Can Prezi be a storytelling tool for online journalists?

I’ve recently came across prezi documents that are more and more complex. They are not just about creating a fancier and more dynamic presentation, but show that this tool can be used for pure storytelling.

It allows you to include flash videos—and any youtube video—, flash animations, and vector images, so it can be a way for a journalist to create an interactive piece without need of high technical skills. And do it in few hours.

I can really see prezi as a way to present complex pieces of work in a simple and engaging way. People in the High Schools and Universities start to use it in a very successful way. Here’s some of the examples of the things you can do with this tool:

http://prezi.com/io1sgtwwkg5v/singing-bridges/

http://prezi.com/wwthwfakozpm/kibu_video_portraits_2008/

http://prezi.com/iu5k6twlrmrl/vector-maps-in-prezi/

http://prezi.com/0jhk93a4tbc3/using-multi-media-in-prezi/

http://prezi.com/xcit4zbat6sw/sweet-recipe-to-solving-problems/

Online newsroom earns Pulitzer

I thought this story was an interesting one that will be of special interest to NextNewsroom readers. This I found to be especially interesting:

But while the Internet did score a victory this year, up from zero
awards last year, it still lags behind its more conventional
counterpart—newsprint. The Washington Post racked up the most Pulitzers,
amassing four for its work in Feature Writing, Commentary, Criticism,
and International Reporting. It won double the number that the New York
Times won, not counting the Times award won in conjunction with
ProPublica. Though winning multiple awards is considered an impressive
feat in journalistic circles, some consider this a slight upset to the
publication, which won five last year and had a record-setting seven in
2002 for its 9/11 coverage.

Does this mean print journalism continues to be of higher quality than online? Or does it mean that the Pulitzer folks are out of touch; spending the majority of their time focused on the icons as opposed to the wider variety available on the Web?

Full Story from the Columbia Spectator:

Online newsroom earns Pulitzer, Post trumps Times

ProPublica, an independent, non-profit online newsroom, became the first online organization to win a Pulitzer Prize.

By Kim Kirschenbaum

Published April 13, 2010

The Internet secured itself a prevailing role in news media on Monday, reeling in one of journalism’s most coveted prizes for the very
first time.

ProPublica, an independent, non-profit online newsroom, was the first online organization to win a Pulitzer Prize, which was announced at
Columbia’s Journalism School on Monday afternoon at a ceremony for the
94th annual Pulitzer Prizes in Journalism, Letters, Drama, and Music.

There were 1,103 newspaper entries, up from a total of 1,028 entries last year.

Pulitzer Prize administrator Sig Gissler, who commenced the announcements and later elaborated on the winners, said that
ProPublica’s model represents a mode of journalism that will become
increasingly influential, as fewer resources for investigative
journalism remain available at the disposal of news outlets.

“This is something we’re going to see more of in the years ahead because there’s going to be more and more collaboration of news entities
when it comes to enterprise journalism,” he said, referring to the
collaboration between ProPublica and the New York Times Magazine.

In addition to ProPublica’s online win, an entirely online entry won in the category of cartooning for the first time. The award was given to
Mark Fiore, for his self-syndicated animated cartoons that appeared on
the San Francisco Chronicle website.

But while the Internet did score a victory this year, up from zero awards last year, it still lags behind its more conventional
counterpart—newsprint. The Washington Post racked up the most Pulitzers,
amassing four for its work in Feature Writing, Commentary, Criticism,
and International Reporting. It won double the number that the New York
Times won, not counting the Times award won in conjunction with
ProPublica. Though winning multiple awards is considered an impressive
feat in journalistic circles, some consider this a slight upset to the
publication, which won five last year and had a record-setting seven in
2002 for its 9/11 coverage.

From a thematic standpoint, articles about natural disasters did not dominate the awards this year, as they tend to do, but rather dealt with
more “down-to-earth matters,” Gissler said.

Other news publications that won Pulitzers included the Seattle Times, the Philadelphia Daily News, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the
Dallas Morning News, the Des Moines Register, and the Denver Post.

Gissler said that, despite journalism’s continuously shifting ways as new models are explored and older ones are revamped, traditional
newspapers still remain a shining beacon for reporting.

“It’s been a tough time for newspapers the last few years, but amid the gloomy talk, I think the winners and finalists are encouraging
examples of the high quality of journalism across the nation,” Gissler
said.

