Fulfilling the mission

The mission of the Pine Tree Watchdog:

Mission: The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting will keep citizens informed about their government and their public servants through high-quality, independent investigative reporting that is published by media outlets across the state.

Then the question is, does it fulfill the mission?

The stories on the website include stories about Wind Power and the way residents feel about it; Pharmacist drug abuse; and even Lepage-Cain financial disclosure.

As far as I can see, Watchdog does its job. Every story I scroll through is about Maine's citizens and their government or issues within the state. There are stories about local people that are doing crimes throughout the state, but there are also stories where the citizens get an active chance to voice their opinions. Does it fulfill its mission? I think so. The stories seem to be well-thought out and in-depth. Though I don't know where the first part to the pharmaceutical story went. I would like to read Part 1.    

About Us - my company's statements

My professor recommended that we each practice with mission statements and visions for our companies. This blog is practice for that.

At the Pine Tree Watchdog, the About Us page has some helpful information. It all starts with Vision.

Vision: The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting will fulfill the responsibility of a free press in the American democracy by looking beneath the surface of Maine government and writing clearly and without fear or favor about what it discovers.

News in Comics, Vision: The Morning Glory Company will fulfill the responsibility of connecting the American society with a form of comic-book journalism by reporting local, national, and international stories with dialogue, captions, and illustrated, painted, or photographed images to tell the news in a new way.

Mission: The Maine Center for Public Interest Reporting will keep citizens informed about their government and their public servants through high-quality, independent investigative reporting that is published by media outlets across the state.

News in Comics, Mission: The Morning Glory Company will keep citizens informed about their societies and big happenings around the world through high-quality, collaborative reporting between artists, reporters, and editors that is published online and is printed at different news outlets throughout the United States. 

News in Comics - My reviews about everyone's reviews

My PowerPoint pitch, which we all know by now, is News in Comics.

People had really helpful feedback for me.

The font was too small. It seemed kind of busy. There was no clear definition of how I would make money. Slide 9 was kinda wacky. Slide 6 wouldn't show up for someone. 

All very valid points. I did my best to fix them and be more transparent.

I also liked the feedback on individual slides. I think that made it easier to go back and quickly edit, though I ended up spending more time on each slide, anyway. You know when you finish a project, and you get that sensation of relief because you're all done? And then you realize you want to add something else, so you go back and you tinker. The next thing you know, another hour is gone, and you just can't believe how much better your project is and how much time you spent on it all at once!?

That's pretty much how every project goes for me. Even this blog post. What I'm typing right now is actually an insert that was not part of the original. Shh...

If you would so enjoy seeing me silly presentation, here it is! 

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uunga0nytjynqqh/Hall_NewsinComics.pptx

PowerPoint Pitch reviews part 4

See the News:

Pros:

• I like the black and white theme. It reminds me of dark rooms and old photographs. Very appropriate for the topic.
• How many pictures were you thinking of having for each story?
• Good concept.

Cons: 

• I almost think you jumped in a little too early into the problems. I would've enjoyed a larger scope before you put me into that position. I also would've liked to know more about the product. Print/online/mobile…Will you ever sell the original photographs for extra revenue?
• How does it save news gatherers time? I definitely see how it saves everyone else time. 
• What are you asking me to invest, and how much of a return do I get on it?

Good job overall! 

PowerPoint Pitch Reviews part 3

Well Now: 

Pros:

• I love the way it is defined clearly at the beginning of slide 1.
• I also love the clarity of audience. 
• Slide 4 is really powerful because it defines the problem clearly and offers a solution.
• I like the constant color theme. Very clear.

Cons:

• On slide 5, it says it's going to be on a website. Maybe just more clearly define that you want it to  be an online collection until you can get it in print. State intentions clearly when it comes to presentation of the product to its consumers.

Nothing else, nice presentation. Very professional!

Unblocked Writers:

Pros:

• Nice title and general theme. I like the sunscreen. 
• I love the included audio caption. How did you do that?
• I like that you compare the website to Aderall, though I'm not sure it's necessary to get the point across. 
• I like the way your audio is much more elaborate than your slides. 
• I love slide 10. Powerful words.

Cons:

• Slides could be a little more detailed. Maybe use some graphics or statistics?
• Maybe make word font a little bigger.
• You could make the word slides a little bit more word-detailed, as well. I love how the audio is more complex, but I think you could vamp it just a bit. You want to attract people. You're building a website. So show me what you can do!

Storytelling Ads

Storytelling ads.

Some think it could be the end of journalism. I think newspapers and online mags are concerned that they're not transparent enough about what they are. All the ones I've seen lately have said ADVERTISING on the top of the ad. I think it was a few years ago when I was reading a magazine and I got confused about one of the ads being a story, but since that incident, I can't think of any recent issues I've had with it.

Personally, I don't think I have a problem with a native content or paid content ad. I do ask two things though.

       1) I want it to be clear that it is an ad. I want it to be dictated on the top of the ad that it is an ad, not    
           on the bottom. And I want the ad to be truthful. IF the product really does do a service for  
           people, fine. Explain that. Be a good advertiser.
     
        2) But if you want your ad to look like a news story, you better be darn clear with my readers if
            your product has a problem. 'Cause I ain't playin' those games.
     

When Terry Williams came to visit

Terry Williams came to visit our class last Monday. 

He was pretty cool. 

I found his presentation to be captivating and easy to follow. Here's why:

1. Mr. Terrance Williams conducted himself well. He came in as a businessman and left as a businessman. He was down-to-earth, and yet, he was very much about his papers and his journalistic career. 
2. He started his presentation with a question: Why are filthy rich men buying newspapers? Until he'd posed the question, I hadn't thought much about it. Well of course rich men are going to buy something that seems outdated. Of course they're going to try to put the "hip" in hipster. It's almost what old men are known for. You drive out to Las Vegas, it ain't a whole bunch of young folk rolling around in Lamborghini's. Not only did Williams pose the question, he also answered it. Partially for vanity. And also, it's got a big audience. 
3. Williams also answered audience. How is it growing? Because of tablets, not print. And not only that, but there are new revenue categories in the business as well: print, brand businesses, digital, social media, native content and advertising, events, leveraging a new business culture. Alas! There is hope! 
4. He talked about PayWalls. Which is kind of a big deal for how newspapers make money these days. 
5. To make extra revenue, newspapers can sponsor local speakers, debates, film festivals, crime sites, and live stream news reports. 

Mr. Williams made me think about news-business generalities. I took away all the different ways a newspaper can succeed in these changing times. I took away hope.