Citizen Journalists to be syndicated

Citizen journalism site AllVoices has launched a syndication programme to bring professional and amateur newsgatherers together, according to a report on Journalism.co.uk, following in the footsteps of the likes of AssociatedContent.com, who already pay fees to their contributors.

Content providers will now receive 75% of the money paid for non-exclusive and exclusive images and video content whilst retaining copyright of the material.

AllVoices' Chief Operating Officer Aki Hashmi told the website that they are in talks with 'traditional' media groups in the US, Europe, Middle East and south Asia.

"The syndication programme is very good news for the community; it’s very good news for traditional media, because they’re looking for global content and most of them have been very dependent on Reuters and the AP," said Hashmi.

"These have become the global providers of news, but, if you look at it, in 40 per cent of the countries they have no coverage.

"If you have a platform where you can bring professional and citizen journalists together you can have global reach."

The programme has been developed after content providers expressed an interest in monetising their material.

According to Hashimi, the technology powering the site makes publishing and distributing contributors' work online low cost, enabling the site to give the majority of any sale fee back to the user.

This follows an incentive scheme that was launched earlier this year for contributors and is the next stage in marketing the site's content, which attracts more than 3.2million unique users per month.

A Look Ahead from `Oasis of Optimism'

Last week's Online News Association convention in San Francisco (see post below) was "an oasis of optimism," reports Jacqui Banaszynski, a long-time journalist and currently the Knight Chair in Editing at the University of Missouri School of Journalism.

The crowd gazing at the relatively near horizon identified a variety of "Web 3.0" tools and trends that seem to hold enormous promise for journalists. Banaszynski summarizes a few of them:

* GoogleWave, which observers think could be the next ... well, Google. ChicagoTalks.org publisher Barbara Iverson says Google’s soon-to-be-released real-time sharing tool is "the latest blockbuster in the communications journey that has taken us from phone to Napster to Facebook to Twitter," Banaszynski reports. "It will apparently make the hiccup of time spent waiting on Twitter or IMs seem limiting."

* Facebook Connect is seen as a powerful tool for building online communities around a product or message. It will let people log in to a website directly through their Facebook accounts. Those users will then have real identities, which the optimists say should boost transparency, accountability and even civility.

* Twitter, "already the stud of the online world, is taking steroids," Banaszynski says. Co-founder Evan Williams mentioned three specifics: Twitter lists to let you more easily aggregate and organize the Twitterverse, as well as send group messages; location information embedded into every tweet; and a still-in-the-works “reputation system” designed to make tweets more transparent and verifiable.

Other predictions include more video, less podcasting -- and a surge in online initiatives by and for women.

Apps for BlackBerry-Wielding Journalists

The Orlando Sentinel's technology reporter, Etan Horowitz, offers a Top 10 list of (mostly free) Blackberry apps for journalists at PoynterOnline.org.

(Coming later this week from Horowitz: A list of iPhone apps, followed by a comparison of Blackberry and iPhone. Check Poynter's "Online and Technology" site to keep up!)

Both the iPhone and Blackberry offer online apps stores. You'll need to download "BlackBerry App World" if it didn't come on your phone. If you can't find an app you want there, Horowitz says, it can be downloaded from the developer's Web site on your BlackBerry browser.

Here's his list:

* Qik: Enables you to broadcast live video from your phone. Qik videos are embeddable, and a live stream can be posted on Twitter, Facebook and other sites. Qik is an easy way to cover breaking news visually.

* UberTwitter: Faster and with more features than TwitterBerry, this free program makes it easy to promote your work, crowd-source and stay on top of breaking news. It also lets you e-mail tweets and upload both photos and videos.

* BlackBerry Messenger: The instant messaging programme (allowing you to communicate with other BlackBerry users) includes the ability to group messages and to see when the other person is typing -- helpful when you need to know if someone is about to respond. Horowitz says Sentinel photographers and photo editors use BlackBerry Messenger because it allows them to send information quickly without interrupting a photographer on assignment.

* Google Mobile App: This app allows journalists who use Google products and services, such as Gmail or Google Maps, to get easy access to them on their BlackBerry.

