From this class, I learned integrating technology and the press together is endless. I'm not shocked about television trying to form some kind of advantage with cell phones, and, in some ways, it's what I expected.
What I don't expect is television to get it right the first time. It's been more than a decade since the internet was started, and journalism bureaus, television stations, newspapers, etc. are all still trying to figure out how to use it properly. And to be successful with it.
In the Advancing the Story blog, Wenger asks questions we should consider. How can they capitalize on it? What content should they produce? I think the easiest answer is the most important: local weather. Just imagine, looking at your cell phone and watching James Spann and crew tell about today's weather. Local sports is another example that comes to mind. They could stream newscasts or produce a mini-newscast just for the cell phone--since most users would not want to sit through 22 minutes of news.
In the article, it says that broadcasters are pushing a format that's not expected to succeed. Broadcasters shouldn't rely on one system, but they should try to expand their services to every system.
The thing I found most interesting is the question about what it means for newspapers. While some newspapers will be left, most broadcasters and the hometown newspaper have some sort of partnership, and I think newspapers should capitalize on this. Television isn't going to get all the scores, and having a newspaper to provide content will only help them in the long run.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Alabama set on national stage (Main story)
Most Alabamans watched, months prior to Super Tuesday, the flood of presidential candidates visiting the state.
Barack Obama, one of two Democratic senators still vying for the nomination, spoke at a packed Bartow Arena in Birmingham. Republican hopeful Mike Huckabee visited local churches before he dropped out of the race in early March.
Some voters said the reaction was more hyped in the news this year than in previous years.
"It seems like more attention was on the state," Addie Kipp said. "But I don't think we had more nominees visit our state. I think it's the same as it was the last time."
Kipp said she thought the turnout on February 5 would be higher than it was. She votes at the Moundville precinct in Hale County.
She said the move was a good idea, but because of close race between Obama and Hillary Clinton it would have been alright to leave it in June.
"They couldn't predict how close this race was going to be," Kipp said. "They did what they thought was in the best interest of the state."
Kipp said she is hopeful about the future of the state in deciding nominees if the primary is left in February. Especially since Alabama is becoming industrialized, she said becoming a New South state, like Florida, Tennessee and Georgia, will only bring more attention.
In 2007, Alabama's legislature voted to move the primary date from June to February to give the state more influence in selecting the nominees. They joined more than 20 states on February 5 for the largest primary and caucus date in United States' history.
The Republicans
Carolyn Serviss is a retired school teacher living in Jacksonville, Alabama. She remembers the days when Alabama was a blue state and "Republican" was a word no one mentioned.
Now, Alabama votes Republican overwhelmingly on the national level. It's no longer blue state, and it is as red as the Crimson Tide.
Serviss said the Republican Party in Alabama is more conservative than the national party.
"We saw in February where we stood on the national level with other Republicans," she said. "We saw voters in Alabama trend toward the more conservative candidate and not the frontrunner John McCain."
Huckabee won the state in February with 41 percent of the vote. McCain placed second with 37 percent.
She said it is a problem McCain has to fix. She said he does not fit in with the rigid outline the Republican candidates of the past had.
She said the reason the Deep South voted for Huckabee instead of McCain not only had to do with that ideal Republican character but also that McCain wasn't able to build momentum in the South.
"We had a massive amount of states voting," Serviss said. "The candidates couldn't stay more than one day in a state like they did previous elections."
She said the candidates relied more on picking the states they knew they were strong in so they could get the delegates needed.
Tony Moreland, Calhoun County Chairman of Alabama Democratic Party, said there was too much going on at one time.
"The states are like horses," Moreland said. "Every state is off from the gate. The gambler isn't going to bet on all the horses. He has to choose which one he thinks is going to win. That's the strategy the candidates had in mind."
He said the state is a gamble in itself because it is one of the few Republican primaries without a winner-take-all format.
Moreland said Alabama may not be the strongest state, but it is reliable. Alabama had 48 delegates at stake in the February 5 primary.
