BusinessJournalism.org Reynolds Center for Business Journalism » Free Training

Take compelling business new photos: Self-guided tutorial

Kelly Carr — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 21:59:21 +0000

Visuals are everyone’s job these days.

“Take Compelling Business News Photos” taught journalists how to shoot business-news photos, feel at ease behind the camera and enhance their ability to work with photojournalists.

Attendees were trained on the basics of photo composition before leading and critiquing a photo assignment. The session was held during the 2010 Society of American Business Editors & Writers conference in Phoenix.

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

This session was led by Carlos Chavez, the deputy photo editor at The Arizona Republic and 15-year photojournalist veteran.

AGENDA

Session One: Photography 101: What to do and what not to do in the field
Session Two: Photo critique: Learn the qualities of a strong photo

SELF-GUIDED LESSON

Take a look through the recordings, resources and tools below. At your own pace, you can walk through the self-guided lesson on financial statements.

Produce a business news podcast: Self-guided training

Kelly Carr — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:47:25 +0000

This hands-on session taught journalists how to record and produce a business news podcast.

“Produce a Business News Podcast” participants visited a local business, recorded audio and edited sound clips to create a polished story.

The training was held during the 2010 Society of American Business Editors & Writers conference in Phoenix.

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

This session was led by Mark Moran, the news director for KJZZ, Phoenix’s public radio station. He has reported for national and international news agencies, including the BBC, CBC and Voice of America.

AGENDA

Session One: How to capture audio
Session Two: Editing audio into a podcast

SELF-GUIDED LESSON

Take a look through the recordings, resources and tools below. At your own pace, you can walk through the self-guided lesson on financial statements.

Here’s a podcast produced during the training session:

How to look natural on air: Self-guided training

Kelly Carr — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 01:14:18 +0000

In this half-day workshop, journalists learned tactics for successful television interviews from an off-camera anchor. ”How to Look Natural On Air,” gave participants a chance to practice interviewing skills and learn from critiques to better enhance their camera presence.

The workshop was held during the 2010 Society of American Business Editors & Writers conference in Phoenix.

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

This workshop was led by Susan Green, the broadcast director of the Cronkite News Service in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

SELF-GUIDED LESSON

Take a look through the recordings and resources below. At your own pace, you can walk through the self-guided lesson on how to look natural on air.

How to look natural on air: A practice session from Reynolds Center on Vimeo.

Produce a business news video in a day: Self-guided training

Kelly Carr — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 22:08:27 +0000

Workshop participants interview a business owner in Phoenix to produce a video package during the training.

“Produce a Business News Video in a Day” was a specialized training workshop held during the 2010 Society of America Business Editors & Writers conference in Phoenix.

The intensive day of hands-on training helped journalists learn the skills to shoot business news videos.

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

The session was led by Brian Snyder, a TV-production specialist and a faculty associate at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication who teaches videography and non-linear editing.

AGENDA

Session One: How to shoot video and use the equipment
Session Two: Introduction to editing
Session Three: Viewing and critique of video stories

SELF-GUIDED LESSON

Take a look through the recordings, resources and tools below. At your own pace, you can walk through the self-guided lesson on producing a business news video.

This video story package was produced by journalists during the training session.

A quick chat with John Daley on covering the environment and other big stories

Austen Sherman — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 21:50:10 +0000

John Daley listens to a presentation during the "Covering the Green Economy" seminar in Phoenix

John Daley reports for KSL-TV, the NBC affiliate in Salt Lake City, and has covered everything from mine disasters to the Elizabeth Smart case.

He specializes in political, investigative and environmental reporting and was both a Knight Journalism Fellow and a Western Enterprise Reporting Fellow at Stanford University.

He was also a fellow during the Reynolds Center’s “Covering the Green Economy” seminar in June.

Daley began covering the environment in 1992 when he started working as broadcast journalist. Since then, he’s worked the general assignment beat while continuing to develop a speciality in environmental reporting.

“Since growing up climbing mountains, hiking and skiing in Colorado, I’ve always had a profound interest in reporting on the natural world and our relationship with it,” he said.

While Daley said he hopes environmental pages will eventually find their way back in to major media outlets, he isn’t sure if the current business model can support a stand-alone section. He’s certain, however, that environmental issues will increasingly “dominate our world.”

When it comes to his overall journalism career, Daley said he’s motivated by uncovering important stories and informing the public He is currently investigating a story about a board member for the local transit authority in Salt Lake who might have used his position to personally profit. The story has been unfolding for about two years and Daley said it has the potential to become a significant public-service piece.