* Evernote: You cannot edit or create new Google Docs on a BlackBerry, but Evernote provides a handy way to write notes that are accessible on the Web. For instance, you could start writing a story on Evernote on the BlackBerry, then pull it up on Evernote.com when you return to your computer. Evernote also enables you to record audio notes and to store documents or photos.

* Google Voice: For journalists who don't want to ever miss a call from a source, or who want to screen calls, Horowitz writes, "Google Voice is a godsend." The app also transcribes voice mails, enables you to record conversations and lets you switch from your cell to your office phone in the middle of the conversation.

* Opera Mini: The Web browser installed on your BlackBerry may not be a full HTML browser, so some pages won't load and others will be displayed in a text format. Opera Mini is an alternative browser that displays Web pages in an easier-to-view format on your phone.

* Facebook: The social networking site has become a valuable tool for journalists who want to find sources and story ideas, promote their work and engage readers. The BlackBerry version sports a basic interface; it enables you to upload photos (but not video) to Facebook.

* Tethering: Rather than an app, tethering is a feature that gives the BlackBerry an advantage over the iPhone, Horowitz writes. Depending on your rate plan, you can connect it to your computer and use it as a modem to get online.

* Vlingo: This app lets you use voice commands to perform such tasks as sending text messages, opening applications, and updating your Twitter or Facebook status. Both free and paid versions are available.

Debating Journalism’s Big Questions

An online resource now holds over 90 interviews and op-eds discussing the future of news in the digital age.

The Future of Journalism project is featured on the OurBlook website, which proclaims to be a cross between a blog and a book.

It is a collaborative resource which has dozens of interviews with industry experts sharing their thoughts on some of the biggest challenges facing journalism.

The site also has opinion pieces from journalists and academics pondering subjects such as citizen journalism and business models of the future.

Writing on the Online Journalism Review, OurBlook staffer Sandra Ordonez says: “The website is a collaborative, Web 2.0 platform created for the exchange of research, information and dialogue on national and global issues.”

She adds that the interviews and pieces have been compiled into an online book and can be viewed on OurBlook’s Future of Journalism pages.

How-To Videos On YouTube Channel

A YouTube channel dedicated to online journalism is building its stock of videos from industry experts and practitioners.

Launched in April, the YouTube Reporters' Center already holds more than 30 videos offering tips on key aspects of digital journalism.

Categories include Expert Videos, Interviews and Profiles, Investigative Reporting, and Ethics, Law & Fact-Checking.



Among the industry insiders offering the benefit of their experience are veteran investigative reporter Bob Woodward, CBS news anchor Katie Couric, and HuffPost founder Arianna Huffington.

In addition to these general advice pieces, there are also technical instructional videos such as this one from Reuters.com about filming effective video interviews.



And this video from Bloomberg TV gives some valuable tips on how to tell a story with numbers.



YouTube says of the citizen reporting resource: “The YouTube Reporters’ Center is a new resource to help you learn more about how to report the news.”

Free raw video, courtesy of the PA

A free Press Association video wire service will be available to regional newspapers from Tuesday 5 May, the PA Group has announced.

The video wire, which will be available on a trial basis, will provide raw, editable footage of the day's main stories. It will cover up to 30 stories a day across news, sport and entertainment, including interview clips and cutaways.

The agency says its training arm also will provide courses on video editing to help newspaper clients get full value from the new service.

PA has been producing pre-packaged video content for media websites since 2005, primarily as edited clips. This material will continue to be available.

However, as HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk reported, the new wire service is the first time that video has been available to customers on an unedited basis alongside text and picture content.

How To – Shoot Video For The Web

The all-important basics for shooting Web video are featured in the latest Reporter’s Guide to Multimedia Proficiency post from Mindy McAdams.

Blogger and academic McAdams has reached part 12 in the series and turned her attention to filming video pieces for news websites.

Here’s a summary of her guidelines:

What’s A Story?

McAdams asserts that video packages should not rely on facts like a report, but rather seek to tell a story.

This requires journalists to be genuinely curious about the subject and able to find and identify the interesting, the unusual and the unexpected.

