Staging

I found it really interesting that Dave Wertheimer described the dangers of staging photos in the sense that the football player who was asked to pretend that he was receiving the draft call, and all in attendance would distrust the media as an authentic indicator of the truth. This example along with countless other indiscretions on the part of the media have led to such distrust among the American public toward journalists. Honestly I believe there is more suspicion toward print mediums; people feel that it's harder or more unlikely that photographers would ask subjects to stage a photo or doctor the picture in photo shop. The notion of believe half of what you see and none of what you hear (or read.) With increasing public knowledge about technology available to the media people will become equally suspicious of media images as well.

KBIA, Lots of Pitches and T/F Festival

I worked at KBIA this week and I have to say I really enjoyed the experience. The atmosphere was great and people were more than willing to help me when it was obvious I didn't have a clue how to make something work. It is a little frustrating if you are assigned a story and then have to work with it, regardless of the subject's availability. I'm waiting right now to hear back from Steve Hollis, manager of the Office of Community Services. It's Friday, so chances are, I might not get anyone to call back today. On Tuesday I covered the Gary Forsee reception at Memorial and then helped a B1 student write, cut and voice the piece. It's a great learning experience in a laid back atmosphere, which sets it apart from both the Missourian and KOMU.

I tried to get tickets for the True/False film festival when they went on sale through the J-School this week. Unfortunately, I have class from 9-2 on Tues/Thurs so I had a friend go for me and when she got to the window at Lee Hills Hall, the tickets were gone. We've tried the Cherry Street Artisan, and I am planning on showing up to try and buy tickets at the window before one of this weekends shows. I'd really like to see the film, Very Young Girls. I'm doing a research project (paper/presentation) on human trafficking and I think it might be an extremely informative film into the faces behind the exploitation.

I knew coming into this class that pitching stories was going to be the most challenging part of each week. I thought that the pitches Amy and I proposed on Wednesday were full of good ideas, but I agree that they needed to be developed. They needed a hook and an angle. It's always going to be a challenge, but I'm learning to keep my mind open to the idea of new stories throughout the week (as opposed to trying to scrounge something up on Tuesday nights). I'm finding it's absolutely exhuasting to take reporting and political science capstone in the same semester...along with three other upper level courses. But I'm excited that we're almost halfway through and I think i've learned more in the past 6 weeks than I did the entirety of last semester. Hopefully Amy and I can develop and produce an awesome KBIA piece about Full-Service gas stations. I've worked with Amy before and she does a great job with sound, I enjoy it as well and as long as we give the story enough meat, it should stand alone as a super interesting piece.

Staging in Doc?

Of course we all agree that staging is wrong, it's lying. It's deceiving your audience that what they're seeing is the truth, when it's not. Last night I saw a documentary and it obviously staged some events but at the same time still was able to tell a great story. I understand that documentary film is a little different but coming from straight news, I was still left with a little squimish feeling in my stomach. I couldn't decide if what I was watching was completely acceptable. Of course the story told an incredible story and like I said, it was obvious that some of the scenes had be recreated. Do we measure our standards for journalistic integrity differently in comparison to different media?

Staging

Sarah Steffen

I agree with Dave Wertheimer that it is not okay to stage events. I thought the example of the NFL player who should pretend he just got the call he had received earlier was pretty drastic. That is staging at its best and reporters should not do this. I do believe that the audience can tell what's staged and what's not. That is hurting a reporter's (and network's) credibility in the long run.
However, I think it is something different to ask a person to walk in a certain direction, maybe because it works better with the light setting. As long as they are not acting I'm okay with it.
Also a lot of people are unexperienced what to do in front of a camera. In order to help them, you can ask what they would normally do in such situations and ask them to try to forget the camera. Whenever you want someone to do something specific you should disclose that. Wertheimer's advice: Just say "We asked so and so to show us how...".

Sliding Sound, Altered Images (where have I seen this before?)

Tracy Pfeiffer

I think that the article about sound and images is a great guide for journalists who are in an ethical dilemma. The changes in technology over the past decade or so has made it exponentially easier to manipulate photographs, sound, and video. I was photoshopping myself into pictures with Orlando Bloom as early as the eighth grade--and I was quite good at it, if I do say so myself. I think that the article also poses relevant questions underneath its guiding principles, like the questions posed underneath the "file tape" category. But my favorite part of the article comes when they say that sound can invisibly trick a viewer. I had never really thought of it that way before. I've read somewhere that most television viewers don't actually watch their newscasts--they listen to it while cooking dinner or sitting on their computer. So I think that, in television, the manipulation of audio is, in some ways, more atrocious than the manipulation of video.

Ethics

Images are so powerful. I believe they can influence people in many ways. I strongly agree with the author of this article who states that journalism is about reporting the truth. We need to self-check ourselves and make sure we are not adding things that truly do not exist. I was shocked to hear about the t.v. station adding sounds of guns and shot machines. To me it's hard to even believe that it made it on the air. I would have expected that someone who have stopped it before going on. That just goes to show you how important self-checking is. We as journalists have to hold ourselves accountable. I also like what the author says about file tape. It makes me think. Why do we use file tape when it can send a message that nothing is new? I'm sure the answer is convenience, but is it worth it? I guess that is something only we can decided for ourselves. I believe overall it is important that journalists realize what they are producing impacts people and that we need to remember to be ethical with our words, images, and video.

Video Ethics and Staging - No Good

Lyndey Brock

When I read Staged, Staging, Stages, I completely agreed with Wertheimer’s views of video ethics. I feel that it is inappropriate to stage video stories, no matter their importance. Even if it is something as simple as a cooking story or a late-breaking news event, staging video news events only defaces the name of journalism in my opinion. When I am in the field covering stories, I hope that I will not be faced with an ethical decision regarding video staging. However, I know that avoiding such a situation is impossible. I just hope that I can be smart enough and conscious enough to do what is right in respect to me, the publication I work for and American Journalism in general.

Video Ethics and Staging - No Good

Lyndey Brock

When I read Staged, Staging, Stages, I completely agreed with Wertheimer’s views of video ethics. I feel that it is inappropriate to stage video stories, no matter their importance. Even if it is something as simple as a cooking story or a late-breaking news event, staging video news events only defaces the name of journalism in my opinion. When I am in the field covering stories, I hope that I will not be faced with an ethical decision regarding video staging. However, I know that avoiding such a situation is impossible. I just hope that I can be smart enough and conscious enough to do what is right in respect to me, the publication I work for and American Journalism in general.

Ethics and Pictures

When I first started reading the Poynter Online article, I remembered that my Magazine, Then and Now class debated a similar topic. This one was, it is ok to photoshop the profile images that appear of celebrities on the covers of magazines? Obviously, once you get into pictures from the field, the decision is more clear cut. Which brings me to editing for video. In the example Poynter gave, the photojournalist gets some great sound of a storm, then gets a great picture. In that case, since it's part of the same filming and within a few minutes of each other, I don't have a problem with putting the sounds and film together. To me, that isn't any different from adding natural sound to audioclips. Lynda and Karen told us in class that we should record any sounds that we happening and add them to our sound bytes. How is putting sounds from an event into a videotape any different? However, in the case of the casino shooting, the newsroom added their own sounds, not sounds from the casino. If someone had recorded it, I think they could have played the audio as well, but I don't think it is ethical to add sounds when they aren't the original sounds.

In the other article, "Staged, Staging, Stages" I thought the author gave some good tips for avoiding letting the camera influence what the subjects are doing. I know it's hard for me to act naturally when there is someone pointing a camera at me. It makes me nervous. The author also points out that people tend to feel uncomfortable when they are asked to stage something. However, he doesn't mention that it is sometimes the people's idea. For example, last semester I was working at the Missourian and I did a story on the mannequins they use to teach medical students. The director told me to come by and she would show me how the mannequin worked. I brought along a convergence student to videotape it. When I got there, I found that they were staging an entire procedure with the mannequin so we could get the full idea of how it worked. In the interests of journalism, would this type of staging be allowed, as long as you put that it was a demonstration, not a real practice with the mannequin?