One of Daley’s biggest accomplishments was the publication of his essay “Zephyr to Zion.” The essay appeared in a book about climate change in the Rocky Mountains titled, “How the West Was Warmed: Responding to Climate Change in the Rockies.” Daley said the essay was a revelation because it gave him an opportunity to write in an unfamiliar way.

“The essay form is a big change from writing two minute stories for TV news,” he said. ”It was a challenge, but very satisfying.”

Need help investigating stimulus or lenders? Check these training videos

Reynolds Staff — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 19:51:32 +0000

We’ve posted two training videos that may be helpful if you’re investigating the stimulus or tracking mortgage lenders. They are graciously provided to us by Investigative Reporters and Editors from sessions at its Computer Assisted Reporting (CAR) Conference in Phoenix in March.

In the video on the federal economic stimulus, reporters Tom Grabell of ProPublica.org and Ben Poston of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tell you how to track stimulus dollars into your community and offer examples of stimulus stories that have been done and could be replicated in other areas. | VIDEO and presentation: Michael Grabell and Ben Poston on Covering the Sluggish Recovery. [Presentation starts on Slide 4.]

In the video on mortgage lenders, David Donald, data editor for the nonprofit Center for Public Integrity, talks about how to use federal mortgage data to track subprime lenders. | VIDEO and presentation: David Donald on Probing Banks and Mortgage Lenders. [Donald's presentation begins at Slide 11. Before that, Maurice Tamman of The Wall Street Journal presents on the same subject, starting about 54 seconds in.]

One cool thing about both these videos is that they incorporate the presenters’ PowerPoint. In fact, the PowerPoint can be used to navigate the video. Pick a slide at any point in the presentation, and the video will jump to that point.

If you’d like more stimulus training, please check out the Reynolds Center’s free, daylong workshop in Washington on Oct. 27: “What’s Next for the Economy in Your Town.” Jennifer LaFleur, CAR director for ProPublica.org, and Matt Apuzzo, investigative reporter for The Associated Press, will teach you how to access stimulus data and what five stimulus stories you should be doing now. Reporter Russ Choma of American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop will do the same thing for the green stimulus.

In addition, Gus Faucher, director of macroeconomics for Moody’s Economy.com, will provide an overview of where the national economy is headed and how to track what’s happening locally. Ezra Klein of The Washington Post’s Wonkbook will offer the view from Washington on the economy.

SIGN UP for this free training: What’s Next for the Economy in Your Town: Washington, Oct. 27.

Understanding Financial Statements: Self-guided Webinar

Robin J Phillips — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 21:24:56 +0000

The free, weeklong “Understanding Financial Statements” online seminar originally was held July 19-23. It covers income statements, balance sheets, cash flows and writing about numbers.

As one past participant said, “This course really revolutionized my reporting. I felt much more confident writing my last earnings story.”

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

This seminar was led by James Gentry, a professor and former dean at the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Kansas. He has presented workshops on understanding the numbers of business to thousands of journalists and corporate communicators.

AGENDA

Day One: Introduction to financial statements
Day Two: The income statement
Day Three: Balance sheets
Day Four: Cash flows
Day Five: Writing stories based on what you’ve learned

SELF-GUIDED LESSON

Take a look through the recordings, resources and tools below. At your own pace, you can walk through the self-guided lesson on financial statements.

AEJMC attendees invited to apply for all-expenses-paid Business Journalism Professors Seminar

Linda Austin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:10:54 +0000

Pam Luecke, Reynolds Endowed Chair in Business Journalism at Washington and Lee University, teaches Fellow Buck Ryan from the University of Kentucky in the 2010 Business Journalism Professors Seminar at Arizona State University. Photo by Molly Smith.

The Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism invites AEJMC attendees to apply for an all-expenses-paid, four-day seminar on how to teach a college course in business journalism.

The fourth annual Business Journalism Professors Seminar will be held Jan. 4-7, 2011, at Arizona State University’s Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in Phoenix.

Limited to 12 prospective professors, the fellowships, valued at $2,000, cover the full cost of training, lodging, materials and most meals. In addition, fellows receive a $500 stipend to help offset travel and other costs. Application deadline is Nov. 1.

This seminar will cover the essentials of teaching a hands-on course, including financial, economic and writing aspects. It is an opportunity for prospective business journalism professors to learn from experienced instructors and journalism professionals, with follow-up after the seminar ends as well.

A 2008 participant, Roger Desmond, professor of communication at the University of Hartford, won a university award for innovation in teaching for starting a business journalism course. The award “came with some extra money for research and travel, and of course, I owe it all to you!” he wrote.

The sessions will be led by award-winning professors and journalists, including James Gentry, journalism professor at the University of Kansas. Gentry received the Barry Sherman Teaching Award from AEJMC.

