Nina Moini's Journey Through Journalism

Newsy.com - A Lesson in the Future of Media

2010-12-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

Scripting, editing, and anchoring for the web and mobile apps... does it get more "converged" than this?

Working for Newsy.com (a start-up that analyzes and produces content for the web and mobile applications) is far from what I pictured myself doing as a kid. I pictured action news like we remember before the Internet. I pictured live reports and the public waiting for me to bring them the news. So, when I got the chance to analyze news content for a web-based news medium I was surprised to find out how much information is out there and how much I will need to learn to do to remain relevant.

I'm still a very young so I can't imagine what a big adjustment this whole Internet age must be for the veterans of the news business. I feel like the dreams I had of being a reporter as a kid are not the dreams I can actually make a reality today. But, I'm not sad - I'm excited.

At Newsy, I get to pour over all the media coverage on big stories and analyze the multiple perspectives in the news across all mediums of communication - even blogs! Then, I write a story on how the media is covering issues, I anchor that story, and then I edit the story together using Final Cut Pro. It seems like a lot for one person but it is the way the industry is headed and I'm willing to hop on board. It is actually rewarding to see something through from beginning to end. I feel like every story is completely mine and I can be creative with what I'm putting out there. While it isn't what I thought I would be doing in the traditional sense, the foundation of storytelling and sharing information remain in tact.

Here are a few examples of some stories I've done on national and international topics in the news.

This first story is about Four Loko. Remember? The drink your parents around the nation hoped their kids would never discover.

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Here's another national story about unemployment benefits...

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

This is an international story about the Pope's thoughts on contraception...

Multisource political news, world news, and entertainment news analysis by Newsy.com

Sometimes You Have to Drop Everything for the Big Story

2010-12-13T17:16:00.000-08:00

When the governor announces 800 new jobs in your town you drop everything and drive to Iowa...

At least that's what I did two days after Gov. Jay Nixon announced IBM would be bringing an IT facility to Columbia, Missouri. I went to Dubuque, Iowa to a similar plant to see what Columbia could expect.

Covering this big story was an exercise in working with secretive companies that work in the realm of technology. I drove six hours to Iowa and still couldn't get an IBM representative to speak with me on short notice. No amount of social media could make this story easier. I couldn't tweet out to a source that works for IBM because they cannot speak about their jobs. So I had to result to the old-fashioned reporter's method - I knocked on doors! Sometimes, the bare bones journalism methods are still the best to use.

Tweeting Away on the Big Story Gains Hundreds of Followers

2010-12-13T16:30:00.000-08:00

I got to cover something people really cared about... and they responded.

The notion of Big 12 Conference realignment was a hot topic in Columbia for weeks. Tiger fans wondered if Mizzou would get an invite to the Big 10 like the University of Nebraska received. I got to spend a day waiting outside a closed meeting of the MU Board of Curators as they discussed conference realignment among other things. I tweeted from the meeting as various officials came out to greet media from all across the state. KOMU got hundreds more followers that day because no one knew what was being said behind closed doors and the only window into the meeting was through the news business. The experience taught me how tweeting from the field can update viewers on developing news and bring new followers to the station Twitter account.

Conference Realignment Coverage from Nina Moini on Vimeo.

A Noisey Problem

2010-12-13T16:22:00.000-08:00

Who says you can't keep the public informed via social media when working on a long format story?

This is a story I spent a few weeks putting together. It was about a heated debate surrounding the City of Columbia's downtown noise ordinance. Columbia is a college town that is growing rapidly. More noise and more business had a local downtown resident worried. I kept up with sources through social media and looked for sources using the same tools. This was the first story I worked on that made me realize how posing an open-ended, non-leading, question to the public like, "What bothers you about your town?" can lead to great story ideas.

These Days, Anchors Tweet from the Desk!

2010-12-13T16:00:00.000-08:00

Ever wonder what's going on when anchors look down at a computer before a commercial break?

It seems the days of shuffling around scripts and looking busy before a commercial break may be over. I'm learning from the talented veteran anchors at KOMU 8 News that social media can be a way to keep in constant correspondence with viewers. During a night anchoring the 10 o' clock newscast in November, I decided to give tweeting at the desk a try. It was an evening newscast with less down time, so I just sent one or two tweets and Facebook updates. It is a great way to update viewers who may not have had a chance to catch the news yet that day. It can also attract viewers to later newscasts and keep them informed. After all - isn't that the ultimate goal?

