News through Views

When I was in kindergarten I still remember my teacher teaching us alphabets through flashcards.  If she would say A for Apple we would wonder what that is. But as soon as she would show us the card we would know that she was talking about the fruit that we eat at home. English is my second language so for me knowing all the fruits in English was not an easy task.

When we see something it’s always easier for us to visualize it. The things become more clear to us because have a vivid picture of it. But what’s better, when we have verbal description of the picture. The same thing goes for the news. If it’s interpreted through slideshow or video it becomes more effective. It might be more time consuming and tougher than other journalism but once it reach to the viewer it has a better effective.

I was just going through New York Times website and found that they have a different section for video. Then even that section is divided into different parts that which kind of multimedia news we are looking for.

Recently the Arab Revolution on peak and Bahrain is one of the main targets in it. The video that I saw was regarding the “The controversial Bahrain Grand Prix, which begins on Friday, has become a flash point between the Sunni royal family and much of the majority Shiite population.” This video is four minute long and is to the point. What make this video journalistic is that it is discussing about of the major world issue that everyone is interested to know about. It show that how there are conflict between to Muslim sectors of Sunni and Shia. So it’s not only highlighting the current situation of Bahrain but also the cold war between two sectors of Muslims which is going on for years.

Another section of this video section is Opinion. The writer in fact here we can’t call them writer it will be better if we call them speaker, the speaker share their opinion with the viewer. A good example of it can be this video which is almost seven minute long and it discuss “The Op-Ed columnist Thomas L. Friedman and Bill Gates discuss the future of American competitiveness, innovation and education and the state of the current political debate.” What make this video journalistic is that it discusses the key issue of this country. That everyone wants to know that what will be the future of this country where things are developing at this rapid speed and how the economy is going low. Two experts share their point of view which will let the viewer to understand the things at a better level.

After going through these two videos I am sure you people might have got a better understanding that what can be a good effective multimedia journalism. It’s not just that you make any kind of video or arrange different pictures thinking that will be multimedia news. What makes it news that it should have a journalistic approach and apart from that it should be like a drama? It should have a proper beginning, climax and ending as well as should convey a message.

We as a journalistic are very lucky that these days we have so many different ways of sharing our news with the public. The technology has made the life easier for everyone. Only if we understand it!!!

A new vision of news: Slideshow

This was first time when I was late for my class as I was at my internship. The moment I entered the class I could see a slideshow running on the screen and it didn’t take me much time to understand that what it was about because I did my studies before.

It was a new way of journalism through slideshow. It might have not been new for many of the other people present there but for me it was new because I have worked in print media and in my country we don’t have such things yet.

 When I got back home and went through slideshow news I found it very interesting and I am sure when I will get back home I will do this for sure for my newspaper as it makes the news very interesting.

It’s not important that the slideshow should have audio embedded with it. The pictures should be strong enough to speak for it.

Out of all the slideshows that I went through I found this one the most appealing one:

http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/nyregion/1-in-8-million/#/joseph_cotton

This slideshow was created by The New York Times, in 2009 about lovely relation that a grandpa shares with his four grandchildren.  It gives an element of news story: universality and timeliness.

The slideshow shows that how a grandpa is babysitting his grandchildren and helping them in shaping their view of the world. He let them go near the nature and feel it within them rather than keeping them at home . He let them listen the crushing sound of the leaves and smell the dews around them and feel the fresh breath so they know that how beautiful this world it.

If we go between the lines then we can see that how the photographer is trying to tell us this thing that in this world of hi-technology we are so much lost in all hi-tech things that we forget to show our children the beauty of nature, the gift of God. This world is really beautiful if we get out of our house and don’t use human resources in fact use the natural resources to explore it.

Although the pictures are not colorful but still they look so beautiful and full of emotions that at some point I could literally hear and smell the leaves.

The narration makes the pictures more alive because at some point the pictures shows something but the narrator let us know that what it is. Like for example if we were not told by him that these are his grandchildren I could have never judged it myself.

Dos and don’ts of social media and journalism. In particular what good is Twitter?

It has been quite a while since social media had taken over the world. Everybody and everyone is using it in any way they want to. But did anyone ever think that what is an appropriate way of using this tool which is here to help us like other technologies and applications?

I know the answer is no because people are too busy to it. They already have lot to learn and do then why to waste their time in thinking about this. But, wait a minute is it really useless to think about it. No it’s not.

