Rethinking your newsroom and playbook for digital media
1. Aaron Manfull, Media AdviserFrancis Howell North High School, St. Charles, Mo.JEADigitalMedia.org
2. Aaron ManfullMedia Adviser (NBCT, MJE) JEA Digital Media Chair Francis Howell North High School St. Charles, Mo aaronmanfull@gmail.com twitter.com/manfull www.JEADigitalMedia.org facebook.com/JEADigitalMedia twitter.com/JEADigitalMedia
11. Class Structure Scenario 2 newspaper newspaper yearbook Writers Designers Photographers Some Web Video Writers Designers Photographers Some Web
12. Class Structure Scenario 3 digital media newspaper yearbook Web Video Photographers Some Writers Some Designers Writers Designers Writers Designers
13. Class Structure Scenario 4 digital media media media Web Video Photographers Writers Designers Writers Designers
15. Editor Roles Most everything stays the same. EIC Digital Media Digital Media Director Web Editor Publicity Video/ Podcast Editor Photo Editor Social Networking Beats
20. Aaron ManfullMedia Adviser (NBCT, MJE) JEA Digital Media Chair Francis Howell North High School St. Charles, Mo aaronmanfull@gmail.com twitter.com/manfull www.JEADigitalMedia.org facebook.com/JEADigitalMedia twitter.com/JEADigitalMedia
Editor's Notes
Rethinking your newsroom. - don’t be afraid to change the plays, move people around and try them in new roles. Your newsroom as it was won’t succeed if you keep using the same old playbook. The old saying, if it aint broke, don’t fix it, doesn’t work here. If you’re moving on the Web, whatever system you have is broken. You can’t fit it into an existing structure and if you want it to work well you’ve got to rethink everything about the program – which may make you work collaboratively if there are multiple ones of you.- What I’m about to talk about today should give you some ideas and have you think outside your comfort zone a bit. There are a few ways to go about this. While I don’t exactly know what will work for you, I know that if you want to have a scholastic newsroom of the 2010s you need to be open to doing things other ways.
The “oldbies” might not buy into it right away but the younger ones you can put into it early and it will become what they are used to.VISUALS: bigger picture; long term
VISUAL: writing, design, photo, web, video – Ball state- This deals with how they are dealing with incoming freshmen and exposing them to things early rather than waiting until Junior or Senior year to get to these things.
Visual: add screen shot of fhntoday.com and buildYou have to start infusing the Web into your lessons and making the new kids think that all of this is ‘just how it is’. People already on staff may feel like it’s more work, intro students might see it just ‘how things are’You may see this as something that will take longer to reap the benefits of the hard work – however, if you want the change to be permanent and stick, quick fixes aren’t going to do the job. You’ve got to see the larger picture.
One simple way you can start infusing Web into their stories it to teach them how to add hyperlinks to their stories.
Talk here about allowing to shoot with point and shoot cameras, cell phones.Then discuss using resizeyourimage.com to format the photos to the right size.Add strong, short headlinesAdd A tweet or post for Facebook to promote.This gets them seeing the larger picture with things.
Jea digital media site – search “betsy” Using google docs Everyone has access to Microsoft wordCan edit on off daysStaffers can’t leave copy at homeThe editing process can move along much more quicklyI just get my students in intro use to at least emailing me a digital copy (Allows for the Web team to use) and starts the process of what staff will be like so transition isn’t so toughIt’s a forced issue once they are on staff
The two class structure to three-class1) Newspaper and Yearbook: Writers, designers, photographers (under each)2) Yearbook, Newspaper, newspaper – build to that as the new3) Second newspaper hour splits off and becomes web, photo, video with small portion of writers; other two have the majority of writers4) Final one is no newspaper or yearbook; just two hours of people who do everything and a digital media hour Moved to 2 newspapers with a yearbook hour and problems that created
My change was born out of necessity
Broadcast used to be dead. Expensive and no outlet for showcasing. VCR tape in library. Now, cheaper and Web is a HUGE audience.
Maestro concept could be talked about here; the editors need to make that happen.Build thisSocial NetworkingWeb (2)BeatsDigital Media DirectorPhoto EditorVideo/Podcast EditorPublicityEIC digital Media
Two points:Have to assign it, can’t just assume they’ll get it done.Can’t have them see it as punishment
North Central High School: Rotating system with different types of stories from news to short features to lists. Central Focus: Intro kids do two beat stories per month on a club. FHH: Multimedia, scores, sports, clubs, social media