Alabama is ranked 17th this year for delegates on the Republican side. If the Republican National Committee decided not to punish several states, Alabama would drop to 18th. Michigan, which usually has 60 delegates, would take its place.
Moreland said it was one of the largest Republican contests on Super Tuesday. Alabama was the ninth largest state on February 5, but it trailed all its Southern counterparts--except Arkansas, which has 34 delegates.
He said he didn't think Alabama is going to have a national presence at the Republican National Convention in September, because the state voted for Huckabee.
"It might turn out to be a McCain-Huckabee ticket," Moreland said. "Whether that happens or not, we're going to get some coverage in November."
The Republican National Convention is scheduled for September 1-4 in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota.
The Democrats
A mysticism of southern gentility exists in small towns in rural Alabama. Most of the townspeople are proud to call themselves Democrats.
They disagree with the national party on moral issues, but they put those differences aside. To them, government helps to find solutions. Government is a solution.
Bob Lake, a former Moundville mayor, said that is the essence of a Southern Democrat.
"Government is help," Lake said. "Government is a friend."
While Lake said government is help, he said moving Alabama's primary earlier in the year did not help.
"It's a numerical game," Lake said. "Alabama has less than 15 percent of the delegates California has. We may get attention, but the state won't matter as much as he bigger states do."
Alabama had 60 delegates in the Democratic primary. That figure is 25th this year, because Florida and Michigan were stripped of all their delegates.
Out of 22 contests on February 5, Alabama is the 13th in size of delegates.
Lake said the state is not going to hold a large hand in Denver, which is where the Democratic National Convention is going to be held this year. He said it is because the state splits its delegates almost evenly.
"The race isn't as close as people are making it out to be," he said.
Right now, Obama's campaign argues they deserve the nomination because they have the popular vote and have won more states. Obama is also ahead in delegates.
Clinton's campaign argues she is winning the states, like Ohio, that matter in November. She has an edge over Obama in super delegates.
Lake said the convention's decision is going to be fragile if one side does not cede before then.
Roy Hanner, Calhoun County Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, said the state is going to have a larger role in Denver than it did in February.
In February, Alabamans voted 56 percent for Obama, while 42 percent voted for Sen. Clinton.
"What's happening is every delegate is being sought after," Hanner said. "That includes delegates from Alabama."
Hanner said Alabama's role is dependent on how the state fits into the equation.
"We fuel Obama's fire," he said. "He says the people want him, and the people of Alabama voted for him. It's going to come down to the convention."
The Democratic National Convention is held in Denver, Colorado, this year. It takes place from August 25-28.
How well have you payed attention to the primary and caucus season?
Find out, by taking a quiz here. (Multimedia element)
Barack Obama, one of two Democratic senators still vying for the nomination, spoke at a packed Bartow Arena in Birmingham. Republican hopeful Mike Huckabee visited local churches before he dropped out of the race in early March.
Some voters said the reaction was more hyped in the news this year than in previous years.
"It seems like more attention was on the state," Addie Kipp said. "But I don't think we had more nominees visit our state. I think it's the same as it was the last time."
Kipp said she thought the turnout on February 5 would be higher than it was. She votes at the Moundville precinct in Hale County.
She said the move was a good idea, but because of close race between Obama and Hillary Clinton it would have been alright to leave it in June.
"They couldn't predict how close this race was going to be," Kipp said. "They did what they thought was in the best interest of the state."
Kipp said she is hopeful about the future of the state in deciding nominees if the primary is left in February. Especially since Alabama is becoming industrialized, she said becoming a New South state, like Florida, Tennessee and Georgia, will only bring more attention.
In 2007, Alabama's legislature voted to move the primary date from June to February to give the state more influence in selecting the nominees. They joined more than 20 states on February 5 for the largest primary and caucus date in United States' history.
The Republicans
Carolyn Serviss is a retired school teacher living in Jacksonville, Alabama. She remembers the days when Alabama was a blue state and "Republican" was a word no one mentioned.
