ONLINE JOURNALISMBEYONDTHE BEAT

Michelle Balmeobalmeo@gmail.com@michellebalmeomichellebalmeo.wordpress.com

But first, the beat...• Three tiers

• Tier 1 = 3 points• Tier 2 = 2 points• Tier 3 = 1 point

• 6 points required

For example...• I have Octagon (a tier 1 beat) Future Physicians (tier 2) and Role Playing Club (sadly, a tier 3)

• That’s my 6 points.

Orrrrrr...• I have Leadership (a tier 1) and PTSA (a tier 1)

• That’s my 6 points.

I’m required to...• Produce a beat story each month

• Cover each of my beats at least once per semester

It works, but...• Kids are too focused on fulfilling the quota.

• They default to “easy” beat coverage — Q&As, photo galleries, event coverage

So what’s an adviser to do?

• Even the pros do things a little differently at times.

• Take a look at these cool projects...

Shaking things up

The pros“31 Days, 31 Ways”The Texas Tribune

The pros“The N-Word”The Washington Post

The pros“Planet Money Makes a T-Shirt”NPR

The pros“A Changing Mission”The San Francisco Chronicle

Notice...• All stories with lasting value• Centered around key questions• Design and content are driven by questions• They go beyond the beat...

Scale and localize• Story packages • Newsroom projects• Personal challenges• Mini-lessons• Contests• Critiques

Mini-lessons• Get kids to explore a new tool or technique• Define the parameters• Give them a deadline• Works with new tools, video technique, story packages, etc.

For example• Motion sequences• School-wide event (rally, game, serving lunch...)• Challenge teams to produce the cleanest motion sequence• Compile them into an explainer story with GIFs

Immersion Project• A personal challenge• Immerse yourself in another’s world and write from within• NOT day-to-day journalism• Pitch in the fall, produce by year’s end• You choose format

Immersion Project

Immersion Project• Daniel’s Daniel story• Elia’s hackathon story• Kan’s Ms. Cler series• Dylan and Trisha’s attempt• Pretty much everything by Kristin (park parkour, Safeway on Thanksgiving, child abuse)

Newsroom Projects• Everybody has a job and a collective deadline.• The group decides on a topic, brainstorms angles, and doles out responsibilities.• It’s all hands on deck.

Newsroom Projects

Newsroom Projects

Contests• Work together to beat each other• Focus on an area of weakness or a need for improvement• Make it fun

One Cool Thing• Sections identify an area of weakness• They look through professional media to find relevant examples• They create and share that “one cool thing”

One Cool Thing

Critiques• Have staff organize a focus group to study users• Do your own eye tracking study• Audit content•Talk to readers

For example• Brought in readers at lunch• One reporter assigned to each reader• Realized that the first thing all readers looked at? The weather. Womp-womp.

Within sections• Encourage section editors to experiment with all-section projects• Ask then to think about it at the beginning of the year. What makes this year special or different?

Teaching projects

Within sections• Special Report section• Firsts. Farmer’s market. Domestic abuse. Story of our stuff. Privilege.

Ok. I’m convinced.• Define your goal.• Set the parameters.• Help them get to a key question.• Get out of their way.

Design thinking• Empathize• Define• Ideate• Prototype• Test

Design thinking• Empathize - What does the reader not know/understand?• Define - What do I need to provide?• Ideate - How best can I provide that?• Prototype - What’s my plan/design?• Test - Build it. Publish it. Follow up as needed.

Find inspiration

Find inspiration