New Journalist by Anca Toma

Volume 1 April 2012 ÂŁ3.99

The New Journalist From journalists for journalists

Interview

Intelligence

The latest on Twitter, blogs, Pinterest and Co

Photographer Martyn Goddard on changes in the industry

Career The market needs your skills - new jobs in our career listings

Newsroom Shorthand - still a must-have skill?

Editor’s letter

elcome to the first edition of The New Journalist, the next generation’s journalism magazine. In recent years, expectations of journalists and the media as such have changed. It is not enough anymore to simply be informed about what is going on in politics, economics and the world. The modern successful journalist of today is expected to know how to work with social media, the newest technologies and blog 24/7. This prospect can be daunting and we are here to help you stay on top of everything. In this edition, our Blogger’s Guide introduces you to the world of blogging and, if you are already in the business, it will give you tips about how to improve your site’s traffic. The New Journalist magazine consists of four different sections. The Intelligence chapter fills you in when it comes to important news, gadgets, apps and books that are worth having a look at. In this section, we will provide you with everything a multimedia journalist has to know concerning hard news and newest trends in Twitter and the technology world. The second section is the Newsroom. Here you will find in-depth reports and features on burning issues. After the recent deaths of western journalists in Syria, we give you an overview of the situation of our colleagues across the globe. The feature Shorthand vs. voice recorder discusses a debate which many multimedia journalists face: Is it really still necessary to put yourself through a lot of hard work to acquire the skill of writing shorthand, a skill that was an absolute must only a couple of years back, or has the new generation of voice recorders replaced it? In Between the Lines, our editorial team seeks to provide you with relaxation. We know how stressful life can get. The section features a list of gadgets that make your life sweeter and more fun. If you are looking for a new job, placement or internship, our career listings at the back of the magazine might offer something for you. The New Journalist can also be downloaded as an app from the iTunes Store. Enjoy the read!

Photo by Max-Michel Kolijn

Alexandra Buerger

Our Editorial Team

Editor: Alexandra Buerger Production & Lifestyle Editor: Christine Liehr Sub Editor: Anca Toma Feature & Sub Editor: Alya Mooro Art Director: Anastasiia Fedorova Intelligence Editor: Krisha Kops Photo Editor: Motasem A Dalloul Reporter: Xiaowen Zhu Illustrator: Katherine GIANNINI

The New Journalist | 3

Editor’s letter

Photo by Max-Michel Kolijn

Alexandra Buerger

Our Editorial Team

The New Journalist | 3

Content | April 2012

Newsroom

06 | Monthly Glossary

14 | A world of information

Your latest news feed from all around the world

Is speech really free?

Things that got the Twitter world talking this month

9 | Book review Alya Mooro presents good reads for your spare time

10 | Pin your interests Pinterest: the new visual sharing platform on the Internet

Interview with Martyn Goddard The photographer on the transition from conventional to digital photography

12 | An insider’s view Our monthly column and the ultimate blogging guide

£3.99

From journalists for journalists

Careerslifehappinessjobswritingbooksliteraturejournalistswriternovellinewordsnews-

Intelligence

8 | Twitter trending

Volume 2 May 2012

THE New Journalist

How it will change the print sector

Front line reporting

Stylish work items you can’t live without this month

Interviewing as an art

Self-publishing

Our hitlist this month

* | Must-haves

18 | Profile Sameh Habeeb A report on a young Palestinian journalist and his front line success

42 between the linesAs aceaquunt et optae demqui asped quo odignihillum incipsaperro comnist otatemporeic tem quam sit, ut as enist ut ipsaeObis denis earuptatem endebitibus deseressum atemo ea antiore endite volor simpost orectur modis maioraeces eosam sitate

demqui asped quo odignihillum incipsaperro comnist otatemporeic tem quam sit, ut as enist ut ipsaeObis denis earuptatem endebitibus deseressum atemo ea antiore endite volor simpost orectur modis maioraeces eosam sitate rent porepro vitiorepudi

Between the lines

34 | Good night, good luck Anastasiia Fedorova shares her wisdom of staying up all night

36 | Hotspots

20 | Data-driven journalism

Where journalists relax - our hotspots for this month

How to make sense of the information available on the web

37 | Using tube time

24| Shorthand still needed?

Make the most out of your travelling time with these tips

Can modern technologies replace basic journalistic skills?

26 | Martyn Goddard Alexandra Buerger interviews the successful photographer

28 | Fashion journalism Does the online world make fashion journalists redundant?

30 | Social media Social media and its effects on the journalistic world

booksjournalspressprintingpublishinggoodbadjournalspressprintingpublishinggoodbad

Pro file

Debate

Must-haves

Successful ebook author Katherine Webb

Jeff Jarvis & Shed Simove on the future of books

Special - ebooks you can’t live without

Ebook special in May

Career * | Career listing Interesting offers from the world of employment

46 | Preview The next issue of THE NEW JOURNALIST appears May 2

* | Removed due to copyright reasons

38 | It’s an extrovert world How both personality types can use the media to their strength

* | Take a breather Our suggestions how to revitalise and unwind this month

42 | Reading body language Our reporter Krisha Kops on the noble art of interviewing

32 | UK media law A crash course 4 | The New Journalist

The New Journalist | 5

Content | April 2012

Newsroom

06 | Monthly Glossary

14 | A world of information

Your latest news feed from all around the world

Is speech really free?

Things that got the Twitter world talking this month

9 | Book review Alya Mooro presents good reads for your spare time

10 | Pin your interests Pinterest: the new visual sharing platform on the Internet

Interview with Martyn Goddard The photographer on the transition from conventional to digital photography

12 | An insider’s view Our monthly column and the ultimate blogging guide

£3.99

From journalists for journalists

Careerslifehappinessjobswritingbooksliteraturejournalistswriternovellinewordsnews-

Intelligence

8 | Twitter trending

Volume 2 May 2012

THE New Journalist

How it will change the print sector

Front line reporting

Stylish work items you can’t live without this month

Interviewing as an art

Self-publishing

Our hitlist this month

* | Must-haves

18 | Profile Sameh Habeeb A report on a young Palestinian journalist and his front line success

Between the lines

34 | Good night, good luck Anastasiia Fedorova shares her wisdom of staying up all night

36 | Hotspots

20 | Data-driven journalism

Where journalists relax - our hotspots for this month

How to make sense of the information available on the web

37 | Using tube time

24| Shorthand still needed?

Make the most out of your travelling time with these tips

Can modern technologies replace basic journalistic skills?

26 | Martyn Goddard Alexandra Buerger interviews the successful photographer

28 | Fashion journalism Does the online world make fashion journalists redundant?

30 | Social media Social media and its effects on the journalistic world

booksjournalspressprintingpublishinggoodbadjournalspressprintingpublishinggoodbad

Pro file

Debate

Must-haves

Successful ebook author Katherine Webb

Jeff Jarvis & Shed Simove on the future of books

Special - ebooks you can’t live without

Ebook special in May

Career * | Career listing Interesting offers from the world of employment

46 | Preview The next issue of THE NEW JOURNALIST appears May 2

* | Removed due to copyright reasons

38 | It’s an extrovert world How both personality types can use the media to their strength

* | Take a breather Our suggestions how to revitalise and unwind this month

42 | Reading body language Our reporter Krisha Kops on the noble art of interviewing

32 | UK media law A crash course 4 | The New Journalist

The New Journalist | 5

INTelligence | News digest

Monthly Glossary

April’s news digest

The UN debate Freedom of speech By Motasem A Dalloul

Illustration by Katherine Giannini

he UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) have called for a draft resolution and a convention to protect freedom of speech on the internet end of February. The panel discussion was held to give member states of the UNHRC the opportunity to pinpoint threats to the right of freedom of expression on the internet and to propose what they can do to protect that right. Speakers gave prominence to the condemnation of killing journalists in areas of conflict, as well as the proposal of plans to end such crimes against information dissemination. Likewise, they said that there should not be any kind of control on the flow of information on the internet. However, when and if international human rights’ laws are threatened, certain steps must be taken. Indonesia - which was ranked the second largest user of social media last year -asked panellists to elaborate on “how best to address the negative aspects of the Internet such as blasphemy, child pornography and trafficking in persons while at the same time ensuring unhindered access to the Internet for people.” India said that it was important to “bridge the digital divide, but that quality, access and utility should be equally ensured with relevance of content.” Organisations concerned with freedom of expression and journalists’ rights welcomed the debate with Article 19 stating that: “It is the first ever debate on freedom of expression on the Internet.” Press Emblem Campaign (PEC) - an international NGO that has a special consultative status with the UN regarding journalists’ rights - described it a “very

6 | The New Journalist

timely special debate”. They also asked the UNHRC to “integrate this aspect of freedom of information into a future draft resolution as well as into the International Convention on the Protection of Journalists.” They also insisted on the rights of bloggers, who play a big role in reporting information from areas of conflict by utilising the Internet. “Bloggers are also informers and, for this reason, should enjoy reinforced protection,” PEC said. ■

Kony 2012 Meltdown of Jason Russel

“And, because of how personal the film is, many of the attacks against it were also very personal, and Jason took them very hard,” Danica Russell went on to say. Among other accusations, Invisible Children was criticised for spending too much charity money on travelling as well as concerns about the accurateness of their video, which, for example, does not mention the real whereabouts of Kony. Invisible Children’s CEO Ben Keesey said in a statement: “The past two weeks have taken a severe emotional toll on us, Jason especially, and that toll manifested itself in an unfortunate incident yesterday.” ■

By Krisha Kops

ony 2012 campaigner, Jason Russell, 33, has been hospitalised due to stress, after being detained by police in San Diego for charges of nudity and disruptive behaviour – screaming and interfering with the traffic on the 15th of March. While the NBC reports that Russell has been detained for being drunk and “possibly under the influence of something”, his wife Danica Russell attributed her husbands meltdown to the immense attention he received following the video going viral. Danica Rusell, co-founder of Invisible Children, an organisation which campaigns against the child-enslaving warlord Joseph Kony, said: “We thought a few thousand people would see the film, but in less than a week millions of people around the world saw it. While that attention was great for raising awareness about Joseph Kony, it also brought a lot of attention to Jason.” The video hit over 80 million views on Youtube within two weeks of its release. This unexpected success for the non-profit organisation - which has been campaigning for several years- was accompanied by a lot of criticism.

syria The death of correspondents By Xiaowen Zhu

he recent deaths of four excellent war journalists in Syria has saddened the western world and let journalists revisit a question: why work as a war reporter? Marie Colvin was the Sunday Times war correspondent widely known for the pirate eye-cover, which she wore after she lost one of her eyes when reporting wars in Sri Lanka, as well as her extraordinary bravery as a female journalist. As Colvin once said, she had never doubted going so far, even after she lost an eye in war reporting, because she knew that “it is worth it”. “The public has a right to know what

our government, and our armed forces, are doing in our name. Our mission is to speak the truth to power. We send home that first rough draft of history. We can and do make a difference in exposing the horrors of war and especially the atrocities that befall civilians.” In an interview about his Afghanistan war documentary Restrepo, Tim Hetherington, the war journalist who was killed in Libya in April 2011, made an impressive description about wars saying: “It’s a very slippery thing to try to get out any truisms about war. War is hell, but it’s also more than that. And rather than lay down any kind of definitiveness, I just wanted to show the texture of it. And that meant not just photographing the combat, but the guys, their time off, when war is often very boring. And it’s boredom punctuated by sheer terror. And I wanted to capture all of that.” It is also the case of Libanese born Mr. Shadid. The New York Times considered his work has “centred on ordinary people who had been forced to pay an extraordinary price for living in the region — or belonging to the religion, ethnic group or social class that they did.” The other other two journalists who died recently in Syria are Remi Ochlik and Gilles Jacquier, There are a couple of hostile environment training schemes available in the UK, like Pilgrim’s Hostile Environment Training,. The scheme, which takes place in a fictitious conflict zone, is conducted by ex-UK military personnel and can simulate a “generic” hostile environment. If you are a freelance journalist, applying for funds for training programmes to get yourself equipped is more suitable. For example, the Rory Peck Trust’s training fund was established in 2000 and has been supporting war freelance journalists working in Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya and Somalia. ■

Trending words Raft You might associate your summer camp holidays with the word raft but according to the BBC College of Journalism what used to be a flat floating structure made up of planks is now used to express ‘a lot of’. “We are putting together a raft of measures to tackle illegal immigration.” Tweetering Tweets are out-dated. If you cannot get enough of Twitter and it has become your daily companion, adapt your vocabulary and say you are tweetering. Twubble If you want to find more friends on Twitter, use its Application Programming Interface (API) Twubble, which combines who your friends are following with the most followed people from your friends’ lists. Infomotion The new wave of data visualisation on the web is on its way – infomotions attempt to attract online readers with moving elements. The term, borrowed from physics for graphs of motion, is the latest development in the world of infographics and Co.