Now, Alabama votes Republican overwhelmingly on the national level. It's no longer blue state, and it is as red as the Crimson Tide.
Serviss said the Republican Party in Alabama is more conservative than the national party.
"We saw in February where we stood on the national level with other Republicans," she said. "We saw voters in Alabama trend toward the more conservative candidate and not the frontrunner John McCain."
Huckabee won the state in February with 41 percent of the vote. McCain placed second with 37 percent.
She said it is a problem McCain has to fix. She said he does not fit in with the rigid outline the Republican candidates of the past had.
She said the reason the Deep South voted for Huckabee instead of McCain not only had to do with that ideal Republican character but also that McCain wasn't able to build momentum in the South.
"We had a massive amount of states voting," Serviss said. "The candidates couldn't stay more than one day in a state like they did previous elections."
She said the candidates relied more on picking the states they knew they were strong in so they could get the delegates needed.
Tony Moreland, Calhoun County Chairman of Alabama Democratic Party, said there was too much going on at one time.
"The states are like horses," Moreland said. "Every state is off from the gate. The gambler isn't going to bet on all the horses. He has to choose which one he thinks is going to win. That's the strategy the candidates had in mind."
He said the state is a gamble in itself because it is one of the few Republican primaries without a winner-take-all format.
Moreland said Alabama may not be the strongest state, but it is reliable. Alabama had 48 delegates at stake in the February 5 primary.Alabama is ranked 17th this year for delegates on the Republican side. If the Republican National Committee decided not to punish several states, Alabama would drop to 18th. Michigan, which usually has 60 delegates, would take its place.
Moreland said it was one of the largest Republican contests on Super Tuesday. Alabama was the ninth largest state on February 5, but it trailed all its Southern counterparts--except Arkansas, which has 34 delegates.
He said he didn't think Alabama is going to have a national presence at the Republican National Convention in September, because the state voted for Huckabee.
"It might turn out to be a McCain-Huckabee ticket," Moreland said. "Whether that happens or not, we're going to get some coverage in November."
The Republican National Convention is scheduled for September 1-4 in Minneapolis and Saint Paul, Minnesota.
The Democrats
A mysticism of southern gentility exists in small towns in rural Alabama. Most of the townspeople are proud to call themselves Democrats.
They disagree with the national party on moral issues, but they put those differences aside. To them, government helps to find solutions. Government is a solution.
Bob Lake, a former Moundville mayor, said that is the essence of a Southern Democrat.
"Government is help," Lake said. "Government is a friend."
While Lake said government is help, he said moving Alabama's primary earlier in the year did not help.
"It's a numerical game," Lake said. "Alabama has less than 15 percent of the delegates California has. We may get attention, but the state won't matter as much as he bigger states do."
Alabama had 60 delegates in the Democratic primary. That figure is 25th this year, because Florida and Michigan were stripped of all their delegates.Out of 22 contests on February 5, Alabama is the 13th in size of delegates.
Lake said the state is not going to hold a large hand in Denver, which is where the Democratic National Convention is going to be held this year. He said it is because the state splits its delegates almost evenly.
"The race isn't as close as people are making it out to be," he said.
Right now, Obama's campaign argues they deserve the nomination because they have the popular vote and have won more states. Obama is also ahead in delegates.
Clinton's campaign argues she is winning the states, like Ohio, that matter in November. She has an edge over Obama in super delegates.
Lake said the convention's decision is going to be fragile if one side does not cede before then.
Roy Hanner, Calhoun County Chairman of the Alabama Democratic Party, said the state is going to have a larger role in Denver than it did in February.
In February, Alabamans voted 56 percent for Obama, while 42 percent voted for Sen. Clinton.
"What's happening is every delegate is being sought after," Hanner said. "That includes delegates from Alabama."
Hanner said Alabama's role is dependent on how the state fits into the equation.
