I’m a fan of Mindy McAdams and her blog “Teaching Online Journalism.” I think I like it because it reminds me of things I need to learn that I didn’t pick up in school. Part of the problem was Penn State was on the cusp or realizing it needed to teach multimedia skills just as I graduated. I can write and edit with the best of the class of 2007, but my web skills are just so-so. I know my social media sites, I blog and I created a site through Weebly for my clips and resume. And I actually work for an online publication. However, we are a subscription-based, wire service covering politics and government. So, I don’t get too fancy. In my job, it’s far more important that I can accurately and clearly explain complex policy.
That being said, I don’t mean to imply that I don’t want to learn. McAdams posted a piece in October called “Stuff to teach the next journalists.” I still feel like the “next journalist” since I only graduated a year and a half ago. Here’s her starter list.
- Write a 12-inch story (400–450 words) in AP print style w/ Web-appropriate head, subheads and suitable hyperlink(s).
- Create a 2-minute audio clip with clear nat sound, narration and interview material, edited digitally and compressed for the Web.
- Shoot, edit and compress a video of 2 min. 30 sec.
- Create and maintain a single-subject blog for at least eight weeks (minimum 16 posts), with at least two posts per week.
- Create a 1:30 to 2 min. Soundslides presentation that tells a coherent journalistic story
Well, I can write a 12-inch story, write my headline and provide links for extra resources and I can blog. However, past that, I’m kind of failing when it comes to this list.
