Tag Archives: boston university

Why journalists shouldn’t fear numbers: storytelling with data

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By Michelle Marino
MS Journalism ’15
BU College of Communication

We live in a digital world. No matter what you do or what profession you’re in, this reality permeates everything around us. In the communications field especially, it has never been more critical to embrace digitization to effectively gather, analyze and disseminate information. Aside from a compelling narrative, finding ways to insert data and help people visualize information is vital.

COM Journalism Professor Maggie Mulvihill
COM Journalism Professor Maggie Mulvihill

It’s no coincidence the Fall 2014 issue of COMtalk (BU’s College of Communication publication for alumni, parents and friends) listed data storytelling as one of three major trends affecting journalism today. Within the issue, many of COM’s professors are featured for their keen efforts in providing students with the tools needed to succeed in a changing field; one of those professors is Maggie Mulvihill. This COM Journalism professor is dedicated to getting students on board with using data not only to enhance their story’s credibility, but also arm them with valuable skills eagerly sought out by employers.

Professor Mulvihill, whose background is in watchdog and investigative reporting, has been using data to inform her stories for over 20 years. She ran a Storytelling with Data workshop at BU this summer, and is currently teaching a class this semester—Data Storytelling. The course focuses on learning how to identify and obtain appropriate data, how to download and extract, clean, analyze and finally bring it to life through data visualization. “No matter what occupation, we need to know how to work with digital information,” says Mulvihill. “All records are being digitized. In three to five years, government information will be streaming instead of static. Journalists have to be able to harness and capture information as it’s streamed and tell stories,” she says.

story telling

Data is important, but when coupled with good journalistic skill, it can be powerful. Especially when analyzing, if you’re asking the right questions, your data can serve to elevate your story in a meaningful way. Although most of us aren’t statisticians or research scientists, as social scientists we’re able to ask the right people to fairly and accurately assist us with data interpretation.

Currently, Mulvihill has a student in her class working on a story with the use of government data. After analyzing this data and obtaining a statistical finding, the question of statistical significance comes into play. Mulvihill asks the question, “Is it statistically significant to be news?” In other words, to be newsworthy, data has to provide information that isn’t already out there and doesn’t serve as an outlier. The student looking at government data consulted with a statistics professor who advised them to get more data so they could look at a broader spectrum of information. In the end, these types of consultations will ensure a statistically sound story.

Data

Along with journalistic skill, data is always more effective when presented with a human face. “It can’t just be statistics and government records,” says Mulvihill. “It has to have a strong character driving the story so people who read, watch and care about it can identify.” This is why Mulvihill asks her students to choose a character at the beginning of the story development process to focus on throughout.

Mulvihill is also in the process of developing a computational journalism initiative at BU. She says there is a sense of urgency for journalists to move in the direction of telling stories with data, and more and more people studying journalism are learning and integrating computer science into their careers. “There are so many jobs for journalists now with data storytelling skills,” says Mulvihill. “It’s prominent and it’s not just limited to journalism, it’s every profession,” she says. “I love the ability to do stories other people can’t.”

What are your thoughts on incorporating data with journalism? Let us know in the comment section below.

Interested in BU’s College of Communication graduate programs? Visit our website here and you can find out what it takes to earn your MS in Journalism at BU.

 

 

 

A helping hand for the international students in COM’s Journalism graduate program

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By Nikita Sampath
MS Broadcast Journalism '16
BU College of Communication 

All Journalism graduate students at BU’s College of Communication are required to take JO721- Journalism Principles/Techniques. Every fall, Professor Christopher Daly teaches a section of JO721 designed for all new international grad students in the Journalism program.

Alongside classes, Prof. Daly does his bit to help these same students acclimate to American culture and the education system. “In a program like journalism, a lot of our assignments depend on cultural awareness. If the students need to tackle topics like the Red Sox, Halloween and Black Friday they need to have a general knowledge of American folkways and society, as they cannot be expected to have that exposure coming from another country” he says.