"We fuel Obama's fire," he said. "He says the people want him, and the people of Alabama voted for him. It's going to come down to the convention."
The Democratic National Convention is held in Denver, Colorado, this year. It takes place from August 25-28.
How well have you payed attention to the primary and caucus season?
Find out, by taking a quiz here. (Multimedia element)
Thursday, April 24, 2008
Alabama matters but why? - A News Analysis (Sidebar)
Do we really matter in this process? That is a question most Alabamans have wondered about since February 5.
Each primary or caucus that passes seems to become more important, especially in the Democratic race. Most estimates report Barack Obama has a lead of more than 100 delegates. He is leading in the popular vote, and he has won more states than his rival Hillary Clinton. But she has won the big states like Texas, New York and California, and those same estimates say she has the lead with super delegates.
So where does Alabama fit into the process? Legislators moved the primary from June to February to have more of a say, but it seems with the tight race, at least on Democratic side, voters in this state are lost in the mix.
Alabama does matter though. The state may not have the numbers of California, and the Democratic Party of Alabama may split its delegates on the borderline of even, but the state does have a say in the process.
And it says it helped Obama, at least in the popular vote, where he beat Clinton by nearly 80,000 votes. It is the case the Obama camp is making for his nomination: he knows how to win with the people, and that is what matters. It is that case he feels the super delegates should vote for if it comes to the convention--and it will.
The super delegates are a tricky bunch with a delicate matter. If they vote for Clinton, most Obama supporters will feel they have been robbed of the nomination. If they vote for Obama, a good number of Clinton supporters have said they will vote for McCain.
On the Republican side, things are more subtle. Alabamans voted for Mike Huckabee in February, and he dropped out of the race. John McCain is presumably the nominee for the Republicans, and he has to choose someone to join his ticket.
McCain is a moderate Republican, and he has problems with conservatives. They do not like him. They hated his immigration bill, and he is old. Those are problems, so he needs a conservative vice presidential nominee.
Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are good candidates. Romney captured most of the Midwest, and the South liked Huckabee.
Alabama voted for Huckabee while Romney finished a distant third in the state. Exit polls conducted by CNN saw most of the religious right voting for Huckabee, the core McCain has trouble persuading.
Huckabee pulled most of those numbers in every southern state. His conservative counterpart Romney struggled in the South with the conservatives. Most supporters and dissenters of Romney attributed it to his religion. He is a Mormon, and religion plays a strong role in who to vote for in the primaries and caucuses.
McCain needs a conservative running mate. Romney or Huckabee is suitable, but Huckabee would help McCain carry the South and Midwest easier than Romney would.
And where is Alabama in this mix? Oh, it is in there. It is right in the middle.
Each primary or caucus that passes seems to become more important, especially in the Democratic race. Most estimates report Barack Obama has a lead of more than 100 delegates. He is leading in the popular vote, and he has won more states than his rival Hillary Clinton. But she has won the big states like Texas, New York and California, and those same estimates say she has the lead with super delegates.
So where does Alabama fit into the process? Legislators moved the primary from June to February to have more of a say, but it seems with the tight race, at least on Democratic side, voters in this state are lost in the mix.
Alabama does matter though. The state may not have the numbers of California, and the Democratic Party of Alabama may split its delegates on the borderline of even, but the state does have a say in the process.
And it says it helped Obama, at least in the popular vote, where he beat Clinton by nearly 80,000 votes. It is the case the Obama camp is making for his nomination: he knows how to win with the people, and that is what matters. It is that case he feels the super delegates should vote for if it comes to the convention--and it will.
The super delegates are a tricky bunch with a delicate matter. If they vote for Clinton, most Obama supporters will feel they have been robbed of the nomination. If they vote for Obama, a good number of Clinton supporters have said they will vote for McCain.
On the Republican side, things are more subtle. Alabamans voted for Mike Huckabee in February, and he dropped out of the race. John McCain is presumably the nominee for the Republicans, and he has to choose someone to join his ticket.
