RJI news
Getting a source to ‘yes’
We have to put in the work. The first stage of my project was getting newsrooms on board with making their reporting more reflective of the communities they cover. Next, my media partners and I had to answer that age-old question: “How do I find and-or curate more diverse sources?” With those two things accomplished, … Continued
Everything you need to run a photo workshop in your community
Let’s say you want to run a photo workshop for teenagers. It would let you pass along some valuable skills, give people from underserved areas a voice, work as a great community engagement tool for your news organization, and help you find hidden stories. Nice idea. But a lot of work. Just handing young people … Continued
Descript, overdub: Q&A with Tamar Charney
Innovation in Focus is a series exploring emerging technology and methods of storytelling for newsrooms worldwide. We interview experts, test tools and provide our findings on a different topic each month. For Innovation in Focus this month I spoke with Tamar Charney, managing director for personalization and curation at NPR, about the ethics of redubbing, … Continued
RJI names Kat Duncan its new director of innovation
RJI Senior Editor Kat Duncan has been named the new director of innovation at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. Her appointment is effective immediately. Duncan, who joined RJI in 2017, will continue the duties she took over as the interim director including organizing and leading innovative projects in … Continued
‘Do people even read captions?’
Why it’s important to test what we THINK we know about mediaYes, people read captions. They’re some of the most scannable, well-read elements in news media. So how can we make them truly worthwhile? It’s time to test. Why is it important to test what we think we already know about how people read the … Continued
Pictures of the Year competition judging kicks off Feb. 16 in record-breaking year
It’s a year like none other for the 78th annual Pictures of the Year judging competition, which kicks off Feb. 16 with almost double the amount of judges as normal, virtual judging and a record breaking number of photos submitted. Entrants submitted more than 40,000 images, along with short films and online storytelling presentations, to … Continued
Q&A: Media reparations with Collette Watson
While Black Americans have held steady conversations for years on how to repair the generational harms enacted by slavery, American institutions have only recently begun to take the question of reparations seriously. Case in point: HR 40, a House bill that would simply study what reparations could look like, has still not passed the House … Continued
Descript video: Tips and tricks
Innovation in Focus is a series exploring emerging technology and methods of storytelling for newsrooms worldwide. We interview experts, test tools and provide our findings on a different topic each month. This month I tested Descript’s new video editing software to create this video about a local maker and his business. Here are five tips … Continued
From Next City to Next Journalism: Oscar Perry Abello is redefining accountability journalism
Oscar Perry Abello is a New York City-based journalist and senior economics correspondent for Next City, where he covers responses to economic injustice for the non-profit online magazine devoted to inspiring greater economic, environmental, and social justice in cities. I spoke with Abello as part of RJI’s Inclusive Media and Economies project that examines the … Continued
After 7 months reporting, a surprise discovery — Obits are evergreen
Recently I sat down with the Tampa Bay Times’ analytics tool, Parse.ly, to see what I could learn from seven months of obituary reporting. I found something I did not expect. I read author reports each week on the pieces I write, so I see how they did one week after publication. I’ve learned how … Continued