It’s the next best thing to a great journalism textbook. Wait, I think it may be better in so many ways…
Mindy McAdams has compiled her 15 terrific posts that make up the “Reporter’s Guide to Multimedia Proficiency” into an elegant one-stop PDF. She goes from reading and creating blogs to editing audio and delivering multimedia presentations.
Every “chapter” begins with a note of encouragement, such as this one on taking photos:
Every journalist should be able to capture a decent photo in a breaking news situation. You might be the only journalist on the scene. Sure, today it’s likely that 100 people with cell-phone cameras will be on the scene too—but why shouldn’t YOU be the one who captures the Page One image that gets picked up by Reuters or AFP and zapped around the world?
Best of all, Mindy doesn’t get bogged down in technical jargon or debates over which software is better than the next — just the tools to set you sailing. The guide is loaded with links to excellent examples and other resources.
As one of her many “fans” (Jack Zibluk) commented: “It’s all here. it’s succinct and comprehensive. The guide provides a solid foundation for anybody interested in multi-media storytelling. It’s great for beginners, and has useful tips for advanced practitioners.”
I too am looking forward to sharing Mindy’s excellent guide with my media students this fall.
-rp-
Rob,
Since my featuring writing class with you, I have been much more consistent in including photos in my post. The result is surprising. I get as many hits from people search for images as I do from people doing word searches.