NewsHub

Debate ‘08 Coverage

Report
The Hofstra Online Journalism Volunteers
Participate in a
Real-time, Web-based News Gathering
and Publishing/Social Networking
Operation
October 15, 2008
Debate ‘08
A Hybrid Media Production
Using a workflow model developed by Assistant
Professor Mo Krochmal,
Students produced a 12.5-hour multimedia
news operation (8 a.m. -12:30 a.m.)
In the Hofstra University School of
Communication
 Mo Krochmal
• Originally, a print journalist who
converted to the web in 1994, this
model was created by Krochmal, who
tested each model by producing
content first solo and then rolling out
for student use. It’s not print, not
broadcast, but web.
• Planning for this event occurred over a
period of eight months, and the launch
was made complicated by security
concerns and the large pool of student
 A.M. Schedule
• The operation was divided into three
day parts, or sections, relevant to the
type of events being covered.
• Early in the day, the work was to load
up a schedule of events, and
distribute and track the students who
were reporting that event. The
students had a selection of tools to
report with, including still and video
photography, audio, and live remote
web cameras.
 Convergence
• Recent economic events may mark this
exercise as perhaps one of the last
efforts made available by the wide
selection of free web-based software
tools and services some call web 2.0.
• Many of these services are operating on
a growth model, offering their
technology gratis as they seed a pool of
loyal users.
• We took advantage of a large array of
these early-stage applications to
produce a unique newscast combining
 Mid-Day
Assignments were tracked and new assignments were
added and production began for the next segment.
The assignments were posted onto NassauNewsas they
were completed. Professor Krochmal produced the
posts initially and trained students almost literally on
the fly to run positions. JRNL10 students, who are
participating in the assignment desk training, ran the
day-time assignment desk and also wrote news pieces
detailing the coverage of the day in mainstream
media.
Another team of students, led by journalism graduate
student Tim Robertson (Blogger), and JRNL80 students
Kelly Glista a(Vlogger) and Jillian Sorgini(Managing
Editor), began producing the evening programming
show by selecting and writing background news text
and selecting videos of the day’s reports.
Schedule, Jobs
 Pre-Game
• The live programming required a
reloading of the Nassau News content
management system, to include a rich-
media web-based free application,
CoverItLive.com, the fourth instance of
the use of this service since December
2007.
• As had been done in May, 2008, the CIL
service was blended with a free video
streaming service, Mogulus.com, for the
studio streamcast and Ustream.tv for
 Game On
• When the debate began, the streamcast shifted to a
more text presentation, with no narrator on
Mogulus.com and a live-blogging operation with
collaborative reporters from Arizona State University,
and nearby Adelphi University as well as Hofstra
alumni and students.
• This operation was fueled by a combination of
resources:
– Students actively Twittered (microblog and social media)
on their own accounts, including live Twittering the event
from inside the debate hall as well as an official live
Twitter blog.
– CoveritLive was seeded by invitations to a number of
universities to join in the live audience submitting
comments.
– JRNL80 students prepared briefing papers on more than
30 domestic and economic policy issues that the
 Post Game
• After the debate, the operation
continued, shifting to live video
streaming, originally planned to
begin with analysis, and then
debriefing reports from students who
were within the debate hall, but
unable to communicate reports due
to security rules.
 Issues
• Personnel
-- University debate operations took a large number of
student reporters and producers out of the pool of
availability, and school regulations deemed any other
participation to voluntary basis.
– Participation was enthusiastic with some staying from
start to finish.
• The Professor as Bottleneck – To many things to do to
put it on.
– Overcome by on-the-fly delegating, training. Asset for
next production.
• An Enthusiastic but Inexperienced Group
– Overcome by on-the-fly delegating, training. Now,
experienced
• Stamina
– Overcome by bad coffee, weenies, and chocolate.
 Content
• In the period from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m.,
students produced:
• 43 separate original and edited news
posts on Nassau News, ranging from
slideshows, to taped video reports, text
articles, and audio, all reported via a
number of technologies, including
rudimentary mobile distribution
technology;
• And, over six hours of live video
 Reach
• From Oct. 13-Oct. 17, site attracted 637 visitors (70 percent new)
from 20 countries, a milestone. Some 242 visitors came from
Hofstra. 122 came from Germany.
• The site logs list visitors from the University of Arizona, Arizona
State, Penn State, George Washington University, University of
Florida, Stony Brook, Rider University, Pratt Institute, Ocean State,
New York City Public Schools, National Institutes of Health, CW
Post, California State, Cal-Santa Cruz, University of New
Hampshire, New York University, Northeastern University,
Assumption College, Columbia University, and Amherst.
• Media Organizations on the logs include: WGBH, WYNC, South
Hampton Press, Hearst, Fox/T3 Secaucus, Emmis Communications,
Crocker Communications, Disney, Advance Publications, Hachette
Filipacchi, Cox Communications, Jobson Publishing, Scranton
Times, and CBS.
• Non Internet-provider Businesses visiting included: Perot Systems,
Bayer, Canon USA, Daimler, Ford Motor Company, First Financial of
Maryland Federal, JP Morgan Chase, Nabisco, Rubie’s Costumes,
and United States Postal Service.
• 59 visits from Facebook, 10 from Twitter.
 Geography
• 748 visitors from the US.
• 102 Germany
• 7 Canada
• 5 UK
• 3 Netherlands
• 2 Bahamas and France
• 1 from Guatemala, Switzerland, Greece,
Austria, New Zealand, Turks and Caicos,
Luxembourg, Finland, Iceland, Brazil,
Sweden, South Africa, and Ireland
(Cork).
 US
• Had visitors from 28 states, the
majority, 472, from New York, then
Mass. (73), Arizona (38), New Jersey
(27), Maryland (22), Pennsylvania
(17), California (16), Florida (15),
Rhode Island (10),
 CoveritLive
• Through Oct. 17
• Published Entries
• Writer Comments Published: 335
• Reader Comments Published: 367
• Reader Comments Sent: 448
•
Media Counts
• Images: 6 shown
• Polls: 9 shown
•
Replay
• Replays Viewed: 70
 Twitter
• 134 Tweets for October.
 Success
• As a beta test of this mélange of
freely available web-based
technologies and services, this was
ambitious and ultimately –
successful. 85 percent of
respondents deemed it successful.
• The students performed in an
intense, real-world, deadline pressure
-filled activity.