The New Journalist | 7

INTelligence | News digest

Monthly Glossary

April’s news digest

The UN debate Freedom of speech By Motasem A Dalloul

Illustration by Katherine Giannini

6 | The New Journalist

Kony 2012 Meltdown of Jason Russel

By Krisha Kops

syria The death of correspondents By Xiaowen Zhu

The New Journalist | 7

INTelligence | Twitter trends and new reads

The months events via Twitter...

Book Reviews

By Alya Mooro

A trending topic is a word or phrase entered into theTwittersphere at a greater rate than others. Useful in deciphering popular topics and what the greatest number of people are talking about, it enables Twitter, its users and researchers to discover the “most breaking” news stories across the world.

Photo by Jeremy Nicoll

March 7th – Kony 2012 – a film created by Invisible Children – went viral on March 7th. The films purpose is to promote the charity’s ‘Stop Kony’ movement in an effort to make indicted Ugandan war criminal Joseph Kony internationally known, in hopes of him being arrested. The film currently has over 74 million views on YouTube.

Photo by Walt Jabsco

March 9th – March 9th marked 15 years since the death of hip hop legend Biggie Smalls. One of the most respected and influential lyricists, the Notorious B.I.G was gunned down on this day in 1997 while leaving an event in Los Angeles. His murder remains unsolved to this day.

Photo by Edans

March 13th – Former Rupert Murdoch executive Rebakah Brooks was arrested on the 13th of March along with five other people in connection with the media phone hacking scandal. They were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to pervert the course of justice. New charges show that investigators may now be focusing on a possible cover-up of the magnitude of the phone hacking.

Photo by Freedom House

8 | The New Journalist

Photo by Chum Lam

March 7th – Holi is a religious spring festival celebrated by Hindus. Celebrated by people throwing scented powder and perfume a each other it usually lasts around two days with some of its biggest customs the loosening of strictness and social structures. These normally include age, sex, status and caste

March 10th – Syrian president Bashar al-Assad met with UN-Arab league envoy Kofi Annan on March 10th to discuss the crisis in Syria in efforts to ensure a ceasefire. This mission is said to have faltered – with the president telling Mr. Annan that no political dialogue can succeed in his country while “armed terrorist groups” operate.

illiam James, an American psychologist and philosopher, once observed that ninety-nine percent of human activity is done out of mere habit. In the latest book to hit the Times Bestsellers list, award winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg explores the science behind how we form, and break, our habits – and, essentially, why James was right. Bad habits often feel out of our control, inexplicable and intractable. “They are so strong, in fact, that they cause our brains to cling to them at the exclusion of all else, including common sense,” writes Duhigg, before going on to explain how to combat this and why it needn’t always be the case. Having interviewed more than 300 scientists and executives and consulted many academic studies, Duhigg portrays the way in which companies have begun to harness the power of habit – identify-

atherine Boo, Pulitzer-prize winner and writer for The New Yorker, has an established reputation as a leading chronicler of the disadvantaged. Having spent three years piecing together the stories of several families that live in a small makeshift slum located in Mumbai, she reveals the dramatic, often-heartbreaking tales in her debut book ‘Behind the beautiful forevers’, published in 2012. In this narrative non-fiction, the story focuses on Annawadi – a small makeshift slum located between the new airport and luxury hotels, and a public toilet and sewage lagoon, taking a microscope view to that world. “From the day in November 2007 that I wandered into Annawadi until March 2011 when I completed my recording, I documented the experiences of residents,” said Boo. And considering the often-grim subject matter, Boo manages to deliver it with intelligence, wit and humour, with the

The Power Of Habit by Charles Duhigg ing and shaping our behaviour in order to increase profits. Through a series of case studies, Duhigg examines the role of habit formation, focusing on the idea that habits consist of a cue, a routine (the habit) and reward. He argues that to change a habit requires one to understand the cue and the reward, so that changing the routine still produces the same outcome. The book doesn’t just look into the business side of things, however, but also explains how individuals can tweak their own behaviour patterns to amend bad habits. Case in point the running shoes left next to the bed, which tricks people into exercising in the mornings - inflated by the positive reinforcement caused by an endorphin rush and eating a healthy breakfast – factors which undoubtedly improve the remainder of the day. This understanding of the factors behind a habit can be applied to every aspect of our lives In an interview with

amazon.com, Duhigg analyses one of his own bad habits: “Take, for instance, a bad habit I had of eating a cookie every afternoon. By learning how to analyze my habit, I figured out that the reason I walked to the cafeteria each day wasn’t because I was craving a chocolate chip cookie. It was because I was craving socialization, , the company of talking to my colleagues while munching. That was the habit’s real reward. “So, I reconstructed the habit: now, I absentmindedly stand up from my desk, look around for someone to talk with and then gossip for about 10 minutes. I don’t even think about it at this point. It’s automatic. It’s a habit. I haven’t had a cookie in six months.” The real lesson is summed up in the books powerful conclusion: “If you believe you can change — if you make it a habit — the change becomes real. This is the real power of habit: the insight that your habits are what you choose them to be.” ■

Behind The Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo book often reading like a novel. In the face of the numerous appeals to help starving children and individuals around the world, Boo manages to put a face to this suffering; to reveal the stories and characteristics behind each of the individuals for whom these shocking tales are just another part of every day life. In a world where families live in cardboard shacks, education is mostly nonexistent and corruption rife in every aspect, Boo introduces us to the real people – the boy who scavenges for scrap metal, the student who hopes for a brighter future and the people who are so worried of consequences that they let a man with a broken leg lie in the street until he dies. Rather than portraying the ‘characters’ in the book as a victim of their circumstances, Boo conveys them in an unromantic, uncompromising light – one that works all the better for allowing readers to understand the very real reality that is often harsh, often depressing, but always uplifting in the strength and determina-

tion inherent in each of these individuals. As Boo wrote: “He wanted to be better than what he was made of, in Mumbai’s dirty water, he wanted to be ice.” Despite this, however, the book leaves you feeling helpless, knowledge fully sunk in that there is little, if anything, you can do to help these individuals that you are left caring for. This is exemplified in the way in which the unfairness is portrayed, chronic uncertainty is said to have helped produce a nation of quickwitted problem solvers, and yet the lack of a link between effort and result steadily debilitating. “We try so many things”, as one Annawadi girl put it, “but the world doesn’t move in our favor.” ‘Behind The Beautiful Forevers’ gives the reader an insight into one of the twenty-first century’s hidden worlds, giving a stark look at how many of the unfortunate worlds are forced to scrape together what little they can, in an effort to improve their lives or the lives of their children by any margin. ■ The New Journalist | 9

INTelligence | Twitter trends and new reads

The months events via Twitter...

Book Reviews

By Alya Mooro

Photo by Jeremy Nicoll

Photo by Walt Jabsco

Photo by Edans

Photo by Freedom House

8 | The New Journalist

Photo by Chum Lam

Newsroom | Hhdjdksn Intelligence | Visual social Hjdkosbgd media

TRELLO

Categorised to-do list

Everything * you need * to know *about * the new * social * phenomenon by Anca Toma

New social media 3 likes 1 comment 3 repins Journalists love social media websites. It has never been easier for us to find information and sources or simply ask for people’s opinion. We are always interested in trends, new infographics, the best photos, videos and comics. With all this Facebook is sweet, but Pinterest is spicy. Only a child in website terms, Pinterests developers make changes and upgrades, updating users through their Facebook page.

Statistics 4 comments 5 repins

6 likes 2 comments 3 repins

The social media website – which is just one year old - is the fastest growing website in history. Created by Cold Brew Labs, Inc. in Palo Alto, the site has gone from 7.5 million unique visitors in December 2011 to 11.7 million in January 2012, according to TechCrunch’s reports. The UK’s visits jumped by 68% in January - that’s more than 200,000 users. An interesting statistic is that the largest age group: 25-40 year-olds.

As soon as Pinterest became popular, questions about whether or not it breached copyright rules began to arise. Bloggers wrote about the thin line of legality that its users were treading on. Pinterest’s mission statement is to “connect everyone in the world through the ‘things’ they find interesting.” But re-sharing others photos may raise legal and ethical issues that need to be taken into consideration. At the end of February, Business Insider magazine published Kristens’s story. She is a lawyer who, after looking into the legal aspects of Pinterest, had decided to close her account, “scared” of the conditions outlined in the websites Terms of Use. These terms state that Pinterest’s users should “acknowledge and agree” that they are “solely responsible for all Member Content.” Soon after this, co-founder Ben Silbermann called Kristen and discussed the copyright issues, saying that he is “basically a guy with a computer, who had a vision”. From 6 April 2012, Pinterest will have an updated set of terms of service. One of the main changes concerns Pinterest’s right to sell the shared content: “Selling content was never our intention and we removed this from our updated Terms.” New tools to help report alleged copyright or trademark infringements were released. The copyright issues are, however, yet to be cleared.

What to Pin

8 likes 2 comments 3 repins

How it works

8 likes 2 comments 3 repins Content is organised in “Boards” that work as categories. Each piece of content is called a “Pin”. People can “like” your pins or they can “re-pin” them onto their boards, as well as comment on them or share on Facebook and Twitter. Besides sharing your descoveries, uou can also search and follow people or just some boards or topics in which you are interested. 10 | The New Journalist

As you troll the Internet and find infographics and quotes, recipes to try, places to go, home appliances, designs, cats, dogs, children - you can share media on any subject. Keep in mind that users say that pictures or videos that present a story are more attractive than simple “oh look what I found” pictures. A new kind of feature, and maybe the future focus of the website, is the option to put a price on your pinned object, thus attracting a lot of traffic to online retailers. This can be an advantage for the smaller retailers that have a hard time getting noticed through Google.

How can journalists use it? 2 likes 1 comment 3 repins

We’ve had a look at how some media outlets like the Time magazine, Wall Street Journal (especially in their Fashion week project) and The Guardian are using their accounts and came up with some guidelines for you. First, before you begin pinning, you must study how people in your community and areas of interest are using Pinterest. Then create boards that fit your content and audience. Ask yourself what would they like to see and what they expect to see from you. Share content besides your own. Like any social network, only sharing your own content is a social networking don’t. Remember you shouldn’t be online to get clicks, but as a genuine attempt to be a part of the community. In this, however, you must be wary of the rules of copyright. Scout for pins made from your URL and then like/re-pin/comment those pins. Return the attention you’ve received. To see what’s being pinned on your site, add the name of your website to this URL http://pinterest.com/ source/ and open it in a browser. You can also create collaborative boards and work together with a team to promote and share on the same topic. This option can help if you view Pinterest as an online storyboard or as an web-based research tool for an upcoming story. Pinterest can help you find ideas for trend stories. Use the Popular button to find trending subjects. ■

by Anca Toma

Ever thought that you would like to organise all your work, and yet still keep it all together? Trello is an online team workflow platform and list manager. Based on the same visual paradigm as Pinterest, you can use this platform to organize your projects into boards and assign tasks to your colleagues. You can create new cards, add attachments and due dates, embed video, and make checklists. Trello also includes a chat platform to allow discussions between colleagues. Fog Creek Software, a company based in New York, launched Trello in September 2011. Its entrepreneur is Joel Spolsky - the man behind Stack Exchange, a popular American questions & answers network. Trello. a simple, good-looking online team collaboration platform will undoubtedly be used frequently in the future. ■

@squareleaf Now that I’ve got all my projects and plans out of my head and in Trello.com, I want to do them all RIGHT NOW. But, I’m sleepy. @timhaines Finding @Trello to be a pretty nice tool to manage dev tasks. Not too heavy, not too light. @JoshD My favourite free software this year. @Trello lets you organise anything. @hiway I’m seeing Trello as a fantastic user interface for many projects involving twitter and other small bits of information. The New Journalist | 11

Newsroom | Hhdjdksn Intelligence | Visual social Hjdkosbgd media

TRELLO

Categorised to-do list

Everything * you need * to know *about * the new * social * phenomenon by Anca Toma

Statistics 4 comments 5 repins

6 likes 2 comments 3 repins

What to Pin

8 likes 2 comments 3 repins

How it works

How can journalists use it? 2 likes 1 comment 3 repins

by Anca Toma

INTelligence | An insider’s view

Art director of The New Journalist Freelance writer for the Russian editions of GQ and Rolling Stone