What’s Worth Capturing?

This means going around without a camera and microphone at first in order to get an idea of what’s happening and what would make an interesting image etc.

When To Shoot?

McAdams suggests that interview subjects will talk about the things the reporter asks them about – so get material first and then pose your questions, rather then shooting footage to fit an interviewee’s responses.

What To Shoot?

Taking her cue from video journalism blogger Angela Grant, McAdams says the question of what to shoot comes down to three things: “I like to call them ‘action or activity’; emotion; and ‘you’ve got to see it to believe it.’”

How To Shoot?

McAdams suggests beginners should try to keep camera movement to a minimum – no panning or tilting – and shoot short clips of action.

How Much To Shoot?

The five-shot method is recommended – where five different shots are taken of each action to increase your options when editing.


Visit McAdams’s Teaching Online Journalism blog for the full post and for some useful links to other resources and blog posts on video journalism.

The Reporter’s Guide to Multimedia Proficiency also includes posts on blogs and RSS feeds, and creating audio-visual slideshows.

Press Gazette Ceases Online News

PressGazette.co.uk will stop publishing journalism news from this weekend as its offline counterpart is to close.

Next month’s issue of the trade magazine Press Gazette will be the last and the website will no longer publish online content, according to owner Wilmington.



An announcement formally confirming the closure of the magazine and addressing the issue of the website was published on the site this week.

“During Wilmington’s stewardship there have been several positive developments. One has been the rapidly increasing traffic to the online edition of Press Gazette.

“Whilst we will no longer be able to offer the magazine’s content online, we aim to develop this site as a resource for the UK journalism community, and we plan to roll out additional functionality in the coming months.”

Wilmington managing director Les Kelly confirmed to media commentator Roy Greenslade that the site will continue, but will not feature any stories.

He said: “There will not be news coverage but we will develop the site to offer other services, such as training and freelance referrals.”

Reactions to the announcement can be found on HoldtheFrontPage.co.uk and in this Paid Content article from former PG staffer Patrick Smith.

Site To Cover Parliament Debates

A new website providing comprehensive coverage of the goings on within the House of Commons is to be launched next month.

The brainchild of Tony Grew, I Spy Strangers describes itself as the product of “a non-partisan, not-for-profit group” which will provide an accessible record of parliamentary debates.

Speaking to Press Gazette, the former editor of Pink News said the website will provide the kind of coverage not offered by the mainstream media.

“At the moment, only the BBC provides that sort of coverage - and we don’t think that’s acceptable in a democratic society,” said Grew.

He added: “There’s a gap in the market for people interested in democracy, but who haven’t the time to go through Hansard.

“We want to go back to accurate, engaging reports of what was said. We think there is a lot of good stuff that’s missed.”



Set for launch on April 20, I Spy Strangers is currently staffed by volunteer journalists, photographers and web designers.

Grew aims to employ salaried workers in the future and is working to secure funding from organisations committed to widening public access to democracy.

Chat Answers Tech Q’s For Journalists

Two technology experts recently put themselves at the mercy of journalists and their tech questions.

And the end result is an interesting and informative webchat, full of advice, suggestions and lots of links to further resources.

Hosted by Poynter Online, “Ask a Geek” gave reporters, developers and students the opportunity to put their posers to Tyson Evans – interface engineer at nytimes.com – and Jacob Kaplan-Moss – lead developer of django.

Among the subjects discussed are: News widgets, Twitter, interactive features, content management systems and the best ways to start a website from scratch.

Powered by CoveritLive, the webchat has become an archived chat and is well worth a look.

BBC Opens Journalism Training Sites

A network of journalism training websites is being made publicly accessible by the BBC for the first time.

The microsites form part of the corporation’s Virtual College of Journalism and are now being opened to journalists around the world.

Each site contains text and video guides and advice about many aspects of reporting, with sites offering these services and resources in over 30 different languages.

The project will also provide public access to the online training and guides used currently by BBC journalists.

“One of the most important things that we need to think about and do is teach journalism to the next generation and to the new leaders within journalism,” said Kevin Marsh, editor of the BBC College of Journalism.