Video Ethics

Anton Berkovich

I agree with Poynter Online that the same principals of ethics that apply to photos should apply to video. As technology gets better, it becomes easier and easier to alter images and make them look more dramatic. While I don't think unethical video editing happens on as wide as scale as photo might (though I'm not really sure about that either), I have seen some questionable acts by journalists on TV. The biggest example I can think of came from CNN last year. I was watching a journalist named Gupta talk about problems with Michael Moore's documentary, Sicko. At this point in the show, he was talking about how Cuba's healthcare is not as good as people make it out to be, and at the same time, CNN shows a frame from Sicko showing the list of countries with best healthcare. What I thought was unethical was the frame was edited (purposefully, I assume) to make Cuba harder to see, and if you didn't know it was there, impossible to see. While CNN didn't add or remove anything, they definitely decieved the audience and contributed a lot of bias to the piece.

Staging

Elise Crawley

In reading the staging article, I agreed completely that it was unethical and pretty ridiculous for a reporter to ask a family to recreate a certain moment in their lives because the cameras missed it the first time.  At the same time when the author was speaking of sitting at people's homes and waiting around and getting footage of them washing dishes, I couldn't help but think that he was really lucky to be so secure in his job that he could spend his time like that.  My question really was, if you ask people to just go about their daily life and pretend that you're not there, don't you think eventually you would just get someone who stretched out on their coach to watch TV for a couple of hours?  Yes, they may be a world-champion runner or run an amazing business or any number of interesting things, but does that doesn't make them inherently interesting all the time.  When you work on a deadline, how can you wait around for the moment when someone is going to walk from one room to another so you can get a shot with some motion in it?  

Journalism is the art of reporting truth.  Especially with visual and auditory journalism there is question as to how much art can imitate life.  Essentially when you get back and you edit everything down to the two minute package you've been delegated from a hour of footage and interviews...you're making choices that affect how people perceive that story simply by virtue of what you have decided to omit.  

There are ethical lines which shouldn't be crossed in journalism, but in order for us to be better journalists we have to recognize that even following all of those ethical guidelines, you are never able to report absolute truth--just your own approximation of it.  

Video Ethics

I had just arrived at Centro Latino and was getting my Merantz out of the bag and ready to record. As I was slipping in the batteries, the children arrived, running and screaming through the door. I scrambled to get everything together, and was frustrated when I missed their excited arrival. The door opening, the Spanglish, the laughter, and the greetings by the volunteers would have been a great sound byte, and all I wanted to do was ask them to go back out and do it again. But, I knew not only would the moment be less exciting and authentic, I knew it was simply unethical. I had missed the shot/moment, so all I could do was try to find something just as cool later. I think staging is just an easy fall fallback. Journalism would be cake if we could set up the story to tell it how we please, but then it wouldn't be journalism. We have to be careful to influence our environment as little as possible in order to observe and report authentically. Doing so with intimidating equipment means gaining a camaraderie and sense of ease with the people being interviewed before bombarding them with electronics. This means as journalists, we actually have to take time to get to know our interviewees as people. What a novel idea!

Staging & Video Ethics

As is consistent in journalism, the products we produce must be accurate and true to the topic from which they were captured. The authenticity of our video and photo work is, I think, particularly important, as many of the consumers of media automatically go for the visual elements of any story before they touch the print side. That being said, the quick snippet of information they gather from the visual elements of, in this case, the video we shoot, must be accurate if they are to ever trust our organization to give them correct information. It is our job not to mislead them into false assumptions about the important topics of the world, or even the smaller stories discussed around the water cooler. 

Video Ethics

By: Lauren Foreman
Staging is wrong. I think that's a pretty basic ethical principle in all mediums of journalism. Therefore, it's hard to imagine an editor informing a writer that it was ok to stage a picture. I would have to agree with Dave Wertheimer that those editors and writers do not take into account the reason for journalism- to serve their publics with truth. When one fails to do that, he is not truely a journalist and is unfortunately the reason so many distrust the accountability of the news. It's a cycle. People don't just wake up one day and decide not to trust the news.

Video eithics

While I understand that people may have different views on the exact limits to editing, I can't imagine there's anyone in the news profession that doesn't share these basic ideas about video ethics. Just as one shouldn't make up details to add to a print story, so should one avoid adding sound to footage unless it was originally there. I did have to pause at Tompkins' comment about being careful when editing the brightness of an image. I regularly use the curve tools in Photoshop to enhance the clarity of an image, but I can certainly see that there is a lot of room for interpretation when it comes to how much editing detracts or adds too much to the image to it to really be telling the truth.

True/False

Tonight I saw a sneak preview of the film "An Alternative to Slitting Your Wrist," and it was the most interesting film I've seen in months. The film follows the director, Owen Lowery, around for a year as he tries do accomplish a list of 52 things (one for each week of the year) to do rather than committing suicide. It played out kind of like a CurrentTV story in that it had the same type of rough feel to it. I think that Lowery and his crew did a really good job of not making a potentially cliche story into just another "this experience made my life do a complete 180" story. Case in point: one of the things on Lowery's list was to save someone's life; Lowery refused to say that he saved his own life.

Lowery and a couple of his friends who worked with him on the film were present after the screening to take questions, and I was blown away when he said that he had to edit over 120 hours of film to put together the final product. I guess that makes sense because it was years' worth of film, but still... I was slightly overwhelmed when I had 20 minutes of film on a recent project. Anyway, there was also a part of the film that showed Lowery editing on his computer, and I caught myself trying to figure out which editing program he was using. Good thing spring break is coming up...

Staging

At first glance, the large quote in the margin of the article really caught my attention. "Whatever you call it, it's not the truth". This article brought up questions that I had always wondered myself. Is is considered "cheating" in journalism to recreate an event or action? If I witnessed a reporter asking a group of people to recreate an emotion they felt when they heard good news, I would be disgusted and pretty much ashamed to be put in the same category as that reporter. No wonder so many people don't trust journalists. If they see a person recreating, or worse, actually staging a news story, then they're going to remember that while watching the nightly news. I think it is really important to define that line that decides if the staging is appropriate and needed in the story.

Staging..

by Chelsea Williams

Staging is a bad idea. I couldn't agree more with David Wertheimer when he says that "staging" photographs or clips definitely puts into question the journalistic integrity of the reporter. Do they really just want "that shot," or do they actually care about the story? It is an impersonal way for a journalist to cover a story, no matter the lightness or heaviness of the piece. Although his strategy of using a wireless mic may not collect the best audio, it is a far better alternative to pre-planning the shot, directing people to where you want them instead of capturing them simply as they are in their own natural environment. As journalists, it is not our job to recreate moments, rather to capture them in the first place. And if we mess up, as human beings do every now and then, we need to find an alternative way to capture the essence of the scene. Or know when to walk away. I know it sounds cut-and-dry on paper, and is actually far more difficult when "that shot" is needed for deadline, but I feel like as journalists, we need to be able to think on our feet--a little improvisation keeps things fresh and exciting for everyone involved.

Staging Ethics

I think one of the reasons people go into situations and ask to stage something is because they have an image in their heads already of what the situation should look like. Letting the events roll out as they do is important in this business, if we do not manipulate the story, we should not manipulate the accompanying photographs. True, it is unfortunate when journalists miss the "big moment", but there are equally compelling photos that occur at other times. In the case of the article where the NFL player was drafted, the shooter should have taken pictures of the continued joy of the family, not necessarily the ecstatic expressions when receiving the call of being drafted. So maybe the shooter was late and really wanted that photo, but there was still integrity in the photos that could have been shot when he arrived. It is then a case of making the most of the moment.

Fun With Video Editing Ethics

I liked the article about video editing for the most part. I agreed with everything it said and it definitely teachers an important lesson for all journalists in the field. However, I felt like most of what it had to say was intuitive. I still feel like it was worth reading, because it's never bad to make sure you're aware of all of these pitfalls, but I didn't come away feeling like I really learned anything. I should hope that most people in journalism are smart enough to steer clear of dodgy editing and manipulation, but I suppose the occasional incident slips through the cracks here and there, and as the article mentioned, news outlets should certainly hold the occasional newsroom meeting about these issues.

Visual Ethis

While reading the Visual Ethics piece, one thing that stuck me as interesting was when they were talking about the use of file tape in stories. I think this is a really interesting point. So often, we see stories where the same footage is aired over and over again. We begin to characterize the tragedy, or wrongdoing as being associated with those pictured, or only effecting those pictured.  This usually happens during natural disasters, or tragedies. The events that came to mind for me were September 11th, The Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina. 

