Remember there was a moment when, as journalists, we thought digital
media would never replace the hard and fast print rules that were engrained in
our souls all through j-school? I used to tell myself “digital will never be
bigger than print".
There's been a shift.
The latest
annual study of digital journalism by Oriella PR Network surveyed
more than 500 journalists from 15 countries and found nearly half of Canadian
journalists [48 per cent] think their web audience is larger than print. In the
US
only 25 per cent think their web audience is greater and globally it's 34 per
cent.
You've interviewed your sources, organized all your notes and are ready to write the lede for the article.
Then one of your sources asks "Please show me the article before it's published so I can see what you've written."
That's when clouds of anxiety billow up inside me because I'm anticipating an uncomfortable discussion where I have to tell the source I can't show the article until it's published.
I found out about that the hard way but I learned a few lessons along the way too.
In December 2008 while living in Tokyo I wrote an article for The Japan Times about graduates from the network of schools operated by Chongryon. It's a cultural association for Japanese citizens of Korean descent and it's politically-oriented towards North Korea. Chongryon is, in other words, pro-North Korea.
It was a fascinating topic to write about until things went somewhat awry. You see, the two sentences in my lede describe exactly what happened with this piece.
After the source said that, I responded "of course." I said that because the interviews had gone so well and the sources were so polite that I was sure she meant "show me AFTER it's published."
How wrong I was.
Once the article appeared in the paper that source was furious with me. She explained that she agreed to be interviewed because she thought I was trying to "help out" the Korean community. She was particularly unhappy with my referring to the late North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung as a "dictator" in the lede.
She wanted me to get the editor to re-edit the article and take out "dictator." I responded that I couldn't do that because the fact is Kim Il-Sung was never democratically elected and his word was law in North Korea. But more importantly, I explained that my purpose for writing the article wasn't to do public relations for Chongryon.
It was evidently not clear to some of my interviewees that I was a reporting the stories of Chongryon graduates instead of promoting their beliefs.
I walked away from that experience with the realization that I had to make it clearer to future interviewees and sources what my purpose is as a reporter. If sources tell me something and I write it down then it could go into print. If there are parts of their stories that they don't want me to hear then they shouldn't tell me those parts.
I also realized I should have made it clearer that journalists collect, compare and challenge facts. So if a source tells me A but I discover that B is actually true then I should report that. An article of only A stories is one-sided propaganda, or nuance-free promotion.
Another way of preventing uncomfortable discussions is to fact-check. That way both you and the sources can agree that what is in your notes is an accurate recording of what they said.
Last January when I was interning at Canadian Business Magazine I interviewed several technology specialists over the phone for an article on microfluidic tablet keyboards.
At the end of one of the interviews, a source asked if we could fact-check my notes before I wrote the article. I confidently said "yes."
We carefully went over the main points of the interview and we both agreed my notes were accurate. And even better, he clarified some of the complex points of the technology for me!
I published the article on Digital Journal and the source emailed me afterwards and said he was happy with it. I was glad that he understood I wasn't writing a promotional piece for any companies or about microfluidic keyboards, and that I incorporated more than one perspective on the technology.
Many people believe that journalists are messengers of chosen stories. Those who believe that should pause before they ask a journalist to vet the article with them before it's published. The fact is, if all sources were free to vet articles in which they're quoted then news critical of politicians, business people, celebrities and basically everyone would never get out.
My first internship was at the National Post. I wore a suit
on my first day. When I arrived, the affable Toronto editor [at the time] Rob Roberts met
me at the ground floor and we made small talk all the way to my desk, next to
the fax machine. He said two things that stood out right away. The first: “IT
will be up shortly to get your phone set up”. Great. I could call people. And
they could call me. The second: “You don’t need to wear a suit around here.” I
had arrived at a national newspaper. The ball was in my court.
Don’t tell anyone this, but I’ve played sports my whole
life.
It doesn’t quite jive with my reputation as (largely) an
arts writer, but I love athletics. Running, swimming, surfing, cycling, soccer,
baseball, climbing, ultimate Frisbee, curling, paddling, figure skating, road
hockey, hiking – you name it, I’m there.
As such, I was pretty psyched to start in the sports
department last week.
Sitting here, at the end of week one and outset of week two (and
I realize this has been a short, atypical test-drive), I might be in love.
Sports writing hasn’t been without its difficulties, but there have been many
more high points than low.
Cheering at the edge of a soccer pitch? Pretty enjoyable way
to spend the day. The challenge that came with this assignment was the
post-game interview. Somehow I never really
thought about that part until it was happening.
