This page includes highlights and agendas from recent NewsTrain workshops.
TORONTO NEWSTRAIN
September, 2012
Lesley Ciarula Taylor, Reporter, The Toronto Star
"She¹s (Mandy Jenkins) so practical, she¹s smart and does a
terrific presentation. I¹ve learned a
huge amount from her and I already knew a fair amount about social media.”
Gerry Timbers, Managing Editor, Mississauga News
On the session, "Video: Effective Shooting": "This seminar helped us realize you don¹t really need a
lot of first-rate video equipment, but
with a few minor inexpensive adaptations, we can use our smartphones and that¹s good enough equipment. It
takes away some of the excuses when I go
back to my staff and say this is what we need to do and they say we don¹t have the equipment. Well you know
what? We do have the equipment.”
Frank Juzenas, Sports Reporter, Brampton Guardian
On the session, "Impact Stories": "I¹m going to do a game story and a summary, but maybe
look at giving people something more than
they would have had before.”
Syed Rizvi, Producer, IRIS Media
"This workshop has given me a very brief, succinct, but
important lesson in how these newsrooms
are transitioning from print to digital and maybe using both mediums together to get more audience.”
Don McCurdy, Executive Director, Ontario Press Council
On the session, "Impact Stories": "The whole issue of thinking ahead of the curve on a story -- a story¹s a story, but what are you going to do next? It¹s
important because people still think of a
newspaper as the way they always used to think of a newspaper. It had the impact, the story, but now
you¹re 12 hours behind by the time you
come out.”
Erika Engel, Reporter/Photographer, Blue Mountains Courier-Herald
On the session, "Smartphones for Journalists": "There were a few apps that I didn¹t know about that I
think will make my job so much easier. It
really helped to see examples of how they¹re being used in the newsroom.”
"I do a lot of city hall
reporting, and (the best takeaway from the workshop) is remembering to get out
of city hall and interview the people affected by the policy. We spend so much
time just getting the basic news, getting the level one and this is really
going to encourage me to go to level two and three."
Nikolaus
Fink, Art Director, The Reporter
"In Interactive Storytelling 2.0 I learned new tricks that I
can apply to our website, such as the interactive audio that was used on the
Boston Globe, which I thought was really inspirational and great."
Trina
Sargalski, Producer/Reporter, WLRN
"I found it really valuable to actually have time to reflect
on everything I’m doing because I’ve been so busy. The most valuable thing for
me has been the beat mapping workshop because we’re just starting our own
beats, experimentally, in the radio newsroom at the Miami Herald. It was good
to start thinking about how I want to cover things."
Ikira Di
Lorenzo, Digital Producer, Telemundo
"All of my articles are in
image galleries so it was really interesting to hear in Michael Roberts
workshop that we need to really pick our character, focus on the story, tell
the story in a very appropriate way and connect with emotions."
Andrea
Torres, Neighbors/Health Writer, Miami
Herald
The workshop on Building
Mobile Strategy was very forward looking and it gave a perspective on how users
will view your stories.
Khadine
Baksh, Editor-in-chief, Barry Buccaneer
I liked when Maria Carrillo spoke about audience feedback. That
is something that we don’t often do at the newspaper, but I think that is
really helpful and I am going to try to apply it.
"I was blown away by Michael Berens’ session on utilizing
data to create stories. There’s so much information out there I never knew
about. I see now we are going to have to use more public records in the
newsroom. Using data is a great way to add more authority and power to your
stories. Public records are not a new thing, but it’ll be new to us.”
Steve
Henson, Managing editor, Pueblo Chieftain
"We’ve been a heavy print product and are just now moving
into digital. Mandy Jenkin’s suggestions and practical tools to work from the
field are just what I needed. One great example I can’t wait to try is
uploading breaking news to a single hashtag and monitoring it."