Another thing I was thinking while reading this article, is what are the distinctions between art (photography, cinematography) and photojournalism? Certain publications blur these two to create a new sort of medium. Examples of these may be Documentary Film, Fashion Magazines, Special Interest Publications etc. These publications may provide useful information about the state of the world, but sensationalizes it or glamorizes it in a way. I see National Geographic as an excellent example. The magazine often covers very interesting stories, that are truthful and relevant to people, however when I look at photographs in that magazine, I see them more as art than as an accurate portrayal of how things are. 

Steve McCurry is a famous photographer that works for National Geographic. His website : www.stevemccurry.com

As we learned in Cross Cultural, we all have our individual biases. Often, I think photographers use those biases to view things in a different lens. Steve uses different techniques to glamorize, westernize, or beautify the subjects in his photos. The ones I find most interesting are those of the Afghan Girl. Check them out.

Staged, Staging, Stages

Valerie Chew

Wertheimer makes good effort to avoid staging, but I wonder just how ‘natural’ captured moments can be. Deciding where to shoot, who to shoot and what shots to include in a video does not exactly conform to what Wertheimer calls, ‘capturing moments and events as they happen’. Besides, how do journalists retain audience attention if people get bored watching the scene unfold on its own for a whole five minutes? How then do journalists strike a balance between ‘showing it as it is’ and producing something interesting that people want to watch?

Staging

Staging a video shot is wholly unethical. If the person didn't really do an action, or you weren't there, it would be like fabricating a quote or editing a photo. When you present a video of someone being excited about getting drafted, but not when it really happened, then you just made up a situation for your own benefit. 

I liked the idea of leaving the room and using wireless mics to calm down your subject. You should present yourself as a person, not as a robot. There is a reason that people have to use the cameras and it can't just do everything. 

Bringing footage "closer to reality?"

The Las Vegas casino shooting on the Poynter site is an example of audio manipulation I have never previously considered. The description of the video leads me to believe it turned out looking vaguely like an “Unsolved Mysteries”-style re-enactment. Not only is it ethically questionable, but also I honestly can’t fathom how it could look professional enough to warrant airtime. Furthermore, the link within the text that directs you to an accompanying article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal provides an interesting subtext to the situation. John Gilbert, the reporter responsible for the video in question, was quoted as saying “In my opinion, we just brought (the footage) closer to reality.” Not to sound pretentious, but that comment is laughable. Ironically, it suggests that the footage isn’t entirely a “reality,” when adding the sound (in my opinion), actually removes it further from reality. I agree with the Columbia University Journalism Professor who raises the question: what did it add to the viewers’ understanding of the story? Likely not much, and definitely not enough to pacify all the fire Gilbert met.

In regard to what the Poynter site outlines, I believe all issues of ethics are somewhat of a grayscale. I agree whole-heartedly that journalists should strive to maintain accuracy and never deceive their readers. However I was surprised when they raised issues such as audio sliding; I believe it’s questionable whether or not the practice should be labeled “deceitful.” Does this include overlaying different audio cuts? Like so many other decisions in journalism, I’d imagine there will always be discrepancies.

Bringing footage "closer to reality?"

The Las Vegas casino shooting on the Poynter site is an example of audio manipulation I have never previously considered. The description of the video leads me to believe it turned out looking vaguely like an “Unsolved Mysteries”-style re-enactment. Not only is it ethically questionable, but also I honestly can’t fathom how it could look professional enough to warrant airtime. Furthermore, the link within the text that directs you to an accompanying article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal provides an interesting subtext to the situation. John Gilbert, the reporter responsible for the video in question, was quoted as saying “In my opinion, we just brought (the footage) closer to reality.” Not to sound pretentious, but that comment is laughable. Ironically, it suggests that the footage isn’t entirely a “reality,” when adding the sound (in my opinion), actually removes it further from reality. I agree with the Columbia University Journalism Professor who raises the question: what did it add to the viewers’ understanding of the story? Likely not much, and definitely not enough to pacify all the fire Gilbert met.

In regard to what the Poynter site outlines, I believe all issues of ethics are somewhat of a grayscale. I agree whole-heartedly that journalists should strive to maintain accuracy and never deceive their readers. However I was surprised when they raised issues such as audio sliding; I believe it’s questionable whether or not the practice should be labeled “deceitful.” Does this include overlaying different audio cuts? Like so many other decisions in journalism, I’d imagine there will always be discrepancies.

Staged, Staging, Stages

This was a very interesting subject to explore that I don’t think many journalists really think about when referring to photography. Staging a photo, in my mind, would be the same as asking a person to say a particular thing while interviewing them because it will sound good in a story. I agree with Dave Wertheimer when he says that that is dishonest journalism. As journalists, there are so many obstacles fighting against us that being blatantly dishonest will not get the trust of our readers at all. I thought the tips that Wertheimer gave at the end of this article were quite fascinating and useful in all other aspects of journalism that I may get the opportunity to put to the test in the coming weeks. Journalists do alter the “truth” of a story simply with their presence and the addition of cameras and other technical equipment do not help, therefore the tips that Wertheimer has generated seem like excellent ideas in helping people feel comfortable with a journalists and equipment. I may just try them for our next assignment. 

KOMU-3rd, 4th and even 5th applications..

This week at KOMU.com- My reporter Erick and I found some pretty cool applications for making time-lines. I wanted to get away from all the mundane things I was doing at KOMU ie. flash graphics and Avid Active Content manager and do more fun things- like ANYTHING other than those things I mentioned. When Erick arrived, he attended the story meeting (I came in at 8am as he came in at the same time)- When that was finished we talked about possible convergence things to work on- A reporter was working on a Steven Rios story and Erick thought it would be a great idea to do a time-line of start to finish about Steven Rios trial(s). We went to Jenn and SHE LOVED IT! She gave us a program to look at and after 3 and a half hours of trying to work out issues- I made the decision to ABORT! I knew there could be more applications out there that were free and did a better job- SO Erick and I spent the afternoon looking at MANY 3rd level applications having to do with time-lines- we experimented and tried many different ones until we found one we liked- XTIMELINE. The program was user friendly and included the option to add pictures- SO we used it- Erick did his thing and I did a time-line as well on Ian Kinsler's new contract extension. It was a good work day and I felt I got a lot accomplished-

SSliker#21

I felt the Neuticles story was so rich. The idea was something I'd never heard of and the combination of the audio and the narration shed a new light on a different phenomenon. I especially enjoyed the different varieties with the softness etc. 

KBIA Neuticles

The lead to this story grabbed me immediately. The nat sound is perfect and took me right to the scene. I think the reporter does a great job of making the story entertaining, yet informative. Also, the interviews were very clear and didn't have a lot of background noise. I also really liked the reporter's approach to the story. His language is engaging, but so is the tone in his voice-- somewhat questioning, but not to the extent that it would offend anyone who has purchased these for their pet.
I think the interview with the female vet was particularly good because it was direct and immediately answered all of my questions about whether neuticles were functional. Overall, I would say that this story was excellent- it kept me engaged and on my toes all the way through; I was curious to hear what was next the entire time.
Emily Coppel

Neuticles...

I am posting about the neuticles story. The reporter did a great job of letting the subject tell the story, while still setting up the listener for what was about to come. He never gave away too much, and let the speaker speak for himself when it was important that he do so. For example, the line about how neuticles aren't just for K-9s was funny because something in the tone of the reporter's voice made me think that he was going to say people were getting them implanted. It made me laugh at myself when I realized that what he really meant was other animals get them. Another thing I liked about the story was its use of diverse sources. The only other source that I would have liked to hear would have been someone to confirm what the woman said about what kind of pet owners want to buy their animals neuticles. Hearing a man describe his reasons behind buying neuticles could be a good sound bite. 

Until next time,

 

Brad Fischer

what more can we say about neuticles? nothing. because i don't want to hear about it anymore, and i have 2 boy dogs

Tracy Pfeiffer thinks neuticles is a fun word to say.

I liked that the story opened with the sound of dogs barking. The word "neuticles" inspires a lot of creative ideas about what it might mean, but the ambient sound at the beginning immediately dispels any creative (and maybe vulgar?) definitions about what a "neuticle" might be. I also laughed a little bit when he said "Li'l Rover" and referenced Bob Barker--the narrator's narrative voice is a perfect compliment to the sort of... wackiness of the story. Although reporters are not supposed to inject their opinion into pieces, I did enjoy the sometimes melodramatic inflection of the narrator and felt it was appropriate. Additionally, I liked the sociological commentary that comes from talking to the veterinarian who says that it is almost "always" male owners that request neuticles. I thought that that made it even more interesting than just a story about implanting fake testicles in your dog. Just sayin'.