Marsh announced the move at the recent Digital News Affairs conference in Brussels, and further information on his talk can be found on the BBC dot.life blog and on journalism.co.uk.

And the progress of the Virtual College can be followed via its Twitter feed.

How To: Plan Online Projects

A step-by-step guide to creating online journalism projects has been published by academic and blogger Ryan Thornburg.

On The Future of News blog, Thornburg has posted a six-point guide to producing an online news feature which takes journalists from the initial brainstorming stages through to execution and realisation of the project.

Here are his six stages:

*A product concept

In its simplest form, Thornburg believes this means starting “with a good question”.

But getting to this good question takes in finding out who your audience is and what they want to know.

*A storyboard

Thornburg writes that the storyboard’s “real power lies in its ability to get you thinking about non-linear storytelling - stories through which each consumer can choose his or her own path”.

He adds that when storyboarding “you’ll also want to note the medium you’ll use to tell that part of the story.”

*Asset management

Comprises several elements including file-naming conventions, version control and stylesheets.

*A clear workflow

Using a dedicated software package or Excel / Google spreadsheets, this helps organise who’s doing what tasks etc.

*A financial budget

“Even if you don’t have to worry about the financial costs of building something, it’s important to keep a constant eye on the opportunity costs.”

*A testing and quality assurance procedure


Visit Thornburg’s The Future of News blog for the full post, which contains links to some useful planning resources.

Washington Who’s Who Launched

The Washington Post has unveiled a website dedicated to the people and personalities that make up the city’s political class.

WhoRunsGov.com has currently launched in a beta version, boasting in-depth profiles of America’s senators, representatives, Pentagon officials and administrative staff.



For example, each senator profile provides a career biography of its subject as well as information on their views, voting records and key collaborators.

According to PR Inside, the aim is to provide a free online resource holding policy biographies on all the key decision-makers working in politics, law, and the military.

In addition, the site notes that the first group of profiles has been created by a dedicated editorial unit within the Washington Post.

The website’s creators plan to enable users to upload their own profiles of government figures in the future when the resource becomes more of a moderated wiki.

“The site gives political, business and opinion leaders, as well as students, educators and engaged citizens, a destination for crucial, real-time information on Washington’s key players,” said Rachel Van Dongen, the editor of WhoRunsGov.com.

She added: “This is the first phase of a new venture to create a uniquely collaborative and rich information resource that demystifies the individuals behind Washington’s policy-making process.”

The site also includes a regularly updated Washington politics news blog entitled The Plum Line.

[HT - Editors Weblog]

Site Offers Tech Tips For Journalists

Helping reporters to use digital technology is the aim of a new website launched by a techie and a journalist.

NewsTechZilla is the brainchild of two Tennessee-based bloggers looking to aid journalists who are relatively new to the world of digital media.

The site essentially comprises two blogs – one categorised as “From the tech perspective” and the other hosting posts “From the journalist perspective”.



The tech blog provides journalists with practical tips and features posts on using tools like Twitter and on subjects such as Search Engine Optimization.

Responding to the question of why they created this site, founders Trace Sharp and Scott Adcox write: “The genesis of this project was the countless conversations we’ve had over IM discussing these very issues, time spent reading about the shifting media.

“One day, it just made sense to make these conversations public so others could benefit and contribute.”

They conclude: “Our hope is that we can all learn from each other and discuss the changes that are taking place in news, media, and technology.”

[HT – Poynter Online.]

‘Embrace Video Or Die!’

Newspapers have to get to grips with online video if they want to survive in the future, according to Michael Rosenblum.

The video journalism visionary said reporters need to accept and embrace the new platform rather than hide away from it, reports Press Gazette.

Rosenblum pointed to comparative industries where the failure to harness new technologies has resulted in businesses going bust or falling behind.

He told the assembled audience at the Society of Editors conference: “As the web goes to video there’s a sort of Gresham’s Law - more dynamic media drives out less dynamic media.”

The former CBS producer added: “If you only have print or stills and your competitor has video, you’re going to get eaten.”

