This is why I am the Word Nazi

A great story — and a local one — about Carthage’s Marvin VanGilder in The Carthage Press was marred by a few language errors.

It talked of  a huge coffee table-sized book containing three scores of VanGilder’s beautifully-written “word paintings.”

That is nice. But the word “score” here is used to indicate a unit of time. And “score” in this sense is the same in the singular and the plural. I know the word is employed in this way because the writer gives us this:

Ever [sic] single one of his verses [that?] had been published in various area newspapers beginning in 1943 and up through 2009.

A score is 20 years. It is apparent that the author was talking about a time period.

And “huge” is vague. Coffee table book would suffice. Or if it was much larger (as the picture suggests) be more specific or descriptive.

Another note to the writer:

“he himself” is  a redundancy. “he” would have sufficed in your lede.  And it was otherwise a very good lede.

And beautifully-written is improperly hyphenated. One should not hyphenate an adverb to an adjective.

I have avoided this type of media criticism. But since it was a story about VanGilder’s appreciation for words….

 

This should be read by John Hacker and everyone, really. But John.

A great post on Beatblogging.org about how everyone being a reporter isn’t bad for journalists. In fact, it is kind of good.

The Iranian election is  just a prime example of the power of social media tools for the press. But it is also a prime example of how professionals can bring it together.

 

College video can be good

I haven’t seen many college newspapers that do good video. I know they are out there, so send me links if you have them. But here in Missouri, it has been slow.

Recently, I decided to check out my friend, Bob Bergland’s, students’ work. Bob is the adviser to the Griffon News at Missouri Western State University and that school recently created a masters degree in convergent media. So not fair to me, Bob. But so smart. Anyway, some of the videos and slideshows are good, some need work and one was probably a first effort. You can check out all of theme here, but I am only commenting on  two directly.

The student who did the video on a girl who works around a “handicap” by using her feet as her hands is really good. (It is the Sarah Kovac video) The guy knows how to tell a story. I would have probably scrapped the standup at the begining and shown shots of the girl doing something with his intro as a voiceover, but that is being nitpicky.

It is more of a television spot based on its length, but it has the elements of good storytelling and is a story that lends itself to a visual presentation.

The slideshow I liked was the NAACP bingo piece. Some of the shots were kind of repetetive, but it was a good story that was presented well. And the reporter stayed out of the way and let the principals do the talking. The video needed some narration to move the story, this didn’t.

I showed this to one of three freshman videographers I am bringing aboard The Chart next fall. I told him to beat it. He said he would. I like that moxie. Who knows? Above the video editing station in the newsroom might be a sign: Beat Bob.

I like it.

 

This is what I have been preaching

In a recent post, Mindy McAdams of Teaching Online Journalism discusses the skills graduating journalists must have. I thought a mention was appropriate because one of my students, Jessica Schriendl,  has a blog with The Joplin Globe in which she discusses the state of the industry and the appropriateness (or not) of government assistance for newspapers.

Thank goodness this list includes skills we have been stressing or are starting to stress at The Chart and in my Comm 111 Newswriting class at Missouri Southern State University.

The skills:

1. Evidence of blogging and interaction with a wide range of blogs
2. An understanding and active use of social media (Twitter, RSS, social bookmarking etc.)
3. The ability to tell an engaging story using still images and audio (audio slideshow)
4. Ability to shoot, edit and tell stories using video
5. Basic ability to create interactive story elements using Adobe Flash
6. Ability edit audio and produce podcasts
7. Ability to file from the field breaking news
8. Ability to moderate online discussion

(From Renee Barnes, a radio journalist in Australia who also teaches online journalism there. Posted on her blog News Frontier)

 

I stand corrected

In an earlier post, I suggested that The Carthage Press make available for sale the photos from its outstanding online slideshows of the Carthage High School graduation.

Rick Rogers, regional publisher for GateHouse Media, informed me that the photos from all their slideshows are available for purchase. I didn’t see that promoted, but I am glad it is the case. And bravo to the CP and Neosho Daily News for doing that. The high school graduation pictures on both newspapers’ Web sites are outstanding.

Rick also took issue with my criticising The Carthage Press for not having cutlines/names. He said it is nearly impossible at such an event. I get that and back off of that critique. Somewhat. Some of the pre-ceremony stuff in the parking lot, etc. could have and should have included captions including names.

Anyway, he will probably kick my ass at golf tonight. So there.

 

Nice story, John

There is not a day that goes by that I don’t thank God that I know John Hacker.

