Importance of scale in visual reporting QT67
Guideline:
Journalists must be vigilant in ensuring charts and infographics do not inaccurately depict the information nor should it mislead the reader. Be weary of data interpretations from others — especially those who benefit from the results.
Read MoreUse of VR by scholastic media QT 60
Key points/action:
According to its proponents, Virtual Reality offers virtual and immersive storytelling that puts audiences into the scene and enables them to feel such emotions as fear. VR, proponents say, gives people authentic reactions of those in the real situation.
Commercial news media, and others,k are trying VR out across the country. Columbia Journalism Review calls VR “ascendant,” and cites ongoing projects like Harvest of Change and Project Syria. CJR also cites growing consumer interest in VR.
Despite commercial use and excitement about VR’s use, questions still remain for its use in scholastic media. The best thing for staffs to consider is whether using VR as telling stories or presenting news is the best platform or approach.
Some questions:
• Accuracy of context?
• Does its use reflect the preciousness of the real event?
• Is the information expressed in context?
• Are the images accurate and in context?
• Has nothing been added not in the “live” event itself?
What guidelines should student media adapt or create for VR that maintain the best of journalism’s ethical standards?
Stance:
We feel there are no quick and easy answers, but plenty of ethical room for discussion and implementation of workable guidelines.
Reasoning/suggestions:
Before spending funds of the tools needed to make VR become a local and effective tool, student study how journalism organizations use it or plan to use it and how they handle ethical concerns.
Resources: The Future of News: Virtual Reality- TED Talks
Virtual reality is journalism’s next frontier – Columbia Journalism Review
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Teachable moments in journalism
As we discuss fake and alternate news and work them into our classroom and newsroom activities, we should also look at journalists’ social responsibilities to their communities.
Take, for example, this lead sequence from a New York Times article:
Warm welcome for Syrians in a country about to ban them
CHICAGO — On Friday afternoon, a group of suburban synagogue members clustered at O’Hare International Airport, waiting to greet one of the last Syrian refugee families to be accepted in the United States, to give them the warmest possible welcome to a country that no longer wanted their kind.
In Washington, the presidential limousine was already speeding toward the Pentagon, where President Trump would sign a paper officially slamming the door shut on Syrian refugees. But here the volunteers had yellow roses, more warm coats than the newcomers would need and, a few miles away, an apartment ready with a doormat that said “welcome” in 17 languages.
“Welcome to chicag Hope you make your selfs at home” said a sign made by one of the youngest members of the group….
What are the ways we can critique the lead and the accompanying story (some might be great, some not so great)?
- A when lead
- Localization
- Lack of identified sources for the first six graphs
- Good observation of what the reporter saw
- And more in journalistic style.
Because we always look for additional exercises using commercial reporting, we might say, “How do you avoid the when lead and ask students to rewrite the lead (I’ll leave that to you).
We might also ask students to look at the headline: “Warm welcome for Syrians in a country about to ban them”.
What points might we expect students to note:
- The head does not repeat the lead
- Is the head neutral?
- What has been added in the head that the lead does not have?
- And more.
- How might they rewrite the head and why?
We might also ask students to look at the photo and the cutline: “Volunteers from the Am Shalom synagogue in Glencoe, Ill., waited on Friday at Chicago O’Hare International Airport to greet one of the last Syrian families to be accepted in the United States.”
What points might we expect students to note:
- Does the headline contain all the needed information?
- Does it reflect the information and intent of the photo? What might they change or add?
- And more.
As summary questions, we might ask:
- Does the package of head, lead, story photo and cutline present a complete story?
- What, if anything is missing? What might be added?
- And more.
In taking all these steps would we have captured the essence, the social responsibility of the reporting?
To me, all this information lacked something: an approach to capture the reader into the context and essence of the story that came with my New York Times news alert on my phone to tease me to link to the story:
One of the last Syrian families to enter the US found flowers, volunteers and a nation about to bar people like them.
We can still discuss various elements of this teaser:
- Is it objective?
- Does it make sense?
- Does it capture the reader?
- Does it reflect the social responsibility of the media?
- Does it make use of multiple platform approaches to tell a cohensive story?
And so much more.
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