And he said there are no excuses for journalists to shy away from video now that the technology has become relatively cheap and easy.

“Any idiot can do this, making TV is not hard, it’s not complicated, it’s not difficult. The technology makes it incredibly simple.”

Rosenblum continued: “A nine-year-old can produce professional material and the cost is next to zero.”

Visit the Society of Editors site for further details on his speech, meanwhile guardian.co.uk has a video interview with Rosenblum on its Organ Grinder blog.

SPOTLIGHT – BLOG I

Welcome to this fortnight’s post for the SPOTLIGHT series, where we’ll be concentrating on another aspect of the digital world.

This week we’re looking at the rather expansive subject of blogs – so expansive in fact that it’s going to be split into a “Blog Trilogy” with three instalments over the next few weeks.

Today we’re looking at examples of mainstream media bloggers who produce blogs for their newspaper or broadcaster.

While Parts II and III will look at user-generated blogs, the independent blogosphere as well as mobile and video blogging.

Back to today, we’ll be providing a picture of the online newspaper blogging landscape in the UK and have some interesting examples from the US.

Then we’ll take a look at some of the resources available for journalists looking to take their first step on the blogging ladder.

Blog – What is it?

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a blog is “a frequently updated website consisting of personal observations, excerpts from other sources, etc., typically run by a single person, and usually with hyperlinks to other sites; an online journal or diary”.

SOA offers a more detailed definition, adding that a blog consists of entries presented in reverse chronological order with the latest posts (blog entries) showing first.

As we shall see from the examples below, newspaper blogs come in all shapes and sizes and range from the personal and opinionated to news round-ups (like this blog) to breaking news platforms.

However, they usually share these key features:

• Regular updates
• Posts presented by latest first
• Links to sources within posts
• Links to relevant websites in form of a blogroll
• Space for user comments


Why blog?

Journalists and editors may well be asking themselves what all this has to do with them. Should they be blogging? And if the answer is yes, what are the advantages to blogs?

Experienced journalist Alfred Hermida recently addressed the question of “Why blogs should play a role in journalism” on – where else – his blog, where he argues for more debate about its potential role as a publishing platform for reporters.

Meanwhile, new media pioneer Steve Outing advocates that reporters should start blogging to better understand how the “modern consumer interacts with media and news”.

[2008 All For Online]

And Scott Karp on his Publishing 2.0 blog goes even further and suggests all journalists should start blogging as it will enable them to become publishers and to build portfolios of online work.

Of course, not everyone subscribes to these views and Guardian technology correspondent Bobbie Johnson explains here why he believes blogging isn’t suited to all journalists.


BLOGGING LANDSCAPE

There are a number of ways newspapers in the UK and beyond are incorporating blogs into their digital output.

To get an idea of what’s happening, we’ll take a look at some examples of editorial blogs, breaking news blogs and beat blogs.


Editorial Blogs

These usually provide a behind-the-scenes peek at the newsroom, explaining the decision-making process behind issues such as story selection and headline choices.

They provide a place for interaction between readers and the newsroom and can be group blogs or written by individual members of staff.

Examples include BBC blog The Editors, Sky News’s Editors’ Blog and the Birmingham Post’s News Blog, which has devoted several posts to editorial matters.

Some good examples from the US include the Fresno Bee with its Ask the Editors blog, the Raleigh News & Observer’s Editor’s Blog and the Los Angeles Times’s Readers’ Representative Journal.

The advantages of managing such an interactive service are discussed in a recent American Journalism Review piece.

[Editorial Blogs ‘Open Conversation’]

Meanwhile, a sort of hybrid editorial/personal genre of blog is cropping up in the UK on regional press websites.

A growing number of blogs penned by editors are appearing which discuss editorial decisions and provide an insight into their daily lives.

Some are more personal than others and leading the pack in that regard is Alistair Machray’s blog for the Liverpool Echo, where he chronicles his home and office lives.

Next up is Birmingham Mail editor Steve Dyson who’ll blog one day about putting together a splash and the next about his near-death choking experiences.

Joining Dyson in the blogosphere is Birmingham Post editor Marc Reeves who last month launched a blog entitled "What a UK daily newspaper editor is learning about online journalism".