My editorial experience I got a job as managing editor of a magazine when I was 20. It was great luck. The job entailed getting up from a leather sofa after a power nap at 5 am, removing traces of eyeliner from my cheeks, then having a coffee fix before resuming my editorial duties. I’d never say it was a brilliant career step up. It’s 3 am. Large windows and the high ceiling of a factory turned into a media holding office. Lights are dimmed, pens and papers are resting on the desks near black, sleeping computer screens. In the spacious office there are no more than 15 people left. Three sleepless editorial teams with matching issue deadlines. I was the managing editor of a monthly publication about fashion, music and youth culture in Russia. The editor-in-chief and the deputy editor, both scruffy looking guys in their mid-twenties, are sharing my night watch. There is also a group of lovely middle-aged ladies from a magazine about stitching. And some geeks who put together a magazine about computer games. My eyes are red from proofreading endless copy. Empty cups with graphic dry coffee circles are all around the latest flat plan, and my body wants to melt into an office armchair. On the other side of the 100-square meter office, computer geeks are playing Guitar Hero. The nervous pressing of buttons is getting louder and louder, and then they start to howl. A lady from the stitching magazine reaches her boiling point and screams, “Could you stop howling at least?” Then everyone returns to their midnight editorial routines. I was a part of a completely new editorial team of the “Hooligan Magazine”, 90 pages about youth, fashion, music, art and contemporary culture. The editor-in-chief and deputy editor were both 25. I was the only one with (an incomplete) journalist degree. The art director was around 30. He was the least reliable of us though, as he had a habit of being five hours late. A junior graphic designer once gave me a lift home on his motorbike. That was exciting. I was responsible for coordinating the work of journalists and designers. I was also writing captions and cells, researching, translating, as well as lots of random writing. But my main job was trying to keep the situation under control during the 10 days before deadline when we were putting the issue together. I can’t say I always managed with it. Actually, I never did. The beginning of the month always looks pretty optimistic. The flat plan is almost filled up, everything is falling into place. But then you start to feel it closing in. The chaos of four days work with no sleep. Then it comes. The scariest thing about working in print journalism is that you have no choice. The only way is to actually accomplish work. After a certain point you just can’t screw up. Because it will be printed. So at the exact time and not a minute later, or earlier, your perfect issue has to be complete, or else its your head on the managers table the next day. What did I learn from my editorial experience? Quite a lot. Check all the big captions. There are always silly misprints there. Check name spelling. You will always fight with the people from the advertising department because they just need this ugly pizza commercial in your magazine. Never trust Google picture search. I can’t emphasise it enough: time management. Think twice before entering this industry. Or at least check if the office has some nice leather sofas. ■ 12 | The New Journalist

Blogging....the ultimate guide Everything you need to know about instant journalism of the new century

f you want to start a blog as a journalist, or say as a media staff, don’t even bother looking at the “101 tips to gain blog readership” or the “six steps to increase blog traffic” that are listed on the top of the Google searching results. This kind of stuff, which seems thorough and easy to follow, only leaves you starring at your computer, still not knowing what to do with your rarely read blog. Ok, bloggers, before we talk further, let’s make clear that this is a blogger’s guide for journalists and freelancers. If you start a blog to share your personal life with friends, or post your daily outfits for fun, or even for some commercial pruposes, I’m afraid this is not the right guide for you. We don’t need hugely massive blog traffic. What we treasure are quality readers who are keen on social issues, can discuss with us and share valuable opinion and information. We still advocate the old-school way of serious reading, even though it’s part of the fastconsuming online spiritual world. A blog is supposed to influence people’s thinking and stimulate critical discussion. Choose a title, short and easy to remember, for your blog. In other words, keep it smart, wise and unique. If you are a quite renowned journalist or freelancer, then congratulations, your name is the best advertisement. Let your readers know this is your exclusive blog, which will bring those who like your articles automatically. Otherwise, think of a really “sexy” title for the blog. Make your blog neat and clear to let the good content of your writing stand out. Many blog tips suggest using huge, impressive images on the top of your blog page, but if you are a journalist, it just doesn’t work much. You do need amazing pictures, but they are supposed to be in the written pieces and serve what you are writing about. Don’t let the page get busy or noisy. This distracts your readers from getting into your written work. Maximise the readability. Neat layout is a necessity. There’s an exception. On Perezhilton. com, which is one of the top 50 most visited blogs in the world, the layout is messy and the page is very busy. I never know where to

something from trusted sources and state the source clearly if you can. Write in your own style but follow the journalistic principles as usual, because this distinguishes you from other blogs - yours is also professional. Improve online readability. This doesn’t only mean using more visual items, like slideshows and videos, but also by improving the layout of your written content. Keep paragraphs short and use smart, witty ways of telling a story. Bold some keywords or sentences to draw readers directly to your main points. Remember when blogging, you are a great writer. Quality content is the most crucial element to your blog. In the online world, people come across numerous articles and their attention span is short, but if there is something worthy spending time on, they will take their time to read it, and if they like it, share it with their friends. et up your Twitter and Facebook accounts and connect them to your blog. Keep tweeting your posts and share links of your blog. Reply to and re-tweet some of the comments. Communicate with your readers. Don’t forget to get the most out of RSS, by making the subscribe button more visible. It will remind new readers of how they can view your blog again. Pay attention to the frequency of your postings. Don’t keep your readers waiting too long for a new post, otherwise they will not return. They just forget about you in such vast, fast-changing Internet ocean! Let them catch something fresh every time they come to your blog and they will come back. It is ideal to post at a steady frequency, like one new post everyday or three to four posts every week. Your loyal readers will know when to come, and you, a committed and hard-working blogger, should never disappoint them! Try to make it a habit for them to check your blog every few days. Make clear who your target audience is (who are your readers?) and then figure out when they surf the Internet. Be ready to post new things by then or do something interactive with them around the time they are reading your blog. ■

S Illustration by Katherine Giannini

Anastasiia Fedorova

start, where to focus, every time I open this webpage, but that’s what makes it a typical tabloid and it’s widely read for. Always tag your posts so that people can find them out on your blog and find them on Google more easily. That also enables you to organise the posts by subjects. If you are a photographer or an illustrator, organise the images well. Don’t pile up the pictures, because this only degrades your blog making it seem like an abandoned gallery. Display your work in a creative, but multi-media way, to help your readers absorb more things in less time. Pay attention to the copyright of the images you use, if you don’t take pictures yourself. In italics, state the copyright holder of the images and provide links to where you found them. As a media-worker, you definitely know what to write to attract readers – contro-

versial topics, social hotspots, celebrities... – well, stop here because other bloggers work on these all the time. You’ve got to write different things. Something related to your current work would be a good idea. For instance, if you publish an interview with a well-know person or air a documentary you produced, you can write something interesting about the interview, something that isn’t addressed in the publication. Let your readers know more about the story behind the media publication. This helps your official job as well, as the blog is an advertisement for your “official” work. Build up personal credibility. Although it’s just a personal blog, it is still a journalist’s blog. People come to you not just for fun, but also for the news behind the news. Don’t just discuss gossips, but tell

Xiaowen Zhu Reporter for The New Journalist and freelancer for the National Business Daily The New Journalist | 13

INTelligence | An insider’s view

Art director of The New Journalist Freelance writer for the Russian editions of GQ and Rolling Stone

Blogging....the ultimate guide Everything you need to know about instant journalism of the new century

S Illustration by Katherine Giannini

Anastasiia Fedorova

Xiaowen Zhu Reporter for The New Journalist and freelancer for the National Business Daily The New Journalist | 13

Newsroom | Freedom of information

Freedom of information in the world

Belarus Belarus is the lowest rated country in the Press Freedom Index in Europe. Reporters Without Borders noted that at the beginning of February the state TV broadcaster BT’s first channel attempted to smear the only autonomous association of journalists in the country - Belarus Association of Journalists - by “accusing it of fraud, embezzlement and illegally receiving foreign funding.”

Russia Freedom House describes the Russian media freedom as “extremely poor”. In the most recent case, the editorial offices of the weekly Vecherny Krasnokamsk - published by the local branch of the liberal opposition party, Yabloko - was attacked and destroyed by an unidentified man with a firebomb in January.

Syria Since the uprisings in Syria began the situation for journalists has been alarming. Two reputable journalists - Marie Colvin of the Sunday Times and French photographer Rémi Ochlik – died in Homs last February. In March, two Algerian journalists were killed in Idlib, and two Turkish journalists are now missing, as announced by the Syrian Human Rights Watch organisation.

USA During the Occupy Movement last year several journalists were detained or attacked by enforcement officers and protesters. The most violent case was the attack in Oakland, California, on cameraman Randy Davis from KGO-TV who was “punched several times in the head”, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. Mexico At least nine journalists, most of them freelancers, were killed in Mexico in 2011 as a result of their published work. Most of them were reported to have died at the hands of drugs cartels. The figures show that, since the start of the century, Mexico has been one of the world’s most dangerous countries for journalists to operate.

Brazil Journalist Mario Randolfo Marques Lopes was killed, along with his girlfriend, in February 2012 in Barra do Pirai. He was editor-in-chief of the news website Vassouras na Net and frequently wrote articles accusing local officials of corruption. Two journalists were killed in Brazil in 2011 because of their work, and four others died in uncertain circumstances.

China Although no journalists were reported to have been killed this year, a Chinese TV journalist who investigated a food safety scandal was murdered last year, although motives for his death are still not confirmed. China is still a powerfully censored country, with its journalists still suffering from lack of freedom to report on many issues.

Saudi-Arabia In February the journalist Hamza Kashgari, 23, was arrested for comments about Prophet Mohammed which “could be considered blasphemy and punishable by death under the kingdom’s strict interpretation of Islam,” according to Reuters. Saudi Arabia ranks 158 out of 179 in the latest Press Freedom Index.

Very serious situation Difficult situation Noticeable problems Satisfactory situation

Map and evaluation according to Reporters Without Borders 14 | The New Journalist

Good situation

The New Journalist | 15

Newsroom | Freedom of information

Freedom of information in the world

Very serious situation Difficult situation Noticeable problems Satisfactory situation

Map and evaluation according to Reporters Without Borders 14 | The New Journalist

Good situation

The New Journalist | 15

Newsroom | Freedom for journalists

Democracy and freedom of speech by Krisha Kops

Journalists in the arab spring by Motasem A Dalloul

he revolutions that have been going on in many of the Arab countries for over a year have brought dramatic changes to the Middle East, and posed new questions in the international political arena - mainly in the West. A new political map for the entire region is now being formed. Citizen journalism along with conventional journalism helped the Arab revolutionaries to be heard by the world at large. Thanks to modern communication technologies, it was easier to spread their message. Previously, the old Tunisian regimes

16 | The New Journalist

Dr. Anthony McNicholas points out one of these drawbacks: “More journalist have been killed in the last 20 to 30 years. It is more dangerous for journalists today, especially in Russia.” White goes on to explain the increasing dangers: “The main factors for the rising number of murdered journalists are homicides committed by non-state agents, which is particularily grave in Mexico.”

The year 2011 was a reminder “that media independence can only be maintained in strong democracies and that democracy needs media freedom,” Reporters Without Borders wrote. According to McNicholas, one of the remaining problems is that “freedom of speech is indeed linked to democracy, but we do not know what comes first.” ■

“... media independence can only be maintained in strong democracies and that democracy needs media freedom.”

Picture by Ziad abu Khosa

n 2011 developments concerning freedom of information were extremely vibrant. While the Arab spring brought with it hopes for increased freedom of speech in that part of the world, the phone-hacking scandal revealed the limits of freedom of speech in others. Most importantly, these developments showed how intimately freedom of information is connected to democracy. “The equation is simple: the absence or suppression of civil liberties leads necessarily to the suppression of media freedom,” writes Reporters Without Borders. Consequently, countries such as Eritrea, China, Iran, North Korea or Belarus, which allow only a few liberties, or none at all, are considered to be among the least free and safe countries for journalists. On the other hand, countries with the best conditions for journalists are those with strong democracies and which respect basic freedoms (e.g. Finland, Norway and The Netherlands). Sarah White from Pen International says the overall situation for journalists worldwide has not changed significantly in 2011, but rather over the course of the past decades. “In general, freedom of expression is higher profiled in the public agenda than 20 years ago, because the public knows why it is so important now. But there were also drawbacks.” Media researcher Professor

have imprisoned and killed a lot of opposition citizens. They practised strict restrictions on the freedom of speech. This was also the case in countries such as Egypt and Libya. In the early 1980s, the ruling regime in Syria committed far greater massacres than those carried out today. These violations against humanity should be known by all people all over the world, but unfortunately, many – even those who reside in the same region – are unaware. Journalists are the behind the scenes heroes of today’s war in the Arab region. But, is that easy work for an easy price? Unfortunately not. Many journalists have sacrificed their safety, family-life, freedom and reputation for the cause. The latest annual report of Reporters Without Borders stated that 66 journalists

were killed during 2011 all over the world. Twenty were killed while reporting the Arab Spring revolutions, ten during Pakistan’s disturbances and several in Mexico’s war against crime. The report went on to say that 1044 more journalists were held hostage than the previous year. This was attributed to street protests in countries such as Greece, Russia, Uganda, Chile and USA. The question is: what would have happened to those demonstrators if there were no journalists? They would have been killed, buried or imprisoned and no one would have heard about them. Now more than ever, journalists are made aware of their moral responsibility to report truthfully and to lend their voice to the oppressed and silenced. ■

Newsroom | Freedom for journalists

Democracy and freedom of speech by Krisha Kops

Journalists in the arab spring by Motasem A Dalloul

16 | The New Journalist

“... media independence can only be maintained in strong democracies and that democracy needs media freedom.”