Neuticles

Elise Crawley

The neuticles story was simply too insane not to comment on.  I think the story did a good job of giving different views like the inventor, the vets, etc.  However, some of the audio quality was better than others which was rather distracting.  Certainly the story was interesting to a general audience because even if you don't have a pet I imagine that the idea of nether-region prosthetics is amusing.  The noise of the dog near the end was a bit loud for me personally because I felt that it interrupted the reporter though I liked the fact that they included it.  There was also one point in the story where I thought there could have been a longer pause, but overall the story was such a novelty that the little technical things weren't really memorable.  

Lead waste

Sarah Steffen

I chose the radio story about the removal of lead waste from Washington County. Especially children can suffer from high lead levels in their blood. I thought the story was interesting, and I could listen to it very well, even if it was not an easy topic to report about. To some extent the reporter had to quote numbers, such as lead values - and she really did a good job in balancing it.
However, I struggled with the beginning. I didn't like it that I couldn't hear what the EPA official was saying, despite the fact that it was not important at all, because he was just explaining how workers are removing lead waste ("Aah, what he's doing here is excavating the yard..."). Still I was distracted, because I couldn't really focus on the reporters voice nor the man's voice. I just kept on listening because I was interested in the topic.
I also would like to know what happens after they did remove the soil. Where does it go, the soil full of lead?
Despite some minor criticism I really liked the realization of the story idea. I also liked the voicing.

Adderally Radio Show

Gretchen Pressley

I chose the radio show about Adderall because I thought it was very well done. The reporter/announcer sounded knowledgeable about what he was talking about and had a wide variety of sources and information. He made good use of background sounds, though there weren't many to choose from, I really liked how he introduced the topic, and all in all I thought the news piece was very interesting, especially for college students. The one thing I didn't really think jived well was towards the beginning. The voice over says something like, "Adderall is a prescription only drug, and this student doesn't have one." But the quote from the student doesn't really say anything about why he is taking the drug without a prescription or even the morality of taking a drug for which you don't have a prescription. I thought that a quote a little more on the topic of the prescription would have been a little better; otherwise he should have worded his transition a little bit differently. Also, I thought the female student source was a little repetitive. However, everything else was very well reported and edited, and even sounded a little bit like those NPR newscasts.

The following post pertains to Neuticles

I picked the neuticles story because I remember hearing about those things in an econ class last semester. The story did a good job of representing multiple sides of the story, and not really letting his own bias enter into the storytelling, though I think it almost seems biased against the guy behind neuticles because the idea is so ridiculous. The quality of the audio was good, although it would get louder and softer at times when it probably shouldn't have. While the story wasn't necessarily all that relevant to anyone (except perhaps hyper-masculine canine lovers who are looking into lopping their animal's balls off) it was still amusing and worth listening to. I'm not so sure I thought any of the natural sound was necessary. But I usually think phony background noise is kind of useless, so maybe my opinion is objectively wrong.

Neuticles: "...[I]t's the stupidest thing you've ever heard"

I enjoyed the neuticles story - it seemed typical of the occasional, offbeat NPR story: something novel, perhaps too risqué to see in print (let alone visually on television), that has the listener imagine everything. At once a trend story and a slice of life. Still, this one couldn't be accused of sheer silliness, and it was as well reported as it could have been. And formally speaking, it had other things going for it - obvious natural sound due to the subject matter, dogs, comes to mind.

Adderoll

I found the Adderoll story to be interesting. I liked that the reporter began the story with a scripted voice over because I felt that it gave us an accurate feeling about what to expect from the story. It reminded me a lot of an NPR story in the way it was written and ordered. I appreciated that the reporter included an interview of an "expert" on the topic, who discussed the negative effects etc. What I am wondering is how acceptable it is in a radio story to include an anonymous source? I understand why the person chose to remain nameless (because he was taking the drug without a prescription), but is this acceptable?

The Great Manzini

Lukas Litzsinger

There is no doubt that Mario Manzini makes a great subject for a story.  However, this does not mean that the story will automatically be great.  I felt that there was too much introduction before the first quote, as it is important to lay the groundwork for the piece early.  You were also left wondering what exactly the point of it all was for too long...delayed identification is probably not the best choice in a radio story.  If people don't understand the significance, you better keep them with you until they do.

This is not to say that the story was a poor one.  Manzini is a fascinating subject, and despite some lack of internal logic ('Showbiz saved my life...' followed by 'Some of the tricks are more dangerous than staying in the mob') and an overly ambitious biography the story was nonetheless interesting once it got going.  There were no natural sounds and only one subject, yet adding either another subject or natural sounds probably would have detracted from the focus.  Technically, the audio maxed out a couple of times but otherwise was passable.

Addy

Anton Berkovich

The Adderall story from KBIA was a relevant story for students at MU, since I have definitely met people who unfortunately resort to the drug on campus to concentrate on studying. Unlike stories we listened to in class, this one did not feature any natural sounds, but that isn't a fault, in my opinion. The story couldn't have benefited any more from ambient sounds, since it was more serious orientated than a news story that could have used natural sounds. I thought the interviewer got a good range of sources; a student who took the drug, someone who dealt it out, and a medical expert. 

Adderall

Samantha Liss

I enjoyed listening to the “Adderall” story on KBIA. I think that it touches on a very prevalent issue on college campuses.

However, there were a few things missing from the story that I was dying to have answered.

This story somewhat reminded me of the True Life series on MTV. On True Life I think the most important aspect of their reporting is showing both positive and negative sides effects of an issue.

There was too much coverage on the benefits from taking adderall illegally. It made me want to start taking it!

I think they needed a horror story from a student's perspective, instead of the official voice, from the woman teaching drug education.

I do think that this is something we will see more of in our time period while being college students, and I enjoyed the sound bite describing adderall as “the best thing to happen to college students since beer.”

A very timely story but I’m not sure that it taught me anything I didn’t know already.

Mario Manzini

I am never sure if I like question leads, they feel a bit elementary-school to me. It was an interesting story, mobsters are always neat to me, but the story was way too big. True, I like learning everything about everything, but I cannot process an entire biography with just my ears. It is why I do not listen to books on tape. While the way in which the reporter wrote the story fits the guidelines of Writing for the Ear, he could have made several different clips from just this one story.

Of the selection of clips, the piece on Adderall stuck out when I listened for the quality and variation of sounds. Unfortunately, it struck a cord with me because I wasn't very impressed with the execution of this story. It is quite heavily reliant on the narration of the broadcaster, which causes his voice to seemingly drone on, only rarely broken up by nat sound. This is a fine example of our discussion in class about whether the focus lies more on the reporter or the subject. Understandably, much needs to be explained with this topic; however, the coverage seemed too broad and consequently remedial when the broadcaster droned rather simple facts about Adderall.
With the exception of quotations from medical professionals, the rest weren't very poignant. There was no nat sound (albeit, something hard to obtain with this story), and the students recorded had all (not surprisingly) requested anonymity. Another area where I thought this broadcast could have been stronger is in emphasizing the prevalence of Adderall use. Although we are supposed to be wary of number usage in radio broadcasting, I feel reinforcing one or two relevant statistics could have made this story more hard-hitting.

KBIA Story: Manzini

Before Thursday's class, I probably never would have noticed that this story had entirely too much information. After listening to the whole thing, I am left dumbfounded as to what the point was. Was I supposed to focus on the fact that he grew up in a mob family or focus on the variety and danger of his escapes? Or should I have walked away with a sense of the accomplishments he has made and his future plans? While the story was intruiging, the journalist went a little overboard, cramming the entire life of Manzini into a concise radio story. A more direct and clearer approach, like just focusing on his escape into show business, would have yielded a deeper understanding of a certain part of Manzini.
Also, I think the story lacked ambient sound. Even a grunt or a laugh... perhaps even sound of him doing an escape would have been beneficial to the monotonous tone of the story.
All that being said, the story did follow some of the guidelines we discussed like attribution at the beginning of sentences and the subject, verb, object order. I was never confused as to what was being said, just a little overwhelmed by the end.

Manzini

I liked this story the most of the three because from the very beginning it was captivating. The descriptive language used painted a picture of what Manzini would look like before ever hearing him speak. While the listener is unable to see Manzini, because it is a radio piece, I still felt like I'd be able to pick him out in a crowd. 

