Journalistopia

Spreading the news You Tube style

Posted on March 10, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

Big, big kudos to the Allentown Morning Call for their Breeders and Kennels search widget. While there’s nothing especially extraordinary about setting up a searchable database, the Morning Call took it a step further and made their search widget embeddable by way of copy/pasting iframe code.

I could be wrong, but I can’t recall seeing a newspaper site ever do this with a search widget.

One consumer rights group has already embedded the database on their page and called it “groundbreaking.”

Newspapers should start considering this as standard operating procedure immediately. Can you imagine the traffic you’d receive for your local voter guides from bloggers during election season? What about dining databases? Chances are, there is plenty of content already on your site that can be turned into a search widget. And, the advertising of your site in a positive light? The possibilities are ripe.

Thanks to Amy Gahran for spotting this.

Posted in advertising, web 2.0, web design | 4 Comments

When the machines edit your life

Posted on March 8, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

It’s like a horrific scene out of EPIC 2014.

E-Media Tidbits’ Amy Gahran highlights the story of Nino Ceritano, a restaurateur whose top Google search was a Roanoke Times story about a murder suspect who worked in his restaurant.

“What do you think when you put in a restaurant [into Google] and a killer comes up?” he asked the Times. [UPDATE: Roanoke Times online editor John Jackson dropped in with a comment today.]

Nino, I think you’re the victim of editing by machine. It’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about lately while crunching through Database Nation by Simpson Garfinkel (per the recommendation of Adrian Holovaty). One of the basic premises of the book is that much of your personal information is being held largely by third parties over which you have little to no control.

While a news story about a murder is double-plus public information, is it something that a human editor would choose to highlight as the most relevant thing about this particular establishment? Perhaps. Or perhaps not. Is it fair to Ceritano? Is it more important than the amazing Pizza al Pollo? More importantly, if he were to contact Google, would they do anything about it?

It’s possible that they did. The official Web site of the restaurant is now the number one Google search result. Did someone at Google have mercy on Ceritano?

Let’s also take a look at when Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales tried to exercise some control over the information about himself when he altered his own Wikipedia entry. The crowds were incensed. You can read about the controversy on …well… his own Wikipedia entry!

Whether it’s an algorithm run by a computer or crowds of faceless contributors doing the editing, we must acknowledge that there are some dangers associated with becoming too automated. Crowdsourcing can be a beautiful thing, but we must make sure as journalists that we retain the ability to present information with care and humanity.

And on that note, Nino, here’s some keyworded link love for Ceritano’s restaurant.

[CORRECTION: I previously misstated the nature of the incident at Ceritano’s. Thanks Amy.]

Posted in ethics, search engines, web 2.0 | 4 Comments

France bans filming of violence

Posted on March 7, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

The French Constitutional Council has enacted a law to prevent the filming of an act of violence by anybody other than a professional journalist, according to a report from Macworld.

While the law is meant to target the practice of “happy slapping,” it seems as if it could be citizen journalists who get slapped down, a French civil liberties organization argues, referencing the 1991 Rodney King incident. The law is also notable for drawing a distinction between who is a professional journalist and a citizen journalist. Domestic violence charges аrе vеrу ѕеrіоuѕ. You should see here for best domestic violence attorney. In fact, іt іѕ devastating аnd саn destroy уоur life іf уоu don’t hire thе right attorney. Thеу саn ruin уоur reputation аnd it’s important tо deal wіth іt іn thе right wау. Onе оf thе worst things іѕ thаt уоu mау hаvе tо stay іn thе jail fоr a lоng tіmе іf уоu hаvе domestic violence charges аgаіnѕt уоu. Whеn іt соmеѕ tо domestic violence оnе ѕhоuld remember thаt it’s nоt a federal crime аnd ѕо thе laws prohibiting іt wіll definitely vary frоm оnе state tо аnоthеr. Hоwеvеr, it’s definitely оnе оf thе biggest crimes іn аll thе states. Whіlе thе concept оf domestic violence іѕ ѕаmе еvеrуwhеrе thе wау thіѕ crime committed wіll vary frоm оnе state tо аnоthеr. Whіlе уоu аrе looking fоr a domestic violence attorney уоu ѕhоuld make sure thаt thе attorney уоu hаvе hired іѕ aware оf thе particular state law whеrе уоu аrе currently staying. A bad lawyer mау nоt help уоu gеt оut оf thе mess аnd thіѕ іѕ оnе оf thе major reasons whу уоu ѕhоuld tаkе tіmе tо dо a background research оn thе lawyer bеfоrе hiring hіm fоr thе task.

