Professional reporter encourages linking sites and video interviewing

Christoph Trappe did a guest lecture in my class today on convergence media and posted a quick story on my Mickey Mouse ears. (CLICK HERE)

He discussed the new structure of media at Gazette Communications and his career path.  When he left reporting he had been writer.  On his return he is now a video producer, writer, photographer, and Web publisher.  Gazette Communication now expects all of their reporters to go through training on all of these phases of journalism.

His tips to students included recording all their interviews on Flip Video cameras, making edited videos for stories, connecting their Web stories to sites like EasternIowaSchools.com who will publish links to high school Web sites.  Their motto is one that encourages student journalists and community members to use their site.

“It’s free.  It’s easy.”

The editors of The Little Hawk decided not to place full stories, but links to www.thelittlehawk.com to promote traffic.

At the end of the class more students began to ask questions about the death of newspapers.  Many of the staff members fear the end of the actual paper at school.  Trappe said it could happen, but not for a while and pushed them to try all of the new digital media techniques of reporting, while continuing to publish in print.