The Transition to Digital Journalism

Updated May 13, 2012 in Reporting

This is an overview of the transition to digital journalism that many news organizations and individual journalists are undertaking.

The guide provides background information, data and history on the trends and tools that are rapidly changing the practice of journalism. It's designed to serve as a starting point for discussions at news organizations and among journalists about what needs to be done.

This is also very much a work in progress - we'll be constantly adding new information and new sections, including an exploration of the business side of online publishing. We welcome suggestions and comments to improve the guide.

Multimedia Storytelling

Updated May 17, 2011 in Reporting

Not all stories make good multimedia stories. The best multimedia stories are multi-dimensional. They include action for video, a process that can be illustrated with a graphic (e.g., "how tornadoes form" or "how this new surgery works"), someone who can give some pithy quotes for video or audio, and/or strong emotions for still photos and audio. Most multimedia stories require that the reporter go into the field to report the story face-to-face with sources, rather than doing a story entirely by telephone.

Picking the Right Media for a Story

Updated April 28, 2012 in Reporting

How do you decide whether to take a video camera, a photo camera, an audio recorder or just a good old reporter's notebook on a story?

This tutorial gives you some tips on how to make those choices.

Intro to cleaning data

Updated Aug. 25, 2011 in Reporting, Data Visualization

Understanding how to clean data is an important skill every reporter needs. Learn how spreadsheets work, basic data-cleaning workflow and how to use formulas and functions.

Reporting Links and Resources

Additional reading, related software, training and more.