JOUR 7040 - International News Lab

Final Week - April 20-24

admin — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 07:41:07 +0000

In our last session of the semester each participant will present his or her final project to the class. You will be graded on your presentation which should take no more than five minutes. So you would be wise to prepare in advance.

We want to know what you have learned from the project. We are NOT looking for a presentation of the content - instead it should focus on the journalism involved. What you would do differently, what you would do the same? What was the most difficult aspect? Was there an angle you wished you had covered? And so on.

I also want to hear constructive feedback from the rest of the class.

Those who are absent should post a brief two to three paragraphs on their blog itemising what they would have said in the presentation.

You are asked to fill in the feedback form.

FTP using WS-FTP LE

admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:43:41 +0000

See the tutorial here. There is one addional step not mentioned - when you are setting up - click on the ADVANCED tab and ensure that PASSIVE TRANSFER is NOT activated.

FTP using Filezilla

admin — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 01:33:52 +0000

Here you will find instructions to upload files onto the hkstories.net server using Filezilla. Filezilla is a free open source FTP program you can download online at www.filezilla-project.org. If you are using Microsoft Windows, download the Filezilla Win-32.exe file.

Step 1.

Download the installer from www.filezilla-project.org. Install Filezilla onto your computer.

URL is www.filezilla-project.org

Step 2.

This is what you will see from Filezilla as soon as you open the application. At the top of the user interface, you will find three entry boxes. The left column with a list of files is your computer. The column to the right shows the files and directories of the server/location you will be uploading to.

The interface for Filezilla

Step 3.

The first box is where you enter the server/location. This will be provided to you. For the ijs-global.com location, you will enter ftp.ijs-global.com

This is where you enter your server information.

The second box is where you enter your username ie: class09@ijs-global.com

This is where you enter your Username.

The third box is your password. This password was provided to you - the same one as you used for Fetch.

This is where you enter your password. Please do not forget it.

Step 4.

Once you’ve entered all your information, click the “Quickconnect” button to connect to the server. Once you’ve connected, uploading a file is simply dragging a file from the left column ( which is your computer ) to the right column ( the ftp server). If you would like to create a new folder on the ftp server, right click in the right column and select “Create Directory”. This is a good practice because it will help you organize your files.

The interface for Filezilla

Step 5.

After you’ve uploaded your file. You can see the files now exist on the server and can be seen on through the web.

You can see now your file is in this location.

Step 6.

The final is location of your file should look similar to the URL in the photo.

“mj2008_fall01″ should be replaced by class09 - ie http://www.ijs-global.com/class09/yourname

Your Final Project - tips

admin — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 09:20:53 +0000

Some notes:

You need to produce your final project with Dreamweaver and upload the webpages you create to your ftp account (ie http://www.ijs-global.com/class09/yourname)

Software

Dreamweaver - you can download this for a free one-month trial here from adobe.com

FTP - in class we used Fetch - this is for Macs only. You can download this for a free trial here . Other free FTP software programs are:

WS-FTP Le (windows only) - download it here

Filezilla (Mac and Windows) - download filezilla client here

To log on to your site using your ftp program

hostname: ijs-global.com OR ftp.ijs-global.com (this depends on the software)

user name: class09@ijs-global.com

password: hint - this year!

Audio Software:

Audacity is free and can be downloaded from here (both Macs and PCs)

You can convert audio files to MP3 via this website: http://media-convert.com/

Photo editing

Photoshop is expensive. There is a free online version with many of the program’s most useful tools here

Week 11 - March 31 - April 3

admin — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 02:20:40 +0000

PLEASE BRING HEADPHONES TO CLASS.

This is the penultimate class. There are no classes next week or the week after due to Easter holidays. The last classes will be on April 22 and 24.

Your soundslides are due BY THE END OF THIS CLASS - ie by 5.30 pm. I will allocate the final portion of class for those who have not finished them to complete them. This means you MUST have ALL your photos and audio ready to go before the class starts.

Don’t forget: the project should be about two minutes long. That requires about 24 photos (allow approximately 12 photos per minute).

Don’t forget to fill in the credits section and the headline. Please also pay attention to captions.

