Mayhemkhan's Blog

The final project for this class was truly one of the most challenging experiences I have had in my graduate career.

The story–ultimately a profile piece of an entire community– was very ambitious. We tried to incorporate everything from video, print, mapping, and crowd sourcing from social networking. This project was the true essence of a converged newsroom.

The idea to do a response piece first came to me when I was walking around Devon Avenue, soon after the Faisal Shahzad incident. I was in a coffee house when I hear a heated argument going on about the responsibilities of a the Pakistani community in the concerns of terrorism.

The people engaged in the argument were passionate and convicted. And I just knew, that is what stories are made of. It seemed like a good fit, especially since Chicago has such a diverse population of not just Pakistanis, but Muslims as well.

I started to interview random people. I asked them what they thought, and they seemed willing to talk to me. Thus began a frenzy of interviews with Kristen’s new Nikon P90 camera.

We started out at Tahawwur Hussain Rana’s grocery store. And to my pleasant surprise, Rana’s father-in-law, Rana M. Ahktar, was willing to talk to us. He said a lot in fact. He told us he did not want to stay silent, against the advice of his attorney.

His testimony was compelling, but we wanted to stay focused on the story we had set out do: a Pakistani community response to all the terrorism links to their community.

So we talked to neighbors, raided the coffee houses.

And then Kristin decided she wanted to get an oil change because she no longer felt like paying for parking. (And she needed one too).

So we stopped at a car shop on Western Avenue. Turned out the guy working on Kristin’s car worked for Rana on his farm before he got arrested. Jackpot! His testimony was didn’t make the story, but it added some balance.

We met a part-time mechanic at the sop, who was also a Chicago police officer. He made some bold statements, and we loved it.

Putting the story together was a demanding process. I wanted to make sure that wasn’t one-sided. Being a Pakistani myself, I had to make sure I didn’t take anything for granted and that I stayed away from my opinion.

And the lede must have changed over 15 times–no exaggeration.

Alas, it is done and hopefully our readers will be able to take away something meaningful from the story.

The Basics of Broadcasting chapter in Principles of Convergent Journalism makes it simply clear: it was only a matter of time before news producing mediums would merge.

With both the advantages and disadvantages of print and broadcast styles, something always lacks. In broadcast, stories are usually superficial and brief, but also can entail captivating or interesting images, (which people tend to respond to more). In contrast, print offers more depth, but lacks the immediacy and connection that broadcast usually offers.  Therefore, with the advent of web journalism, little room is left for longing.

Now news seekers have a choice. In one story they can watch or read, link to a related topic or another source, see what else is out there on the subject and have a complete experience in one sitting. These options are made available by the web, which ultimately translates to the dominance of converged news rooms.

 It is interesting to see all the different roles in a TV newsroom and a print news room.  With a converged newsroom, it is obvious that one person is taking on most of those roles—the most important being the producer.

 The concept known as “digital storytelling” is still a newbie. However after reading this chapter, it is clear what digital storytelling really means.  As the producer in a converged newsroom, one has to be creative as an editor, a producer, a photographer—everything as a storyteller. How a story is told is a key factor in current industry trends.  The more features and elements there are in a single story, the more likely it is to ultimately be successful.

 So while digital storytelling requires more tech savvy people, the chapter also emphasizes the importance of the same core journalistic values that are held high in all media.  I think the most important point this chapter makes, is because of blog mania and hyperlinks, projection of the core principles will be even more important for aspiring journalists.

A pen and notepad just won’t cut it anymore. There are still notes to take—but they require at least a PDA phone, laptop, jump drive, quick shoot video cams and the list goes on! You need loads of gear, various coding, and many mediums— all to tell the same story in a few different ways. That’s what being a journalist in 2010 all is about.

The message in J-school classes is clear: get in line with online– or get out of the way. In Vadim Lavrusik’s article “Eight Must-have Traits of Tomorrow’s Journalist” the key to success for journalists is to embrace technology, social media, citizen-driven journalism and the ultimate entrepreneurial spirit. All this makes sense. Why wouldn’t accessible and constantly-updated news features be more appealing to the masses?

I predict that 2010 will be the year of many more “inventions” and innovations in the “dot-com” world, especially pertaining to the exchange of news information. This “duh” prediction is inspired by our own DePaul J-school graduate Craig Kanalley, and his creation of BreakingTweets.com. It’s the first of its kind—embracing social media, (Twitter) and reporting—the sexy lovechild of a press for the people, by the people and online media.

The one skill BreakingTweets necessitates that is not mentioned by Lavrusik, is the skill for digital editing and the ability to distinguish between garbage and authentic “good stuff.”

This is my fear: what will be the criteria for quality, in this marriage between media and sources? As is the concern in the birth of any new trend, how will integrity and responsibility truly hold? Who will I trust as my default go-to news website and why?

In ancient journalism, good writing and reporting separated the men from the boys. Good writing and reporting is still said to be the fundamental requirement to be a journalist—sounds like nostalgia to me. As Lavrusik points out, the new fundamentals require “…journalists who are jacks of all trades, yet still masters of one (or more).”

I surrender to the blog madness that has become this world.