As I approached the Irish, who lost despite a great game, I
felt sick about having to ask them any questions. What do you ask a team that’s
just played their last game of the season – a game they were confident they’d
win? Didn't matter that it was "only" a high school game. There's no such thing when you're the one playing.
Every question that came to me sounded kind of empty and
stupid in my head – what do you think you could have done differently? What was
the biggest challenge out there? How do you feel? How do you ask any of that? How
do you answer? I was pretty uncomfortable going in, but Irish coach Casey Downie was
great so the experience was, on the whole, way less awkward that I expected.
A little more pleasant was The
Punisher Adventure Race that went down at Christie Lake Conservation Area on
Saturday. I initially pitched it as straight coverage, but sports editor Tim
Munroe suggested (jokingly) that I run it - an offer I jumped on.
Again, what I hadn’t considered was anything beyond the
positive part of the piece. I never even thought about the column that would have to come out of
it.
After years of avoiding the letter “I” (with the
exception of a first-year J-school assignment and one magazine piece), it was
hard to really get into the story (pun intended). I felt super conspicuous
writing about myself. Wildly shy. Cringe-y. Who did I think I was using “I”? Hunter S.
Thompson? If I’d ever harboured such delusions (pretty sure I didn't), my journalism instructors beat
them out of me in September 2000.
So it was tough to get over that and just go with it, but in
the end, I wrote a sports column – one I even enjoyed reading! Me. I. Amy, I, I. (ok, that’s enough).
Finally, I covered the IFSC
Bouldering World Cup, which was a huge treat. Not only was it an easy
commute (the venue, Gravity Climbing Gym, is right next door to the Spectator
building), the event was unreal.
It was a great gig to have in terms of the show that was put
on and what it meant for the city. It was personally amazing to see world-class
climbers on my home walls. All the athletes I spoke to were gracious
with what little time they had between competing and singing posters for fans, and the crowd was insane.
The toughest thing about this assignment was that the comp
didn’t end until around 8pm. Earlier in the day I’d put together a loose story
that worked best if crowd faves Sean McColl and Akiyo Noguchi (I’d interviewed
them earlier when they were both leading the comp) won the mens and womens titles
respectively. In the end, Anna Stöhr and Kilian Fischhuber placed first so I
had to snag some quick interviews and then run back to re-write the piece
before press time.
I’m not super happy with the way this story ended up.
Reading it yesterday morning, there were a million and one things I wanted to
edit. In fact, I’ve sort of been kicking myself non-stop since it went online Sunday
night, but it’s too late now. It’s out there – word echoes and all. The only thing I can do now is make sure I don't repeat the mistake when I write about the Steel City Bowl and Adventure Attic’s Canoe Race this week.
Nothing excites me more than news, but I know not everyone
is as enthusiastic about it as I am. That’s why I’ve been thrilled over the
past couple days to see the intrigued reactions from Hamilton high school students as they’ve
paraded through the newsroom on their way to the Spec’s photo studio. Students
have been amazed to see the place where the magic happens.
No, I haven’t been spending my summer as an intern leading
tours. In the upcoming weeks, we’ll be running a feature in the GO section on
some of Hamilton’s
graduating high school students – who are they? What will they miss most about
high school? And what’s next for them?
We’ve had students come into the studio to shoot a few
pictures of them and capture a little video while we’re at it. Many students
said they’ve driven by the building too many times to count, but they’ve never
been inside before this visit. “It’s so quiet,” one student remarked as we
walked past a row of desks, reporters busy making phone calls, typing away at
their computers as they finish stories on deadline, hashing out story plans
with an editor. He must’ve caught us during a downtime because I certainly
wouldn’t describe the newsroom as a quiet place.
While we can only squeeze eight students into the paper,
we’ll be running many more profiles online – showcasing what excites and
worries students from across the city. Tune in to read about the students in
print and online, see their photographs and hear what they had to say in a
video.
Summer interns 2013, left to right: Justin Robertson, Natalie Paddon, Amy Kenny and BlairMcBride.
It's spring and at The Hamilton Spectator that means paid summer jobs for reporting interns. Few things (aside from breaking news and good stories) cause as much excitement in the newsroom as the arrival of the interns. Who are they? What's their background? How will they measure up to interns the year before?
Interning is an opportunity for young journalists to take their journalism to the next level, work in a daily newspaper environment and get practical experience. It also allows our staffers to share, mentor and more importantly, learn from the interns. It's a two-way internship.
