AP Photo
Carolyn Cole
Los Angeles Times
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LOS ANGELES TIMES CONTRIBUTES MEMBER PHOTO OF THE YEAR
It was a dramatic photograph from the outset: a grief-stricken mother and son, crying out in disbelief over the body of another son who had just been shot by U.S. Marines trying to stop looting and violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The man had been driving his brother from the March 2004 civil unrest but had failed to stop his taxi at a roadblock established by the Marines. The photo, taken by Carolyn Cole of the Los Angeles Times, was chosen as the APME Member Showcase Photo of the Year for 2004 by AP and member photo editors. The newspaper's contribution will be recognized during the APME conference next week in Louisville.
INNOVATIVE ELECTION SITES GIVE IDEAS AS THE VOTE NEARS
Here are a couple of examples of new thinking about election coverage online:
- The Morning Grind, on CNN.com is a great idea for political junkies who can't get enough with print coverage. And it's one-stop shopping. If something interesting is happening in politics, it ought to be mentioned here.
- A similar column, "Campaign Extra!" is described as "Politics 'wid' a taste of Philly, by Will Bunch of the Philadelphia Daily News.
- There was lots of blogging at the conventions by traditional journalists and also by delegates themselves.
- SpokesmanReview.com has launched "Searching for Democracy," a special online project aimed at hearing the voices of regular people. Of the eight special columnists, two work for the newspaper, two are interns and the other four are readers. The staffers and columnists are focusing on: young adults; teens; immigrants; and middle-of-the-road voters. The four readers are searching the Web for interesting stories and opinion pieces they think deserve more attention. SpokesmanReview.com also is conducting live, moderated chats with candidates and is putting together "blind" candidate selector quizzes using candidates' issues statements.
What special plans do you have for covering the election online? Tell us.
FORT MYERS NEWS-PRESS SHOWS VALUE OF NEWS WEB SITES IN A DISASTER
Talk about news you can use. The Fort Myers (Fla.) News-Press set up very basic online reader forums in the wake of Hurricane Charley so that residents could exchange such simple information as "Where can I find gas?" And "Does anyone know if my house is still standing?" The forums quickly became so popular that the Web staff made a thread for each city, to make it easier for people to find each other. This was especially important during evacuation periods, during which most people couldn't get physical access to their neighborhoods. But they could – and did – go online to talk to each other. Here is a list of other online Hurricane Charley coverage ideas. What special plans do you have for covering disasters? Tell us.
STUDY ON EYETRACK FOR WEB SITES OFERS INSIGHTS
The results of the latest eyetrack study of online usage are not scientific, but there are interesting and instructive. "News Web sites have been with us for about a decade, and editors and designers still struggle with many unanswered questions: Is homepage layout effective? ... What effect do blurbs on the homepage have compared to headlines? ... When is multimedia appropriate? ... Are ads placed where they will be seen by the audience?" Read more here.
SCIENTIFIC SURVEY ... NOT! ONLINE "POLLS" RAISE QUESTIONS
Does President Bush's military service record matter to you? We know, by going to MSNBC.com, that out of 120,298 responses, 63 percent say yes, and 37 percent say no. This was the Sept. 9 "Question of the Day" on MSNBC.com. Lots of Web sites have such instant gratification "polls," where you see the ongoing results the moment you "vote." This clearly isn't scientific. It might be meant as fun or entertainment, but should such "polls" take on such serious questions? There are no obvious disclaimers that this is a useless, worthless, non-journalistic piece of junk. Anybody out there whose Web sites are running such polls want to defend the practice? Give us your best shot.
IMAGES OF VIOLENCE CHALLENGE EDITORS
There are those who will say that American newspapers have increased their willingness to show readers disturbing war pictures – that somehow the usual guidelines individual papers use when evaluating the publication of controversial images simply don't apply. Whenever a newspaper publishes a disturbing image, such as those frequently seen in wars, it is a risk. In a preview of a joint APME/APPM conference session on making the "tough calls," APPM board member Naomi Halperin, asks whether that risk is worth taking. Read more here.
TOUGH CALLS, CELEBRITY JOURNALISM AMONG TOPICS AT APPM MEETING
The Associated Press Photo Managers, meeting with APME in Louisville next week, will address some of the tough issues in visual journalism today. Get a sneak peek here.
The online portion of today's edition was written by Ken Sands, managing editor of online and new media, The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash., and a member of the APME Board of Directors. This issue of Update was coordinated by Darrell Hoemann, photo/graphics editor of the News-Gazette in Champaign, Ill. and a member of AP Photo Managers.
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MEMBERS CITIED FOR CONTRIBUTING STORIES, PHOTOS TO AP MEMBERSHIP
AP member newspapers and broadcast stations are the cooperative's eyes and ears on the ground when news breaks. The Associated Press relies on tips, information, stories and photographs from members to help provide a complete state and regional report for the benefit of all members. These AP members will receive APME Instant Citations for their recent assistance:
