CNN and Convergence

Never before in the history of political campaigns has voters played such a pivotal role in the presidential election process. This new role was made possible by various multimedia tools available online. During the democratic primaries, CNN held the first ever CNN/YouTube debate. During this debate, the candidates answered questions directly from voters via YouTube. According to YouTube, the candidates answered 39 questions from the 3000 received. The questions were sometimes personal, comical and heartfelt. Most importantly, it gave the candidates the chance to look beyond their campaign and into the eyes and heads of those voting for them. Some believe these YouTubers stole the spotlight and asked the questions “real” people wanted to know, in place of political jargon that most often feels this debate.



I believe CNN seized the popularity of citizen involvement. During the RNC, protestors rallied and CNN were able to keep up with the protestors’ plight by subscribing to the twitter account of many of the organizations protesting. CNN’s Wolf Blitzer read the “tweets” on the air.

CNN also encourages citizens to report their thoughts on the political campaign through what they call I reporters. This past weekend CNN contributor Roland Martin hosted “What they didn’t say at the debate”, a show focused on the plight of middle class Americans. The show featured some of CNN’s top I–Reporters. Instead of shunning the work of bloggers CNN is taking advantage of the new medium and using it to create a convergent brand.

Continuous News Desk Strategies - Guest Speaker Peter Howard

As you know, I am a graduate student at Virginia Commonwealth University studying Multimedia Journalism. This past weekend Peter Howard, Vice President of Interactive Design at Media General, came to discuss continuous news desk strategies. The purpose of the presentation was to introduce the class to newsroom web strategies. Howard brought valuable information that I felt necessary to share in this blog. Continuous news is just not just breaking news; it’s how to help readers get through the day by producing engaging relevant news and information. A continuous news website is big on utility, which includes features that show traffic, weather and upcoming event updates.

To build an effect continuous news site, it is important to know your audience. Howard showed a diagram created by AR&D Media 2.0 that portrayed the hourly website views for news sites. The diagram showed that views rise at 6 am and decline at 5pm. This led me to conclude that most people, who view news websites, view them at work. This creates a time crunch for the viewer who more than likely is just trying to get a “quick peek” in between work duties. News sites must accommodate this audience by making the headlines clear and concise, videos short, and by making the overall site easy to navigate. TBO.com was given as example of a news site that utilizes these principles.

Below is also an interesting online video, produced by a sports reporter at NBC 17. Howard showed this video as an example of one creates online buzz do to hyper localizing ( It's all about knowing your audience!).

Hurricane Katrina and Multimedia Coverage

Hurricane Katrina changed the way many news organizations report hurricane activity. Because of the damage that Katrina caused coupled with the outcry from the general public, multimedia journalists have taken a new approach to how they report the storms.

Days after Katrina hit, CNN created a special multimedia web page dedicated to the victims of the storm. A slideshow telling the story of a 72 year old man who lost everything headlines the page. Under the slideshow is a link to an interactive graph that shows what facilities are available to citizens still in New Orleans. This was not only a great way to keep citizens informed, but was also a way to make volunteer groups aware of the current need in the area.

On the storm’s anniversary the network shows the progress of the New Orleans and Biloxi’s revitalization through video, interactive maps and slideshows.

They also allow citizen journalist they are calling “I-Reporters” to post video blogs about the progress of their city.



The I-Reporters also give testimonials about the toll Katrina has taken on their life and on the lives of those around them.

The most interesting slideshow I have encountered regarding Katrina was created by a reporter at the Washington post. The slideshow was narrated by a young girl whose family was displaced by Katrina. The slideshow incorporates both still photos and video.

My Podcast on Podcast Use!

Three reasons why I feel podcast could enhance an education:

1. All or part of a class lecture can be posted online for students to use as a study aid. This will help students to supplement any class notes with information that they may have missed

2. It can be used for supplemental information. If there are students who have a particular need in a subject area but class time is not permitting to address that need, students can access the podcast. This will free up time for teachers and help lagging students catch up with their peers

3. Teachers can teach students to produce podcast on their own. Not only to use as a way to enhance any multimedia presentation, but to also teach students that they have a voice that deserves to be heard.

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News Minute

News minute highlights:

- Tropical Storm Hannah
- Oldest gorilla in activity
- Art in the Alley revitalizes Shockhoe Bottom

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