Picture by Ziad abu Khosa

Newsroom | Sameh Habeeb

Front line

The young Palestinian journalist, Sameh Habeeb, who acquired his journalistic skills on the Gaza Strip battlefield in 2008/2009 during the Israeli war, accuses the world media of ignoring the massacres committed by the Israelis against the people of his country Motasem A Dalluol

ast month, the Israeli occupation waged war against the Gaza Strip. The attack – which lasted four days - claimed the lives of 27 Palestinians and wounded more than 70. Due to the massacres taking place in nearby Syria, however, the most prominent sources of mass media paid little attention. Sameh Habeeb, the founder of the first Palestinian newspaper to operate from Gaza, described this as: “a systematic media blackout implemented by a pro Israeli mass media.” He acquired his journalistic skills on the battlefield at a time when all foreign journalists were prevented from entering the Gaza Strip – namely during the Israeli war in 2008/2009. Mr Habeeb, a Palestinian graduate of English language and literature became the only English-speaking freelance journalist to speak to tens of prominent international news channels and newspapers during the 23-day war. These included the BBC, CNN, ABC, Dutch TV, Liberacion, The Independent, South African News and many others. PBS magazine said: “At night, when the Al Jazeera reporters slept, he was their stand-by reporter should anything happen.” Aged 23 at the time of war, Mr Habeeb found his way into the media world through his blog Gaza Today. He set it up as soon as 18 | The New Journalist

the war against Gaza started. Without prior experience in journalism, he gathered news about war causalities and posted them on his blog on a daily basis, sending links to as many news outlets as he could. Although social media was not a common communication tool in the Gaza Strip at the time, he knew how to utilise it, connecting his blog to his Facebook and Twitter accounts. This prompted hundreds to share and tweet his links, with PBS magazine even mentioning his use of social media in an article entitled ‘How social media war waged in GazaIsrael conflict’. On the third day of the war, Dutch TV called him and asked him to report by telephone the latest casualty statistics, as well as to describe the trauma which the Gaza residents were experiencing. It was a “difficult new experience” he said, explaining how CNN, CBC and other news outlets also began to ask him to report live accounts of the goings on in Gaza. Being an active stand-by journalist during a fierce war wasn’t so easy, Mr Habeeb recounted, explaining how many obstacles faced him – worst of all, pressure from his family. “The war started by targeting Palestinians from the air by the Israeli war planes. My father was afraid that I was in danger,” he said. “Thirteen days later,

Photo by Mohammed al Deleemli

SUCCESS a ground operation started and tanks invaded the land and started shelling people randomly and bulldozers started, also randomly, to level citizens’ properties. “My mother asked me not to leave the house, locked the main door and put the key at her pocket. She was afraid that I might die as a few journalists were killed” Mr Habeeb said. But the enthusiastic young gentleman promised to carry out the mission on his own and proceeded to flee his house and continue his adventures. “By the help of my younger sister, I could open the door, went out and did not return home until the end of the war,” he said. For Mr Habeeb it was not difficult to find a shelter to have short rests. He spent most of his time wandering the streets of Gaza, following up bombings where they happened. “I used to sleep only a short time each night at emergency lodges of fellow news agencies’ stand-by journalists,” he said. During the war, he escaped death many times. “When the building where the Reuters’ offices used to be was targeted, I was there with some of my friends. One of my friends died, two wounded and two and me survived,” he said.

The end of the war – which made of the young Sameh Habeeb a brilliant embed journalist – meant journalists and peace activists were once more allowed onto the Strip. Mr Habeeb chose to continue along a journalistic path, believing that this was the best way to help publicise his blazed city. Having established a big network of international peace activists, they arranged for him to hold presentations in many different countries around the world on the events that took place on the Gaza Strip, highlighting his experience as an embed young journalist reporting on the war from among the rubble of houses and corpses of his relatives. “I made presentations in the UK, Italy, France, Australia, South Africa, Holland and many other countries,” he said. “I presented several times about the Gaza war and the Palestinian issue in the British House of Commons in 2009 and 2010.” Mr Habeeb, whose experience of professional journalism began on the battlefield “liked” his country but “disliked” the Israeli occupation. He insisted on publicising the issue of the “disproportionate” Palestinian-Israeli

conflict all over the world. Therefore - with persistence - in 2009 he established the first Palestinian online newspaper. “After a series of crimes that I had seen with my eyes during the war, I decided to launch The Palestine Telegraph, an online English newspaper,” he said. “I have paid for it from my own pocket.” Without reporters or other contributors Mr Habeeb published daily news, features, photos, photo stories and commentaries alone. With practice, he became a self-taught professional journalist and a very good marketer. “At the beginning I was the sole contributor, but later on, when the website became famous, many activists, mainly UK and US, started contributing to it,” he said. One day, The Palestine Telegraph reached 70,000 views and soared to number one on Google search in regards to the Palestinian issue. The Palestine Telegraph was met with criticism, however, when a pro-Israeli lobby in the UK filed a complaint against him in UK court. His newspaper was accused of anti-Semitism after publishing an article accusing the Israeli medical delegation in Haiti with trafficking patients’ body parts.

A UK resident at the time, he was sued. Baroness Jenny Tong - who was one of the patrons of his newspaper and refused the pressure of the lobby - was sacked from her job as a shadow minster at the liberal Democratic Party. This negatively affected the status of the newspaper as Baroness resigned as a patron. These events led him to pay less attention to the newspaper, in turn focusing more on his studies. Since then, he has obtained an MBA in Social Media and media marketing from Maritime Greenwich College and is currently studying for a PHD in media bias at Brunel University. But he is still writing, mainly opinions pieces for many news outlets and is being invited by big news channels to comment on the Palestinian Israeli situation. He hopes to complete his studies and go back home to launch his own media business and help promote the field of journalism. ■

Motasem A Dalluol Photo Editor ofThe New Journalist and writer for Al Jazeera The New Journalist | 19

Newsroom | Sameh Habeeb

Front line

Photo by Mohammed al Deleemli

Motasem A Dalluol Photo Editor ofThe New Journalist and writer for Al Jazeera The New Journalist | 19

Newsroom | Data-driven journalism

News in

GRAPHICS By Christine Liehr

ave you ever wondered which fish are ok to eat or who rules the social web and wanted to have it presented in one neat and nice table - infographics make it possible. These visual communication charts make huge amounts of data available these days in an easy to understand and digestible manner. But as Brenda Dervin has already commented in the 1999 book on Information Design “there is nothing natural about information […] it has always been designed.” The sheer number of infographics published daily on the web, suggests a whole army of information designers. And indeed, being a designer has become easier than ever. Whereas the process of design was reserved to professionals and philosophers in how best to present cognitive content, companies like visual.ly offer everybody the chance to follow in the footsteps of pioneers like Edward Tufte and John Tukey. The Guardian set up its own platform, called datablog, in March 2009 to collect and share good visual interpretations of news. Besides online, the face of the print sector has changed to more colourful and graph-related newspaper and magazine content. It remains to be seen how the industry can strike a balance between visual appeal and higher printing costs. The online medium offers however more interactive opportunities for users to actually follow an event, development in a certain field. The interactive timeline of the Middle East protests let the users navigate along the paths of protests as it happened in 17 countries. According to the Mashable website, they help to make sense of the online world. The so-called visual culture favours people with less time and shorter attention spans. Do they have the potential to replace texts in newspapers and online in the future? Will the comic book style news become reality? Infographics need text, not much, but a certain visual language has to be applied to link images and numbers. However, as a language needs a common cultural ground, so does visual language. Leaving it up to the individuals themselves to make sense of a graph, might lead to misinterpretations. A picture therefore can say more than a thousand words, but at the same time it is far more open to speculation than a written text. Good examples of infographics achieve to combine images, numbers and text to one holistic piece of information that will “help people move efficiently to their chosen destinations but also serve users’ behaviour and satisfaction,” according to Romedi Passini. As with everything online, the future is now and infographics are labelled as a thing of the past. Infomotions, using moving elements to explain complex relationships have surpassed their older sister. There will be more text to come with the quotes from Ilicco Elia who will be a guest speaker in our online module next week. I will ask him three questions on the topics as he is an expert on Information Design. 20 | The New Journalist

Design by @shanesnow from www.visual.ly We compare the Twitter activities of our Feature Editor Alya Mooro with Barack Obama

Newsroom | Data-driven journalism

News in

GRAPHICS By Christine Liehr

Design by @shanesnow from www.visual.ly We compare the Twitter activities of our Feature Editor Alya Mooro with Barack Obama

Newsroom | Data-driven journalism

during a SameAs conference in March: “mainly, you get traffic.” But as Clay Shirky, lecturer at New York University, puts it “many people of the young generation believe that information is free”, and so the question is how important is this traffic after all? The two developers describe working with data visualisations as having to face a main need of insight and context about the subject you work with. They both used “context” as a key word in describing their workflow. “If want to pull apart data from UNESCO or the World Bank, you need to actually understand what that data is before you can do anything useful with it”, explained Alex. So, you take your data and think about it and research further into it until you understand it and you can express whatever conclusions come out of it. Of course, you have to acknowledge if these conclusions are meaningful. The two main things needed before you start drawing infographics are good data and a good question that you are trying to answer.

Data-driven STORYTELLING In this decade’s digital storm, how can you get people involved and excited about the stories you write? Reinvent storytelling! The New Journalist aims to help you understand what goes on behind data visualisations by Anca Toma

nimations, interactivity, infographics, infomotions. These are some of the tools that have appeared in the last few years. Through them, journalists – covering all types of media the likes of print, broadcasting and online – give a new type of narrative. How did it all start? Irene Ros, who works as a data visualization developer at Bocoup - a young open technology company - came to London to give a speech about her work, underlining how she discovered the need for data-driven storytelling. Having grown up in the Middle East, about ten years before the start of the many revolutions in that region, she felt the need to get a better understanding of what was going on in the place where she had lived for so many years. “I was very curious about how my community was covering the situation and the more I was digging I realised that the smaller the

22 | The New Journalist

data sets seemed to be. There would be a lot of Twitter visualisations, some very basic timeline events and so on”, recalls Irene. She felt like everything was stuck in time. “Things would happen today, and tomorrow you would forget what was said earlier.” Irene tried to understand the motivations that led to the events, things that she had a hard time finding, like demographics. Overtime, she developed a sense that she was missing something. This is how Irene started working on data visualisations. Others, on the other hand, use it to make colourful maps or generate graphics or schemes with varying degrees of exciting and relevant information. Often motivated either by a wish to have fun, or a desire to bring more traffic to their website. What do you get out of this type of storytelling? As Alex Graul, interactive & data visualisation developer for the Guardian, said

In her presentation, Irene asked everybody to watch as she wrote down the number 31. “What is your first thought?” she asked. “You probably have a relationship to the number; maybe you were born on the 31st of a month.” She went on to explain how if the degree symbol is added, then your mind tended to be anchored to a much smaller context. The same trick applies with data journalism: you have to get everybody on the same page and make sure your public will know which symbolic language and context your story is being presented in. Getting back to the data you have to work with, remember that, in reporting there is no such thing as complete objectivity. For example, some of your data might be incomplete, whether this is intentional or not. Also, subjectivity is unavoidable in deciding how you choose to frame the data as well as how to represent it. Data visualisations don’t tell the whole story. Keep in mind that your personal background influences the result of your visualisation. Readers also filter the data through their own life experiences and context.

“You must understand the data before you will be able to draw a conclusion and make your piece” As when writing a piece, journalists have to keep in mind some important principles. First, make sure you tell the truth. Check your facts, keep your records organised, don’t lose your original data. Verifying your information is crucial in data visualisation. One small number can change the overall conclusion, and you can easily get into trouble if you publish this. Try to stay independent and proportionate, keeping the piece balanced. Look at all aspects of a story before you decide how to represent it.

At the Guardian Open Weekend, the day’s events were transcribed into a huge infographic by cartoonist Martin Rowson and fellow illustrators

In time, you will get to a point where you will be able to identify stories within your data and find the combinations of data that make your visualisation relevant, interesting and significant. “Internet evangelist” Clay Shirky spoke about data visualisations at one of the Guardian Open Weekend conferences in March. Clay sees data as being one of the current, great challenges for journalists, because they have to learn how to go through it and represent it. “Many big stories of the past years were stories that came out of a lot of data.” Today, readers find data visualisations everywhere in both online and printed media. For example, the Guardian uses data visualisations nearly every day. Websites like Visual.ly provide everyone with the possibility to generate an infographic. This puts a focus on the types of stories that journalists generate as well as giving a voice to younger, technlogically-savvy reporters. ■

Anca Toma Sub Editor for The New Journalist and lives as a freelance journalist in London

The New Journalist | 23

Newsroom | Data-driven journalism

22 | The New Journalist

At the Guardian Open Weekend, the day’s events were transcribed into a huge infographic by cartoonist Martin Rowson and fellow illustrators

Anca Toma Sub Editor for The New Journalist and lives as a freelance journalist in London

The New Journalist | 23

Newsroom | Shorthand vs. technology

Shorthand vs.