And though journalistic modes change and adapt to the times, watchdog journalism—a form of investigative reporting intended to hold public
officials and institutions accountable—continues to pervade reporting,
Gissler said, as evidenced by the many winners this year who produced
content in this category. Among those he cited were articles produced
about the contamination of hamburgers, the hazardous use of cell phones
while driving, and parents who accidentally killed their children by
leaving them in their cars.

He added, “Watchdog journalism is still a vibrant force in the United States that would make Joseph Pulitzer proud.”

kim.kirschenbaum@columbiaspectator.com

MediaShift: How Going Online Can Help Save Struggling College Papers

There’s a great piece over at MediaShift by Dan Reimold who looks at the demise of N.C. State’s Technician and the possibility of college papers going online early. He also looks at the case of upstart blog challenging the Daily Pennsylvanian. Frankly, I’m surprised we haven’t seen more of these challengers emerge on college campuses.

Reimold writes:

“But the Technician can take heart in the advent of small campus publications that have sprung up online on smaller budgets, often surving and thriving without print editions.”

The full post is here.

How Wired Plans To Embrace The iPad

‘Newsonomics’ Predicts The Future Of The Media

From Talk of the Nation:

The Internet has finally surpassed newspapers as readers’ number one choice for news, yet most papers are still struggling to make money online. Former newspaperman Ken Doctor, author of Newsonomics: Twelve New Trends That Will Shape The News You Get, and media entrepreneur David Cohn weigh in on the future of the news industry.

What Can Virtual Goods Teach Us About Paying for News?

My latest post is over at Idea Lab: What Can Virtual Goods Teach Us About Paying for News?

Please share your thoughts over there. Here’s a quick excerpt:

Why will people spend $1 to send you a virtual beer on Facebook, but not to read a news story online?

On the surface, it defies logic. I think most people would agree that whatever economic value news and information has, it’s greater than a virtual piece of clothing, or something that gives your avatar a special power in a gaming environment, or that gives you elevated status on a social network. But in terms of consumers’ actions, the exact opposite is true.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this issue because the market for virtual goods has exploded. People are expected to spend $1.6 billion on virtual goods this year in the U.S. alone. The emergence of this market, I think, is one of the most important business trends on the web. In Silicon Valley, it’s reshaping assumptions about online business models. As the focus on ad-driven models loses favor, the virtual goods market is generating a lot of interest.

Does the rise of the virtual goods economy have any lessons for the business of news and information? I think so, but I’m not sure exactly what they are. And that’s why I’m writing this post….

Read more here…

MediaShift presents 5Across: Environmental Impact of Media

The full video can be found here. This description comes via Mark Glaser of MediaShift, who writes:

Just a note to let you know that my latest in-depth post just went up on PBS MediaShift, this time a new episode of 5Across, a video roundtable discussion about the environmental impact of media such as books, newspapers, computers and e-waste. Surprisingly (at least to me), many roundtable participants believe that reading a newspaper or print pub is less harmful to the ecosystem than using electronic devices that could end up polluting developing countries in 18 months. In fact, Joe Kelleher, the production director of the San Jose Mercury News, says that his newspaper uses mostly recycled fiber, and the “virgin” fiber actually comes from the leftover chips from timber mills. In a comparison of carbon footprints of reading a print newspaper, website or electronic edition of the Merc, Kelleher says there isn’t much difference except when you add in the energy consumed by delivery vehicles. Participants included Kelleher, Sarah Westervelt of the Basel Action Network (monitoring e-waste), Jean Walsh of the San Francisco Dept. of the Environment, Shona Burns of Chronicle Books, and Charles Uchu Strader of Gaia Host Collective.
Key quote: “A lot of times you hear people say ‘I won’t read a newspaper or a book because I’m killing trees by doing so.’ It’s simply not true. We only purchase newsprint from places that harvest trees sustainably. Newsprint is made from a combination of recycled fiber… and the virgin pulp we use is a byproduct of lumber production.” — Joe Kelleher, San Jose Mercury News

Journalism That Matters: Rei-imagining News and Community in the Pacific Northwest

Free Videos by Ustream.TV

California Watch Launches New Site

The California news ecology gets a welcome addition today with the launch of the new California Watch web site. Check it out at: http://californiawatch.org/. CW is a project by the Center for Investigative Reporting: http://www.centerforinvestigativereporting.org/

Superman, Spiderman Lament Modern Times