Rather than targeting the actual assault with punishment, the French council is targeting the filming of the act. Such a law, enacted without being narrowly tailored, could have far-reaching consequences.

Posted in citizen journalism | Comments Off

Internet Explorer 7 add-ons for the busy Web producer

Posted on February 22, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

Make sure to mosey on over to Wired News for their list of seven essential Internet Explorer 7 add-ons.

At the top of the heap for us newsroom denizens is ieSpell, a little tool that spell checks all the text you input into a Web form. I have been anxiously awaiting a tool like this for IE, which is usually the preferred Web browser of content management systems everywhere. Firefox 2.0 has a similar function, which has certaii…er… certainly saved me a few times.

Of course, many of the add-ons are meant to replicate behaviors found in Firefox, such as the Inline Search (which, by the way, also works in IE6). But I suppose we’re all used to the imitating-Firefox bit by now anyway…

[via Lifehacker]

Posted in tutorials, writing and editing | Comments Off

World’s best machinima (movies made from video games)

Posted on February 22, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

Slate has payed the world of gamer geeks a big nod by creating a slideshow of YouTube videos showcasing the very best machinima, a style of film made using the actual video games to create the scenes.

Now I must admit; I have been skeptical of machinima because the few videos I had seen were relatively sophomoric productions. However, many of the videos showcased by Slate are actually polished and funny productions, since people like to play different types of games, including the action bank slots game, fluffy favorite, and baccarat online for the people which like casino games online.
My favorites: The Avril Lavigne music video made with “The Sims 2,” the comedy in French made with a flight simulator game, the Evel Knievel-style skiing adventure short made in “Line Rider,” and –if you’re not too prudish– a “World of Warcraft-“made spoof on the Broadway musical Avenue Q with its theory on why the Internet is around (porn, that is). Okay, maybe that last one IS sophomoric, but heck, it was well-done sophomoric.

I fervently believe that elements of gaming are going to increasingly become important for journalism. The interactivity, 3D exploration and feeling of community will likely be be increasingly replicated to provide a richer experience on online news sites. Randy Stewart recently wrote a splendid post on how Web sites are successfully using some gaming techniques. It’s a language that us young whippersnappers have been speaking nearly since WE came out of the box. It’s how we use our thumbs so darned fast too.

The Point: If you’re a senior manager at a newspaper site, and you haven’t really spent some time on an XBox, a Playstation or roaming an online gaming community (just watching your kid doesn’t count), then you’re missing out on some critical knowledge here.

Posted in random stuff, video | Comments Off

The. Coolest. Want Ad. Ever.

Posted on February 21, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

As if the Roanoke Times doesn’t already produce so many great multimedia news projects, now they go and produce one hell of a want ad — in this case for the top editorial job at the paper.

This is one of the best examples of “show, don’t tell” I’ve ever seen. Go look.

Posted in advertising, random stuff, web design | 3 Comments

Google Maps gets more detail

Posted on February 15, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

The Google Maps team has officially announced some very cool new added detail to certain large cities when in the standard “Map” view. However, the new detail isn’t (yet) available through their API, so tough luck for your lovely mashups. No map-detail love for Orlando either, though the old homestead in Miami got some.

Some readers at the Washington Post have suggested all sorts of new levels of detail, which could very well turn Google Maps into a clunky –though admittedly useful– GIS map like this one.

For my two cents, Google should instead focus on implementing a variation of their relatively new polygon feature so that users can create meaningful linear information, such as outlining bike trails and defining boundaries. Adding all those layers into the main map data will just make Google Maps even slower than it already is!