Voice Recorder Shorthand has been the most important skill for journalists for centuries. Recenty, modern technologies seem to have made the skill unnecessary. But is it really? By Alexandra Buerger

n the era of the multimedia zeitgeist, many things have changed in our everyday work. Importance has shifted and many human accomplishments that were once crucial to survival have been discarded and replaced by modern technology. Previously celebrated as one of the core skills of journalists, secretaries and other jobs which require quick and accurate transcription of the spoken word, shorthand is one of the fields of expertise that seems to lose more and more momentum. This transcription technique, which looks like hieroglyphics to the untaught and once was a must to find work in the above mentioned fields, is now only rarely taught at higher institutions that educate the new generation of journalists and is no 24 | The New Journalist

longer requested by potential employers. The market is flooded with different types of voice recording devices, including apps for the iPad or iPhone which sell at less than £1. Voice recorders are available in hundreds of forms, colours, price ranges and can be purchased literally everywhere. But is shorthand really a dead skill? Can something that has enjoyed such high level of respect and dependency really become obsolete? It would not be the first time a once highly appreciated skill turned first old-school, then a rarity and then became extinct. Think of Morse coding, for example. It was once celebrated as an irreplaceable messaging tool and has now been completely replaced by modern ways of communication. For Guy Toyn, shorthand is still the

reality. He is the founder of Court News UK – a news agency which specialises in court reporting – and is located in the basement of the Old Bailey, the most famous criminal court in the world. He would not think of taking on an intern or employee who does not master the skill. In court, any kind of recording device, including mobiles, are strictly forbidden. They have to be deposited at corner shops nearby for horrendous fees. As new technologies are out of reach and taking longhand notes during trials would lead to a tremendous risk of errors which could potentially lead to contempt of court and therefore fines or even jail sentences, court reporters still cannot do without shorthand. Helen Briggs, the online health editor

of the BBC, commands the skill too and stresses that it is “an essential skill for online and print journalists” still today. She does not want to comment on the fact that many universities do not teach shorthand anymore, but points out that it is not common for broadcast journalists to need the skill. During her job interview, the BBC did not want to know if she mastered the skill because, as she points out, in the BBC, many employees enter through a variety of routes. Ms Briggs also owns a voice recorder as a backup device and tells me that the BBC prepares to replace voice recorders with iPhone apps in the near future. Alexia Dellner, a journalism postgraduate student decided to take evening classes to learn shorthand

outside of university at her own expense. “It is definitely money well spent”, she says. “I think that, in the current job market, anything I can do to make me stand out a little is only a good thing!” So when you face the question whether to learn shorthand, which is indeed a strenuous task and takes time and practise, the question you have to ask yourself is in which field of journalism you want to work in. Journalists who want to work in a high turn around atmosphere, for example those who attend news conferences frequently and have to send their copy to their employers as quickly as possible to beat the competition, still heavily rely on the skill.

They simply do not have time to listen to a tape recording after the event to get the facts right. Time is money in certain fields and news agencies heavily rely on quick and efficient writers. Also, shorthand notes can count as legal evidence. Even if you work in a monthly publication where you have the time to listen back to recordings of interviews or conferences, shorthand still makes work easier, however, it is not a must anymore. Voice recorders certainly make life more convenient for journalists in many ways, but they have not replaced the ancient skill of shorthand altogether. Even though not all employers request the skill anymore, it certainly does open doors to a wider job market. ■ The New Journalist | 25

Newsroom | Shorthand vs. technology

Shorthand vs.

Voice Recorder Shorthand has been the most important skill for journalists for centuries. Recenty, modern technologies seem to have made the skill unnecessary. But is it really? By Alexandra Buerger

Newsroom | Martyn Goddard

Adventures in Photography Martyn Goddard on the transition from conventional to digital photography and how to remain successful in an ever changing business By Alexandra Buerger

he only thing that has remained the same in photography is the light perpetrating the lens of a camera”, 58 yearold freelance photographer Martyn Goddard says whilst brewing tea in the airy and bright kitchen of his Camden Town house. In his 34 year career, he has taken album cover shots for Blondie, Elton John, Wham, taken profile pictures of famous actors such as David Hockney and has become an innovative car photographer which has won him numerous awards. He has reinvented himself by writing his own travel features from 2005 onwards, combating his dyslexia. His most recent piece called “The Ring of Kerry” was published last month in car magazine Octane. The renowned photographer discovered his passion for taking pictures when he was 13. He joined his physics teacher’s camera club and later started at his local camera club in Aylesbury, which is 40 miles from his Camden home where he lives with his wife and two children. Martyn grew up with film cameras and is sure he has an advantage over other photographers that are purely digitaltrained because he knows how to take pictures “in the camera”. 26 | The New Journalist

“When I was shooting for Sunday supplement magazines and record companies, we were using transparency film. We had to be very accurate because you couldn’t change anything after, apart from lighting or darkening it. Therefore, you had to get everything right in the camera.” Which means that he spends more time preparing the composition of a photo and less time on post-production work using Photoshop. He tells me when he went to Germany in December for a Porsche car shoot, he had bins removed from the scene, which only took a couple of minutes. Photoshopping them out after would have taken considerably longer. The cameraman who accompanied him, took footage that included the bins and cost him a lot of time and effort to remove post-production – something totally incomprehensible for Martyn. Digital cameras came onto the market in the 90’s and when Martyn bought his first digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix, he was not happy with it due to its short battery life. He stuck to his conventional camera a bit longer and only changed over to digital completely after Canon brought a camera on the market

in 2003 – a Canon ES 1D which is a full sensor, full frame 35 millimetre camera - that was very similar to his conventional one. He bought it for £5,000 - without a lens - and has never looked back. For some of his colleagues the transition has not gone as smoothly and as he tells me, some still hang on to film now. The biggest adaptation problem is not the techniques, but the business that has caused considerably more problems for photographers. When I ask him to elaborate on what exactly has changed he throws his arms in the air and declares passionately “well, the whole world has changed!” And he is right. “In the 80’s a photographer could make £1,000 a day for advertisement shoots, which led too many of my competitors ditching their other avenues of business, for example editorial shoots. And then over night advertisement budgets and shoots were cut”, he tells me. In fact, now many car advertisements are shot in a studio and the background is computer generated. The people who specialised in advertisement shoots were then “high and dry” with their own studios and no business coming in. Martyn on the other hand never specialised but took on any job he found interesting. He has an impressive record of working in different genres. He was first heavily involved in the New Wave rock music scene and then decided to work for Sunday supplements shooting portraits. After thatmoved on to car shoots and travel features. “Change is a good thing and inevitable, so you have to be prepared and look out for other avenues of business”, he says. “Photography is my life, photography is what I love doing but it is also my livelihood, so I have to make a living out of it”. To him, what the client wants matters the most. His flexibility and preparedness to move on the next challenge has helped him to stay successful in this fast moving business. For people starting off in photography he gives the advice to “think small” and go for small publications in the beginning to build up connections. It is more difficult than when he started off. Career paths are quite poor nowadays due to smaller budgets. Today, unpaid interns replace junior positions. The interns are taken on for a certain period of time but when they should be moving onto a paid position, the trained interns are “discarded” and new interns are taken on. The same is happening on higher job levels. Martyn is aware that the gap between hobby photographers and professionals has narrowed since retouching programmes have flooded the market – he stresses laughing that far from everyone can use them still. His definition of a good photographer is consistency and reliability. “The ownership of a camera doesn’t make you a photographer. You can have all the greatest programmes in the world, but if you don’t have the eye for it, the picture will still be rubbish.” Every amateur has got at least one great photograph. A friend of his, who is a “completely hopeless photographer”, by luck took a great picture. But the difference between an amateur and a

real photographer is consistency and control, which enables him to meet the demand of their clients. (“You mustn’t ever lose control!”) . To survive in this toughening business, where technology moves so fast that people struggle to become expert at it before the next edition is released, multitasking is the way to go. “I taught myself to write travel features despite my dyslexia after the travel writer I worked with for many years died. I also learned how to use Photoshop and to take video in my 50’s. You have to be incredibly flexible since too much specialisation is suicide. You can have these ideals but you mustn’t let them stop you from moving forward.” In today’s photography business, video is the new photo as more and more magazines produce Ipad editions that can embed movies. Therefore, to know how to shoot video can enhance job chances and ensure survival. Still images are still important – because still grabs are “rubbish” - but the market is expanding and looking for people who master both fields. Martyn Goddard has remained successful in a business that was revolutionised completely by digital photography, computers and retouching programmes. He lectures at St. Andrew’s, the University of Westminster and Gloucester University when he finds the time. He is the living example that it is possible to survive in an ever-changing business with the right attitude: the courage to grow, flexibility and a good sense of humour. ■

Martyn driving through Jamestown, USA, while on tour to gather material for a travel feature

Alexandra Buerger Editor of The New Journalist and writer for Westminster News Online The New Journalist | 27

Newsroom | Martyn Goddard

Adventures in Photography Martyn Goddard on the transition from conventional to digital photography and how to remain successful in an ever changing business By Alexandra Buerger

Martyn driving through Jamestown, USA, while on tour to gather material for a travel feature

Alexandra Buerger Editor of The New Journalist and writer for Westminster News Online The New Journalist | 27

Glass house In a world where live fashion shows are streamed online, shared and commented upon by anyone and everyone, how does a fashion journalist cope? Answer? They don’t — it drives them mad by Anastasiia fedorova

ilk jacket with tropical flower patterns, candy-coloured sweaters, leather shorts, sparkling sequins, a touch of neon pink and dark glasses in bright frames. This is a portrait of a typical fashion week visitor in February 2012, according to fashion blogs. Most of the characters caught on camera in Paris and Milan’s front rows are fashion journalists or editors. Their looks are a vibrant reflection of their work, so it’s not surprising that some of them look like glamorous mental hospital escapes. Fashion journalism first went through a radical change around 2006, triggered by 28 | The New Journalist

digital media, with the rise of fashion blogs. Front rows, which used to belong to professional fashion critics and buyers, suddenly became inhabited by young fashion bloggers. Extravagant Suzy Lau of Style Bubble, cute Filipino boy Bryan Boy with a Marc Jacobs bag, Pelayo Diaz of Katelovesme, Leandra Medine of The Man Repeller, Imran Amed of Business of Fashion and 14-year lovely old Tavi Gevinson. Fashion bloggers were among the first to creatively apply blog platforms and new digital means of communication. They were subjective, passionate and new. They ended up with envelopes full of fashion show invi-

tations, profit coming from web-advertising and even steady jobs. These were the times when a good fashion blog could make one famous. These times are long gone. Fashion bloggers were among the first to redefine the industry hierarchy and sneak through the doors of high-profile fashion shows. Now the doors are wide open. Or, more precisely, they are made of glass. You still can’t enter, but you’re welcome to see what’s inside. While Vogue’s editor Anna Wintour, is taking her seat in the front row at Paris Fashion Week, you’re taking your seat in front of your laptop. Perhaps when leaning forward, she can see the texture of

the garments a bit better. You, on the other hand, can have a yoghurt while watching. The same content is delivered to both of you. At the same time. Most of the big fashion houses are trying to think forward using digital media. In September 2011, Burberry first streamed its catwalk show live and live tweeted it at the same time, which enabled those at home to see the clothes before fashion’s elite. This year, Harrods joined Burberry and handed the buying decision of the forthcoming Burberry collection over to its Facebook fans, choosing the looks that received the most likes. Live streaming shows are now part of international fashion weeks’ standards. Guarding angels-technicians take care that websites do not crash because of demands of a big audience, avoiding a repeat of what happened at Alexander McQueen’s mesmorising Plato Atlantis show in 2009. Now technology is part of fashion journalists’ daily routine. The nature of fashion, on the other hand, is not about being accessible, but about feeling special. Technology can help not only to endlessly expand the audience, but to keep some secrets. The ICB by Prabal Gurung show at New York Fashion Week this year was only shown online. Not to everyone though, just

selected fashion professionals could log into the website and access the content. It had all the elements needed to make fashion critics’ work easier: high quality videos, high-resolution photos of all the looks, pictures of details, prints and make-ups, inspiration and designer’s notes. This cold professional approach is a natural defence reaction of the industry trying to preserve its limits. It is obvious that we will never get to see the Balenciaga show, which is held in front of only 200 guests. The looks are posted on websites, shared and commented. All the content is there, waiting for your mouse click. It seems like anyone can be a fashion observer. But with an endless stream of image pouring down on you, it is not as easy as it seems. Working in the fashion industry, you have to always keep in mind two time dimensions: the fashion you’re wearing and loving now and the fashion shown on catwalks. The catwalk fashion is six months into the future, the time when collections are going to the stores. By this time though, you might already forget how much you liked it. This is the reason why Tom Ford, for example, does not allow any photographs at his shows, attempting to close the gap between collection’s hype and sales time. Digital media has shortened consumer’s memory dramatically. Tumblr, the blog

hosting platform, has turned all the fashion creations into anonymous images. Fast fashion retailers are copying new collections instantly. Do you feel now how crazy it all is? Designers have to think two steps ahead. And then it all combines and mixes in bloggers’ looks, which are meant to praise personal style but end up absolutely homogenised. Then they are shared and tagged as #fashion on Tumblr. So, where’s fashion journalists’ place in this constantly changing picture? Being fast and techy is not an answer anymore, as everybody is doing immediate coverage of everything and on various platforms. One Prada shoe has more pictures than each of us has on a Facebook page. Posting fantastically styled looks of yourself? Forget it, there are thousands like you. There are several ways to make it in today’s fashion media. Be selective. Instead of posting 20 pictures, post just one, say less to emphasise details more. Be personal in terms of creating a narrative. There might be a reason to why you liked the latest designs of Lanvin, and there might as well be a story behind it. Apply wider context. It’s not enough to write just about fashion anymore. In this convergent world, fashion is interlaced with current issues, art, literature and even science. It is not just about neon pink or sparkly sequins anymore. ■