Much has been made in business journals and media blogs about interns. Paid, not paid, valued? J-source, an online Canadian journalism site interviewed me last month and posted about the topic of internships.
This summer Justin, Natalie, Amy and Blair will work in each of our editorial departments. They will also take over the space on this blog to write about journalism, their experience and thoughts about newspapers and evolving media.
Here they are with bios written in their words:
Amy
Kenny @AmyatTheSpec
After graduating from Ryerson University's journalism program in 2004, I
spent a number of years freelancing for organizations such as The Yellow Pages
Group and Tourism Hamilton, and publications including Canadian Geographic,
National Geographic, Explore and Hamilton
Magazine.
During this time I developed an arts
practice and currently have a studio downtown where I paint and produce
leather/metalwork under the label, Crown Land Goods. I also write fiction and
poetry which has been supported by a grant from the Ontario Arts Council and
published by Monday, Room and The Antigonish
Review.
It was a gig freelancing for Open
File Hamilton in 2010 that led to a combination of freelance and contract
work and then this summer’s internship.
My interests outside the arts
include dogs, cycling, running, camping and trying to develop sufficient
survival skills to be able to live in the bush by the time I'm
40.
Blair
McBride @BlairMcBride
A circuitous route has led me to The
Spec! I'm originally from Waterloo and studied English and Indigenous
Studies at McMaster. I then spent several years teaching in Korea and Japan and traveling through Asia. Last month I graduated from Western University with a Masters in Journalism.
My hobbies include cycling, music and reading. I feel very lucky to be at The
Spec!
Natalie
Paddon @NatatTheSpec
I am a native Hamiltonian and I am
proud to call this vibrant city my home. After finishing my BA in English and
Philosophy at McMaster University, I stuck around both the city and the
campus working for two years before spending a year in London completing an MA in Journalism at Western University. As part of the program, I
spent six weeks at the Spec this past winter where I had the opportunity to
exercise my love for storytelling in print, video and online. I am thrilled to
be back in my hometown this summer, carrying the privilege (and the
responsibility) of sharing the stories of my community. My hobbies include
eating candy, listening to music and reading.
Justin
Robertson @justinatthespec
I’m an Australian-born-journalist
living in Toronto. For the past 18 months I was working
as a freelance writer in Toronto and have been published in the Globe and Mail, The Walrus, National
Post, and GridTO. It was during this period I started focusing my work on
urban affairs and the future of cities and wrote a number of pieces on those
topics for the Toronto Standard. I’ve written fortwo community
papers in two different countries; The Pakenham
Gazette (Melbourne, Australia) and The Town
Crier in Toronto. In 2009, I completed an internship
with the National Post. When I’m not in the newsroom, I coach the Toronto
Dingos, an Australian Rules football team and I enjoy travel.
Reporters Emma Reilly, Molly Hayes and Nicole O'Reilly (hey, they all have Irish roots and Sunday is St. Paddy's Day, but that has nothing to do with this grouping)
There's the words and photos and the colourful type and interplay
between black lines and white space. There's the fragrant smell of truth,
justice and democracy in the ink. The lively curl of each page turns to a
new chapter in a community, a country, someone's life.
It takes a lot to run these presses, but mostly they are fuelled by reporters like Emma, Molly and Nicole.
It's Friday and what better hangout is there on a late afternoon than a pressroom. I was thinking today about what we do after receiving the last of the spring journalism award nominations. The Spec received a lot of recognition for its staff and its work in 2012, during a time when the economy has been less than favourable and when media disruption happens every single day.
1,000 days of blogging and a lot of gems along the way. In May, when Drew Edwards asked readers for their Ivor Wynne memories, one reader shared an engagement photo taken at the now-demolished stadium. Last week, the reader followed up with a new post-engagement photo: their team has grown by one.
There are no timeouts for this typist. Spec sports reporter Drew Edwards (@scratchingpost)reports, blogs, videos and tells just damn interesting stories about the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the Canadian Football League.
Along the way, Drew has forged a relationship with readers across the country who look to Drew for news as it happens and context off the field.
Today, he starts a well-deserved vacation, but only after marking his 1,000th day of consecutive straight blogging. In his piece marking the marker, here, Drew writes about the background to the blog and insights along the way.
A tip of the hat to you, Drew.
Drew knows deadline doesn't take a vacation - he's always looking for tips, opinion pieces and links. His email is dedwards@thespec.com You can find the home page to his Scratching Post blog here.
Twitter photo of a prisoner transport truck stuck in downtown Hamilton. Taken and posted by @susanclairmont who went to court today - twice - before it was shut down.