I think the journalist did a great job providing background information on Manzini, as well as making the story relatable to Columbia area residents. I was surprised to find he was from Columbia. From the description provided I thought he'd be from a far more exotic location.

As the story progressed however, I began to lose interest. As they began to include information about his Mob family and other personal stories told by Manzini. It almost became to broad to me, and I mentally didn't want to process so many angles to the story. It almost seemed autobiographical, which maybe was its intent, but to me was not very interesting. 

I think the journalist did a great job of writing for the ear in this piece, however, with the length and variety of information in the story, it got a little boring toward the end. Also, I would've liked the journalist to take on a less formal tone of voice, or speak less in general. I liked listening to Manzini more so than listening to the journalist. 

Adderall

Valerie Chew

Short. Simple. Direct. I like how the reporter begins the story by grabbing the listener’s attention. The tone, the speed and the use of words with impact make listeners want to listen. The topic is of interest to the audience - students, teachers and possibly parents - with Columbia being a college town. He made good effort to include different perspectives and attributed the voices. The use of natural sounds could make the piece a little more interesting. If he had continued using the opening style for the rest of the story - by varying sentence length to set the pace – the piece could have a ‘fuller’ feel. Sustained. Rich. Complete.

KBIA Story

Several things stood out to me as I listened to Matt Velker’s Dec. 28 story on the local impact of the No Child Left Behind Act. First was that he did a good job of taking a national story and breaking it down into an angle that would resonate better with a mid-Missouri audience.

From a technical standpoint, I though the use of natural sound at the beginning and end of the piece made sense and helped draw the listener into a school setting. Less appealing however, was the way the volume of his interviews was significantly lower than that of his voice.

I noticed that he used his vocal inflection a bit more than I would have expected from a news piece. While I understand that certain subtleties would be hard to keep out of a recording, I felt like he did it to a point that made me question the objectivity of the piece.

KBIA Stories

My first choice was to listen to the Adderall story since that title was something I already knew about fairly well. I had no idea what Neuticals were.

The adderall story was well produced. It was unbiased and the narrator portrayed both sides of the story with students who use and sell, and a doctor relaying the health risks.  I didn't feel like it was preaching about its pros or cons. The Neuticals story was hilarious to me, actually. The "gooshy softness" quote really put an awkward image in my head. But it was very informative and something off-the-wall interesting because it wasn't hard news, but definitely "ear-catching".

It's always good to have a variety of stories to keep the listeners curious.

The background sounds were a little abrupt in Neuticals, too. The dog whining at the end didnt leave it off on a good note either (to me anyway). That was my last impression of it, unfortunately. 

KBIA Story

By Carla Schaffer

I actually enjoy listening to the stories that are on KBIA. Although the story about neuticles was very entertaining and also informative (who knew that such a thing existed!), I especially liked the story about Adderall. My mom is pharmacist and always talks about how people "of my generation" abuse medicine. I honestly never really thought about it, but this story gave an authentic feel. Being extremely tired and worn out is something all college students have to deal with. I think few people really consider going to the extreme to stay awake, but this story shows those people really are out there. With such easy access to Adderall, that person going to extremes could easily be the person sitting next to you in class. With as many students on medication these days, it makes me wonder how many are out there on our campus that use their prescription drugs to make a few extra dollars. The demand is obviously there, now how many students are will run the risk of supplying?

"I don't know why some people want squooshy softness..."

Me either. But hey, it makes for a fascinating radio story.  The nat sound of the barking dogs really took me to the veterinarian's office, and the descriptive phrases used by the reporter came along at a natural and conversational pace. Although the subject matter was a little out there, it just opens up one of the little nooks and crannies of our country that everyone doesn't always see, much like an audio version of a "detail" photograph. Away from pure entertainment value, the journalistic merit of the piece was there too. By including opinions from both sides of the topic, the reporter supported fun with facts, making the story both interesting and credible. The only drawback, journalistically, that I found with this piece was that the reporter chose to make small quips about the subject matter in his word choice and tone, clearly editorializing the piece to align with the reporter's obvious belief that Neuticles are ridiculous; but hey, how serious can you be when you're producing a piece about false canine cajones? Well balanced, technically sound, fun to listen to, and informational all the while. Bravo.

Kelsey Proud

Neuticles

by Chelsea Williams

"Neuticles" definitely caught me off guard initially. The subject matter was not something I was expecting, nor familiar with at all. Once the reporter mentioned that if you don't have a dog, this piece won't interest you, I was slightly taken aback because I do not have a dog, and have never had one. However, in abruptly jumping in to the topic of neuticles, the reporter easily captivated the audience. The constant dog barking in the background served as a reassurance that these substitute testicles for dogs would, indeed, work effectively. It also offered entertaining ambient sound, keeping the listeners tuned in completely. While I enjoyed hearing about neuticles from the perspective of a man who had devoted his life to the cause, I really appreciated hearing the other side of things. The vet offered a much more rational explanation that was far easier for me to relate to. I found "Neuticles" to be an easy, straightforward story that avoided complexities, and in doing so uncovered an interesting and relevant story. Even as a non-dog owner, I felt included. Also, the one phrase I thoroughly enjoyed was when the reporter was referring to the cost, and cleverly used "900 bones" instead of 900 dollars. It was witty and won me over on the spot.

Video nightmare

This week has been a particularly hard week for me. We had to work on a video story and none of us is good at it. Things came up unexpected liked loss of files and avid problems. Video has always been my nightmare. Things went particular bad on Valentine’s Day when the file Catherine’s work was lost on video lab, and my friends kept asking me about when I would go back home to hang out for a drink. I was no good with computer things and could not do anything to get the file back. Luckily, the file was found later on.

Super Tuesday Reports Prove Informative on KBIA

Lyndey Brock

I listened to "Super Tuesday Reports" on KBIA for this blog. I thought the story was very informative on many levels. I really liked all the background noise of the polls and people voting. The ambient sound gave a casual vibe to the story. All the different reporters however, gave way to slight confusion as to who was telling the story and when. I sometimes got confused. However, I thought the story was one of the best on the station, especially to have been produced by students.

KOMU.com V-day

This was Valentines week at KOMU. It was a different atmosphere than "Super Tuesday" a week ago- No craziness much more calm. Sue came in and there were no really compelling stories she could work with a reporter with- So we decided to do a valentines graphic based on the colors of flowers and their meaning- The graphic would have meanings of how many flowers you receive means- So we worked on that during the shift- I also worked on correctly copying stories to KOMU.com. Though not as stressful as last week- I had a good time working at KOMU. This was a very boring blog entry I apologize in advance if now you want to shoot yourself after reading it~

Until next week-

SSliker#21

KBIA Addreall Story

The story about Adderall was especially interesting to me. The one aspect that stands out to me about this story is the approach this reporter took and the fact that it was very unbiased, where a topic about student drug use reported on by a student can get biased. The story simply presented us, the listener, with facts from Adderall sellers and consumers, doctors and the University administration perspective. These various opinions are presented to us in a way that helps us draw our own conclusion about the problem, opposed to pointing us in one direction or the other. Radio stories may be easier for doing stories like this, because without visual images this story was presented more anonymously and clearly. I do not think that every story has to have some hidden message or agenda, but many of them do, and this story does a good job of having no agenda. It was simply about the facts. The reporter also made this story relevant by airing it around finals time, when this issue is especially prevalent. I personally thought the whole backdrop of the story was why would college students need to take a drug simply to concentrate on schoolwork. Is there so much pressure on students to perform well that they need drugs to help them? Those were my thoughts and biases while listening to this story, and it was good that the story did not have any bias like that, because that allowed the listeners to come to their own conclusions on this subject, which is the goal of journalism. 

KBIA- Neuticles

By: Lauren Foreman
While the subject was very weird, the audio did a wonderful job of telling a complete story. It was of a good quality, and the dog barking added some character to the piece. Although it caught me a little off guard in the beginning, the barking did a good job of answering the listener's question of how the dogs reacted to the neuticles, without being distracting. However, I did notice some inconsistencies with the volumes of the different voices, but this is understandable because people talk at different volumes.