The age of boredom Jonathan Phang is a model booker and agent who’s been in fashion industry for more than 27 years. To him, digital media took away all the mysterious charm fashion use to have

igital technologies have brought many changes to the fashion industry. Everything is too media now, which is great for journalists. But this is one of the reasons why I don’t go to fashion shows that much anymore. Everybody can watch it, and it took away a bit of mystery and charm, the whole business of chatting up the security girls to get in. Working in the industry I do not feel special anymore. Our attention span has become really short. We bombard ourselves with images and everybody is getting bored a lot easier. The nature of ptography has also changed. Everything can now be retouched to hell! That is a real shame. When you look at the old fashion shoots you may see slight imperfections, but they are real life. Now we have a completely different image of what perfect is, one we can never reach.

“ Working in

Photos by Anastasiia Fedorova

Fashion in the

Photo by Anastasiia Fedorova

Photo by Tommy Ton

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fashion I do not feel special anymore

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The New Journalist | 29

The age of boredom Jonathan Phang is a model booker and agent who’s been in fashion industry for more than 27 years. To him, digital media took away all the mysterious charm fashion use to have

“ Working in

Photos by Anastasiia Fedorova

Fashion in the

Photo by Anastasiia Fedorova

Photo by Tommy Ton

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fashion I do not feel special anymore

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The New Journalist | 29

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a d e a Q l A

Faster journalism in a social media world – what changed? In a new, faster world that relies heavily on social media - how has the time old tradition of journalism been affected? By Alya Mooro

ewspapers have a legacy of breaking news and uncovering stories of historic proportion, yet they are losing ground to a generation of consumers embracing digital and mobile alternatives – argues Jack Loechner, marketing and product development specialist. The nature of journalism has changed tremendously over the years. This is partly due to the ever-increasing presence and use of technology and social media tools like Twitter, Facebook, Digg.com and blogs. The investigation of events, issues and trends can be conducted and reported in a much timelier manner through the use of such outlets. Many – the 18-34-year-old group in particular – actually depend on these outlets of news much more than traditional media, such as newspapers. 30 | The New Journalist

This is partly due to lack of patience and the fact that we have become accustomed to being able to obtain information quickly. Therefore, we see no reason to wait for what can be quickly discovered in a Google search or a 140-character morsel of information. In evaluating coverage of recent international and national events it is evident how useful social media tools, especially Twitter, can be in delivering news. One event that highlights this is the death of Osama Bin Laden – a Twitter user was the first to spread the word of his demise. The first report that the infamous Al Qaeda leader had passed came not from the news media, but from a tweet. At about 4.30pm ET, Sohaib Athar, who lives in Abbottabad, the Pakistani town where Bin Laden was found, tweeted “helicopter hovering above Abbottabad at 1am (is a rare

event.)” He went on to unknowingly tweet about the U.S Special Forces attack: “A huge window shaking bang here in Abbottabad Cantt. I hope it’s not the start of something nasty.” These were posted six hours before it was announced that President Obama was due to address the nation. This shift in news sources gives birth to a democratic movement that forces transparency and honesty in the news that is being reported, in turn giving people a voice to comment on the information that is being delivered to them. There are an estimated 450 million ‘active’ English language blogs in the world. This equates to around one out of every six people in the world having a personal blog. These blogs empower individuals, giving them the opportunity to express their own opinions and report their own news.

Joel Comm – social media specialist and author of the book ‘Twitter Power’ – suggests media outlets cannot report information as quickly or as accurately as those who are at the scene of the event. Evidenced in real life examples such as the case of the Palestinian journalist Sameh Habeeb (turn to page 24 for a profile on him) who reported much of the goings on during the Palestinian and Israeli war in 2008/2009, which the mainstream media did not have access to. In the past, those who were on the scene didn’t have anywhere to speak up. In today’s world they have a whole arena of eager eyes, and a ‘publish’ button they can press for free. Social media novelty affects the practice of journalism, particularly as people have more resources to choose from in terms of where to obtain their information. In turn, this takes away much of the power of the major news sources, as they are no longer the “be all and end all” of information. Blogger Vadim Lavrusik described the change as a shift away from one-way communication into a more of a community affair. This is particularly poignant as it is suggested that the most powerful and persistent drive of Internet usage is the value of connecting with other people and is one of the main reasons why people even use the web on a regular basis. Reports show that overall; people have less confidence in news organisations when it comes to reporting accurate, politically unbiased news than they did a few decades ago. According to the Pew Research Centre for the People and the Press, 63% of respondents believe that news stories are often inaccurate. These beliefs make people all the more likely to turn to “new-school” methods of obtaining information. However, citizen journalism has also been met with criticism. In his article “The continuing Need For Professional Journalism,” Shel Hotz – principal of Holtz Communication and Technology, which

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develops communication strategies for organizations – argues that bloggers habits of covering only what interests them, rather than hard news that needs to be covered, could seriously damage journalism. This is in addition to the fact that blogs and social media tools are at times also responsible for spreading rumours. This is what occured in the case of the Fort Hood shootings in 2009, when a Twitter user stated that more than one shooter had been involved in the incident. aul Carr at TechCrunch, a technology-focused blog, wrote: “For all the sound and fury, citizen journalism once again did nothing but spread misinformation, at a time when thousands of people with family at the base would have been freaking out already, and breach the privacy of those who had been killed or wounded. We learned not a single new fact, nor was a single life saved.” That said, Twitter undeniably continues to play a big role in breaking news. As Evgeny Morozov – a writer and researcher who studies political and social implications of technology – concluded: “In the past one needed a fortune, or at least a good name, to cause damage (to an entity). Today, all one needs is an Internet connection.” Aside from Twitter, Facebook and blogs, one of the ever-growing tools – Digg.com allows users to ‘digg’ an article or website they like and share it with others. Charlene Li – co-author of the bestselling ‘Groundswell,’ which looks into how the world is transformed by social technologies, as well as how best to benefit from them – suggests Digg is supremely useful as users tend to trust what their peers have suggested as reading material more than what members of the mainstream media, such as editors, might suggest. And when outlets like The Musabi Journal conclude that the three least trusted bodies of work are journalists, government

ministers and politicians, this makes sense. Pointing out only the negative effects of social media on journalism, however, falls short of portraying the whole picture. The use of social media tools such as Twitter are pivotal in establishing a connection with an audience, allowing journalists to gather information quickly and easily as well as asking a large number of users for their opinion in one click of a button. Paul Farhi – author of ‘The Twitter Explosion’ – describes it as a “living, breathing tip sheet for facts, new sources and story ideas,” adding that it can provide instantaneous access to hard-to-reach newsmakers given that there’s no PR person standing between a reporter and whoever they wish to contact. This also facilitates setting up interviews as well as establishing networking opportunities. With its speed and brevity, Twitter also allows journalists to quickly post breaking news, as well as a running commentary on stories, evident in its role in Egypt’s revolution. Interacting with the community through Twitter – the benefits of which were discussed above – is also very quick and easy. Farhi said: “Twitter enables reporters to reach people where they are. People are busy, but they’re [still] out there consuming and exchanging information on these networks.” For those concerned that the use of technology and social networks marks the end of professional journalism, they need not worry. As Mark Briggs – author of Journalism 2.0 – wrote: “just like the telephone didn’t replace the face-to-face meeting over coffee, and email didn’t replace the telephone, social media doesn’t replace other forms of connecting with people. It adds to them.” ■

Alya Mooro Sub & Features Editor of The New Journalist, freelancer based in London The New Journalist | 31

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a d e a Q l A

Faster journalism in a social media world – what changed? In a new, faster world that relies heavily on social media - how has the time old tradition of journalism been affected? By Alya Mooro

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Alya Mooro Sub & Features Editor of The New Journalist, freelancer based in London The New Journalist | 31

Newsroom | UK media law

A crash course in UK media law Media law made easy for foreign journalists based in the UK By zhu xiaowen

s a foreign journalist working in the UK, it is important to learn the rules that govern British press, as well as the media ethical rules that apply if you are hoping to work properly and smoothly and suit yourself to the media environment. When starting to learn, you will find that the UK doesn’t have a particular media law. Actually, the government is “reluctant” to exert direct control on the press, according to the British Council. So then, how does it work? The UK media’s legal rules and regulations are spread over a large range of laws. So you will see all the media law clauses coming from many different categories of law, but not a single press law. By learning this, foreign media workers will also gain a better understanding of the UK society, as this situation tends to happen in many other working areas too. The UK media laws are so unique that journalists from other countries have to pay attention to the different standards of defamation, discrimination, privacy and hate speech, as well as other legal rules that don’t exist in the media laws of countries outside the UK, for example, contempt of court. For example, you might not be aware of the law against making racial remarks in media publications or broadcast programmes if you have been educated on media law outside the UK. Also, if you offend people’s privacy in your story – even though you don’t intend to do so – you will probably have to pay a much larger cost for it here than in your native country. Even in the UK, media companies can hardly afford to pay the massive financial compensations for the privacy victims, and so they work hard to avoid the risk of having to shut down a newspaper due to a faulty article. On the other hand, having laws which set an explicit boundary between media confidentiality and state or commercial secrets, helps you function better as “the forth estate” and the “watchdog” in the UK. The UK media is self-regulated by the

32 | The New Journalist

industry’s own professional systems, such as the Press Complaints Commission (PCC) and the Broadcasting Standards Commission (BSC). These institutions look out for the ethical issues of the media output. They have set up a series of principles to guide media practice and deal with the complaints from the readers and audience. So, be cautious. If the PCC receives complaints from readers concerning the stories you write, you will get into a process of evaluation and if you will be found guilty, you may even be sued, or, in lighter cases, you will have to publish the PCC’s decision and publicly admit your mistakes. Although these self-regulators don’t have the power to issue bans on publishing a news story and they cannot charge you fines either, they try to help balance the reporting done through their self-assessed Code of Practice. Here are two exercises to let you think about the issues we have presented. Let’s say you run a story about a UK’s military scandal and are prosecuted by the government under the Official Secret Act. Question is: do you reveal your source of the scandal or protect it by taking risking

of being put into jail? To help you, here is a clue: you will need to examine whether the state secret or public order overweighs the confidentiality issue or not. Second case, presume you are a broadcasting news director - how do you edit the raw TV footage of a bomb explosion in the Middle East, which shows tragic and bloody scenes? ■ To get a head start in UK media law and correct ethical behaviour, check out the following websites: • The BBC editorial guidelines: www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/ • The Press Complaints Commission (PCC) - Editor’s Code of Practice: www.pcc.org.uk/cop/practice.html • UK Press Association Training Days: www.pressassociation.com/pr-services/ training/media-training.html • National Union of Journalists: www.nuj.org.uk • The Office of Communication OFCOM: www.ofcom.org.uk

The New Journalist | 33

Newsroom | UK media law

A crash course in UK media law Media law made easy for foreign journalists based in the UK By zhu xiaowen

32 | The New Journalist

The New Journalist | 33

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Between the lines | All-nighter guide

