Technology
Washington Missourian: Striving to survive in print and online
When it comes to applying technology to improve their business, leaders of the Washington Missourian take a best of both worlds approach. The twice-weekly paper in Eastern Missouri has pushed into nearly every new digital communication method — from a website to Twitter to Pinterest. “If we don’t do it,” says Advertising Director Jeanine York, … 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
The opportunity for networks: Trust, antitrust and sharing users
This is the fourth of a series of blog reports about the status of the news landscape and a challenge to create a new one. The series is authored by Bill Densmore, a 2008-2009 RJI Fellow and originator of the Information Valet Project. View the series here. Banks do it. Airlines do it. Phone companies … Continued
Knight grant will help RJI develop born-digital-news preservation model
A $35,000 grant from the Knight News Challenge on libraries will help University of Missouri Libraries and the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute develop a long-term model to protect born-digital news content from being lost forever. Monetizing newspaper content is one approach to saving the nation’s first draft of history, says Edward McCain, digital curator of … Continued
MobileVideoDIY giving away 10 free mobile gear bags to student journalism programs
Columbia, Missouri — Journalism teachers are no longer limited in their ability to add video to their curriculum because of the high cost of professional cameras and gear. Using smartphones and many free supporting apps, videos can now be shot, edited and shared with the world with a quality consistent with professionals. Teachers and students … Continued
Plus-size iPhone 6 makes reading long stories and watching videos on a smartphone more pleasurable
News organizations could take advantage of larger display size for information graphics and advertising After using an iPhone 6 Plus exclusively for a month, I’ve concluded that I can get along just fine without my Wi-Fi-only iPad mini in my daily routines. It won’t replace my iPad entirely, but I’ll be using it much less … Continued
‘Losing a piece of you’: The fragility of digital news archives
In 2002, The Columbia Missourian received a shock when it lost a significant portion of its digital archives. A server crash wiped out 15 years of precious and painstaking work of journalists, photographers and editors. The data loss also weakened the paper’s link to the who, how, what, when and why of changes in mid-Missouri … Continued
More newspaper subscribers embracing mobile media while retaining their attachment to print
2014 RJI Mobile Media Research Report 8 Newspaper subscribers are increasingly using smartphones and tablets while retaining a strong attachment to print, according to the latest mobile media survey from the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute (RJI). The percentage of respondents who said they subscribed to at least one printed newspaper remained at around 30 … Continued
Saving the news: When your server crashes, you could lose decades of digital news content — forever
How would you bring your newest hires up to speed on a controversial mayoral candidate, on a years-long tension between the community and police department, or the highly charged history of local school taxation?