Sona Patel

I’m now trying to update two blogs at once.  It’s getting a little tiring, but I’ve never used blogs.mu before (group blogging software) so its been a fun ride.

We just finished our fourth day of class for the Maynard Program.  Today was non-stop learning, but at a good pace.  We started off with an extensive workshop on social media led by Susan Mernit, a former VP at Netscape and AOL and senior director of product development at Yahoo! Currently, she is a consultant to the Knight Foundation, working with the Knight News Challenge, a program that gives away $5 million annually.

Mernit talked about ways to attract people to your blog and gave some tips on marketing your blog.  We also talked about privacy, and the role privacy settings play in a reporter or editor’s choice to add sources to Facebook and Twitter.  It’s a moving target, but she essentially said that it’s good to make a social media networking policy so you’re upfront on who you will or will not add to Twitter and Facebook.

She brought up a good point, mainly because my news organization does not have a social media policy.  I hope to create one when I get back.  Does your news organization have a social media policy? If so, I’d love to hear about it.

I was browsing some of the front pages around the world on the Newseum’s Web site and came across our Inauguration edition in the archives. I loved the design. Here’s hoping we have the opportunity to do more of that in the future. Definitely turns the newspaper into a keepsake, in my opinion.

Ahh, the smell of casinos.  A couple Maynard fellows and I walked through downtown Reno this afternoon to get a taste of the city.  Not quite like Vegas, but definitely a place for hardcore gambling.  I was surprised to see a lot of vacant storefronts surrounded by newer condo complexes.  It made me wonder whether the city of Reno has a makeover in the works.  Nonetheless, it was fun checking out the cheesy souvenir shops, express wedding chapels and antique stores.  I didn’t play any Blackjack or craps today.  I don’t plan on gambling, but some of those slot machines looked pretty tempting.

The results were announced awhile ago, but I had to mention it on my blog.  The Tribune won several awards in the 2009 Associated Press California/Nevada journalism contest.  Environmental reporter David Sneed and I took first place in Business Writing in our circulation category for a three-day series we co-wrote on the collapse of the fishing industry in Morro Bay.  Dave focused mainly on environmental issues whereas my stories circled around how the city’s economy suffered as a result of the decline of the fishing industry.

I also compared the seaside town of Morro Bay to the Northern California city of Eureka, which also suffered financially in the wake of the decline.

Hooray for The Tribune … and a hearty congratulations to all of the other winners!

In two days I’ll be in Reno, getting ready to experience what other journalists have told me will be a truly life-changing experience.

I was recently selected as one of 12 fellows to attend the Maynard Multimedia Editing Program June 1 to July 10 at the University of Nevada.

I found out about the program well after the selection committee opened the application period.  I didn’t think my editors would give me six weeks off work to attend, however I figured it was worth a shot.  I applied and received a call from Dori Maynard, president and CEO of the Maynard Institute, telling me that I was a good fit for the program considering my potential of becoming The Tribune’s next Online Editor.

After receiving an informal offer for the fellowship, I still hesitated since I’d have to take unpaid time off to attend.  And since I completed twi fellowships last year, I didn’t know if I would learn anything different during the Maynard program. But after reading a former fellow’s blog and checking out the curriculum, I truly felt that it would be one of those experiences I wouldn’t regret. I also strongly believe that you can never be an expert on a particular subject no matter how much training you’ve had.

I was also compelled by the story of Robert C. Maynard and his commitment to expanding opportunities for minority journalists at newspapers across the nation.

Maynard was the co-founder of the Institute for Journalism Education.  In the past 25 years, the organization has trained hundreds of America’s journalists of color, more than any other organization.

In December 1993, following Maynard’s death, the Institute was renamed the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism Education.

According to the Maynard Web site, Robert C. Maynard was a board member of journalism’s most prestigious organizations including the Pulitzer Prize, The Associated Press, and the American Society of Newspaper Editors. It was his lobbying in the 1970s that nudged the ASNE to adopt the goal of diversifying America’s newsrooms by the year 2000.

While newsrooms have made strides in diversifying their workforces, more must be done, especially at a time when news organizations across the world are focusing on staying afloat and cutting costs while maintaining a sense of strong journalism. Still, newsroom leaders cannot undermine the importance of diversifying their staff.  And diversity isn’t just black and white.  It’s about using several perspectives to plan news coverage that fits the needs of the community.  It’s about valuing diversity and making the print and online product a tool which is valued across the community.

One of the things I hope to learn from the Maynard program is not only the copy editing and multimedia skills necessary to be a good storyteller, but how to cover topics that appeal to a wider range of readers in our (The Tribune’s) demographic.

As an aside, I have to mention another pioneer in the industry who helped push for more minorities in newsroom: John C. “Chipps” Quinn.

Quinn was a newspaper editor and journalist who valued diversity.  When he died at the age of 34, his family could think of no better way to honor and remember Chips than a program to encourage newsroom diversity.

The program began in 1991. Since then, more than 1,000 journalists of color have been Scholars during daily newspaper newsroom internships. I was lucky enought to be selected as a Chips Quinn Scholar in May 2006 and was placed as an intern at The Tribune. I’ve been at the paper ever since.

So, to the Maynard Institute and the Chips Quinn Scholars program: Thank you for empowering me to be a better person — and a better journalist.

Former SLO County DA investigator Larry Hobson talks about the Rex Krebs case. The video interview of Hobson was shot using a Sony HDV 1080i and a 10″ clamp light. The piece was edited in Final Cut Express. It was featured in a special section that I created for a series of stories that ran in the newspaper.

Hobson talks about taking Krebs to the scene of the crime. The video includes video footage shot by investigators with the DA’s office. The original footage was converted from VHS to DVD. The video interview of Hobson was shot using a Sony HDV 1080i and a 10″ clamp light. The piece was edited in Final Cut Express. It was featured in a special section that I created for a series of stories that ran in the newspaper.

The Tribune/SanLuisObispo.com did a series in May 2009 on Rex Krebs, a former San Luis Obispo County resident who murdered two San Luis Obispo college students. I interviewed former DA investigator Larry Hobson about the case and how he got Krebs to confess. The video includes photos from the case and footage from the interrogation. The video interview of Hobson was shot using a Sony HDV 1080i and a 10″ clamp light. The piece was edited in Final Cut Express. It was featured in a special section that I created for a series of stories that ran in the newspaper.

One of my duties as a Web producer is to shoot breaking news video. My main duty is to get the story for print and online, but I always make sure to have my video camera in my car. Unfortunately I didn’t have a tripod, so I used some of the techniques I learned in the video classes I’ve taken. The video was shot using a handheld Sony DCR-SR42 30GB Hard Disk Drive camera. The video was edited in Adobe Premiere.

When our crime and courts reporter told me last week that an infamous murder trial was set to begin on March 6, I immediately thought it would be a great opportunity for us to try a live Tweet.  She agreed so we set her up on a laptop and had her Twittering from inside the courtroom.  The murder trial began with opening statements from prosecutors and followed with testimonies from several witnesses. The trial is for a Cayucos man accused of killing his grandmother, stuffing her body into a suitcase and dumping it off a cliff somewhere near Ragged Point. I’ll spare you with the gruesome details, however, you can read them on our Twitter page to see how our reporter handled the case. Our experiment was a success and I hope to do more live Tweets in the future. And to all you Tweeters out there, be sure to follow @slotribune for breaking news updates throughout the day.