The American exposure begins early in the semester, when Daly invites students to his home so they can get a first-hand impression of an American household. Daly is also known to bring alumni and other experienced journalists into his classroom to speak to the international students.

The positive influence Daly’s class and efforts have on international students is apparent through the grad students who have been in the program for a few semesters. “My more experienced students come into class and happily and spontaneously testify that they got a lot better over the course of their first year. ” says a proud Daly.

Those grad students who visited Daly’s current students had a lot of advice to offer. Third-semester Journalism student Claire Giangrave told them about how she would ask American students who were better than her to let her read their work. She would look at what they did and imitate it. “The truth is, you have to work harder and better than the others. I made it my goal to compare myself with the best, not just among my peers, but also with great journalists and professors.” she said. She also advised the students to not hesitate to ask for help from fellow students and BU’s amazing faculty. Claire herself moved to Boston from Rome.

Prim Chuwiruch, another third-semester Journalism student from Bangkok, advises new grad students to relax. “ I know that it sounds like the most easiest piece of advice but it's true. Once you take a breather and get yourself accustomed to everything in this new city, things will fall into place on their own and you'll look back and wonder why you ever stressed out so much in the first place.”

A couple weeks ago, Melanie Lidman, an alumnus from the University of Maryland, visited Daly’s international class. Lidman now writes for The Times of Israel and the Global Sisters Report. The entire section pepped up when Lidman told stories about her reporting experiences in troubled parts of the world including Egypt and Israel. She also offered some sound advice for those pursuing a career in the journalism industry: “You will make mistakes along the way. It’s a long journey to grow as a writer and move your career forward,” she told the class.

Are you an international student looking to apply to BU? Find out more about the application process here.

Inside TV graduate course: Production 1

BU Comgrad, Inside COM Classrooms, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

By Nikita Sampath
MS Broadcast Journalism '16
BU College of Communication 

Production I is an introductory class that every Television graduate student takes in their first semester at BU’s College of Communication (COM). Professor Geoffrey Poister, who has 15 years of experience in the film and TV industry, teaches the course.

In Production I, students start off by learning how to use a basic DSLR camera and what different lenses are used for different effects. Next, they move on to the more advanced Panasonic camcorder, which is used by professional TV crews and is good for shooting interviews. Students learn to record sound using various microphones such as the wireless, lavaliere and shotgun. They also touch upon lighting techniques and learn how to use Avid, Hollywood’s editing software of choice.

For their first assignment, students produce a silent film. The script for this project must be highly action-based. After the script is complete, students learn how to add sound to their film. Students choose to either record new music or select from the available media libraries on COM’s computers located in all the labs on each floor.

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Their second assignment is a group assignment in which students have to work on a documentary—one with real people and characters. This semester, one group chose to work on a story about Professor Poister himself, as he is part of a band. “This is the course I have most fun in. Professor Poister is very funny! I was really surprised to know that he was part of a band,” said Maggie Shuting Cao, a first semester television graduate student.

Professor Poister gives his students creative leeway while giving them hands-on instruction for learning the techniques of film production. Students learn to differentiate between producing say, a more dramatic, fictional movie and one that is more ground in reality, a documentary kind of production. This way they learn two different ways to narrate stories, all in one semester.

Mohammad Behroozian, a student from Afghanistan, who took the class this semester said he really appreciated the “opportunity to test the edges of [his] creativity.” For his first project he produced a stop-motion animation. Beginning right from scratch, he built a set on his study-table. He created mannequins and gave them costumes and lit it artificially. Check out his work here!

Mohammad Behroozian says he would like to work on producing educational television material for children back in Kabul once he graduates from BU’s College of Communication.

Want to learn more about the programs offered by COM’s Film/TV department? Visit our website here and find out how you can apply to one of the graduate programs here at COM.

