Documentary class in session at RJI with Professor Spike Lee

A highlight of my RJI stay happened last week, 30 feet from my office. Spike Lee gave a master class to documentary and photojournalism students. He was in Columbia, Missouri, to premiere “2 Fists Up: We Gon Be Alright,” a new ESPN documentary on racial unrest at the University of Missouri that uses footage from the … Continued

Looking at a photographic image from another point of view: Yours

Good writers can conjure a vivid image in our minds with just words. But journalists also have long relied on illustrations, photographs and videos to enrich a story. Photographs and, by extension, videos have an important limitation. The story is told from one point of view – that of the photographer. The photographer structures our … Continued

Exploring the norms: A 3-D project for journalists

I’ve been through twin-lens reflex cameras, meterless Nikons, underwater rigs, digital wonders and mobile phone cameras. But I’ve never been so frustrated as my first experience with 3-D. That shouldn’t be — and we are working to make sure it never is for other journalists. The addition of depth makes 3-D cameras violate many of … Continued

Joplin paper editor finds tornado affirms mission of journalism

BRANSON, Mo. — Sandwiched between standing ovations before and after her 27-minute address, the daily editor from tornado-ravaged Joplin, Missouri, offered a stirring endorsement of why newspapers matter. “If people are saying newspapers are dead they don’t really know what stuff we are made of,” Carol Stark told members of the Newspaper Association Managers gathered … Continued