Posted in maps, random stuff | 1 Comment

Survey: Sports writers hate them blogs

Posted on February 15, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

According to a University of Mississippi study by Brad Schultz, 74 percent of sports writers surveyed disagreed that “blogging builds audience,” and 67 percent believe that those who read the blogs do not consume their traditional sports content.

Is anyone surprised? If we assume, for the sake of argument, that it’s true that people who read blogs don’t consume traditional sports content, then doesn’t that build audience?

It’s a shame really. Sports blogs can often become some of the most successful blogs, particularly at mid-size and small newspapers that don’t have strong national audiences for things like politics, entertainment, technology and lifestyle. As any sports blogging enthusiast will tell you, blogs also provide an outlet for the great tidbits that never make it into the paper’s story.

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Foolish, foolish writers. Just because you don’t like blogs or prefer to write long pieces for the paper doesn’t mean you can’t understand that they have an important and unique place in journalism now.

[Thanks to Will Sullivan]

Posted in blogging | 2 Comments

Another Florida college paper bought by Gannett

Posted on February 14, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

Reports emerged today about Gannett purchasing the Central Florida Future, the newspaper of the University of Central Florida, which is the sixth largest university in the nation.

This comes on the heels of Gannett purchasing the Florida State University paper, the FSView and Florida Flambeau.

I can only imagine that Gannett is circling over my alma mater’s paper, the Independent Florida Alligator, after the general manager of the Alligator retired. (FULL DISCLOSURE: I was formerly the metro editor there.)

On the one hand, this is great for the financial stability of the paper and for potentially providing an advertising network and professional contacts for the students. It could mean the survival of a struggling college publication.

On the other, it bodes ill for the independent voice of these publications. For better or worse, Gannett will have to rubber stamp the content of these papers, which means some of the more daring (or inappropriate) content could be quashed.

And do we really need more of a corporate presence on college campuses than what already exists? I remain cautious and skeptical.

[UPDATE 02-15-07]: Bryan Murley also appears to be concerned.

Posted in newspapers | 2 Comments

Al’s Morning Multimedia in your inbox

Posted on February 14, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

I’ve been a longtime subscriber now to Al’s Morning Meeting, a daily e-mail newsletter (or RSS feed) providing excellent story ideas by Poynter’s Al Tompkins. But aside from his thoroughly researched ideas, Al has recently begun providing a daily dose of multimedia, which makes the list even more worth subscribing to for all us Web heads.

Today, Al highlights a slideshow from the Boston Globe about a Marine who took his own life after being refused a hospital bed for post-traumatic stress disorder. It’s a great example of an audio slideshow and of how the audio truly drives these pieces.

And for more audio slideshows, Flash graphics and other regular multimedia goodness, check out Mindy McAdams’ Teaching Online Journalism, Angela Grant’s In The Circle, MultimediaShooter and Interactive Narratives (which hasn’t been updated in a while but has a great archive of this sort of stuff).

Posted in newspapers, photography, writing and editing | 2 Comments

Death of the Microsoft Office paper clip

Posted on February 13, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

This was just too good to pass up. From the User Friendly comic strip.

Posted in random stuff | 3 Comments

When is the gee-whiz Flash graphic worth it?

Posted on February 13, 2007 by Danny Sanchez

Online Journalism Review has written a piece about how to decide when to treat a story with a Flash graphic or when to just go the basic HTML page route (thanks Angela). Certainly, many newsrooms are exercising greater sophistication with making this decision than they have in the past.
But one issue in regards to this that seldom gets discussed is accessibility. Newspapers have a pretty dismal record of catering to visually impaired and other special-needs users. When planning a Flash graphic for the news site, you should also ask yourself:

1) Is this graphic conveying any crucial information to the reader, such as where to get ice during a disaster?

2) If we do a graphic, is there a way to provide the information in an alternative form, such as a transcript or a static HTML page that contains no interfering style elements or Flash graphics?

While I’m not an evangelist for making every single thing on a news site accessible (where would we be without cool Soundslides after all), do try to consider ways where you can include everyone in your journalism when possible.

Posted in web design | 1 Comment