Technology
Local news: Filling in the future gaps
Paul Graham, the founder of tech accelerator Y Combinator, famously advises aspiring entrepreneurs to “Live in the future, then build what’s missing.” To him, the most successful founders don’t come up with startup ideas by solving the problems of today. They notice something that’s missing in the current landscape and they envision how their business … Continued
Going virtual: Tips for a rewarding remote summer internship
Replicating the everyday office interaction Since you no longer have the everyday opportunities for casual communication with your coworkers, building those relationships can be quite the challenge. Every type of communication must be self-initiated and might exist on different platforms depending on who you are aiming to work with. Slack, email, project management software, Zoom. In … Continued
Engaging with your audience = eyes, ears and super fans
After the New York City Mayor’s office announced a $20 million donation from the Open Society Foundation to help undocumented immigrants, city officials went on live TV to show the beginning of the delivery of the funds. Many of our users heard this news and messaged us to report that the phone numbers and email addresses … Continued
Lessons from a viral obituary
Once in a while, notice of someone’s death takes on a life all its own — the addict who was also a mother with a beautiful voice, the hard-living, sweet-souled uncle, the former beauty queen grandma who wrote her own obituary. Three months into my RJI fellowship experimenting with obituaries, I’ve been thinking a lot about what … Continued
Amazon’s win toward drone deliveries will benefit journalists
It’s not clear who was more excited about the announcement from the FAA Monday that the agency was granting approval to retail giant Amazon to operate as an air carrier with a fleet of drone delivery vehicles: online shopping addicts or drone nerds. The move by the FAA certifies Amazon Air — the company’s name … Continued
A case study: Photojournalism and its value to a community
While I spent time thinking about the numbers surrounding my project, looking through data and designing new ways to collect it, something more palpable happened that strikes right at the heart of my main question: What’s the value of strong photojournalism to a community? For more than 41 years, the people of Jasper, Indiana, picked … Continued
Interactive video: Day-in-the-life of frontline worker and their family
Thousands of medical workers have traveled to various parts of the country to aid COVID-19 patients. We asked one family of five to share what their typical day has been like during the pandemic, for the essential worker and her loved ones left behind at home. Visit the interactive video by clicking on the image … Continued
La Voz de Chatham
During my RJI innovation fellowship at the Chatham News + Record this summer, I worked on a variety of audience engagement-related projects. One of the efforts that particularly excited me was a project made possible by a Facebook Journalism Project COVID-19 Local News Relief Grant, which the News + Record received right before the start … Continued
Creating a voice in podcasting
Podcasts create an audience connection by connecting your community with a voice from your newsroom. This can diversify your audience’s experience through audio accessibility which gives you the opportunity to reach new parts of your community. One of The Washington Post’s most popular podcasts is “Can He Do That?” It discusses the powers and limitations of the President, and how … Continued
Q&A: Behind the AP News app with Dave Clark
Tatyana Monnay is the RJI Student Innovation Fellow at the Associated Press. This summer our student fellows will be sharing dispatches from their fellowships in newsrooms across the country for Innovation in Focus. Dave Clark is a mobile editor for the Associated Press. We spoke with him about the work that goes into the language choices and editing for … Continued