Journalist begins multimedia journey as Kent State University graduate student

   Multimedia technology has been a game-changer in the world of journalism.
   Long gone are the days of typewriters, beat reporters, photographers, and even editors. In 2016, reporters must also be photographers, videographers, writers, editors, social media gurus - all rolled into one.
   As editor of three daily newspapers in southern Ohio and western West Virginia, I hope to teach my staff to become multimedia specialists to enhance their storytelling skills, as well as increase their job marketability.
   Consider two multimedia presentations on the Internet - one by The New York Times and another by the Los Angeles Times.

Screen shot of "Snow Fall" by The New York Times.

   The New York Times project titled, "Snow Fall: The Avalanche at Tunnel Creek" incorporates video, interactive maps, animation and photo slide-shows that enriches the reading experience. "Snow Fall" tells the story of skiers and snowboarders trapped beneath an avalanche in Washington's Cascade Mountains.
   I want to be able to tell stories like The New York Times did with "Snow Fall." By taking this Teaching Multimedia graduate-level course at Kent State University, I hope to use what I will learn and take a huge step toward that goal, not only with my own staff, but young journalism students at the college level.
   The Los Angeles Times piece titled, "Audio slide show: A boy's struggles" is a much simpler storytelling format, but no less impactful. The photography and audio captured by Liz O. Baylen tells the story, in a little more than five minutes, of a boy disclosing a sexual assault by a pedophile school employee.
   I believe audio and photographs in a slide-show format are just as effective as video when it comes to telling our stories in multiple formats. It's not as involved as "Snow Fall," but it still does the job - and it's much quicker. This is something students and young journalists should be able to do rather easily.