McCain is a moderate Republican, and he has problems with conservatives. They do not like him. They hated his immigration bill, and he is old. Those are problems, so he needs a conservative vice presidential nominee.
Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are good candidates. Romney captured most of the Midwest, and the South liked Huckabee.
Alabama voted for Huckabee while Romney finished a distant third in the state. Exit polls conducted by CNN saw most of the religious right voting for Huckabee, the core McCain has trouble persuading.
Huckabee pulled most of those numbers in every southern state. His conservative counterpart Romney struggled in the South with the conservatives. Most supporters and dissenters of Romney attributed it to his religion. He is a Mormon, and religion plays a strong role in who to vote for in the primaries and caucuses.
McCain needs a conservative running mate. Romney or Huckabee is suitable, but Huckabee would help McCain carry the South and Midwest easier than Romney would.
And where is Alabama in this mix? Oh, it is in there. It is right in the middle.
Web Links
The Democratic Party Delegate Map
This page shows a national time line for delegates and how to become a delegate. At the top of the page is an interactive map, which displays each state's delegate count, web links to state conventions and state plans.
Republicans Delegates by State (pdf)
This file explains the participation rules of the RNC. On page 33, it details each states' delegate count.
CNN's Election Center 2008
CNN.com hosts a comprehensive website about the primaries. It has the latest information about the campaign trail along with election results and campaign finance. Elections 101 gives a detailed path from declaring candidacy to the White House.
The Washington Post's Coverage of 2008 Presidential Primaries
The Washington Post follows each candidate on the campaign trial. Users can find out which candidate is close to their ideology and pick the next president using the electoral college.
Democratic National Convention
The DNC holds its convention in Denver, Colorado, this year. The dates for it are August 25 through 28.
Republican National Convention
The RNC convenes in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota, September 1-4. John McCain is the presumed Republican nominee. During this convention, it is expected he will name is running mate.
Flowers: Alabama trying to have an impact on presidential process
Steve Flowers wrote a 2007 editorial that ran in The Piedmont Journal. It gives the history of selecting nominees and discusses the implications of Alabama moving its primary to February 5.
John McCain's campaign website
John McCain's website is a portal of how to get involved in his campaign, read about his stance on important issues and look up local events he'll be involved in your area.
Barack Obama's campaign website
Barack Obama's website is a focal point in his campaign with blogs, videos and photos. Users can learn about Obama, read past speeches or find his position on numerous issues.
Hillary Clinton's campaign website
Hillary Clinton's website allows users to create blogs, watch television ads online and get involved in her campaign.
This page shows a national time line for delegates and how to become a delegate. At the top of the page is an interactive map, which displays each state's delegate count, web links to state conventions and state plans.
Republicans Delegates by State (pdf)
This file explains the participation rules of the RNC. On page 33, it details each states' delegate count.
CNN's Election Center 2008
CNN.com hosts a comprehensive website about the primaries. It has the latest information about the campaign trail along with election results and campaign finance. Elections 101 gives a detailed path from declaring candidacy to the White House.
The Washington Post's Coverage of 2008 Presidential Primaries
The Washington Post follows each candidate on the campaign trial. Users can find out which candidate is close to their ideology and pick the next president using the electoral college.
Democratic National Convention
The DNC holds its convention in Denver, Colorado, this year. The dates for it are August 25 through 28.
Republican National Convention
The RNC convenes in Minneapolis/Saint Paul, Minnesota, September 1-4. John McCain is the presumed Republican nominee. During this convention, it is expected he will name is running mate.
Flowers: Alabama trying to have an impact on presidential process
Steve Flowers wrote a 2007 editorial that ran in The Piedmont Journal. It gives the history of selecting nominees and discusses the implications of Alabama moving its primary to February 5.
John McCain's campaign website
John McCain's website is a portal of how to get involved in his campaign, read about his stance on important issues and look up local events he'll be involved in your area.
