Technology makes breaking news easy to report

In my Online Journalism course, I emphasize that one of the advantages of online media over print media is the ability to post news quickly and to update previous stories as new events unfold.
The advent of social media such as Twitter and Facebook has broadened the news-reporting process so that stories and photos are quickly available to various audiences.
Cell-phone cameras have made photojournalism more convenient, since journalists always have a camera with them now.
I used my mobile device last week while on a trip to Montana to take several photos that could be used as news or feature shots. I then uploaded them to my e-mail and also sent them to friends and family.
A fire broke out the morning after I arrived. (I am not a suspect). I walked downtown and shot several photos of the firefighting effort.
A few days later, I spotted a bassett hound with his head stuck in a catfood bag. The poor guy was running into fences and cars. I took a quick photo and then caught him and freed him from the bag. I hope he got a catfood snack for all his troubles.
Then we saw a Hutterite girl riding a horse across the prairie. She was dressed in a bonnet and a long dress with pants underneath. The scene was straight out of Little House on the Prairie, and I couldn't resist getting a photo of her.
The photos aren't as high resolution or in-focus as I would get with my old 35mm Nikon, but they work fine for publishing on the Web. And my mobile device is a lot easier to lug around.

Welcome to Laramie, Kristen

Those of you who read my posting of Nov. 13, 2009, may be wondering what happened to the COJO job search for a new faculty member.

It is my pleasure to announce that the search was successful, and we hired Kristen Landreville as a new assistant professor in new media starting fall semester.

Kristen is finishing her dissertation from the Ohio State University and is living in Columbus, Ohio. Her undergraduate degrees are from the University of Florida.

According to her Web site, Kristen's research involves "the intersection of mass and interpersonal communication on political and social outcomes, especially how uncertainty, emotion, and engagement in political entertainment (e.g., documentaries, satire) influence political discussion."

She has published research articles in such journals as Mass Communication and Society and Communication Quarterly.

Next fall, she is scheduled to teach Online Journalism and Politics and the Media.

To find out more about Kristen, check her Web site.