Once complete:

1. Please FTP it (using Fetch) to the web site of one member of your group (eg http://ijs-global.com/class09/yourname)

2. You will need to upload the whole “publish_to_web” folder.

3. Then post the link on each of your blogs accompanied by a standfirst (or introductory paragraph) and using a photo taken from your project for the link - see Tiara and Emily’s example here.

We will spend the first section of the class on audio editing using garageband. Some of you are already accomplished audio editors but some are not. So those with experience, please share your expertise with your class mates.

There is an excellent Garageband tutorial here.

Week 10 - March 23-27

admin — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 02:52:10 +0000

Each team will produce a Soundslides project. You will need to photograph your subject, record and edit audio and put everything together in Soundslides (loaded on the computers either side of the central aisle and on the two by the door nearest the pantry.

STOP PRESS: DEADLINES

admin — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 09:57:20 +0000

Thanks to Olive who pointed out that I had not updated the deadlines for the final project. Please note that due to the Easter break, I have FURTHER postponed the deadline until: 12 NOON ON TUESDAY, APRIL 14.

Week 9 - March 16-20

admin — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 02:40:42 +0000

1. Sign up for IJS

2. Soundslides:

Guitar Lessons at the Central Area Senior Center: An 81-year-old Seattle woman loves taking guitar lessons. No narration, nice story, several interviews skillfully edited together.
Cockfighting in Puerto Rico: Awesome photos, wonderful audio that puts you at the scene. After viewing this no one can be left in any doubt about what cockfighting is about.
After the Riots: A Soundslides about the housing projects in Paris, by the British newspaper The Guardian. Exceptional storytelling and great use of sound.
Death of cockle pickers of Britain’s Morecambe Bay - Three Years later: - The Guardian, UK

Sample files: http://ijs-global.com/class09/Samplesoundslide2/

Soundslides - download from http://www.soundslides.com

Tutorials:

Popphoto

Knight Center

Audio

1. Soundbooth - Tutorial

2. Audacity is a free sound editing program - get it here

Tutorials:

Super-Fast Guide to Audio Editing (PDF) and Editing Audio With Audacity (PDF) by Mindy McAdams.
Audio section of the J-Learning website.
“Chapter 7: Digital Audio and Podcasting” from Journalism 2.0

Conversions - http://media-convert.com/

Week 8 - March 9-13

admin — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 15:27:03 +0000

We’ve covered a lot of ground in recent weeks.

We’ve looked at some of the technical side and some of the editorial side. You have written features and sidebars, including vox pops and backgrounders, used photos and in some cases video and audio.

You are (or should be) pulling together a final feature that will knit some or all of these elements together.

So it is time to take a bit of a breather and look at the big story.

How everything fits together whether you are working for a newspaper, a wire service, a TV or radio station or a combination of the above. One thing to remember; all (or nearly all) have a web element.

So let us look at your job from the other side of the street. As the boss!

Today you will be in charge of the world.

You will divide into groups.

One of each member of the group is the editor of a global news organisation (not someone who has been an editor before). Others must provide suggestions and useful feedback - and advise the editor wisely. You are part of a team.

Your team will choose a major international story and decide how to cover it.

You have one correspondent, one photographer and one video team you can send out.

You have access to all the major wire/broadcast services. You have a team of editors, including
web editors, at hand at home to put together packages.

What will you do?

Step 1: choose the editor.

Step 2: choose the story.

Step 3: Start roughing out how you plan to cover the story.

A) Where will you send your staff, and why? What reports do you want them to cover? How and with whom should they conduct interviews in the field? Bear in mind your dual responsibility of collecting news and protecting your staff from being killed, arrested … etc …

B) Order up a maximum of TWO sidebars - what do you need? Vox pop? Timelines? A backgrounder?

C) Come up with a main headline for the piece - decide which elements are best conducted as print, audio, pictorial or video pieces (or as combos)

D) Compile a wish-list of potential interviewees that can be interviewed EITHER/OR at homebase/in a remote studio/in the field (where your correspondents are located).

2. Update and file your Prague/Cambodia story OR …

Choose the top stories (max two per category) for the North China Evening Post – based in HK – tomorrow we’ll see if any local news outlets have chosen similarly …..

Local News
China News
Asia-Pacific
Europe
Americas
Business
Technology
Lifestyle / Features