I've previously mentioned NYTimes.com's
Naka Nathaniel, a Paris-based multimedia journalist who travels the globe and produces multimedia features for the site (
like this recent one from Iran). Curious about how this new breed of journalist works, I asked Nathaniel to
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Naka Nathaniel files from Iran |
describe his work habits and on-the-road digital toolkit. He answered that he does as much work as possible while out on assignment, and sometimes finishes up projects upon returning to France. "I basically have to create my own desk wherever I go," he says, "and since I don't need an Internet connection for much of the editing process I can get a good deal of work done in the back seats of vans traveling along non-existent roads, waiting for/flying on planes, and on a gravel bar in northern Alaska, etc."
As for equipment to produce multimedia editorial features while on the road: "My kit isn't all that burdensome. I carry a
Mac G4 laptop and an
IBM T21, however both are getting pretty beaten up. I use a Sony MiniDisc recorder and I carry a couple of cameras, with my favorite being the
Canon D60. Recently, I've also been carrying a
PD-150. I do the photo, audio, video, and Flash work on the Mac. When the feature is ready to file I use a USB thumb drive to move the elements over to the IBM. I use the PC to access the servers in New York, do e-mail, and surf the web. I have at least a half-dozen ways to connect and transmit. In Iran we used the
RBGAN satellite transmitter to file. About 20 percent of the kit is devoted to converters, chargers, and cords. It is getting easier to file with more wi-fi networks starting to show up."
Of course, Nathaniel's features aren't entirely a solo act. Especially when there's a tight deadline to meet, he relies on the New York office's multimedia and editing crew for trouble-shooting and polishing.
