A new tool that will enable journalists to illustrate multimedia stories over time and locations using Google maps is to launch in around a month’s time. Meograph will also enable journalists to integrate multimedia content, such as YouTube videos or images and link to extra context such as articles or galleries on other website. The graphic moves through a series of created moments through a timeline and uses Google maps to show the geographical journey, assisted by audio narrations uploaded by the user. The platform, which is due to be launched publicly in around a month, is the brainchild of Misha Leybovich. He said the ability to add extra context to a given “moment”, such as by linking to a news article, a gallery, a full video or a wikipedia article, will offers a choice on the viewing experience. He added that he sees the platform being equally useful in breaking news situations, or to show the journey of a past event or story. Added features are due to be added to the platform in the coming weeks, including the ability to embed the final Meograph and search for other projects by location or time. The technology will be free to use, with the platform looking at “some sort of ad-support” and possibly video pre-roll adverts and “some sort of premium plans”.
JournaJobs.eu: a new platform for quality journalism
The European Journalism Centre (EJC) is launching the new online platform JournaJobs.eu in order to meet the demand for a centralised, international, multi-lingual, and comprehensive professional journalism jobs listing page that offers permanent positions as well as temporary work, freelance assignments, and journalism internships.
JournaJobs.eu counteracts the fragmentation of the job market for journalists. It meets the challenge of bringing together professionals looking for employment with the various organisations offering it. Perhaps even more importantly, JournaJobs.eu opens up and boosts the freelance journalism market by facilitating appropriate matches between commissioning editors and precisely those freelancers who are best qualified to report on a given story, or who are closest to the location of breaking news. Last, but not least, it meets the increasing demand for cross-border journalism in order to keep up with European integration as well as globalisation.
JournaJobs.eu is curated in order to remain attractive and easily usable. It does not flood users with irrelevant information, but keeps key information at their fingertips at all times. As a virtual barometer of the journalistic trade, it is an attractive destination even outside specific job-hunting activities. For the users’ convenience, JournaJobs.eu offers RSS and Twitter feeds, as well as Facebook integration.
JournaJobs.eu is a pro-bono project launched and underwritten by the European Journalism Centre (EJC), an independent international foundation that supports journalists and journalism. The EJC is a neutral, yet trusted partner of the entire journalism community, i.e., of news organisations and individual professionals alike. In such a way, JournaJobs.eu embraces journalism career opportunities irrespective of the particular interest of any individual publishing company, public service or commercial broadcaster, or firm or NGO in need of qualified journalistic work.
Even though JournaJobs.eu is a not-for-profit venture and job seekers can use the website free of charge, postings of job offers come at a modest fee. This price is primarily a mechanism to help ensure that offers are legitimate and well prepared. However, proceeds will be donated to charitable organisations in the journalism sector – as per the choice of the person posting the advert.
Guidelines for best practices in reporting about minorities:
1. Respect others with regards to gender, ethnicity, level of education, age, and religious, sexual or political orientation
2. Add details such as level of education, age, and ethnicity, religious, sexual or political orientation only when relevant in the context
3. Ask interviewees how they want to be presented and respect their wish in your report
4. Avoid sensationalism based on stereotypes and prejudices
5. Identify your own stereotypes and prejudices and make sure they do not affect your reporting
6. Choose a neutral style when using information from other sources
7. Use balanced arguments and avoid words conveying negative or positive discrimination
8. Don’t let your personal experience influence you when reporting about a minority, because it is irrelevant
9. Give the same attention to all parties involved in the topic
10. Include representatives of minorities among your sources
11. Beware of the fact that there may be cultural obstacles between you and your subject matter that might block the access to information
12. Correct grammatical errors in quotes, if they put your sources in a bad light
13. Report with the strong will to create bridges of understanding between social categories, human groups and individuals
14. Write about a Roma, as you would write about someone close to you
15. Look for facts and logical explanations and not for culprits
16. Crime and poverty do not have any ethnical colour, but they could have some systemical explanations. Dig deep inside the system.