Social Media Helps Get the Story Out First Through Web Exclusive

2010-12-13T15:50:00.000-08:00

Check out a Web Exclusive on the crowd outside a local bar after a huge homecoming win!

After anchoring two newscasts on the evening of Mizzou Homecoming 2010, I went to get some footage of a crowd of hundreds gathered outside a local bar. The tiger fans were awaiting the arrival of the goal post - a happy MU tradition after a big win - a headache for Columbia police.

I was able to get this web exclusive report on the web in the early morning hours and within a day or so about 3,000 viewers saw the report online. I also tweeted pictures and updates from the scene that many KOMU followers retweeted. Just another way social media got the story out long before the public could have seen it otherwise.

Crowd Outside Harpos from KOMU News on Vimeo.

Recommended Social Media Guidelines

2010-12-05T11:37:00.000-08:00

As social media tools become more prominent in today's world of journalism, it is important to use these tools with a sense of professionalism. However, while journalists do need to use professionalism in social media, adding a personal touch in their posts are a great way to connect with audiences. So where is the divide between professional and personal posts? How should journalists determine how to use social media tools and what should the ethical guidelines be?

Here is a list compiled by myself and three other college students at the Missouri School of Journalism. These are recommended guidelines for using social media in a way which upholds journalistic ethics. The students compiled the list using interviews with television, online, and print media outlets.

Ten Commandments To Using Social Media

The Ten Commandments To Using Social Media

Social Media Mission Statement: to harbor and create dialogue about what is happening in the community. Therefore, it is our responsibility as journalists to continue and stimulate the dialogue.

With that, we have created the following ethical guidelines for social media use:

1.     Unbiased: Journalists must remain objective whenever generating content through social media.
2.     Attribution: Journalists must provide accurate attribution for any facts they post.
3.     Truth: Journalists must be truthful in every post.
4.     Timeliness: Journalists must provide breaking, urgent facts to news consumers as soon as accuracy can be fully obtained.
5.     Professionalism: Journalists must maintain a professional demeanor so as not to taint their personal or professional brand or that of their newsroom.
6.     Accessibility: Journalists are masters of the content they generate therefore, they must remain open and accountable to challenges and questions news consumers may have about their content.
7.     Privacy: Journalists must remain open to the public through social media in order to be adequately accessible, and therefore should not expect full privacy while posting.
8.     Moderation: Journalists are not obligated to endure senseless abuse from news consumers, and are therefore entitled to moderate personal social media outlets this includes but is not limited to: blocking users and deleting comments.
9.     Service: Journalists must work as an extended arm of the public; therefore they should utilize social media to gather questions from news consumers to ensure adequate coverage of issues.
10.   Mindful: Journalists must bear in mind that videos, pictures, and other forms of media posted online remain under the same journalistic scrutiny as written content.

The above guidelines were written with the understanding that a journalist is an extension of his/her newsroom regardless of physical location. Journalists are encouraged to live by the Journalists Creed introduced by Walter Williams. Therefore, these guidelines subscribe to the general common sense as should be understood by all journalists.

Here is a list of media outlets interviewed in the information gathering process:

The Baltimore Sun
Charleston Daily Mail
The Kansas City Star
KING-TV
WBNS-TV
WEWS-TV
WSIL-TV
WTVR-TV

"Today" Takes on YouTube

2010-11-15T09:29:00.000-08:00

Meredith, Matt, Al, and Ann all put on some headphones and got in front of a microphone for different reasons than usual this morning. The Today Show crew took on a YouTube video with around 10 million views. The idea was to recreate a video in which an a cappella guru of sorts records entire popular songs by himself. The accomplished and respected anchors poke fun at themselves and their singing abilities all for a good laugh and some good ratings.

Call it cheesy, but I actually find it quite an ingenious idea. If 10 million viewers are tuning into YouTube to watch something, it must be pretty entertaining. It's interesting watching network media make use of such viral videos to benefit the mainstream. It shows a lot about the ever-evolving power of social media. After the show, Ann Curry tweeted a link to the video - guess that means even more views for the Today spoof than it ever would've gotten if it has just aired on TV early in the morning or even if it just went up on the website.

