When does “Mobile Journalism” become “Journalism?”

Photo via AustinMann.com

By A.J. Feather

We hear about mobile journalism a lot at the Missouri School of Journalism.  It seems almost every month someone has figured out how to capture a moment better with their smartphone than a DSLR or dedicated audio recorder.  It is also moving into the media. An article in Wired last month ventured to explain “How the Smartphone Ushered In a Golden Age of Journalism.” Judd Slivka, a professor of Convergence Journalism here at MU, argues ‘”Mobile journalism” is a ridiculous title, like “camera journalism.”’ He says the equipment does not determine what good journalism is. Good journalism is good journalism regardless of the means we use to produce it.

Live Event Blog: Transmedia and Visual Storytelling

By Maria Davison

We're excited to get started with Dan Archer's talk on transmedia and visual storytelling, but you still have a few minutes to join us in RJI 100A.

After a few technical difficulties, we're finally getting started! He's telling us a little bit about himself. He's a graphic journalist focusing on transmedia, and he'll be speaking at the ONA conference next week. He's going to tell us about his journey to his current work and dispel some mistaken ideas about using cartoons as journalism.

Cartoons as News: A Different Approach to Journalism

From Flickr User Daniel Carvalho

By Maria Davison

We’re looking forward to hearing what RJI Fellow Dan Archer has to say about telling stories in new and interesting ways at our event on Thursday, Sept. 18. In the past, Archer’s has covered issues like human trafficking in Nepal, but in a comic strip format. While cartoons often aren’t automatically thought of as journalism, several journalists are using this platform to explore complex topics around the world.

Here’s a look at some other uses of cartooning to tell stories gathered through investigative reporting:

Transforming the Comics Section: Dan Archer Illustrates the News

By Kara Tabor

Wikimedia Commons image from user Emuzesto

When thinking about visual media, the formats that probably readily come to mind are photography, video and infographics. Tried and true, multitudes of journalists have used these media as the default go-tos when trying to add dimension or boost the power of a story as a whole.

But rather than the text of A1 or the video packages at the top of the hour
having the most compelling story of the day, what if it was the images in the Sunday cartoons instead?