The domino effect of online comments

By Ashley Crockett

Navigating the often harsh world of online comments can be like watching a train crash — you don’t want to see it, but you can’t look away as the sparks fly.
Thanks to the anonymity available on the Internet, anyone — from gas station attendants to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies — can hide behind a computer screen and comment about anything, in any way they want.
Could this system of expression be driving away potential sources for reporters?
Alex Schmidt, a freelance reporter and producer working for NPR, Spot.Us and other outlets, thinks so. She’s dealt directly with what she calls “broken commenting,” so-called because of the negative impact it has on her ability to do future reporting in certain areas.

Programming, the newest addition to journalists’ essential toolkit

By Ashley Crockett

The ever-expanding journalist toolkit just got a new addition: programming. This one word actually lumps together several things, such as data coding and proficiency in multiple Adobe programs.

The importance of a single reporter knowing how to write, film, and photograph is still settling in as an expected part of journalism, and right on its heels is the growing necessity to know how to present the finished products. For a journalist to be competitive, it really isn’t enough anymore to just report the news.