Of course all the photos were excellent, considering they all won first place, but the category that resonated the most with me was the World Understanding category. I wonder why the photographer chose to present all the photos in black and white. Regardless of the motives behind the decision, it was a good one. Although they were in black and white the intensity of the sky can still be understood although the color information is not there. The photos from this section I liked-- or not liked but felt captured the emotions associated with the conflict were of the girl at her sister's funeral, the child soldier in that oversized coat, emphasizing the fact that the coat is not the only thing that he is not old enough to handle, and the body in the middle of the street. I was surprised to see that no one was rallying around the body, the photographer was able to take pictures with ease, and there seemed to be no investigation by law officials. The picture conveys how common death is in this region and how it drastically differs from the United States in terms of conflict and its effect on everyday living conditions. 

Phantastic Photos

Lyndey Brock
I really enjoyed the different points of view that the winners of the pictures of the year multimedia award winners provided. My favorite, however, was Allison Yin and her slideshow, "Down at the Barbershop." The sounds and voice clips she got were remarkable. I really felt as if I was there in the barbershop with her.

The photos that Yin provided along with her voice clips gave the most insight into the story, obviously. But, Yin was able to include all three aspects of photos that we discussed in class: Detail, Portrait, and Scene Setting. When I took my photos, I was really apprehensive as to how they would turn out, but I feel as though I also learned a lot through the assignment as well. Seeing her very professional photos will give me something to strive for in the coming weeks as I continue to learn more.

"Orphaned in an Instant"

This photo stayed in my head even after I had looked at the others. The caption is succinct, and the horror is evident immediately. The lighting is perfect-- the single beam escapes from a troop's flashlight. I think it really portrays the war in a way that many Americans aren't used to seeing. I wish this kind of photo would appear in newspapers more often, I think it would open the country's eyes.
Emily Coppel

"Party"

My favorite picture was the one entitled "Party" taken by Tamas Dezso. I love the emotion shown in this picture. The little boy's position is following the rule of thirds. I think it is neat how the picture is in black and white, yet it shows so much depth. I can almost feel how the boy is feeling. He is gazing up at all of the adults at their party. He is either wishing he could take part in it or probably wishing he could be somewhere else playing a game. I like the foreground framing the adult arms do in the picture. It causes your gaze to focus on the boy, which is what makes the picture unique. The front arms are a little out of focus, but the adults in the back are in focus. It's really cool. I like the approach the photographer took.

Emily Pritchard

Final Salute

Sarah Steffen

"Final Salute" really touched me. The pictures were so intense, I could feel the pain and the mourning. Especially the picture of Katherine Cathey hugging the casket was sad. There were several ones I just couldn't take my eyes off. Most pictures I have seen do transport the emptiness felt by the victim's families. I also liked those photos that can be interpreted as sort of metaphors, e.g. Major Steve Beck and his shadow approaching a family house.
However, it was two pictures which striked me most. One shows Cathey's father at the funeral; his tears and the empty look in his eyes reveal all the desperation he feels. The second one shows Katherine Cathey spending the night by the casket. She lies in a small bed and listens to songs that remind her of her husband. One Marine stands in the back, watching her while she falls asleep. This picture is so full of intimacy, documenting Katherine's last goodbye.
I was surprised how close the photographer could get. He shot pictures in the most intimate moments. So the technique of blending has worked very well in that case. I think the first place is well deserved.

Elise Crawley

I really liked the photos by Tamas Dezso, “Romania—On Europe’s Eastern Edge.”  One of the reasons that I really liked them is that they were all in really vivid color.  Even though there are some things in the photos that are tragic, like death, there is still a sense that the people living there are really real and that they’re surviving.  At the same time, the colors and the way that the scenes are set up are vivid and beautiful. 

Personally, I think that black and white photos of tragedy have been done so many times.   It’s not that they lose their impact, but I think that the contrast of them to something like these photos by Dezso make the photos of Romanian people distinctive. 

I would never say that there is a tragedy that doesn’t deserve to get a picture and to be documented, because humanity has to look at its own flaws until the full force of the horror it commits forces it to change.  However, I think that we can’t make it to that place without seeing some kind of hope.  

"ORPHANED IN AN INSTANT"

Anton Berkovich

This photo, by Chris Hondros, struck me as the most powerful of the images, though all were amazing in their own way. What I liked about this image, besides the detailed and thorough cutline, was the amount of emotion that the subject displayed in the photo. Without even reading the caption, I was saddened by the photo. The soldier's lighting creates a unique feel to the photo, and the fact that his or her face is hidden struck me as symbolic, even if it was unintentional by the photographer. Though the subject of the photo is extremely saddening, the photo itself is stunning in its content and delivery.

Equestrian Statue

By Gretchen Pressley

I chose this picture out of the magazine picture winners to talk about because it was just such an interesting view. The caption starts, "Newly broke horse and rider pause for a short rest while kids play with the hounds on a sunny autumn day at Apajpuszta, Hungary." And yet the horse and rider are a minuscule part of the picture itself. In fact, the head of one dog and a human pair of legs are the biggest things in the picture.

I enjoyed looking at this picture because there are just so many things to see. It is taken exactly as our eyes would see it. It is artistic in the layers it presents; the dog's head and the legs are slightly out of focus. Then my eyes jumped to the two girls playing farther back in the shot. I practically didn't even notice the horse until I read the caption and searched for it. It made me smile because the important part of the picture, at least according to the caption, was something that came as a surprise.

Anyways, though many of the other pictures created a much more emotional response in me, I chose this one because it made me smile and I could picture myself there looking across the grass, just as the camera does for me.

I think that particularly with a multimedia presentation like "Final Salute," there is the possibility for convergence to tell a fuller story. The use of audio, video and photo, used in various combinations, can better convey various aspects than just one over the other, or simple print. The audio slide show seems to take a certain amount of pressure off of the viewing experience - instead it's as if you're being let in on a nuanced extra, in a very slice-of-life fashion. And, of course, the poignancy is still there, from the raw power of certain photos to the emotion that can only be conveyed through intonation. Perhaps for me, though, the Time slide show on Katrina hit on a more visceral level (and its title also reminded me of this). Of course, it didn't seem much different from many of the images one may have seen in print, in a newspaper or magazine, or on television. Without the audio behind it, I felt it still fit the multimedia mold because it acted as an extended album for particularly unique shots - many of the pictures seemed full of beautifully unique minutiae.

Winners of Picture of the Year International's international picture of the year awards (presented internationally, yearly, for pictures)

Charles Austin

Pretty much all of the pictures on the site are impressive, and basically make me think I should just quit right now becuase my dreams of shooting the "Science/Natural History Picture Story" photo of the year for Pictures of the Year International has no chance of coming to fruition. Even so, I really like a lot of these, and I am going to single out the "Pictoral" one because it is one of many good ones. The lighting and the location of all the people and animals almost makes it seem surreal, but it's way too cool to have been deliberately tampered with in Photoshop. It seems like it required a great deal of luck as well as skill (though, I guess most photography does) to get all the people, dogs and the horse lined up just exactly as they are. Everyone in the picture is independently going about doing their own things (or "thangs") and yet all the action happens to converge on a spot in the middle. Put together that luck, skill and the pristine scenery and I guess you have a Pictures of the Year International picture of the year winner. I think looking at good photography helps me understand what to keep in mind while taking pictures more than I would intuitively expect it to.

The only real blemish on the site is the uncreative name.

"Final Salute"

This is was very effective presentation - it made me cry! The photographer and the writer seem to have made a great team. I think that it must have been difficult to gain the type of intimate access to the subject that they showed the viewer/reader they had. This story is very timely and this is something that has affected many American countries. Although as the viewer/reader, you don't personally know the people portrayed, by the end of the presentation you feel as if you have learned a lot about the lives of this family. You cannot help but think about how the death of the soldier will forever effect the life of his young wife and family.
The most difficult and haunting image in the slideshows for me is the picture in which the pregnant wife is hanging her body over the casket of her husband and Beck standing in support near her. It portrays true emotion, yet it is a fairly simple photo.
I like that this story was first from the angle of Beck and his role in the Marines and then the families whose lives were affected. It gave me a look inside an experience that I know nothing about, and it will stay with me as I go about my life.

Multimedia Award Winner: Love and War

By: Lauren Foreman
I thought the piece entitled Love and War was incredible. The texture of his voice and the detail of some in the shots really gave his story a character. The picture detailing the wrinkles and crevices in the man’s hand, the one of a younger picture of him, etc. all do a wonderful job of answering questions that the readers are typically thinking. If you have a man who fired machine guns in a war, we try to picture his hands. If an older gentleman is speaking, we try to imagine how he looked when he was younger. I also think this piece captured a real human element: a universal theme. Even if most could never understand the subject's specific story of having to fight a war and then losing his wife with the same kind of by chance occurrence, most people can relate to losing a loved one. This really tugs at the heartstrings and paints a real picture.