The thumping sound on the porch this morning wasn’t
Snowmaggedon. It was the sweet, serene
sound of the daily issue of truth, freedom and democracy under the banner of
The Hamilton Spectator hitting the front door. God bless our carriers.
Shortly after it made its way into the warmth of the house in
the pre-dawn, Spec staffers were online updating news, closures and the
commuter report. Some worked off-site while others snaked their way through the
squall before or just as streets were plowed.
Weather broadcasters drive me crazy and I can’t believe how
inconsistent their reports can be when weather is significant news. Some are
reserved, calm and perform their role as journalists with aplomb. Others treat
the weather like a carnival game: “Well it looks like we’re going to get 20
cm, maybe more. But I think it could go as high as 50 cm. This could be the
worst storm in the last five years.”
Give me facts and let’s ban may and could. May is for spring
rains and could is for politicians. They are two words that are nebulous and
meaningless and don’t get to the point (Here’s one for journos: anytime you
have a lede that uses may or could, work on expunging those two words. My
bet is you end up with a sentence that is clear and meaningful.)
Here’s a tip of the hat to the tow truck driver who pulled
me out from an icy patch at a mall parking lot this morning. I pulled into a
coffee shop to pick up sustenance for the newsroom staff (donuts inspire
adjectives) and became stuck. My car was inches from another parked car and I
was afraid of fishtailing and hitting it. The truck driver was getting coffee
and I asked him if he could pull me out. He did but only after giving me a long
lecture about driving in such lousy conditions. He said people should not be on
the roads and too many people underestimate the severity of weather and
slippery roads.
True, I said and told him I work at the newspaper.
“We’re an essential service.”
****
UPDATE: Newsroom Insider brings you this value added snow day surprise movie:
Oh my how the media can huff and puff and rail and write for truth, freedom and hail the disinfectant powers of sunshine.
How then does one of the most promient and powerful newspapers in the world get to a point where it believes colluding with the CIA to keep from the public details about a secret drone base in Saudi Arabia?
In a stunning Page One story in Wednesday's New York Times, the paper revealed details about the USA's drone program and it's informal pact (along with the Washington Post) with the government to keep the location of the base a secret.
The NYT ombud weighed in with a piece discussing the story and the timing of the disclosure.
In her interview with Dean Baquet, a managing editor at the paper, she said the NYT broke the informal embargo because the time was right. The NYT ombud, Margaret Sullivan writes:
“It was central to the story because the architect of the base and drone
program is nominated to head the C.I.A.,” Mr. Baquet told me on
Wednesday. In past stories, he said, the location of the base “was a
footnote.”
The story exposed a shocking arrangment, yet it's hardly a black and white issue. There are many times when newspapers tread lightly around information and how they get it: confidential source arrangements, story embargoes, keeping certain facts out if they are considered to cause more harm than good. Canadian media withheld news that CBC reporter Melissa Fung, working in Afghanistan, was captured and held hostage for fear that public interest in her case would complicate negotiations and threaten her release.
It's never easy. In this case, the U.S's drone program is topical, controverisal, secret and of significant concern and it warrants aggressive, transparent reporting. Democracy, truth and freedom cannot be served when government and media make secrecy pacts.
A Hamilton Spectator journalist is covering a murder trial in a way we've
never done before: She is using social media's Twitter to let readers know what
is going on inside the courtroom.
Susan Clairmont, a Spec columnist, is no stranger on Twitter or to crime and court reporting. This is the first time she's been able to combine it all (find her on Twitter @susanclairmont).
Last Friday, Feb.1, was the first day we were allowed to bring electronic
devices that allow us to instantly report what is said and transpiring inside
an Ontario
courtroom. That was the day new protocols from the Superior Court of Ontario
allowed media to live Tweet.
Susan describes it as a new freedom, but one that comes with much
responsibility:
"I'm very conscious of being careful with what I Tweet, so as not to
breach any bans."
The new protocols govern the use of electronic devices in Ontario courtrooms.
Unless the judge orders otherwise, devices must be silent, discreet and
unobtrusive and are permitted to be used by counsel, paralegals licensed by the
Law Society of Upper Canada, law students or clerks assisting during a
proceeding, self-represented parties and media or journalists.
The above descriptors are taken from the Superior Court of Justice site
outlining the protocols and a full version can be viewed here.
It does not define what is meant by media or journalist. It does says
members of the public will not be permitted to use electronic devices in the
courtroom, unless the presiding judge rules otherwise. It will be interesting
to watch rulings from presiding judges when asked by citizen journalists or
neighborhood groups to allow their devices for social media or recording
purposes.