A highlight of the week will be a panel discussion with the legendary investigative-reporting duo of Don Barlett and Jim Steele, along with the 2010 winners of the Reynolds Center’s Barlett & Steele Awards for Investigative Business Journalism.

The selection process is highly competitive, and applicants must e-mail the following as Word attachments to Cassandra.Nicholson@BusinessJournalism.org:

A letter explaining their interest and credentials to teach business journalism
A resume
A one-paragraph bio
A letter of support from their dean or department head outlining the program’s commitment to offering a course in business journalism.

For more information, e-mail Andrew Leckey, president of the Reynolds Center and Reynolds Endowed Chair in Business Journalism at ASU, or call him at 602-496-9186.

The call for entries will be announced at AEJMC’s 2010 Denver Convention Aug. 4-7.

What’s Next for the Economy in Your Town: Washington, Oct. 27

Reynolds Staff — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 22:55:59 +0000

The Particulars

Instructors: Gus Faucher, director of
macroeconomics for Moody’s Economy.com;
Ezra Klein, Washington Post Wonkbook blogger;
Jennifer LaFleur, ProPublica
computer-assisted reporting director;
Matt Apuzzo, AP investigative reporter; and
Russ Choma, reporter for Investigative Reporting
Workshop

Location: Washington, D.C.

When: 8:30-4 p.m. Oct. 27

Register for this workshop.

The workshop is the day before the
Online News Association Conference
Oct. 28-30 at the Marriott Renaissance
Washington, D.C., Downtown Hotel.

You’ve seen them on the tube. Here’s your chance to learn from Gus Faucher, director of macroeconomics for Moody’s Economy.com, and Ezra Klein, author of The Washington Post’s Wonkbook blog, in person.

They will offer the basics of what’s up with the national and your local economy at a free, daylong workshop Oct. 27 in Washington.

They will be joined by Jennifer LaFleur, computer-assisted reporting director for ProPublica.org; Matt Apuzzo, investigative reporter for The Associated Press; and Russ Choma, reporter for American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop.

Ezra Klein

LaFleur, Apuzzo and Choma will clue you in to what local stories to do now on the federal economic stimulus.

Faucher, who helps run Moody’s Economy.com computer model of the U.S. economy, will offer an update on what’s next for it. He will also offer insights on what economic data to follow to track the recovery – or lack thereof – in your area, with special emphasis on the 300-mile radius surrounding Washington, D.C.

Learn how to create your own economic-data dashboard for your town. Find out which local economic statistics are worth following and what story ideas they might trigger.

Gus Faucher

TENTATIVE AGENDA: “What’s Next for the Economy in Your Town”

8:30-9 a.m.: Continental breakfast and registration

9-9:10 a.m.: Introduction and welcome

9:10 a.m.-noon: Gus Faucher, director for macroeconomics for Moody’s Economy.com, ”Where the National Economy is Headed and How to Track the Economic Recovery in Your Town”

Matt Apuzzo

Noon to 1 p.m.: Ezra Klein of The Washington Post’s Wonkbook, “The View from Washington,” a 30-minute talk with 30 minutes for questions. Box lunch provided.

1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m.: Jennifer LaFleur, CAR director for ProPublica.org, “Tracking the Federal Economic Stimulus in Your Town”

1:45 -2:30 p.m.: Matt Apuzzo, investigative reporter for The Associated Press, “Five Local Stories to Do Now on the Federal Stimulus”

2:30-2:45 p.m.: Break

2:45-4 p.m.: Russ Choma, reporter for American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop, “Five Local Stories to Do Now on the Green Stimulus”

YOUR INSTRUCTORS

Gus Faucher is director of macroeconomics for Moody’s Economy.com. Gus edits the firm’s flagship Précis Macro publication, covering the U.S. economy. He covers U.S. fiscal, regulatory and monetary policy and is a frequent contributor to the U.S./Canada edition of Moody’s Dismal Scientist website. Speaking on the U.S. economic outlook, he is a frequent guest on CNBC and the Fox Business Network. Gus was a senior economist for six years at the U.S. Treasury Department and taught at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has an A.B. from Cornell University and a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, both in economics.

Ezra Klein writes the Wonkbook blog for The Washington Post ”on economic policy, collapsing banks, cap-and-trade, health-care reform and pretty much anything else you can attach a chart to,” according to his Post bio. “His blog points to the hottest policy ideas on the Web and provides his own up-to-the-minute take. Before coming to The Post, he was an associate editor at the American Prospect. Klein has appeared as a guest on CNN, MSNBC, NPR and C-SPAN.”

Russ Choma

Matt Apuzzo is an investigative reporter in The Associated Press’ Washington bureau. He was previously The AP’s legal affairs writer in Washington, where he covered the FBI investigations of Blackwater Worldwide, Ted Stevens and Scooter Libby. He spent three years with The AP in Connecticut, where he investigated corruption in state government.

