I read the Amici Curiae brief from several professional journalism organizations supporting a reversal of the case. I found their arguments very interesting. They argue that newsgathering is constitutionally protected by law. This makes sense because journalists have to get information from all kinds of people. Just because the source is a criminal doesn’t necessarily mean that the information isn’t true. Part of a journalist’s job is to take information and see if they can verify the information. This is critical and the ethical way to do the job. I find it hard to believe that just collecting information is a crime.

The brief also says that the defense should’ve been allowed to be presented at trial. This is, I believe, their strongest argument. Anyone charged with a crime deserves the best defense. If that was what he was saying happened, then he should have been able to tell that story. Furthermore, he had the right to prove that his actions weren’t criminal. By hamstringing the defense, it was impossible for Matthews to get a fair trial.

The brief makes it clear that they believe the charges to be “overly broad.” They also say that a technical violation of laws should not prevent a journalist from seek information for a “compelling public interest.”

It’s kind of hard to say whether Matthews was really trafficking in child pornography. He has no notes, interviews or drafts to back up his story. I don’t Matthews, therefore it’s hard for me to say whether he was the type of person who would look at such disgusting things. However, by denying him his right to a fair trial, his verdict should be set aside.

The stories were mostly postings of upcoming local events. Or local news happening in the area. There was a story about a woman’s 59 year-old sister who just returned from Iraq. Or a story about how Mountain View College wants to increase enrollment of transfer students.

There was a video about a local sculptor who likes the new green line. There is a picture of a cat dressed up for Halloween. And there are several blogs talking about anything from the military to obesity to country music. It appears to be 100% user content driven and very localized.

The web site did a kind of twist of typical web site 2.0 elements. There is navigation on the top, but it is as casual as picking a neighborhood and what kinds of things you want to see about that neighborhood. There is a search box and help link at the top.  At the bottom, there’s info about the site and terms and conditions.

Although the site says it contains about 75 communities that post various material to the web site, but it doesn’t seem like a news site. It seems more like a community bulletin board. It’s way more interactive, of course. Users can post stuff to the site and comment on other users’ postings. There is a lot of choice as to what neighborhood to look at and what kind of media you can see. There are links to Twitter and Facebook, so it does utilize social media. Also the way “news” (or your child’s recital information) is presented, it’s feels more like a social site rather than a news site.

There’s a couple things I don’t like about it. I really don’t like that every time you click on something, it opens in a new window. That’s really irritating after you realize you have like 20 open windows. The other thing I don’t like is how little actual hard news is on the site.

It’s also not surprising that the majority of people who used the Internet and Web 2.0 features such as social media sites were Democratic Party supporters. First, young people were more likely to lean Democrat than older people. That is a fact borne out in the election results. Actually, historically, the numbers generally support that fact. Second is the fact that younger people tend to use social media more than older generations. Finally, the Barack Obama campaign used the Internet with great skill and effectiveness. Their use of the Internet was unprecedented and masterful.

As a student journalist and political junkie, I watched last year’s election with great interest. I lean generally liberal/democratic and I surveyed the Democratic field with a luxurious feeling of confidence; one of these Dems was sure to be president. As the debates went on, I listened to Barack Obama and my heart said “Yes I can.” I went on to make phone calls, contribute to his campaign and find like-minded individuals, all from the Internet. I watched his race speech from the Internet and went on to read the transcript.

The point is, it’s about comfort level. To those who were threatened by the use of new media and new ways of accessing information, saw this change as negative. Young people who didn’t realize the traditional way a campaign communicates and people who were open to using the Internet to get their message across saw it as a positive thing. I think it’s about how comfortable change is for you and how comfortable you are using the Internet and/or accessing information differently. Maybe more people should read Who Moved My Cheese.

