.
AKE Group
The world of the 21st century presents many risks to the effective development and prosecution of business, particularly in developing markets. While modern communication has created the impression of a global village it has distorted our perception of the reality of risk.
Since 1991 AKE has helped clients perform more effectively despite the risks of their operational environment. Our holistic approach to risk mitigation seeks to provide solutions with the aim of assisting our clients:
'To protect the integrity of the operation in order to maximise potential'
AKE's six service lines: Intelligence, Security, Training, Medical, Contingencies (Emergency Planning, Crisis Management and Crisis Response) and Insurance create a unique capability to deliver effective solutions for clients.
AKE provides integrated solutions, added value and Assures Integrity
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Nick Turpin Ditches his SB-800s for a Cell Phone
(RSS and email subscribers may have to click on the post title to see the video.)
Remember Nick Turpin, who did those beautiful SB-800-lit street portraits of thriller writers for Arena Magazine?
Now, he has ditched even those and is shooting his current month-long campaign for Samsung using only a cell phone. No DSLRs, no flashes, no female assistants holding long poles. And he is not even in control of what he is shooting -- you are.
Your clicks on each new photo in the the evolving site decide where he is going next. It is live now, at The Photographic Adventures of Nick Turpin. You can follow his cell-phone video diary from his trek via his YouTube Channel, too.
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Welcome to our portrait, in imagery and sound, of a refugee community. This presentation accompanies Wendy James' study of how Sudan's civil wars have affected just one among many minority groups who have lived through loss and displacement. You are invited to enter a series of eight clusters of video clips which illustrate the memory rich landscape of Bonga, one of several refugee settlements in Ethiopia where displaced Sudanese sought safety and assistance over the last two generations. To view the video clips, you will need a broadband connection and Flash 8 player. There are also a few audio clips which require a quicktime player. "
Wimba Classroom 6.0 Participant Guide
This Help Guide is designed to assist you with Wimba Classroom to participate in an interactive session or view an archived presentation. You will also find information for solving technical problems.
Some general comments on the "Twitter Experiment"
by Monica Rankin (UT Dallas)
There has been a lot of interest in the "Twitter Experiment" video posted by Kim Smith chronicling my U.S. History class at U.T. Dallas and our use of twitter in the classroom. I have fielded a number of inquiries from educators across the United States and even overseas who are interested in finding ways to use social networking in an educational setting. This write-up is intended as an informal summary of my use of twitter in the classroom. I hope it will help to clarify my experience and I welcome additional questions and commentary, particularly suggestions for how to improve this type of classroom interaction.
The class:
I used twitter in the basic U.S. History II survey course at U.T. Dallas in the spring 2009 semester. This is a "core" course requirement in the state of Texas. It generally enrolls students from all majors across campus. At the beginning of the semester, there were 90 students enrolled in my class. The class met in a large auditorium-style classroom on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 11:30-12:20. I had one graduate student teaching assistant to help with grading and other administrative duties for the class.
Dr. Rankin, professor of History at UT Dallas, wanted to know how to reach more students and involve more people in class discussions both in and out of the classroom. She had heard of Twitter... She collaborated with the UT Dallas, Arts and Technology - Emerging Media and Communications (EMAC) http://www.emac.utdallas.edu faculty and as a Graduate student in EMAC I assisted her in her experiment and documented it for a digital video class with Professor Dean Terry, @therefore, and a collaboration and content creation course with Dan Langendor, @dlangendorf.
This is an article of particular interest to the Citizen Photojournalism project. Writer Alissa Quart writes for the Columbia Journalism review amongst others, and in this article, she considers the impact of citizen photojournalism on agencies and professional photojournalism in general.
I must say that during last Sunday's riots in the Old CIty of Jerusalem the citizen journalists outnumbered those who were rioting . At least 6 photographers complained about their difficulties of capturing an image without someone sticking a cell phone or other small camera into the frame .
A Palestinian man poked his head of the entrance of his home and asked me to assist a Norwegian man who ran into his home to seek safety but was too afraid to leave the area and was trapped . I helped the man make his way down the alley that separated the masked Palestinian youths who were throwing stones towards the Israeli border police at the other end and told him to stick to my side where he would be more protected by the stone building along the way . This has happened a number of times during my coverage of the Palestinian Israeli conflict and in some ways hinders a photojournalist because they leave the scene to assist someone else , can endanger them further my walking in between lines however even the seasoned professionals have opted out of situations that risked their own safety .
Throughout history, war has affected media, with conflict often creating an information void. In the 21st century, media has begun to affect war more than