 

 

 

 

 

Why BU men’s soccer team will make you a sports fan, even if you’re in grad school

Beyond the Classroom, BU Comgrad, , , , , , , ,

By Ali Parisi
MS Public Relations '16
BU College of Communication

Yes, it’s true: you can still be a college sports fan while in grad school!  In fact, this year, Boston University has had some exceptionally exciting teams that have led fans on an entertaining journey.  Point in case, the BU men’s soccer team.

Back in August, the team started their season off with a dramatic win, scoring in the last second of overtime to beat Fordham 1-0.  They rounded out opening weekend with a win over Iona during a torrential downpour.  Alright, so they won their first two games.  What’s the big deal?  Well, this happened to be the first time the Terriers opened their season with a 2-0-0 record since 2001.  Things were off to a great start for the boys of BU.

(Photo: Mike Tureski) Senior goalkeeper Nick Thomson (in blue) celebrates a win over Fordham with the rest of his team dogpiles over Lucas McBride (unseen), the junior who put away the winning goal.
(Photo: Mike Tureski) Senior goalkeeper Nick Thomson (in blue) celebrates a win over Fordham with the rest of his team dogpiles over Lucas McBride (unseen), the junior who put away the winning goal.

The team hit a few bumps through the rest of their non-conference schedule, marking two losses in early September.  However, by the time they reached conference play, the Terriers were ready to go.  The men defeated both Navy and Army in their first two games of Patriot League play, setting the tone for the rest of their season.  For their next seven conference games, they were able to remain undefeated, rounding out their regular season play with six wins and three ties.

The Terriers earned the right to host the Patriot League conference tournament on their home field.  However, they had to overcome Army in order to make it to the next game, or else the championship would be played on Nickerson Field by two out-of-state competitors.

Just like they did in their opening weekend, the men had to show extreme grit to come out on top.  They had some serious chances throughout regulation play, but were unable to put the ball in the back of the net.  That is until the last two minutes of double overtime, when senior Cameron Souri served the ball across straight to the head of fellow classmate Dominique Badji, who was able to direct the ball on goal and away from Army’s keeper.

Unfortunately, the drama wasn’t quite over for the Terriers as they headed into the championship game against Bucknell two days later: they fell down a goal, then tied it up, then fell down another good, then tied it up again.  But in the first overtime, Bucknell finished off the job, claiming the Patriot League title with a 3-2 win over BU.

(Photo: Sofi Laurito) The team gathers together before the whistle to begin the Patriot League championship game.
(Photo: Sofi Laurito) The team gathers together before the whistle to begin the Patriot League championship game.

Though they couldn’t come away with a win in the end, the Terriers have much to be proud of.  This year’s team was the first team in 20 years to go through a conference schedule without a single loss.  They were ranked 24th in the country by the NSCAA and finished the season with an 11-3-4 overall record.  Several players earned All-Conference honors, including Coach of the Year Neil Roberts, Offensive Player of the Year Dominique Badji, and Rookie of the Year Bjarki Benediktsson.

See, you don't have to stop rooting for collegiate sports, even if it isn't for your alma mater... Go Terriers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Public Relations COM grad student shares his success in the communication industry

BU Comgrad, COM Spotlight, , , , , , , , , , , ,

By Iris Moore
MS Broadcast Journalism '15
BU College of Communication

Check out my interview with BU College of Communication alum Paul Kresge, who is now an Account Manager for Centro, an advertising tech company in Chicago. Kresge talks about how he’s been able to use what he learned at COM to help him become successful in the communication industry.

Kresge received his Bachelor’s degree in Communication at Boston University. He went on to earn a MS degree in Public Relations at BU’s College of Communication.

Recently, Centro was ranked No. 1 on Ad Age's 2014 list of best places to work in advertising, media and ad tech. Centro makes software that helps companies better engage with their audience.

Have any questions for Paul that we didn’t cover in this interview? Feel free to ask in the comment section below.

Interested in attending one of BU College of Communication’s graduate programs? Check out our website to get more information on all the programs here at COM.