The map shows the Fort Worth Intermodal Transportation Center address and the address of where my parents’ live in Arlington.
Here’s the map.
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I like that all the video was wrapped with the text. I got all the essential detail with the added depth of the video. I really like the way The Mercury News posted this video from the cell phone. When you hit play, it gives you a split screen. The raw cell phone footage is on the left and a zoomed-in version is on the right. The video is difficult to watch because of the violence and screaming on the tape. The video is very emotional, which makes it very compelling.

The quality isn’t great. Because it’s from a cell phone, the quality of the video is grainy and dark. The zoomed-in side is blurry and darker than the raw footage.  I liked being able to choose what screen to watch when.

The next piece of video was the Ho interview. It started with a man’s voice over the video and then Ho describing what happened. Ho’s account is intermixed with scenes from the cell phone video. At the end, it tells you that the video was provided by Ho’s attorney. The interview was done by the paper.

This video was done like a TV package, but there’s no reporter SOC or attribution. Nor was the officers’ side told. The Mercury News should be more clear about where they are getting their information and to be balanced in presenting both sides of the story. They should also be careful that they don’t become a mouth-piece for the defense attorney, who is giving them all this information. Regardless, the video is very graphic and emotional and is definitely compelling.

It is a very modern Web site, utilizating 2.0 technology and uses a tab organization system. The home page looks similar to other newspaper sites in design style. But they are smart and know what their customers are looking for and the Web site delivers early and prominently. There is a picture up top, with the main story. The top story is regional because they know the local people will be more likely to go to this Web site. The Denver Post is a national paper, so their audience is mostly regional.

There are breaking news headlines at the top and the top stories are all regional. They are regional because they know the local people will be more likely to go to this Web site. The Denver Post is not a national paper, so their audience is mostly regional. I think that’s really sharp.

The homepage is full of interactive material. There are videos, polls, slideshows and photo galleries. There is a search box at the top of the home page. I especially liked, as I went through different pages, that most of the stories written by their own reporters and didn’t rely too much on wire services.

There were some things I didn’t like. There is so much information on every page that I found it overwhelming.  I was also surprised that they still had last year’s election results and stories up on the site.  It was one of the subtabs under politics. I also saw other places where the page linked to stories at least two years old.

I would recommend archiving old articles into one area. A lot of Web sites actually charge to see or print old articles. I would also reduce the simple amount of text and links on every page. Personally I think it’s too much on one page. I also thought that ad were in odd places and were odd sizes.

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I don’t have a problem learning how to create a multimedia story. And I’ve enjoyed learning more visual ways to tell stories and adding more emotional and humanizing effects in telling stories. But sometimes I feel like I’m being pushed toward using visuals more than text. I keep hearing and reading that video, photography and graphics are more “expressive”, “dramatic” mediums than the printed word. Print is “Out-dated” and “constricting.” Words are like so been there, done that. It’s too passive. The lack of emotion in Shakesphere’s written words is so clearly felt in the movie Romeo + Juliet with Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes.

Okay, I’m being a bit bombastic (and alliterate). The point is that multimedia storytelling is a tool. If a story would be better told visually, then that’s the way it should be told. I think the DiSEL study is helpful so we can learn this tool to help tell the story. But photos, audio, and the written word have told insightful, complicated and delightful stories in themselves. Combining these tools to intensify the depth and emotion to the original medium is a good thing. But, I also think that just because you can tell a story multiple ways or using multiple platforms doesn’t mean that’s the best way to tell it.

Teenager’s Fatal Beating Reveals National Trend

Chicago can be a tough city to grow up in. No one knows that better than the Albert family. The fatal beating of 16-year-old Derrion Albert last month touched off a national debate after a video of the beating was broadcast from a cellphone. Already more than 40 children have been killed in Chicago this year.

This recent tragedy has open the country’s and the government’s eyes to a nation-wide trend. Across the country, kids are struggling just to make it out of adolescence alive. A new study recently released by the Justice Department said that nearly half of children and teens across the country have reported being assaulted at least once in the past year.

Education Secretary Arne Duncan traveled to Chicago after Albert’s murder to highlight the national concern over youth violence.
President Barack Obama has called for a sustained effort to reduce violence.