Russ Choma is an investigative reporter who focuses on climate and energy issues, transportation and stimulus spending for American University’s Investigative Reporting Workshop, Nieman Watchdog and Grist.org.

Jennifer LaFleur

Jennifer LaFleur is the computer-assisted reporting (CAR) director for the nonprofit news site, ProPublica.org, which has aggressively made information about the stimulus available to journalists and citizens. She was the CAR editor starting in 2003 for The Dallas Morning News, where she worked on the investigative team. She has directed CAR at the San Jose Mercury News and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and was Investigative Reporters and Editor’s (IRE) first training director. She is the co-author of IRE’s “Mapping for Stories: A Computer-Assisted Reporting Guide.”

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Please do not register unless you are sincere about participating. Space is limited, and signing up and not participating deprives someone else of the opportunity.

Those who successfully complete three regional workshops or online seminars presented by the Reynolds Center are eligible to receive a “Circle of Achievement” certificate.

This free seminar is sponsored by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism. If you have any questions about the workshop or the center, please e-mail Executive Director Linda Austin or call 602-496-9187.

Be a Better Business Watchdog – CAR for Business Journalists: Atlanta, Oct. 11

Linda Austin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:11:59 +0000

The Particulars
Instructor: Jaimi Dowdell, training director for IRE
Location: Atlanta Journal-Constitution
223 Perimeter Center Parkway
Atlanta, GA 30346-1301
When: 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Oct. 11
Register for this workshop

Polish your skills in computer-assisted reporting (CAR) and learn how to hold local businesses accountable with this free, daylong workshop co-presented by the Donald W. Reynolds National Center for Business Journalism and Investigative Reporters and Editors (IRE).

Even if you’ve never touched an Excel spreadsheet before, you will leave this hands-on workshop with the skills you need to begin analyzing the wealth of information available in public databases about businesses. Remember: the 2010 Pulitzer for Public Service was won by a reporter for The Bristol (Va.) Herald Courier who used CAR skills he learned from IRE to investigate the mismanagement of natural gas royalties.

Jaimi Dowdell, IRE training director, speaks at 2010 CAR Conference in Phoenix, Ariz.

Data is one of four developments transforming the business and financial press, according to Forbes Managing Editor Carl Lavin in a July 1 interview with IR Alert. “There will be an exponential increase in data available—to analyze businesses, to compare them to model future activity and so on. The people with the tools and personnel that can mine business data for intelligence will be adding tremendous value,” he says. (The other three developments are social media, the semantic Web and mobile Web.)

In this Oct. 11 workshop in Atlanta, you will learn how to find and download online databases, use Excel spreadsheets to analyze that information and translate that analysis into business stories. The Reynolds Center and IRE are co-presenting an identical workshop in Milwaukee on Nov. 9. (You do not have to be a member of IRE to attend either one.)

The Reynolds Center, which has trained more than 10,000 journalists in business journalism since 2003, is partnering with IRE, which has been training journalists in investigative techniques since 1975, to offer this mini-boot camp in computer-assisted reporting for business journalists. Our host is The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, which recently moved its office about 10 miles north of downtown, near Interstate 285, the Perimeter Mall and the Dunwoody MARTA station.

YOUR INSTRUCTOR

Jaimi Dowdell joined IRE as a training director in October 2008. Before that she was computer-assisted reporting editor at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for more than three years. Her duties included obtaining and analyzing data for daily and long-term stories; training staff on CAR and investigative techniques; and maintaining the newspaper’s online data center. In addition to her work at the Post-Dispatch, she taught a CAR course for Washington University in St. Louis.

Previously she worked at IRE and NICAR in the Database Library and Resource Center while completing her master’s degree at the University of Missouri.

“Be a Better Business Watchdog — CAR for Business Journalists” Workshop Agenda

8:30-9 a.m.: Continental breakfast and registration

9-9:10 a.m.: Introduction and welcome, Linda Austin, executive director, Reynolds Center

9:10-12:40 p.m.: How to use Excel spreadsheet software, Jaimi Dowdell, training director, IRE

12:40-1:30 p.m.: Box lunch provided

1:30-3:30 p.m.: Where and how to access great databases with examples of business stories done from them, Dowdell

ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Please do not register unless you are sincere about participating. Because this workshop offers hands-on training on individual computers, space is extremely limited, with spots allotted on a first-come, first-served basis. Signing up and not participating deprives someone else of the opportunity.

Those who successfully complete three regional workshops or online seminars presented by the Reynolds Center are eligible to receive a “Circle of Achievement” certificate.