Good night and GOOD LUCK

Deadline next morning? Our all-nigher guide will help you to stay up all night, create great copy, escape sleep temptation and coffee madness By Anastasiia fedorova

t has happened to all of us. The deadline is tomorrow early morning. It’s past midnight, but miles to go before I sleep. You still stare at a blank page. Working at night is an unavoidable part of our profession. The most difficult thing, just being awake, is not enough. You still have to be productive, creative and it would be nice not to go insane by 6 am. Our all-nighter guide will be a great help. Pale light from the laptop screen whitening your face, scruffy hair, red, slightly manic eyes and a constant buzzing of words in your head. Being reckless with time management, we often bring this situation on ourselves. On the other hand, night shifts at the news agencies and strict print deadlines make pulling an allnighter a part of our professional routine. To be a good journalist you just have to have an all-nighter experience. Firstly, working at night while the rest of the world is asleep opens up a whole new dimension. It gives a great feeling of creative solitude and silence absolutely impossible during the day. Secondly, stress of not-sleeping pushes your mind into the fields you would otherwise perhaps never enter. Thirdly, you will live through the worst nightmare of every journalist, squeezing a good copy out from agonising sleepy brain. You will be pleasantly surprised by what you’re capable of. The most obvious way to conquer sleep is endless coffees and energy drinks. This could also be a way to disaster. Two coffees will give you enlightenment, but the third can suddenly make you tired again. Energy drinks bring tension to your nerves, so instead of concentrating and working, you might begin stressing yourself out to death over just writing emails. If you want to stay up all night, it’s important to do it right. • Plan your activities. List all the tasks that will keep you away from your bed tonight. Create a timetable and cross out things which are already done, it will keep you motivated. A plan is also the best way to avoid procrastination as doing all the work after thousands of Facebook chats when you’re already drained is not ideal. • Have a good dinner. Not too heavy but with enough carbohydrates and fibre to provide slow burning energy. Treat it like a breakfast which will keep you focused till lunch. Staying up all night myself, I discovered a weird psychological effect which is based on daily habits. Eating breakfast cereals late in the evening makes me focused (and also insanelooking in the eyes of my flatmates). • Dose your caffeine. Caffeine is not only in coffee. Green, black and matte tea, coke and dark chocolates are all good ways to get your attention-fix. Instead of starting with two coffee shots, take

34 | The New Journalist

it in calculated portions during the night. A dark chocolate is like one cup of tea, two cups of tea contain same amount of caffeine as a cappuccino. Sticking to coffee with milk will also provide a good source of natural sugars and weakens its affect on the liver. • Energy drinks. Coke contains more caffeine and sugar than coffee. Energy drinks twice as much as a can of Coke. Drinks like Red Bull also have ingredients that will help you body perform and feel better, such as Taurine and Vitamin B6. But you have to be careful to avoid the excess which could end up with an outburst of paranoia or spontaneous desire to go for a run. • Freshen yourself up. Drink lots of water and juice, eat fresh fruits. Get enough fresh air. Open the windows or have a short walk if you feel drowsy and leave the chilling night air to wake you up. • Background noise. Listen to music or keep TV on. When it comes to music, pick something you’ve never heard before. You have got all the sound stream of the Universe on the Web! Numerous internet radio stations, electronic music mixes, these days you can even listen to New York City Police radio, light electronic sounds of the dawn broken with police officers’ talks. • Have a break. Put your laptop aside for a minute, get up and make a new cup of tea. Exercise. Your body needs a bit of fun. It does not understand why it is out of bed and stuck at the table in one position for hours. While working, switch from one thing to another to avoid boredom. • Stay out of your bedroom. And don’t work sitting on the couch. That is a bad idea. Avoid danger hours from 5 to 8 am by completely leaving your apartment. 24-hour coffee place would be perfect to provide new setting for your writing attempts. • Power naps. Short naps are not suitable for everyone, but definitely better than fighting the defeating desire to sleep. The trick is to wake up before you enter a “deep sleep” phase. Don’t nap for too long, after 30 minutes you might feel surprisingly refreshed and alert. In the end, there are thousands of tips which help to stay awake. Some of them are quite creative. Some psychiatrists say that a good advice is keeping your shoes on. Sounds weird, but shoes are actually a direct signal to your brain to focus and perform like it performs when you are at work. There are some extreme recipes as well. Put instant coffee powder into a glass of Coke and stir well. That mix will raise you from the dead, but with unpredictable consequences. The best reward for a sleepless night is the lovely pink and beige morning pouring into your room, having finished your work. Remember, you will make it. We all made it. When do you think am I writing this? Half past midnight, deadline is tomorrow. ■

Between the lines | All-nighter guide

Good night and GOOD LUCK

Deadline next morning? Our all-nigher guide will help you to stay up all night, create great copy, escape sleep temptation and coffee madness By Anastasiia fedorova

34 | The New Journalist

between the lines | On the move

HOTSPOTS This month’s favourite places for journalists to network and hang out by Anca Toma

fter a long day working, what better way to unwind than by taking your colleagues into the nearest pub? Asking around, you can easily find out stories of interesting media projects and story ideas that came to life, and all with a glass of ale in your hands. The New Journalist brings to you, every month, a list of places you must not miss. Pubs renowned for the amount of journalists it attracts, or cafes with creative atmospheres will all be revealed in our pages. This month, we went to hang out in BBC Radio’s offices area, in the City of Westminster.

The Yorkshire Grey

2 Theobald’s Road London * WC1X 8PN A very old pub occupies the street across the Gray’s Inn Gardens. First opening its doors in 1676, the Yorkshire Grey was given its name in dedication to the Grey Shire horses who were very common in that area at the time. Now, the place has a traditional pub atmosphere. Hardwood floor, wooden tables and chairs, leather sofas. A pub where you often have to shout to be heard. The kitchen serves classic dishes like fish and chips and sausage and mash. They used to brew their own ales, but now they just tap many types of beers. And a wide choice of whiskey. Which, for many, is more than good enough. Only one downside: the wooden chairs are a bit uncomfortable, not being upholstered. But even this seems to be in line with the taste of the visiting journalists. The Yorkshire Grey has a big room upstairs that can be hired, which is a bit of a hit with after-work parties and birthdays. Average spending: food under £10 per person, beer from £3.00 per bottle

The Crown and Sceptre

26-27 Foley Street London * W1W 6DY Just a stone’s throw from Oxford Circus, and very close to the BBC Radio offices, The Crown and Sceptre pub opens its doors with a promise to “lift your weary spirits”. With a big street terrace, this pub attracts crowds and may look too busy after a long day at work. But inside you have many long sofas to choose from. And 20 types of beer. They even have a members club, which presents special events and offers on tap. Average spending: food under £10 per person, beer from £3.55 per bottle

Next month:

The BBC Club and The White Swan Pub 36 | The New Journalist

MIND THE TIME Making the most of your tube trips by Christine Liehr

espite the fact that news journalism has been downgraded to a highly officebased and Internet driven profession there are occasions when writers have to face the struggle of using public transport. No matter whether your journey is short or long, this valuable time should not go to waste. Here is a short guide on how you can use your time wisely on the tube despite lack of space and your neighbour’s odours mellowing your senses. If travelling in rush hour where there are no empty seats available and people jostling to get into the carriage – train your observational skills. A journalist should scan his environment like Sherlock Holmes, it should become inherent to

see, hear, smell and feel everything. Have you noticed what the person next to you is wearing, how many people got off at the last stop, could you draw your watch by heart? All these little mind games will help you in your next interview or press conference to easily pick up your surroundings and outdo your competition by adding more flavour and painting a detailed picture for the reader. Often journalists rush from one appointment to the next in off-peak times enjoying free seating choice, but no reception. In this case, get your notebook or voice recorder out and transcribe ideas that are still fresh in your mind. You might attract one or the other confused look, but it will save you plenty of time when writing up the

actual article at a later stage. Despite being disconnected from the online world, you can still check your next appointments, get sorted for the week ahead and write yourself to-do-lists. The regular squeaking sound of the tube will help you to stay on top of it. The next tube is only minutes or seconds away but your lazy bones long for a short sit-down on one of the empty chairs on the platform? Take a deep breath (not too deep because of all the fumes!), pull yourself together and start moving up and down on the balls of your feet to train your calf muscles. This prevents future unaesthetic varicose veins and strengthens your ankles. You might arouse the suspicion of being in need of a toilet to bystanders but every little helps to keep your stressed body in shape. ■ The New Journalist | 37

between the lines | On the move

HOTSPOTS This month’s favourite places for journalists to network and hang out by Anca Toma

The Yorkshire Grey

The Crown and Sceptre

Next month:

The BBC Club and The White Swan Pub 36 | The New Journalist

MIND THE TIME Making the most of your tube trips by Christine Liehr

between the lines | Extroversion vs. introversion

It’s an EXTROVERT world Social media platforms have revolutionised both the way we communicate and the way journalists work. They are said to benefit extroverts, yet a significant portion of the population are introverts. This is a debate on the trials of introversion in an extroverted, social media world by Christine Liehr

y name is Jonathan, and I am an introvert. This blunt statement together with the remaining content of Jonathan Rauch’s short essay “Caring for your introvert” caused waves of impassioned responses from The Atlantic readership in 2003. Since then, the business platform LinkedIn (2003), Facebook (2004) and Twitter (2006) have been introduced, further fuelling the debate on the trials of introversion in an extroverts’ world. Outgoing individuals who live life to the full are quickly labelled extroverts, while those who are quieter are often cold-shouldered and deemed introvert. But is that all there is to introversion? Introvert people draw their energy from the inner world, according to psychologist Carl Jung. They recharge their batteries by being left alone with their ideas and thoughts. Susan Cain explains in her forthcoming book Quiet: The Power Of Introverts In A World That Can’t Stop Talking that introversion is often confused with shyness. The former corporate lawyer became a negotiations consultant and studied the difference between introversion and shyness, concluding that whereas shy people are afraid of social judgement, introverts may enjoy social gatherings, to a certain extent. Although they are not misanthropic, longer social interactions leave them tired and drained. As Oliver Burkeman wrote in an article in The Guardian, “extroverts can’t imagine wanting to be alone, and introverts don’t help by preferring not to talk about it.” In a TED talk, Cain estimates that one-third to a half of the population are introverts. Even if you might not be one, there will be introverts among your colleagues, siblings or friends whose behaviour is often misinterpreted - and preconceptions persist. Extroverts, on the other hand, get inspiration and comfort from joining the outer world with its activities and people. The response to social stimulation therefore varies greatly between those two character types. Here is the snag, or the peg for journalists. Every writing profession needs periods of solitude. Most of the world’s creative ➡

38 | The New Journalist

between the lines | Extroversion vs. introversion

38 | The New Journalist

Photos by Natacha Withoft

outputs have been the results of epiphanies after cycles of catharsis. The modern (social) media world, however, hardly allows for offline periods. Cain argues that platforms like Twitter and Facebook are designed for extroverts. This might sound contradictory, as one would think that the online world caters to more quiet and reserved personalities - especially when it comes to jobs, Wendy Gelberg, President of Gentle Job Search, confirms: “online networking plays to introvert strength as it doesn’t involve thinking on your feet, having someone waiting for your answer.” But the platforms are only a tool - a means to an end that will not change the level of social interaction of the user. An introvert will not turn into an extrovert by using Twitter. I don’t like phoning people and the iPhone didn’t change that. Yet, in order to get credentials, to build up a readership, to obtain job offers, journalists have to be, and more importantly stay, out there – in other words; they have to play the social game. I am now on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Xing (German version of LinkedIn), GChat and I have a blog. This, to me, feels like a 6-headed family that I have to take care of every day. Six hungry open mouths screaming at me: “Feed me!” But with what? If I hardly go out and quite literally ‘shop’ around for new material, observe or have the time to reflect, what am I feeding them with? That’s why solitude matters. Solitude matters in terms of research. Looking inside yourself and asking questions can be a good source for inspiration and will enhance your creativity. That is how introverts revitalise. It also helps us to position ourselves in life, to know where we are and to reflect upon our behaviours and actions. With the amount of text published every day, creativity is more and more important to be able to hook readers and tap into current issues, no matter where they are published. How powerful an idea can be whose time has come is demonstrated by the KONY 2012 video. It went viral in February and has already attracted over 75 million YouTube viewers. xtroverts rule the world. In the workplace, the new culture of ‘groupthink’ seems to benefit strong and loud people; leadership is associated with strength and charisma. Offices with open-plan structures are organised in a way that offers simulations to extroverts. The use of social media in the workplace will further exclude many introverts. In 2011 The Guardian identified at least 250 major corporates that communicate via social media platforms: “Of those more than 100 have a blog, YouTube, Facebook or Twitter channels dedicated to talking about sustainability.” Why do we have a world tailored to extroverts if the majority of the population are introverts? Cain finds an answers in our cultural history: “western societies, especially the United States of America, have always favoured the man of action over the man of contemplation.” Besides Carl Jung, the British psychologist Hans Eysenck heavily influenced the division between the two character types. He used these terms to define traumatised soldiers during the Second World War. His studies

led him to believe that personality is largely innate and genetically determined. According to Jung, there are no pure extroverts or introverts, however many people recognise themselves to be more of one type than the other. And extroverts tend to have the upper hand: they excel in teamwork, are more often put up for promotion and end up in charge of planning future structures that will in turn most likely benefit fellow extroverts. Cain argues that ignoring introverts could be a loss to the world. Looking at history, many masterminds and pioneers in their fields were introverts. Charles Darwin and Steve Wozniak, to name but few – had quiet revelations - in the woods and in a garage, respectively. Due to their reservation, introverts are often perceived as arrogant. Rauch mentioned, “they are more intelligent, more reflective, more independent, more level-headed, more refined, and more sensitive than extroverts”. However, only the successful match up with extroverts. Steve Jobs, for example, helped the introvert Wozniak by helping to introduce his ideas and inventions to a wider audience. After reading Steve Jobs’ biography, however, it remains questionable if he would have thought of himself as an extrovert, finding strength and energy in long walks and spiritual realms. What does it mean for the journalistic trade? Are extroverted or introverted journalists more successful? Rauch - who is now a columnist and senior writer with National Journal and a guest scholar at the Brookings Institution - spoke frankly in an interview with the Economist, admitting that: “Reporting doesn’t come naturally to me, since I have to screw up my energy level every time I pick up the phone. So that’s something of a handicap. I’ll never be a natural journalist.” As a self-confessed introvert, he benefits from being a good questioner and an attentive listener. This helps him especially in interviews, which make him feel exhilarated and exhausted at the same time. “As if a tough hike had been rewarded with a new vista. I’m not a great hiker but I do enjoy the views.” In our social media world, chattiness seems to be the key to happiness and success, but introvert journalists can be just as successful as their extrovert counterparts. If you are introvert, you might like blogging or editing, as it plays to your strengths of being at home, not feeling the pressure to go out and interview people. If you are an extrovert, networking and taking a lead role in the newsroom might work to your strengths. According to Cain, the ideal types are amboverts – combining the best of both worlds. No matter which type you are, if you want to work in the journalistic trade, don’t despair – there are still plenty of opportunities for you to work in the media. However, by knowing which type you are and by letting other people know, you reduce many misconceptions about yourself. My name is Christine, and I am an introvert. ■