Barack Obama's campaign website
Barack Obama's website is a focal point in his campaign with blogs, videos and photos. Users can learn about Obama, read past speeches or find his position on numerous issues.
Hillary Clinton's campaign website
Hillary Clinton's website allows users to create blogs, watch television ads online and get involved in her campaign.
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Super Tuesday in Alabama
When Alabama's legislature moved the primary from June to February, they had one thing in mind: helping Alabamans have more of a say in who their party nominates.
In previous elections, the presidential nominee was decided long before the state's primary.
Most voters I spoke with said Alabama is still not a major force in the nomination scene. Bob Lake, who is Executive Director of the West Alabama Regional Commission, said one of the reasons Alabama lags behind other states is because the state splits its delegates.
"It's a numerical game," Lake said. "We don't have the impact of California."
California has 441 Democratic delegates and 173 Republican delegates compared to Alabama's 60 Democratic and 48 Republican.
Like many other voters, Lake said the economy was the top priority on his mind.
"All I know is I'm 64, and I had the best eight years of my life under Bill Clinton," he said. "I voted Hillary [Clinton] because if she's going to bring back some of Bill's policies then I'm in good shape."
Lake said while he voted for Clinton he wasn't too excited about any of the candidates this year.
"We need to look at these candidates and ask ourselves if these candidates are the best our country could come up with," he said. "I don't think they are."
Those sentiments were echoed through each conversation.
Sherry Rose, a volunteer at the Moundville precinct, said many voters weren't sure on which ticket or candidate to vote for.
"We've had people come in and ask to see the sheets," Rose said.
She said some were confused about the positions of the candidates, while others switched between the tickets every few minutes.
She said even though people were confused, turnout was higher than they expected.
Carol Sims, a local resident, said she was surprised the turnout wasn't larger given the emphasis the state has seen from candidates.
Sims said the war in Iraq is one of the main issues she looks at in each campaign.
"If we can get out of there then everything else will fall into place," she said.
By the time the trains rolled through town, which is usually in the late afternoon, nearly 500 votes were cast. Sixty-one percent of those were for the Democrats. In the 2004 general election, 1,300 voters showed up at the precinct.
Officials felt confident they would be able to reach that amount. They said the higher morning turnout might lead to a slower night though since severe weather is expected in the area.
In previous elections, the presidential nominee was decided long before the state's primary.
Most voters I spoke with said Alabama is still not a major force in the nomination scene. Bob Lake, who is Executive Director of the West Alabama Regional Commission, said one of the reasons Alabama lags behind other states is because the state splits its delegates.
"It's a numerical game," Lake said. "We don't have the impact of California."
California has 441 Democratic delegates and 173 Republican delegates compared to Alabama's 60 Democratic and 48 Republican.
Like many other voters, Lake said the economy was the top priority on his mind.
"All I know is I'm 64, and I had the best eight years of my life under Bill Clinton," he said. "I voted Hillary [Clinton] because if she's going to bring back some of Bill's policies then I'm in good shape."
Lake said while he voted for Clinton he wasn't too excited about any of the candidates this year.
"We need to look at these candidates and ask ourselves if these candidates are the best our country could come up with," he said. "I don't think they are."
Those sentiments were echoed through each conversation.
Sherry Rose, a volunteer at the Moundville precinct, said many voters weren't sure on which ticket or candidate to vote for.
"We've had people come in and ask to see the sheets," Rose said.
She said some were confused about the positions of the candidates, while others switched between the tickets every few minutes.
She said even though people were confused, turnout was higher than they expected.
Carol Sims, a local resident, said she was surprised the turnout wasn't larger given the emphasis the state has seen from candidates.
Sims said the war in Iraq is one of the main issues she looks at in each campaign.
"If we can get out of there then everything else will fall into place," she said.
By the time the trains rolled through town, which is usually in the late afternoon, nearly 500 votes were cast. Sixty-one percent of those were for the Democrats. In the 2004 general election, 1,300 voters showed up at the precinct.
