West Virginia University’s Perley Isaac Reed School of Journalism will welcome a 2006 Pulitzer Prize-winning writer, a Yahoo! News journalist, and Associated Press and independent multimedia journalists for Journalism Week 2007 March 5-9.
“Beyond Convergence: The New Media Landscape” will explore the trends and innovations in journalism and new media and the future of mass communications.
“Journalism is no longer just print and broadcast news. News is being reported and produced across media platforms using multimedia technologies,” said Dean Maryanne Reed. “We want our students, our faculty and the University community to learn from and be inspired by what professionals are doing to reach an increasingly diverse and sophisticated media audience.”
Throughout the week, guest speakers will provide small-group workshops with journalism students and faculty and multimedia presentations open to the public.
Ted Anthony
For most of a century, storytelling in daily journalism operated within a narrow bandwidth. Sure, there were exceptions – dramatic print stories that grabbed the soul, features that revealed the world in unique ways, cameras that brought forth unforgettable images. But in the end, we always had text, photos, text and photos.
No more. In today’s Wild West of Internet-era storytelling, the options are far broader and the opportunities almost endless. Associated Press journalist and editor Ted Anthony, a former national and foreign correspondent who now leads asap – AP’s innovative new multimedia service – talks about his career path (and his stop in West Virginia) and explains why the new-media landscape of the early 21st century is to be embraced, not feared. In the process, he reveals how good journalism can migrate to the Internet without being either dull or shallow.
Anthony’s presentation, “Around the World and Into the Future: Trying to Figure Out a Journalism Career in a Changing Industry,” is set for 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 5, in Room 205 Martin Hall. The event is open, but there is limited seating.
Kevin Sites
Kevin Sites is re-defining journalism for the digital age. As Yahoo!’s first news correspondent, he is spending a year covering every major global conflict for “Kevin Sites in the Hot Zone” on Yahoo! News. One man. One year. A world of conflict.
In his presentation, “SoJo and the Power of Perspective,” Sites will share his experiences as a solo and multimedia journalist and his work for Yahoo! News on “In the Hot Zone.” Sites will explore the current and future trends of multimedia and web-based journalism, how he and other journalists are pushing the boundaries of traditional journalism, and the advantages and challenges faced in doing so.
Sites’ multimedia presentation is at 7:30 pm Tuesday, March 6, in Room 21 White Hall. This presentation is open to the public.
Brian Storm
Storytelling opportunities continue to evolve as a result of technological innovations and an expanding media universe. How can long-form, in-depth visual storytellers satisfy both their journalistic and financial needs in this environment?
Brian Storm, former Multimedia Director for MSNBC.com and now president of MediaStorm – a multimedia production service for publishing, broadcast and corporate clients – will explore how some of the top photojournalists have redefined their storytelling capabilities to include audio reporting and an eye towards publication in multiple media. Their work is capturing acclaim around the world in a time when reader’s attention spans are running short.
Storm’s “Multimedia Storytelling” presentation will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 7, in Room 205 Martin Hall. The event is open, but there is limited seating.
Jim Sheeler
Since the first Colorado casualty of the War in Iraq, Jim Sheeler has specialized in covering the impact of the war at home for the Rocky Mountain News.
For nearly a year, Sheeler and photographer Todd Heisler followed a Colorado Marine major as he took on the most difficult duty of his career: casualty notification. As the Marine and his comrades kept constant watch over the caskets of the men they never knew, they did their best to comfort the families of the fallen, while choking back tears of their own. The special report resulted in a multimedia report, “Final Salute.”
Sheeler won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing for his work on “Final Salute”. Through a multimedia presentation, combined with readings from the award- winning package, Sheeler will describe the story behind the story.
His presentation, sponsored by the Ogden Newspapers Seminar Series, will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 8, in Room G24 Eiesland Hall. This presentation is open to the public.