People often laugh of viral videos. They scoff at ways in which people become famous for doing things that would've been deemed just plain stupid before the days of YouTube. Now, it seems more and more well-respected, highly rated show like Today are using viral videos to gain views. Guess the Keenan Cahill's (17 million views) and Chris Crocker's (35 million views) of the Internet were onto something!

So Begins the Self-Promotion

2010-09-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

I've never been a fan of people who "over-tweet." That's probably not a real term, but I think everyone knows an "over-tweeter." The guy who tweets his feelings, or the girl who feels the need to let the world know everything she had to eat today. It seems so self-obsessed. I never assume anyone cares what I'm up to, but as I'm getting ready to look for jobs and expanding my horizons in the social media world, I'm beginning to realize the benefits of sharing with the world in the Internet.

That's not to say I will be creating a hashtag informing others of what I'm eating for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, but I am learning to take advantage of sharing my work with the world. I'm learning it doesn't mean you are any less humble if you share your work on Facebook or Twitter or if you go out of your way to share what you've been working on. In fact, I think it's become a necessity in the job search.

Putting your work out there for everyone to see and frankly being a self-promoter is the way to reach people. We are in the age of instant information so why should a resume or body of work be any different? I hope to reach the most people I can and create and many opportunities as I can through posting my content to the Web.

But, it's not as simple as putting it all on the Web. It is hard work branding yourself on the Internet and presenting a body of work in an organized, professional, and creative way. I'm trying not to focus too heavily on appearance over the actual content I'm sharing with the world.

So, here I go. I've never posted any of my work on Facebook and now I'm in the process of creating a Website with all the work I want to share with anyone with Internet access. Scary! Perhaps I'm scared of sharing my work and not getting the response I want, but that's a risk you have to take these days. Sharing my work online is something I will have to get used to and I am actually excited to finally come out and share what I've been working on the past year or so. But no worries, I will keep what I share strictly professional. I will keep eating habits and emotional ups and downs off Twitter because let's be honest- nobody wants to be the "over-tweeter" you "unfollow" or the person you "hide" on your Facebook newsfeed.

Twitter Takes Over the MTV VMA's

2010-09-12T19:25:00.000-07:00

I come across a VHS tape my older sister and I used to record the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards every time I'm at home in Minnesota. It's usually when I'm digging around in the cabinet under the TV for my favorite DVD. It's a two disc set of a Lifetime movie I always watch when I'm home for holidays (I know, embarrassing.) I'm convinced we're one of four households that still has a VHS player hooked up. So I put in the video and watch all the best of 1999 and I have to admit I still get giddy watching 'N Sync perform with a cameo by Britney Spears, of course. I felt so connected to the performers I saw just because I could see them live.

It's been more than 10 years since I first watched those performances and as I'm sitting with my college roommates in our apartment watching the 2010 VMA's, I can't help think about how different life is and how much more connected we all are thanks to the ever-progressive state of social media. Some MTV personality keeps cutting into commercials to tell me how many tweets mention different entertainers like it is some type of contest. It seems a bit random but it is a clever tool to bring people to the Web and get them talking- or tweeting about the show. The show even has a special "Twitter Correspondent" tracking tweets about the awards and displaying them on TV. Seeing your own lowly non-famous person tweet on the big screen at the VMA's on display for all your favorite musicians to see would be awesome! Talk about feeling close to the celebs you secretly or openly idolize.

It's truly amazing how far social media, particularly Twitter, has come in the past couple of years and how it makes us all one. I don't always like the way Twitter seems to be a platform for celebrities to hawk their latest promotional item they're probably getting for free. It's kind of abusing the fact that thousands of people want to be closer to the famous folks and will eagerly read anything they tweet. It makes me wonder if Twitter was supposed to be a community in constant communication or the great advertising tool it has become. Social media is constantly evolving and although it can be abused like many wonderful things in life, it does have the power to do a lot of good. So, even if I need to read what latest weight-loss supplement the Kardashians are "using," I guess I can suffer through it (I could always click unfollow, but let's be honest- I won't!)