Sure, he hates some of my opinions and ideas. But he is kind enough to challenge me on them so I can think and learn.

Today it was a pleasure to read John’s story on David Ogden of Carthage. Ogden decorates a long-forgotten cemetery plot every year at this time. It is a story that is hyperlocal, has emotion, immediacy (I am assuming this ran earlier in print) and novelty. Good community journalism.

OK, if it was me I would have put the historical background culled from 30-year old Marvin VanGilder columns in a sidebar and focused on Ogden all the way. But that is like saying I prefer pepperoni to sausage pizza. I am fine with either.

The picture was evocative, too.

Nice work, John. Nice.

 

The Turner Report and the news

Today I made some posts from the perspective of a consumer of news, not as an educator or as a media person. I am compelled to continue.

I didn’t get a chance to catch local broadcasts, so I didn’t know the latest on the Nevada teen stabbings.

I tried the Globe first. All I got from “Tomorrow’s News Now for Wednesday”
is that strawberry season is in full swing. I then went to the Carthage Press and Neosho Daily News. They didn’t offer anything, either. In their defense, the newspapers don’t reach as far as the TV folks, so it isn’t as local. But the Globe covered it earlier and I thought they would follow up. And they are supposed to be regional.

What is most shameful is that the Nevada Daily Mail & Herald Tribune Web site had NOTHING about the arraignment. And it has a way bigger staff than either Carthage or Neosho (according to the online masthead) and the story is happening — wait for it — THERE.

Randy Turner had details from the newscasts (including praise of the coverage) and informed readers that the person charged with the crime is on probation for a drug charge. Randy also noted that cameras were barred from the proceedings and offered a take on that.

As a bonus, he hit a local story again. He let readers know that Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) included his biography in a press release about his Thursday press conferences in Springfield and Joplin.

 

The greatest dropped ball of all time

I was reading Jim Romenesko’s page on Poynter Online today and checking up on industry news. And I found this New York Times story.

Apparently, the NYT had the Watergate story by the throat right out of the gate and pissed it away. Incredible.

 

Will they listen?

I have two homes and sometimes I want to know what is going on in one place when I am in the other. Unfortunately, when I am in Kansas City it is really tough to get local news from the Joplin area.

Why? Good question. But it seems that the local newspaper Web sites are, well, crap. Now, don’t get your panties in a bunch. You know I like you guys, but I am speaking as a consumer here. And you know I am right.

Here is an example (and I am playing golf tomorrow night with the publisher so I ain’t posting and hiding):

The most recent content (as of 2 p.m. Tuesday) on today’s Neosho Daily News Web site is from Saturday. It isn’t any better on The Carthage Press site, either. Saturday’s news there, too. I like to check both those sites for local news when I am in KC on the weekends, but I usually am sent screaming to the competition — The Joplin Globe.

Unfortunately, the paper of record is trying to be all things to all people (regional). But at least Joe Hadsall’s blog not dealing with Lost tells me that an email sent out by the Webb City Chamber of Commerce last week saying Sen. Gary Nodler (R-Joplin) would be announcing his candidacy Thursday for U.S. Representative, 7th District was a “misunderstanding.” (The problem with the Globe home page is that when you click on a link to a blogger’s item it takes you to another link to get to the actual blog post.)

I just think that local papers should update their sites more often. And it doesn’t take anymore time to cut and past your lede and a nut ‘graph and supporting ‘graph or two into the Web as you write. It would be helpful to “distance readers” who would have loved some local flavor of Memorial Day in Neosho or Carthage.

It isn’t just me, either. Here is one thing Mark Potts says newspapers need to do:

Hyperlocal: Just about everything else you can think of—national news, international news, movie reviews, even sports—is done as well or better on the Web. Which leaves local as the last truly defensible newspaper franchise (at least until some startup figures it out). Newspapers should be reorganizing their staffs around local news and information, aggregating where possible and reaching out to blogs and user-generated content to fill the holes. That can result in a package of unique content that readers can’t get anywhere else.

 

Thoughts on Joplin Globe blogs

I read the Joplin Globe blogs about once a week. I usually check them out to read Joe Hadsall and my student, Jessica Schreindl. Joe keeps me informed and Jessica makes me think, so I find their posts interesting.

Today it struck me, though, that the comments on Jessica’s blog are mostly from her fellow Globe bloggers. it caused me to question what kind of penetration these blogs are making into the Globe’s target audience.