[Second Brum Editor Launches Blog]

Other examples of these “edistorial” blogs include Mark Thomas’s blog for the Liverpool Daily Post and Adrian Seals’s blog for the Uxbridge Gazette.

Oh, and if you’re interested in some of the potential pitfalls of blogging, check out Seal’s latest post where he appeals to the person who’s sent him 217 blank replies during the past 24 hours to kindly desist.


Breaking news via blogs

The first known case of a newspaper using a blog to issue breaking news occurred in 1998 with the Charlotte Observer’s reporting of Hurricane Bonnie, according to Cyberjournalist.

And Online Journalism Review says a breaking news blog is a must-have for newsrooms in 2008, citing examples of its success in 2007 with the LA Times’s coverage of the Californian wildfires.

[OJR’s Online Lessons From ‘07]

The advantages of blogs for breaking stories can be seen from the BBC’s coverage of the plane crash at Heathrow in January where political editor Nick Robinson found himself at the end of the runway on another plane.

He posted updates from his vantage point directly to his blog, thus turning his political blog into a breaking news resource.

And the fastest way to break news with blogs? Well, according to Steve Outing it’s by using micro-blogging service Twitter (of which we’ll hear more in Part III).

The website enables members, using text messages, instant messaging and the web, to submit short posts (known as tweets).

Outing reckons regional newspapers should harness its capabilities for their own ends by getting reporters in the field to “tweet” about stories breaking on their patch and direct readers to these posts.

[Tweet – To Who?]

It’s a tactic followed by Birmingham Post journalist Joanna Geary who was twittering not long after February’s earthquake.


Beat Blogs

Journalists blogging by theme has been an established feature of newspaper websites for some time.

Cyberjournalist has a wiki containing a list of ongoing newspaper blogs and it’s certainly worth seeing to get an idea of which websites have an established blog network.

Also, if you write a blog then you can visit the wiki and add yourself to the ever-growing ranks.

Among the newspapers aiming to create blog networks as an integral part of their online offerings in the UK is the relaunched Birmingham Mail.

[Mail Aims To Be Midlands Portal]

Beat blogs are not only a way of distributing news, but are also a way of generating stories due to the interaction with users.

Citizen journalism pioneer Jay Rosen is putting this to the test with his latest venture – Beatblogging.org.

Rosen has teamed up with a dozen reporters who are experimenting with the social networking potential of beat blogs as a way of creating leads and meeting new sources.

[And The Beat Goes On]

And for anyone interested in what makes a good beat blog, Rosen and his team’s research into America’s best blogging newspapers is worth a look.

Finally, if you’re curious about the popularity of such blogs, Martin Belam produced a chart last year showing the most popular UK newspaper blogs by subscribers.


How Do I Begin Blogging?

There’s a plethora of online resources advising people on the best way to blog so here’s just a few to provide a starting point.

For general blogs, Publishing 2.0 offers some practical tips with this post.

Poynter Online’s “How to start a news blog” is short but sweet and Alfred Hermida offers some ideas about how to begin a breaking news blog.

A more in-depth discussion about journalism and blogging is available from Blog-Talk Radio.

The programme is hosted by new media professor Sree Sreenivasan and features best practice tips for print and broadcast journalist bloggers.

For those who want to cut to the chase, Poynter has a short round-up of the highlights of the show.


What About You?

So that’s it for BLOG I, hope there’s some useful information in there for any curious would-be bloggers.

Next time we’ll be looking at the world of user-generated blogs while the final part will look at independent bloggers and new trends such as mobile and video blogging.

And if you’re a journalist or editor with your own blog we’d love to hear from you and maybe we can include your blog in future instalments or regular blog posts.

SPOTLIGHT 1 - VIDEO

Welcome to SPOTLIGHT, a new series of posts for the JP Digital Digest where we focus on a key area of interest within digital journalism.

The fortnightly feature concentrates on local news providers and will include a round-up of recent blog stories on the chosen theme.

It will also offer pointers to useful web-based resources for visitors who want to find out more.