Multimedia Winner of the Year

I rarely have a visceral reaction to pieces of journalism or life in general, but the coverage provided by RockyMountainNews.com about the lives of Marine casualty assistance officers opened the waterworks. Perhaps the subject matter provided the optimal setting for my emotions, but the ways in which the stories of the families and Marines were presented were wonderfully detailed and fantastically composed. The first portion of the coverage I viewed was the text article written by Jim Sheeler, and although it was a very lengthy piece, I never tired of reading it. The way in which Sheeler segmented his article into chronological progressions coupled with insightful flashbacks made for a format rich in interest and gripping in description. Sheeler's depictions of the people involved in the story were so accurate that when I finally moved on to the visual part of the piece, I saw people on the screen nearly identical to those Sheeler had helped me visualize in my mind. In addition, the measured inclusion of both the positive and negative aspects of the circumstances surrounding the position of casualty assistance officers and the effectiveness of their work helped to make a story which could easily be labeled as biased to the right into a piece of balanced journalism. Needless to say, after reading the article, I felt that I had a better understanding of truly excellent writing and was inspired to really challenge myself to push harder for depth in the future. 

The audio slideshow, with it's stark photographs and first-hand audio brought me even deeper into the lives of the people I had just read about. The fact that the RockyMountainNews.com chose to concentrate strictly on the voices of those involved and leave any professional narration out gives, in my opinion, the best view possible into the story. It is our duty as journalists to bring people the news they need and explain the complex situations of our lives to citizens in balanced and clear ways, but the pictures and audio included in the coverage here leave little for journalists to clarify that cannot be deciphered by the human condition alone. 

Democratic Republic of Congo photos

Wow. These pictures scream so much louder the dilemmas of the Conganese than any written story could. The child strapped with a gun, the mourning at the funeral, the corpse on the side of the road, even the common breast feeding scene... all of these capture so many emotions, questions, and struggles. These scenes are all so private and intense, I simply could not imagine the intrusion a camera would make. As a photographer, I would feel almost rude attempting to capture the tears and heartbreak shown in these photos. Still, I guess that's just something a photographer would have to overcome in order to tell a story so necessary and compelling.

Community Awareness

Tracy Pfeiffer

I LOVED the Community Awareness photographs. Each picture has a style that you can sense is the product of expert "hunter" skills on behalf of the photographer and also a distinct flavor that comes from the subjects of the photographs. The photographs aren't beautiful in the traditional sense of the word, but the composition of the photographs and the emotions and style of the subjects combine to create an aesthetic that is at once engaging and poignant. Pictures that an amateur photographer would probably overlook suddenly jump off the page (out of the screen?) and violently pull you into the story with their fascinating anguish.

Multimedia of the year

After looking over the first place winners in each of the three subcategories, I am very impressed at how each site presented the stories.

Rocky Mountain News: The amount of depth provided by the photos and text was amazing. It is certainly a sensitive topic and one that I wouldn't think many families of fallen
soldiers would be comfortable with. I liked how the package covered many different events but used Maj. Beck as a central figure with which to tie everything together.

Kentucky Post: They found a compelling way to cover a topic that usually gets only one page every few days in state-wide publications. The audio slide shows did an excellent job of portraying the emotion that both team members and fans put into the football season.

USA Today: The fist thing that struck me after looking over all three packages was that they found an effective means to delivering the multimedia stories and stuck with it. I was expecting the high-quality depth and breadth of coverage in each piece as they were all from the popular national daily, and the presentation and ease of navigation made the stories all that much better.

Community Awareness

Out of all the award-winning photos, I found the community awareness ones to be most striking. Unlike pictures I usually like, these weren't "beautiful" or aesthetically pleasing to me... but rather truth-telling. These photos are such a great example of good journalism. Through these shots, a story is being told. Sometimes we're so used to looking at shots of families, special events, landscapes, etc. These are on an entirely different level. I felt almost uncomfortable looking at them because they depict an entirely different way of life. There are so many emotions and secrets that seem to jump out of these pictures. Since I've grown up a certain way and lived a blessed kind of life- it was hard to look at these and remind myself that people are living differently and perhaps, more difficultly.

These pictures are definitely in the right category- awareness. To remind the world of the underlying stories we don't see, and maybe don't want to see.

Newspaper Photographer of the Year

The photo that I found the most powerful was “Shelter Shutdown”. At first glance, it looks like the photo has a prison setting because of the crossed bars that the people are behind. But then when looking closer, the three people in the picture are all different ages. A teenage girl, a young boy, and an old man are the people in view. Without looking at the caption, I would not have known exactly what was going on in this picture. After reading that these people are in a police paddy wagon being transported to hospital, the photo has a greater impact. Then the fact that these people have to go to the hospital because of contaminated water at a Hurricane Katrina shelter added to why I wanted to focus on this photo. The angle that the photographer used, the one behind the bars, makes the photo more than just a shot of people being transported. I also like how all different types of people are represented in the photo - black, white, old, young. I think it shows that Katrina made a huge impact on the lives of all people. The girl in the photo captured my attention because it looks like she's singing. Even though she has to go to the hospital, she might have some hope left in her and is sharing it with the others.

Photo of the Year

The most touching set of photos to me were those of Katherine Cathey the wife who lost her husband. My favorites in particular were those of her clinging to her husbands coffin, those of her in her home setting, and the one of her sleeping next to the coffin at night. The photos communicated a sense of intimacy, and I appreciate her willingness to share such a traumatic experience with the entire world. Not only were the photos of Cathey touching, but I really like how the pictures told a story themselves. 

First, I looked at the photo set and read the captions, and then watched the flash video. The captions and photos themselves were powerful enough to communicate a strong message, which made the audio/photo presentation even more powerful. In all honestly, I didn't even read the article, because I felt the photographer had already done such a powerful job telling the story. I liked that the same story was told in a number of ways because some people gravitate towards some methods of understanding more than others. 

Photographer of the Year

by Chelsea Williams

"New Pope Announced" taken by Barbara Davidson under the Newspaper Photographer of the Year category jumped out at me the most. A group of nuns in Enugu, Nigeria have just found out that a new pope was elected, and they are ecstatic. The reason this photo intrigues me so much is because nuns usually seem so stiff and proper, rarely showing any outward emotion. I associate them with religious settings, mostly churches, and to see them elsewhere caught me off guard. Their excitement seems so genuine, and the ear-to-ear smiles on their faces, along with their body language, put me at ease. Nuns seem super-human to me because of their devout religiousness and modest lifestyles, but this photo made me feel as though I could relate more to these nuns, even if only for a moment.

Another photo that just hit home for me was "Party," taken by Tamas Dezso under the Magazine Photographer of the Year category. It was impossible not to connect with the little boy in the picture. He is in the center of a bunch of wealthy adults, drinks in hand, simply taking it all in. He looks nervous, scared, and out of place, but his vulnerability allows people to see this situation from his perspective. The fact that all of the adults' faces are cropped out of the photo draws all of your attention to this boy; intimidated, yet standing tall in spite of it. You can tell he is trying to fit in and absorb this party that he obviously isn't comfortable at, even though none of the adults are paying him any attention. I feel like so much emotion is captured in this photo, making me just want to go give this little boy a hug and tell him it'll all be okay.

Picture Perfect...not

Lukas Litzsinger

There are a lot of good pictures to browse through, but the one that stood out the most to me was "Audience Participation" by Charles Krupa.  It shows the reaction of several people in the stands of a baseball game as a rogue bat comes hurtling toward them.  At first, I almost bypassed it.  What's so great about this?  I thought.  It's not an incredibly rare occurrence, it could be cropped a smidgen of an inch on the left side, and the composition is not technically amazing by any standards.  But all of that pales in comparison with the content, with the snapshot of life that it conveys.  The spectator's responses are fascinating;  the picture just grabs a hold of you and makes you coming back, searching the varied visages on display.  There is some raw element of humanity visible in "Audience Participation," and emotion obviously catapulted it into first place.

