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Tag: Al Tompkins

Photo captions
Best practices

‘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

This image from the Texas-Mexico Border was from a travel piece about Boquillas, just across the Rio Grande in Mexico. The story was more about the beauty of the region and the travel sites available, but I followed a family that runs a local restaurant and had been impacted by the border closures after 9/11. When I visited, a long-lost uncle had made his first trip to Boquillas in almost 20 years and wanted to visit the grave of his brother who died in his absence. It wasn't what the paper was looking for, but it's what my heart found the story to be.
Best practices

The passion for visual storytelling

Here’s my plan for documenting and sharing that passion Allow me to introduce you to Julia Robinson. Ask her to tell you about a story that made a difference and it’s like the clouds clear away and the sun begins to shine. Her passion for this profession becomes clear. Even when times are tough, when … Continued

The Journalist's Creed
Best practices

Journalists: Defend your work through action, not just with editorials

The Trusting News project, staffed by Joy Mayer and Lynn Walsh, is designed to demystify the issue of trust in journalism. They research how people decide what news is credible, then turn that knowledge into actionable strategies for journalists. The project is funded by the Reynolds Journalism Institute, the Knight Foundation and Democracy Fund.