The protocols allow for recording in the courtroom for note-taking purposes,
however that recording cannot be transmitted. And you cannot use a device to take
photos or to talk.
The protocol is a big deal for reporters in Ontario. In some respects, given the
evolution of our media and technology cycles, a small step, but one that has
happened after considerable debate and discussion by those who work with and in
the justice system. I'm told it is being closely watched and many sidebar issues are expected (for example, the protocols don't discuss retweets or live commenting).
As media experiences go, it was thorough, revealing and fantastic.
My finger glided over the information-rich platform. The tactile experience was easy and rewarding. Photos, dates, context, reporting, weather, entertainment and sports stats. I had a daily encyclopedia in front of me. Custom delivered, and, it cost less than a $1.
In today’s new media world, we're told content is king and with this experience, surely I was living in a castle.
This medium was thoughful and neatly partitioned: experiential and divided into four content sections. Information I didn’t need right away, I set aside for easy access when I was ready. The format was filled with multiple content providers and allowed me dive deeply into one story, scan other. I checked out good deals on stuff. Looked at who died and why, who was born and who was getting thanked. I learned more about my community than I knew moments before - such a social tool.
I absorbed as much or little as I wanted and on my own time.
I put the newspaper down, found my TV converter and watched and listened to the hype of a new mobile phone.
Spec photographers have sorted their files and put up what they believe to be their best photos of the year. They've posted their pix to a wall in The Spec. This year, editorial staff are in on the judging to choose best in the NEWS, FEATURE and SPORTS categories. It's a friendly, in-house competition and the stakes are little more than a pint of draft and handshakes.
The best of 2012 is below. Photos range from sombre moments with Hamilton's Lincoln Alexander lying in state and at his funeral, at a Mac Marauders game, high schools students at a Walk with Christ outing, car and train crashes, young women protesting the fur fashion industry, Idle No More movement, pickpocketing elephants, and more.
Lisa Niro is an 18-year-old high school graduate in Hamilton. Like many her age, she understands media activity and engagement. She undertands the power of communication, and, the importance of media.
Perhaps that's what I find refreshing about Lisa. Every Tuesday she reported to the Spec newsroom as a co-op student to sense, experience and understand life at a daily. She attended news meetings, watched assignments take shape and news unfold. Lisa came out of it with a refreshing and keen sense of the business, our values, and even more heartening, a positive outlook.
Sadly for us, Lisa's co-op ended today. Before she left, Lisa wrote down her thoughts which we published in the Spec today. You can read Lisa's story in today's op-ed.
"...the best method of inquiry is not subjective ranting and
unfair verbal warfare..." - Stephen J.A. Ward, writing in Media Magazine.
Social media and demands of a 24/7 news programming does not justify lack of objective reporting.
Journalists are not robots free of emotion, bias (cultural, political or otherwise and point-of-view.
Stephen Ward argues there are safeguards.
A day before the Connecticut shootings, J-source posted a prescient media column by Stephen J.A. Ward, director of the Center
for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School
of Journalism and Mass Communications.
J-Source says the column was originally published in the latest issue of the Canadian Association of Journalists' Media Magazine and reprinted with permission.
"For example, when it comes to democratic deliberation among different
viewpoints, the best method of inquiry is not subjective ranting and
unfair verbal warfare; nor do we want sloppy and wishful thinking to be
dominate.
What we need is a strong emotional commitment to verification,
openness to other perspectives, respectful disagreement and
evidence-based claims."
The mass shootings of adults and school children in Connecticut Friday (Dec. 14) exposed hubris and weakness in much of the reporting that followed. Errors, innuendo and much emotive-based reporting dictated news reporting. In one segment of CNN, I thought Piers Morgan was going to explode on set. He was angry and righteous and combative. He wasn't a journalist, news anchor or information facilitator - he was an actor and agitator and with news stories of this complexity and magnitude, I don't want to watch someone who is vying for an Academy Award. Give me news, context and information that are timely, useful and verified. Sadly, he wasn't the only journalist who veered from the facts and strayed into opinion masked as news reporting.
On Friday and through the weekend, too many reporters on tv, radio, social media and newspapers were telling us what they thought and how they felt.
Ward's words are good reflection for future reporting.
***
For more reading on speed vs accuracy, see NYT Margaret Sullivan's column today on time pressures, facts and susequent corrections.
Jim Poling is a Managing Editor at The Hamilton Spectator. Here, he discusses The Spectator’s online and print presence and gives you a chance to join in the conversation.
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