Pictures of the Year

Looking through the Pictures of the Year site was incredibly enjoyable; photojournalism is one area in which I wish I had more expertise and this reminded me of that. My other area of study at the University is art and that heavily plays into my appraisal of photography in newspapers, magazines, and of course, on the web. While I like photographs that are representational (after all, this is from a journalistic perspective), I truly appreciate when I see an innovative and, perhaps, abstract photograph published in the media. At its most basic (albeit, important) level photographs need to explain, illustrate, or support a story—but creating something that’s uniquely visually compelling is what sets the photos on this site apart.

Some of my favorites include Lance Iversen’s photograph of the nude yoga class (Newspaper>Feature Division>Award of Excellence). This is an outstanding and beautiful portrayal for a rather unusual story that would normally make readers cringe at the thought of doing yoga sans-clothes. The light quality highlighting the contours and muscles of the student makes it tasteful, as does the abstraction of the body’s position. And the photojournalist captures great negative space that complemented the figure; this could definitely be considered art as easily as it is outstanding photojournalism. Rodrigo Abd’s “Guatemala Gangs” is another noteworthy photograph; the red of the blood is so visually striking and the way in which the photograph was shot almost lends such a horrific even gracefulness.

I also can’t resist (post-Super Tuesday and all) to note Pete Souza’s photograph of Sen. Barack Obama climbing up the steps of the U.S. Capitol. Not only are all of the intricate architectural elements complementary and detailed (especially in black and white, creating really compelling figure-ground), but as far as a photograph’s capability for visual storytelling, this is practically a metaphor for conquering Washington.

More Than Words

Valerie Chew

David Gillanders’ ‘Homeless Children of Ukraine’ spoke out to me most. The black and white colors set the tone of the bleak lives of the children. The strong facial expressions of pain and the scenes of children crowding in sewers and injecting each other with drugs spell the harsh conditions they were in. The picture of TB-ridden Vova in a cot was especially provoking. I like how the angle of the picture showed the baby behind the mesh. The netted crib was a trap both literally and metaphorically -- one that the child cannot get out of. It illustrated the helplessness of children abandoned by their families. With outstanding photography, emotions and circumstances are captured in a way that words alone cannot do justice.

Becoming the fly on the wall

Samantha Liss

My favorite first place pictures are located in the community awareness award, "Upstate Girls."

The pictures are honest and intriguing. I felt as though the photographer was a fly on the wall. The pictures are so simple but they speaks volumes as they explain the lives of the less fortunate.

The picture in the gallery I enjoy the most is "Savannah Smoking." The 13-year-old lets a cigarette hang loosely from the side of her mouth as she stares straight into the camera, wearing a bikini top. All of the pictures capture the struggle to succeed. As you keep flipping through the pictures each story is worse than the last. It's a cycle of poverty that is unforgiving, steering 14-year-olds to become pregnant and addicts because they know no other way.

I think the photographer did a great job capturing the honesty of the community and lives of those she photographed and really portrayed the story from the people, as opposed to just reporting about the issues people face. It made it all that more tragic since I could put a name, like Savannah, with a real issue in society.

Picture of the Year Multimedia Award Winner

I really liked the USAToday.com multimedia pages. The Hurricane Katrina page was chocked full of information, not just about the disaster in New Orleans, but the hurricane season as a whole. The tabs used in all of the multimedia pages on USAToday.com made the site easily navigable. Multimedia pages are great ways for people to get the info they want, without having to slog through article after article or picture after picture of things you don't care to look at. "Participants in the past" was very entertaining as well, as it merged audio and photos to give one a true impression of civil war re-enactors. 

Photography never fails to impress me. When a truly phenomenal photo happens, I am simply speechless with wonder. How many great photos have been lost because the photographer had to sneeze at the moment of greatness, forgot to put in film/batteries/memory card, or was distracted? Back in my hey-day of retail greatness, my one coworker told he had missed quite a few commissions in the past from having to pee and handing the customer off to a different sales associate. Always in the wrong place in the wrong time I guess. There are an overwhelming number of ways to screw up, but to be in the right place in the right time and prepared? I am hoping the stars don't have to align in a particular fashion for this to happen, but rather a developed eye for the candid moment. As Alison Yin's collection of singles suggests, quite a few good photos can happen to a single person.

Picture of the Year Multimedia Winners

All of the Picture of the Year multimedia winners’ stories were simply fascinating. The added aspect of combining sound with numerous images adds a lot to a particular story. The first place winner about the Iraq war really gripped me and filled me with many emotions, and I don’t think I would have gotten all those emotions if all the components weren’t simultaneously telling a story. Seeing the pictures of the pregnant woman who had just lost her husband was so upsetting, and having the numerous pictures with her voice in the background added a lot of detail for the audience to understand what is happening. 

In the hurricane Katrina story, I was very impressed with the black and white photos. The fact that some of the photos were black and white added a lot of quality to pictures that would not have been the same if they were in color. I think photojournalists sometimes underestimate the effect that black and white photos can have over color photos, and it should be something used more often in photography, especially when telling a gripping story like this. With black and white photos one pays more attention to lighting and contrast and when telling a profound and terrible story, like about hurricane Katrina, those effects should not be underestimated. All the stories were enhanced because of the way they were presented. I do not think they would have had the same effect on the audience if they were told in a typical article, or just as a television story. The multimedia aspect added something more to the story. 

Hayley Kaplan

photo journalism

I am excited about the photo assignment we have been given, because I knew virtually nothing about photo journalism. I feel like the reading has given me more or a basic understanding of the most important components of photo journalism. I think the portion of the reading that I felt was most important for me was the page with the title "curious" with the picture of the little boy. I understand that most effective pictures have a common human element and the power of this is amazing. When viewing the street pictures, it gave me a feeling of "knowing" some of the people in the pictures. In some cases, my curiosity about the subjects of the pictures was even more peaked. I wanted to know more about them, the places they were in and why they were doing what they were doing. I thought that this quote was a great way to sum up the idea of a great photojournalist: "Good photojournalists are not in love with photography, they are in love with people and with life." Although, when I think about everything written about in the article and the quality of the pictures in the slideshow, I feel like the seriousness and power of photojournalism is not reflected on enough by those not studying it.

Week two in the can

I'm looking at this semester as a test of my mettle. It's going to be 'rough and tumble' and maybe 'wild and woolly' (an inside joke for those of you who follow the rantings of Tom Cruise). I spent Wednesday at KOMU, a madhouse compared to the newsrooms of my past. I loved it, though, and it's staffed by some very cool people. Also, I got a lot done. Today, which is Friday, I wrapped up a shift at the Missourian and felt great helping some underclassmen get a handle on audio editing. He was so thankful I thought he might offer me money. I would have accepted and then bought donuts for my poor 8 a.m. compatriots.

In sum, I can't wait to look back in May and regard myself for the first time as a multimedia journalist who doesn't suck completely, but perhaps only a little bit.

Mark

think outside the lense

After reading Labelle's article, I think the main point that resonated throughout was that the best pictures are made with creative thinking. Basically, think of the world and everything around you in a new way and pictures will start to come to you. Talk to different people, go to new places, read different things to find your stories; when you get there, take new photographs, look for new angles, and just be creative and open to possibilities. Also, never stop imagining and brainstorming. Ideas can come at you at any time! 

Photojournalism at its finest

I thought that these readings were really helpful. I've always been interested in photography and it was really interesting to see the strategies of someone in the business. I listened to Dirk Halstead when he came to Mizzou last semester for an award he had been recognized with. Seeing his presentation was one of the most memorable experiences that I've had so far at Mizzou. He showed nearly all of his photos from the last three decades and told the stories behind how he had gotten the most difficult shots. Many of the strategies that he outlined were similar to that of LaBelle-- blending into the environment, capturing emotion (even if it just the subtle clench of the jaw), and thinking outside of the box. I think all of these skills are especially helpful in convergence because you have to paint the whole picture, which makes the images just as important as the text.
Emily Coppel

Elise Crawley

I know very little about photography so I thought that LaBelle’s article was rather helpful.  Still, I think that the sum of photography comes down to the basic “I don’t know art, but I know what I like.”  Clearly many of the elements that LaBelle mentioned (emotion, humor, angle, reaction, etc.) go into creating a “likeability” factor, truly amazing photos like the raising of the flag on Iwa Jima just seem to happen and a lot of it is luck as to whether or not you get the photo.  That said, I do think that patience is key.  In looking at the photos by David Snider, I cannot image how long it took just watching searching to get some of those shots.