ONLINE VIDEO

In this first instalment we’re looking at online video, a development referred to recently as “the most visible change for local papers” in the digital age.

According to university lecturer and blogger Paul Bradshaw, the possibilities of using the medium online “have gone largely unexplored” by local news publishers.

Well, let’s take a look at some examples to see how newsrooms are taking up the challenge of video production.

Incidentally, we’ll be leaving vlogging, vodcasting, mobiles and user-generated videos to future posts and concentrate here on in-house video news packages.

Being First

Breaking news stories provide fertile ground for effective local news films and this week’s earthquake saw one site in particular making the most of the opportunity.

The Grimsby Telegraph found itself in the middle of the action and captured footage of repair operations before daybreak on Wednesday.

[‘Quaking News’ Draws Web Traffic]

Journalist Gareth Parry-Jones also secured video interviews with a fire officer and the manager of a Tesco store close to the epicentre.

Later on in the day, the Manchester Evening News added an ‘earthquake aftermath’ piece to their website showing damage done to properties and featuring interviews with residents.



The MEN gets its video news from local TV station Channel M, which now shares an intergrated newsroom with the newspaper.

From breaking news stories to exclusives – and a couple of newspapers recently demonstrated their commitment to being the first with local stories through the use of video.

First up is video journalist James Shaw at the Shropshire Star, who filmed two different sets of protestors greeting the arrival of Prime Minister Gordon Brown in Telford.

Shaw stuck around and was rewarded with exclusive footage of clashes between anti-war campaigners and police officers.

It was a more sedate exclusive produced by the Bradford Telegraph & Argus meanwhile, as the newspaper secured a video interview with David Cameron.

[Website Has Cameron Video Exclusive]

Editor Perry Austin-Clarke led from the front and carried out his first filmed interview and emerged with some great local news quotes from the Conservative leader.

However, the experimental camerawork did get a bit of stick from one poster in its comments section.

Anything TV Can Do…

Efforts to produce content similar to that of broadcast news groups are growing and the Devon Express & Echo recently deployed video equipment to enhance its coverage of a rape trial.

[Devon Rape Trial Receives Multimedia Coverage]
Three reporters covered the case and produced daily video updates from outside Exeter Crown Court.

While the Express & Star in the Midlands is using video to enter the football arena by featuring team news, score updates and results as part of its Sporting Star Live service.

[Video Service For Footie Fans]

Meanwhile, the Kent Messenger is one of a number of newspapers offering web users a video bulletin of local news every weekday.

Go Your Own Way

Other newsrooms seek to do the exact opposite and provide content which their broadcast counterparts simply could not or would not consider.

For example, the Bristol Evening Post is behind a project offering live webcasts of city council and committee meetings on their site.

[‘I’m A Councillor – Get Me Out Of Here’]

Meanwhile, the Wrexham Evening Leader is using video to encourage user participation with its Your Justice initiative.

The project asks visitors to watch lawyers argue the defence and prosecution sides of a fictional case before making a judgment.

[Users Decide With Interactive Courtrooms]

Experimenting with video content is also on the agenda at the Western Daily Press, where a head-cam provided unique pictures from a Boxing Day hunt.

[‘Horse Cam’ Creates Hunt Film]

So the past few months have seen some interesting uses of video news across local newsrooms in the UK.

Rest Of The World

If you’re interested in examples from further afield, a recent three-part series on video journalism is featured on the Editors Weblog with lots of links to video journalism projects in Europe and the US.

In addition, this American Journalism Review story contains examples of innovative use of video by news groups across the States.

For some award-winning examples, see the Digital Edge blog for links to websites which have just scooped prizes for innovative multimedia storytelling.

And from an international perspective, here are the finalists for this year’s Concentra Award for video journalism.

Finally, for information on non-print media outfits supplying video news, visit the European Journalism Centre.

Online Resources

The web is teeming with resources for those who want to know more about video journalism so here are just a few examples for follow-up.

Firstly, what better way to keep up to date than by following a couple of blogs produced by those in the thick of it – the practitioners.