Christine Liehr Production Editor of The New Journalist, editor for t!magazine, lives as a freelancer in London

The New Journalist | 41

Photos by Natacha Withoft

Christine Liehr Production Editor of The New Journalist, editor for t!magazine, lives as a freelancer in London

The New Journalist | 41

between the lines | Reading body language

The noble art of interviewing

More body language

Illu str ati on by Ka th er in e an Gi ni ni

Hands 1. Prayer-like position of the hands, or fingertips touching and palms

Like boxing, interviewing can be a sweet science. This article will show you how to read your opponent’s movements and land the right blow

apart could display seniority, superiority or confidence 2. Wagging the index finger might be a sign of bullying or even “I know best” 3. Ticking off points on the finger of

By Krisha Kops

one hand with another finger can reveal his or her authoritarian personality 4. Pushing, piecing or flicking real or imaginative objects away, as

he alarm is ringing. No, it is not a dream. You chose to become a journalist, so better crawl out of this barricade of pillows and prepare for the interview of your life. This interview might give you the long dreamt of breakthrough and separate you from the other copy-and-paste-desk-slaves. On the agenda is an interview with a corrupt politician, a well-known philanderer, who is alleged to have an extramarital affair. You have done all the research and prepared the questions in the last couple of days, but that does not guarantee that you will not screw up. To begin with: choose your clothes wisely. The general rule is to wear something that you are comfortable in and that represents you (or your paper). But that does not mean you should wear your favourite jogging pants, only because they make it easier for you to scratch your sensitive areas.

42 | The New Journalist

You should rather wear something that will create a bond between you and your interviewee, for example your younger brother’s baggy pants when you interview a Gangster-Rapper, or, in this case, a suit since you will meet a politician. If this is not feasible, just “opt for the style that will embarrass you the least,” as Sally Adams writes in her book, Interviewing for Journalist.

“Opt for the style that will embarrass you the least” No interviewee wants to know what you had for breakfast by looking at the remnants between your teeth, therefore have your breakfast at home then brush your teeth. If you cannot avoid the coffee to go because of life-style obligations, just

be careful that you do not make it a coffee to fall. Before you leave, make sure you have all the essentials: voice recorder – check; spare batteries – check; pen and pad – check; last issue of the New Journalist – check; phone tapping device – just kidding, we know no journalist would dare to... Obviously, you have to be on time, but in case you arrive late, make something up like: my grandmother’s uncle’s friend’s cousin’s husband’s zebra passed away this morning. Psychologists say that most of us categorise others in the first few seconds of an encounter, so you better be arresting. If you have good knowledge of human nature, your counterpart’s impression on you might not be too wrong either. Hence, for example, pay attention to what he is wearing. Is he the deceiving person who wears a fake Boss suit or the pretentious one with

the Armani suit? The handshake is also an important part of the first impression. As much as you can read the interviewee through his handshake, he can read you. So dry your sweaty hands, and give a confident, strong shake, making sure not to squeeze so tight as to break it. Politicians tend to cover the other person’s hand with the second hand in order to convey honesty, but since politicians are not the most honest people, you might want to avoid that. If your interviewee turns his palm down while shaking your hand, this could mean that he is a dominant person.

Now do not sit down before you are asked to. In case you have the choice, do not sit too close to the interviewee, as you do not want him to see the caricatures which you will draw of him when you are bored. Still, do not sit too far either, since you do not want to appear too distant. According to the anthropologist Edward T. Hall, there are five personal space zones: the close intimate space (0-15cm); the intimate space (15-45cm); the personal space (45cm-1.2m); the social space (1.2m-3.6m) and the public space (3.6m-7.6m). Move in the social space, and if you are really getting along with the interviewee, get closer to the personal space. Yet, never move into the close intimate space. (Unless everything else fails, andyou have to fall back on other methods of persuasion.) ➡

well as to fluff off clothes indicate a rejection of what is heard 5. Holding one’s palms up stands for acceptance, holding them down for negation. Palms up could also be the beggar pleading for agreement 6. Crossed arms portray defence, lack of security or nervousness 7. There are also hidden crossed arms: holding a glass with both hands, adjusting one’s sleeves or checking the clasp of a handbag 8. Chopping with the hand is usually interpreted as the movement of a guillotine, which is trying to kill the discussion

The New Journalist | 43

between the lines | Reading body language

The noble art of interviewing

More body language

Illu str ati on by Ka th er in e an Gi ni ni

Hands 1. Prayer-like position of the hands, or fingertips touching and palms

Like boxing, interviewing can be a sweet science. This article will show you how to read your opponent’s movements and land the right blow

apart could display seniority, superiority or confidence 2. Wagging the index finger might be a sign of bullying or even “I know best” 3. Ticking off points on the finger of

By Krisha Kops

one hand with another finger can reveal his or her authoritarian personality 4. Pushing, piecing or flicking real or imaginative objects away, as

42 | The New Journalist

The New Journalist | 43

between the lines | Reading body language

Interviewing is pretty much like having a date: keep the object of your desire talking, avoid awkward moments of silence and pretend that you are utterly interested by nodding, eye-contact and making sounds of agreement. Before you start the actual interview, loosen your interviewee up and create a bond with tales of shared experiences or things you might have in common. But rather than mentioning the mutual lover, talk about the University you both attended years ago. People have known how to stalk and read people long before Facebook was invented. You’ve done the stalking, so read his face like a book! If your interviewee is thinking about a question and looks up to the left, he is remembering an actual image or location, whereas if he looks up to the right, this engages the imaginative part of the brain. There are many more indicators for something that may not be wholly the truth. Firstly, there is the cookie jar phenomenon: Like children who try to hide their hands innocently behind their back after stealing biscuits, people tend to hide their hands when they are lying, because they know hands might give away a lie by making involuntary movements. Even if the hands are not hidden, other remnants of childhood gestures can also give us away. Children often cover their mouths when they catch themselves lying or saying something bad. Likewise, adults often put their hand close to the mouth, rub their nose or hold their forehead. Secondly, rubbing an ear might also debunk a lie. According to Allan Pease, also known as “Mr Body Language”, rubbing ones ear is another remnant from childhood – one that we used to do after getting our ear pulled for lying or behaving badly. This may however depend on the generation, as the new generation tends to get “punished” for their disobedience by being prevented from purchasing new apps for their iPhones. Rubbing ones eyes could also be a signal, since this probably means one tries to avoid eye contact. Many other self-touching movements like scratching ones neck or holding ones collar often mean that one is holding something back, by, for example, 44 | The New Journalist

agreeing while one is actually not agreeing. Finally, look out for a fleeting expression. Sometimes a smile is replaced for a fifth of a second with anger and could thus reveal a lie. “Everyone reveals himself with a different move, like fidgeting in the chair, and some reveal themselves by not moving at all,” says Patrick Stoddart a veteran journalist and former media editor of The Sunday Times. So up till now you did not let the cat out of the bag. You smiled incessantly, although you wanted to smash his head in, and you even laughed at what he called a “joke”. But even if you did it like Ali, and you flew like a butterfly and stung like a bee, now it is the time for the knockout. Frost and Nixon are approaching their Watergate.

You smiled incessantly, although you wanted to smash his head in Before you pop “the question”, be sure you are close to the door and in safe distance from your interviewee’s right hook. When you ask your final question stay sovereign, flattering and polite, otherwise you will remove the cat’s claws before it has a chance to scratch. You could also put the blame for the question on someone else, or soften it by not taking it too seriously and also meeting the question with discontent. If the interviewee did not chase you out of the door, but did not want to answer either, there are some last resorts: threaten with “no comment”, because no answer is also an answer, or persist like the journalist Jeremy Paxman did in his famous interview with politician Michael Howard – or as the journalist and Professor for Journalism Phillip Kightley said: “no ‘no’ is ever final.” If you follow these rules, you might not become best friends with the interviewee, but you will be definitely closer to get the true answers and much further away from receiving a black eye. ■

Krisha Kops Intelligence section editor and freelance writer for The Times of India

Body and head 1. Turning the nose to the side might be sometimes a sign of disbelieve or dislike 2. You will know that your interviewee is interested, as soon as his or her pupils enlarge and the blink rate accelerates 3. The head might tilt, if he or she is interested, or look down, in case of submission 4. Leaning back with the body or head can mean he or she is relaxed, not interested or repelled; while leaning forward shows interest or aggression 5. Frustration

and

nervousness

could be revealed through readjustment of the tie (or other objects) although it is straight 6. Unbuttoning the jacket is usually an indicator for relaxation

Legs and feed 1. Tightly

crossed

legs

tugged

securely under the chair are a signal for insecurity 2. Crossed legs are considered to be a defence position 3. Positioning one’s ankle on top of the other legs knee means he is more open and relaxed 4. If the ankles are crossed, he or she feels nervous or uncomfortable, but tries to suppress the feeling 5. Feet pointing towards the exit, might display an urge to flee

between the lines | Reading body language

Krisha Kops Intelligence section editor and freelance writer for The Times of India

and

nervousness

could be revealed through readjustment of the tie (or other objects) although it is straight 6. Unbuttoning the jacket is usually an indicator for relaxation

Legs and feed 1. Tightly

crossed

legs

tugged

PREVIEW | The New Journalist in May 2012

The next ISSUE The next THE NEW JOURNALIST is out on May 2

he London Book Fair will be held from 16 - 18 April this year. In its 41st year, the event continues to lead the way in sales and distribution of content across print, audio, TV, film and digital channels.

Volume 2 May 2012

THE New Journalist From journalists for journalists

Self-publishing

The focus this year lies on the emerging market China and digital solutions including the growing ebook industry and self-publishing. In our next edition, the NEW JOURNALIST takes a closer look at the developments in the print sector and provides you with the most important points from The 2012 London Book Fair.

£3.99

How it will change the print sector

Careerslifehappinessjobswritingbooksliteraturejournalistswriternovellinewordsnewsbooksjournalspressprintingpublishinggoodbadjournalspressprintingpublishinggoodbad

Pro file

Debate

Must-haves

Successful ebook author Katherine Webb

Jeff Jarvis & Shed Simove on the future of books

Special - ebooks you can’t live without

• Katherine Webb, the successful British ebook author, in an interview on her novel The Legacy • Jeff Jarvis, author of Gutenberg the Geek in a debate with Shed Simove on the future of print • Must-have specials on ebooks

But of course, the next issue of the THE NEW JOURNALIST will also feature monthly fixtures like our glossary and career listings. We look forward to the May edition.

46 | The New Journalist

PREVIEW | The New Journalist in May 2012

The next ISSUE The next THE NEW JOURNALIST is out on May 2

Volume 2 May 2012

THE New Journalist From journalists for journalists

Self-publishing

£3.99

How it will change the print sector

Careerslifehappinessjobswritingbooksliteraturejournalistswriternovellinewordsnewsbooksjournalspressprintingpublishinggoodbadjournalspressprintingpublishinggoodbad

Pro file

Debate

Must-haves

Successful ebook author Katherine Webb

Jeff Jarvis & Shed Simove on the future of books

Special - ebooks you can’t live without

But of course, the next issue of the THE NEW JOURNALIST will also feature monthly fixtures like our glossary and career listings. We look forward to the May edition.

46 | The New Journalist