Poynter. » How To’s

For writers, ‘plans aren’t worth a damn, but planning is essential’

Julie Moos — Tue, 15 May 2012 18:52:41 +0000

Pulitzer Prize-winning Chicago Tribune writer Julia Keller is leaving the paper in June to teach at Ohio University and write novels, reports Robert Feder today. Keller’s Pulitzer in feature writing was awarded for a series of three stories… Read more

What makes a good online portfolio?

Joe Grimm — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:30:31 +0000

In this week’s career chat, Marc Samson talked about Pressfolios, a new Web application that helps journalists build and manage an online portfolio of their news stories.

Samson, who is Pressfolio’s co-founder, talked about how journalists can benefit… Read more

10 tips for using audio more effectively in multimedia stories

Casey Frechette — Mon, 14 May 2012 14:55:13 +0000

Sound can make or break a multimedia production, whether it’s an audio slideshow, a documentary video or an interactive narrative. Unfortunately, audio often gets short shrift. Visuals and interactive elements tend to command our attention, and just getting the story… Read more

How reporters can mine political ad spending records

Mallary Jean Tenore — Fri, 11 May 2012 10:30:19 +0000

The Federal Communications Commission stirred debate last week when it voted to require some broadcast television stations to post their political ad spending records online. The four largest broadcasters in the top 50 markets soon will be required to… Read more

How to tell when unpaid internships are opportunities, when they’re an abuse

Tracie Powell — Thu, 10 May 2012 14:51:25 +0000

Like many college students and recent graduates, 22-year-old Ashleigh Atwell started her first internship this month. Also like many of them, Atwell won’t be getting paid for the work she performs.

She will work four days a week, four to… Read more

How startup sites can take advantage of emerging revenue streams

Jeremy Caplan — Thu, 10 May 2012 10:30:13 +0000

As journalism entities move beyond ads in pursuit of new revenue streams, events have proven a popular target. People who won’t pay $15 for a digital subscription, the theory goes, may pay $20 instead for wine, cheese and a panel… Read more

To build the team, build the trust, with these 8 tips

Jill Geisler — Thu, 10 May 2012 09:50:37 +0000

Take a look at a photo I really admire. It’s a little soft-focus and the framing is a bit off. That’s what makes it perfect. After all, the photographer had only seconds to shoot and only one free camera hand.… Read more

How journalists can develop business, entrepreneurial skills in the newsroom

Meena Thiruvengadam — Tue, 08 May 2012 19:06:41 +0000

Believe it or not, there are ways to make money in journalism. One of them is by crossing from the editorial to the business side of the industry.

While some journalists have launched their own news sites, others have found… Read more

6 ways journalists can clean their copy, commit fewer errors

George Edmonson — Fri, 04 May 2012 15:56:01 +0000

Recently, I became so upset by the number of easily avoidable mistakes I was encountering in respected online and print outlets that I got in touch with Poynter, eager to write something making clear the risk these organizations were taking… Read more

Poynter ‘EyeTrack: Tablet’ research shows horizontal swiping instinct for photo galleries

Sara Dickenson Quinn — Fri, 04 May 2012 10:05:17 +0000

Poynter’s “EyeTrack: Tablet” project, the latest in our long tradition of research to understand how readers view news, can now announce some early results: iPad users have an overwhelming instinct to swipe horizontally through a full screen photo gallery,… Read more