News Story

While in Cincinnati, I attended three, unintentionally all technology related.

First, I heard from Jason Latta and Michael McCarter talk about the possible uses of emerging virtual reality technologies in the newsroom. We not only discussed the technologies of it, but also the ways newsrooms are using 360-degree video and how they will utilize virtual reality when it becomes more mainstream for consumers — probably in the next three to five years, Latta said.

What I took from this:

It would be possible to make infographics into something that could be displayed through virtual reality, and that absolutely blew my mind.

In the second session, I learned about a couple of cool Google tools from Holly Edgell. We talked about getting story ideas from Google Trends, which provides charts of common searches and curated search questions in Google.

We also talked about Google’s My Maps feature, which allows you to make interactive maps to go along with stories online. Here’s a quick example that would have taken me somewhere around half an hour to make in Photoshop (and wouldn’t be interactive) but took a mere five minutes to make with Google.

What I took from this:

Google is truly the most valuable company in existence and not only can make content better, but it can help in generating story ideas.

In my final session of the day, I got to touch a drone. We learned a lot about drones and saw some cool footage taken with drones. However, with high winds that day, we were unable to fly them. Our instructor, Brandon Ballenger, let us pass the drone around, though, and I got a photo with it.

What I took from this:

Drone laws are changing and different depending on the area you are in and the state you are in. Just know the rules before you fly!

While attending the Society of Professional Journalists’ regional conference in Cincinnati April 2, I decided to attend the session “The New Fix: Covering Heroin in New Ways.”

I was drawn to this seminar because of the increased coverage of the opioid epidemic in Indiana, and because Sara Wittmeyer of Indiana Public Media was a panelist. Wittmeyer was there in conjunction with her latest documentary project, “Finding the Fix: Heroin’s Hold on the Heartland.”

Wittmeyer was joined on the panel by two students from Eastern Kentucky University who had written stories about heroin and its impact on their community. I thought that these students and Wittmeyer could combine their unique perspectives to show how student journalists in Indiana can better cover heroin in light of the state’s current crisis.

Here are some key takeaways from the breakout session:

• Look for the “why.” Although the panelists were from all over the Midwest, they all agreed many heroin users start out with a dependence on painkillers or opioids. That understanding is an important reference point to explain to readers where the problem has its roots.
• Be patient with your sources. Wittmeyer said she and her team spent a year on their new documentary, but they did not film interviews with their subjects current heroin users until the last six weeks. She said that time was important in cultivating her relationships with her sources, so by the time she asked them to be interviewed, they felt safe and comfortable with her.
• Don’t be afraid of naysayers. From Wittmeyer’s perspective, one of the problems in the Hoosier state was people did not want to accept the state had a problem with heroin and opioid use. But when more and more users fit into the white suburbanite demographic, people started to take notice. “[People thought,] ‘We don’t want to lock these people up,’” Wittmeyer said, “so we’re talking about it now.”