Monthly Archives: July 2009

Journalists of the future

“She really wants to be a food editor — but it’s hard to tell her that print is dead.” That was the final line of an email message I received today from a longtime friend. He was asking my advice … Continue reading

Posted in Journalism, Newspapers, Reporting | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

New tools for journalists will change postsecondary programs

After a week of intensive training at the Poynter Institute in St. Petersburg, Fla., my thinking about how we train journalists has changed in some ways and remained firm in others. I became convinced of the Poynter faculty’s argument that … Continue reading

Posted in Journalism, Journalism education, Technology | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Al Tompkins’ 10 commandments of shooting video

Back in the mid-1980s, when I was in graduate school, journalism students shot video on three-quarter-inch tape, using (if they were lucky) electronic newsgathering (ENG) cameras that weighed in at about 13 or 14 kilograms — even without the cumbersome … Continue reading

Posted in Broadcasting, Technology, Videography | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

From the moon to the Earth

It’s nearly impossible to escape mention today of the 40th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s historic first step onto the lunar surface. Television, radio, newspapers and online portals are overflowing with anniversary stories and tributes to the men and women with … Continue reading

Posted in Flashback, Journalism history, Newspapers | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Toronto Mayor David Miller and the Maclean’s cover

The cover illustration on the July 27 issue of Maclean’s, constructed from a series of manipulated images, certainly is, well, provocative. It features a less-than-flattering image of Toronto Mayor David Miller stuffed into an aluminum garbage can, banana peel adorning … Continue reading

Posted in Journalism, Journalism ethics, Magazines, Photos and illustration | Tagged , | Leave a comment