James Shaw’s blog provides a behind-the-scenes look at life as a video journalist – three hours to film a hole anyone? – while Colin Mulvaney offers an insight into his role as a multimedia editor on the Spokesman-Review in Washington

For keeping up with video news, blogs from Andy Dickinson and Cyndy Green provide UK and US perspectives respectively.

Dickinson also recently produced a piece for journalism.co.uk offering advice on video equipment for those on a budget.

The Shirtless Apprentice is a valuable resource for technical tips and offers video tutorials on subjects such as lighting, techniques for shooting interviews and filming in extreme weather (Just to clarify now - the aforementioned apprentice is male, and indeed shirtless).

Further advice on how to shoot interviews can be found on Mindy McAdams’ Teaching Online Journalism blog, which has lots of other points of interest for budding video journalists.

More general advice can be found in the OJR’s top tips for shooting online, while this recent Poynteronline feature discusses the use of HD video for those wanting to stay ahead of the pack.

The Future

Digital is an ever-changing world and it’s a challenge for journalists to keep pace with developments.

For some predictions on the evolution of online video, have a look at this New Yorker panel discussion featuring the Huffington Post and Craigslist founders.

Another interesting debate about the future of newspaper video featured earlier this year on the blogs of Andy Dickinson and Mindy McAdams.

While correspondent and Black Hawk Down author Mark Bowden throws his two-pennorth in on the future of journalism in the multimedia age here.

Any Ideas?

So we’ve reached the end of the first SPOTLIGHT post and we hope there was some useful info in there for you.

Future themes for this section could include mapping, mobile, blogging and user-generated content, but we’re really keen to hear any suggestions of areas of interest to you and anything you’d like to see come under the spotlight.

International Calling For Experts Resource

A UK-based website holding the names of thousands of experts has announced it is opening up to a worldwide audience.

Expertsources contains a database of specialists that can be searched by journalists and other workers in the media industry.

After reaching two million hits last year, founder Bob Mills has decided his online contacts centre should be made relevant to reporters across the globe.

He told holdthefrontpage.co.uk: “Having worked in radio, television and on newspapers I obviously know how important it is to find experts quickly and easily - and often how difficult it can be to find people other than the ‘usual suspects’ to quote and interview.

“You can find experts on almost anything by going to just one site. That takes the hassle out of using the internet over and over again.

“And you know the people you’re calling are ‘media friendly’ because they’ve already signed up to be contacted.”

Mills started his career as a regional journalist working on several Staffordshire titles before becoming a producer at Sky News.

He launched Expertsources three years ago and says the site now gets over 4,000 keyword searches a month submitted by journalists.

Editors’ Code Launched Online

An online version of the Editors’ Codebook is now available on a new website.

The 65-page document acts as a handbook to the Code of Practice and is a newsroom must-have with information on legal issues regarding print and online news.

In addition, the editors’ code website features a FAQs section and the latest version of the code itself, which was approved by the Press Complaints Commission in August this year.

Code Committee Secretary Ian Beales told holdthefrontpage.co.uk: “Our hope is that by making the book more user-friendly it will become an even more essential tool in making self-regulation work.”

Local Editors’ Resource Launched

A website putting global events into local contexts has recently been launched in the USA.

Editors’ World intends to become a resource tool for editors of mid to small-sized market news providers by offering summaries of international stories and suggesting ways to develop local news angles, reports Editor & Publisher.

Regular features include a daily story idea, which outlines a world news item and then recommends how this could be tailored to serve local readers’ interests and offers a list of potential sources.

In addition, the site aims to provide editors with a place to share best practice ideas and tips for covering global news happenings through its interactive sections.

“The site provides insightful research that allows journalists to show their readers how to connect world issues with the day-to-day priorities of their personal and professional lives,” said Jerelyn Eddings, editor of the resource and former Baltimore Sun correspondent.

“For example, the recent Chinese toy recall can be focused globally, and then re-examined locally for its potential impact on holiday sales in a particular community.”

With the tagline “Bringing the World to Main Street”, Editors’ World focuses on a number of priority subject areas and these include immigration, global terrorism and globalisation.

The independent website is currently available for free but will become pay-for-view one month after launch.