Officials felt confident they would be able to reach that amount. They said the higher morning turnout might lead to a slower night though since severe weather is expected in the area.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
A movement for change
Four decades ago an assassination tried to end a dream for millions of Americans. But the shooter failed to realize dreams are not made of flesh. They are ideas.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream visioned an America of hope and equality. His idea wasn't confined to one person but embodied a movement, a struggle for change.
That's what I looked for in the coverage of events. An article, or presentation, representing the change of America since his death.
Jim Kavanagh from CNN.com had that approach. He focused the first part of his article on the streets named after Martin Luther King. He answers the question of how these streets changed over the past 40 years and where they are headed in the future.
Then he focuses on exchanging the South's racist legacy for America's future.
It was a different take on the traditional MLK day story. It's raw. It shows America, and how we've progressed -- or haven't progressed. One video details the struggle of these boulevards across our nation. The photo to the left is from CNN.com. This street is located near Atlanta, Georgia.
The story is apart of a larger package, called The Road to Equality. On the right side of the page is a group of reporters. Through personal videos, they each talk about racial issues of today. They talk about MLK and what he's meant to them and their families.
The article is also interactive. Readers can send in photos of these boulevards in their hometown. As a reader, I feel more apart of this story than if it appeared in the newspaper or on television. I can have more of an impact in a shorter time. And that's what convergence is all about: change and interaction.
Martin Luther King Jr.'s dream visioned an America of hope and equality. His idea wasn't confined to one person but embodied a movement, a struggle for change.
That's what I looked for in the coverage of events. An article, or presentation, representing the change of America since his death.
Jim Kavanagh from CNN.com had that approach. He focused the first part of his article on the streets named after Martin Luther King. He answers the question of how these streets changed over the past 40 years and where they are headed in the future.
Then he focuses on exchanging the South's racist legacy for America's future.
It was a different take on the traditional MLK day story. It's raw. It shows America, and how we've progressed -- or haven't progressed. One video details the struggle of these boulevards across our nation. The photo to the left is from CNN.com. This street is located near Atlanta, Georgia.The story is apart of a larger package, called The Road to Equality. On the right side of the page is a group of reporters. Through personal videos, they each talk about racial issues of today. They talk about MLK and what he's meant to them and their families.
The article is also interactive. Readers can send in photos of these boulevards in their hometown. As a reader, I feel more apart of this story than if it appeared in the newspaper or on television. I can have more of an impact in a shorter time. And that's what convergence is all about: change and interaction.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
A lot can change in 70 years.
This week my JN 325 class visited the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library at the University of Alabama. In recent years, the library's primary focus is to display content online, from old Corolla yearbooks to an almost forgotten Working Lives series.
One of the more interesting digital collections is The University of Alabama Encyclopedia. It shows the university's history through photographs.
A photo of Bryant-Denny Stadium during the early 20th century stuck out on the page. It did not resemble the stadium I knew today. The student section I know now wasn't even a thought. No upper decks blocked the view of the sky. Back then, fans referred to the stadium as Denny Stadium. (It would be renamed Bryant-Denny Stadium in 1975.)
The stadium had roughly 20,000 to 30,000 seats. With talks about expanding the stadium further, it makes me realize how football and Alabama are deeply intertwined. It makes me realize a lot can change in 70 years.
The library has many other digital collections as well.
One of the more interesting digital collections is The University of Alabama Encyclopedia. It shows the university's history through photographs.
A photo of Bryant-Denny Stadium during the early 20th century stuck out on the page. It did not resemble the stadium I knew today. The student section I know now wasn't even a thought. No upper decks blocked the view of the sky. Back then, fans referred to the stadium as Denny Stadium. (It would be renamed Bryant-Denny Stadium in 1975.)The stadium had roughly 20,000 to 30,000 seats. With talks about expanding the stadium further, it makes me realize how football and Alabama are deeply intertwined. It makes me realize a lot can change in 70 years.
The library has many other digital collections as well.
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