Tom
Arviso, Jr., CEO / Publisher, Navajo Times
"There can be a large division between management and
employees when it comes to making changes in your organization, but I’ve
learned [in the managing change session] that you really need to listen to your
employees and let them have a voice. Find someone they look up to, to help you
implement change. As we all try to ride out the tough times, I’m going to make
this part of the plan in my organization.”
"Learning about ‘impact stories’ really hit a nerve with me.
Especially in the Hispanic community, we tend to focus just one what affects us
– take immigration, for example – but these are stories that affect the
community at-large as well. What can we teach viewers? I want to take a
story with community impact and I want viewers to listen and learn. I want to
make news that gets people in the community involved.”
Charles Zobell, Managing Editor, The Las Vegas Review-Journal
"The seminar came at an opportune time for our newsroom's progress. Just last week we began reworking our strategies for new media and breaking news. The six members of our management team who attended learned valuable points and concepts that will assist us in the decision process."
Emilie Wheeler, City Editor, The Herald Journal
"We have struggled with staffers feeling hopeless and overwhelmed -- thinking there's no time to breathe or plan or organize because everything is always changing in a negative way. This (workshop) has encouraged me, and hopefully I can take back to my reporters that all is not lost. There are ways to deal with change and still grow as a staff and a newspaper. Thanks for the cheap admission! I never would have been able to attend otherwise."
Jeremiah Stettler, News Editor, The Salt Lake Tribune
"As a first-time editor, I found NewsTrain's workshop incredibly helpful in learning how to successfully shepherd change in a volatile industry. Time well spent, I'd say."
Deb Sutton, Managing Editor, Gillette News Record
"Coming from a small daily, this training offered a lot of bang for the buck. It's full of valuable ideas and tools that can be taken back to the newsroom and immediately be put to use. Brilliant discussion on use of social media."
Terri Needham, Asst. Digital Editor, Asbury Park Press
"The NewsTrain workshop provided a lot of real-life examples of ways our newspaper can improve our social media efforts and lots of ideas for mobile and video initiatives."
John Misinco, Online Produceer, Pocono Record
"Although we have been using social media tools for years, we have not had a comprehensive strategy to guide us in our efforts to build a stronger online brand. These workshops have served as the starting point for us to develop that strategy, focusing on key areas and measurable goals."
Frank Scandale, Editor, The Record /North Jersey Media Group
"As the digital landscape evolves, sessions like this should be mandatory."
"We should go back and talk to our editors. I need this (how to develop clearer expectations with assignments). I'm not getting this. We need to do this to have a good outcome."
Zenitha Prince, bureau chief, Afro-American Newspaper
"I'm from a small newspaper and this workshop (coaching and planning content for multiple platforms) provided easy tools for expanding our news sharing capabilities and optimizing our readers' experience. And I loved that Mr. Roberts provided guidelines for initiating these changes in the newsroom so that reporters/photographers are comfortable with changes, which gives us a better chance at succeeding over the long term."
Robert Walters, deputy managing editor, Frederick News Post, Frederick, Md.
"I will have reporters ask for manuals to translate key words and codes to unlock information available in public information databases. That's something we can take back and get folks to do immediately."
Shantee Woodards, The Capital Gazette, Annapolis
"I use Excel (for budgets.) I never thought about using it for story ideas. I can use it for reporting on the health beat."
Erin Klema, managing editor, The Prince George's Sentinel
"The data session rekindled an interest I developed in computer-assisted reporting as a journalism student. It's something that, at 19 years old you don't realize the importance of it. Entry-level reporters don't get a chance to use those skills starting out."
Maricella Miranda, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
"I now want to write about people who stay in a county-owned homeless shelter and ask the information the county gathers on the shelter's occupants. I want to see what kind of information they collect," she said. "Are they addicted to drugs? Do they have a mental illness? Have they lost jobs recently? The number of beds at the shelter has increased in recent years."
Jason Aldag, news video editor, Washington Post
"I really liked the session where we discussed how important it is not to give vague directions when making assignments, especially for shooting videos. That's something we can work on."
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