By Madeleine Bair, 2018-19 Reynolds Fellow

Where do you get news and information that's relevant to you?

That's what El Tímpano asked hundreds of Latino immigrants in Oakland, Calif., during an information needs assessment we conducted throughout the past year. We also asked community organizers, educators and church leaders how they share information with the residents, parents and congregants they work with.

Before piloting a reporting outlet to serve Oakland's Spanish-speaking immigrants, we wanted to hear from them first, rather than making any assumptions about what would be the best format to report about, with, and for this community. What we found, outlined in a report released last month, will inform the design of El Tímpano as a new local reporting platform.

MORE

By Ed Henninger

I've been a consultant for almost 30 years. Before that, I worked more than 20 years in writing and editing positions, most of those years as an editor and manager at daily newspapers.

During that half-century, I've learned a few things about how to do my work well and how to conduct myself in the workplace.

I recently received a call from someone close to me who was struggling in her work. She asked my advice and I did my best to help her.

After that conversation, I sent her the following. I call it "25 on-the-job ideals."

I thought I'd take a side road from design this month to share my note with you.

MORE

Presteligence has announced that 11 Paxton Media sites in Tennessee, North Carolina and Georgia are converting to the My News 360 service for their web CMS, website and mobile apps.

The Times-Georgian (Carrollton, Ga.) launched last week with the others to follow suit in the coming weeks. The move to Presteligence brings multi-channel delivery of content to the web, mobile apps, e-edition and newsletters, with an option to extend to print page design.

MORE

Working journalists are invited to apply for fellowships to attend Media Law School 2018, to be held Sept. 19-22 in Columbia, S.C., at the University of South Carolina.

MORE

By Judd Slivka, director of aerial journalism, Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute

There’s a movement afoot that would severely limit how drones can be used -- and it would essentially make using a drone for journalism illegal in many cases.

In this article, Judd Slivka, director of aerial journalism at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute, notes:

• The right to fly over private property is legally well established. But various groups are trying to restrict that for privacy purposes. In doing so, they may open up media outlets to frivolous lawsuits that could harm First Amendment rights.
  
• This latest effort – which is being posed as model legislation for states to adopt – not only makes flying over someone’s property cause for a civil suit, it also makes taking photos or videos of someone’s property a cause for civil action.
  

MORE

In a video, Matthew Borowick shares his advice, methods and passion for drone storytelling.

MORE

By Ed Henninger

Special sections let us give readers content that differs from the normal flow of news, features, sports, ads and other content in the newspaper.

But there are some key elements to remember when dealing with special sections. Following are 10 points that are important:

MORE

"How much is my home worth?"

"How many homes have sold in my ZIP code?"

"Can I afford the home I'm driving past?"

"Who is the best Realtor for me?"

We'll ask voice-activated devices more frequently these questions and eventually, we may also get these answers in real-time as we drive in our connected cars. More than two decades ago, Craigslist disrupted the news industry's classified advertisements with its online listing service and now another innovation is here and growing with voice devices. Can voice-activated devices and real estate information create a new market and spur some recovery for news companies?

In a two-part series, read about how voice devices are creating another market for journalism content, specifically real estate, followed by an accompanying piece on tips that news companies need to know when they are considering creating content for voice devices.

MORE

For newsroom leaders already struggling to produce and monetize daily content, augmented reality tools might seem out of their reach.

Though tools from Google, Amazon and Apple can be daunting with their requirement of coding knowledge, there are tools that make it easy for those with small budgets, little to no coding experience and limited time.

Recently at the Institute for Nonprofit News Days conference in Orlando, Fla., Kat Duncan, senior video editor for RJI Futures Lab, taught attendees how newsrooms can harness AR tools like ZapWorks to better engage readers in a new, creative and exciting way.

Read her column

MORE

Public distrust has been aggravated by recent high-profile cases in which law enforcement agencies have failed to inform the public about police shootings in a timely manner. In response, the Brechner Center for Freedom of Information is issuing guidelines for agencies to consider in informing the public when officers use force.

MORE