Yesterday, I asked randomly few people around me that what they think that is it really useless to follow any rule while using social media. 90% said YES and I was like what??? Why, why do you think so? 40% said because we already are following a lot of rules in our life so not one more, 20% said because we use it for fun and time pass, 30% said because it’s not worth any rule and 10% said we never thought about it.

Wow! Now these statics are very interesting to me. Isn’t it to you people? I am sure it would be. After seeing such statics I don’t think I should be giving a lecture here that what are the dos and don’ts for social media. But let’s give it a try.

I personally do take care of few things when I am using social media as I am journalist and I have to take care of everything that I say or post that is public but now a day’s even if something is personal don’t say it because you never know when a employer asks for your Facebook username and password and don’t hire you for whatever you have on your Facebook.

The very first thing that I personally do and want everyone else to do that DO have fun and be funny because you are here to relax. Twitter and Facebook are great forum for punchy jokes BUT if you are bad at jokes DON’T try it.  Just relax and keep clicking like button for others jokes.

One thing that irritates me the most is OVERSHARING of things. Please DON’T share every other thing that you see has a share button. Just REMEMBER one thing that it’s your account whatever you are going to share will represent you so be very cautious when sharing anything. Nobody is interested to know what your mom is cooking or how is your relation going on. The one who are interested in it would know it without you even tweeting about it.

The best part about social media is that it can keep you connected with all those people who are out of your reach. So DO follow the stars you’d want to be friends with, the newspapers you read, the film stars you adore and the journalist you admire. It’s the most in-the-know way to be in the know.

DON’T complain about your work here at least its Twitter not your mom. Don’t forget they can see you so it better you go home and give a call to your mom and tell her what is your boss doing to you. She is the most trustworthy person to complain about your work.

DO play nice and use wise and respectful words. This is a public forum, so don’t say anything you wouldn’t say to someone’s face—or to a TV camera. Even if you can say it on someone’s face don’t say it here because it’s again not the right place to do it.

DON’T exceed the tolerable four-tweets-a-day limit. Come on have a life don’t make people say not again. If there is some breaking news then it can be OK but not on daily basis. Let people wait for you to tweet rather than making them unfollow you within a week after they started following you.

DO use Twitter to its full potential. It’s been the breeding ground for books, TV shows and political revolutions. You decide what’s next. You never know you can be the next revolutionary person. Remember the Arab Spring.

DON’T get too personal or negative it will not only affect the other person but it will affect you too.

DO engage and interact. This can be a good place to create PR and maintain them. You never know who can be a help or news in future.

Last but not the least, if you can’t follow these dos and don’ts then DON’T forget to make your account private. It’s your private possession until and unless you are not using it for marketing purpose.

I hope I didn’t boredom you to dead with my few pieces of advice that I HAD to share with you people as a part of my course.

Bill on Baluchistan turn up in US Congress

WASHINGTON:  A bill has been proposed in the US House of Representatives asking Pakistan to identify the right of autonomy for Baluchistan.

The bill was introduced by Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA46) in a House Concurrent Resolution that stated that Baluch nation has been an independent nation in past so they deserve a historic right of autonomy.

The bill offered that the Baluchi people “have the right to self-determination and to their own sovereign country; and they should be afforded the opportunity to choose their own status.” 

“The Baluchis, like other nations of people, have an innate right to self-determination,” says Rohrabacher. “The political and ethnic discrimination they suffer is tragic and made more so because America is financing and selling arms to their oppressors in Islamabad.” 

Most people in Pakistan condemn the bill and aren’t happy with the interference by the US in this matter. The Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly (G-BLA) collectively passed a resolution condemning the bill introduced in the US Congress on Baluchistan. They called it an attempt to sabotage ties between the two nations.

 Along with G-BAL, Khyber Paktoon (KP) Assembly condemned the US bill too. However, they couldn’t pass the unanimous resolution because of the lack of quorum. But still they managed to stage a rally against US bill on Baluchistan.

The Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy Islamabad, Richard E. Hoagland said that supporting Baluchistan independence is not the policy of the Obama administration.

Ali Dayan Hasan, Pakistan director of a US NGO, Human Rights Watch (HRW), was the only Pakistani who appeared as a witness on Baluchistan issue for the hearing of US House of Representatives’ Committee. Popular opinion believes that the testimony which was given against Pakistan was presented by giving wrong facts and figures.

The co-sponsors for the bill were Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and Steve King (R-IA) who signed on the bill as original co-sponsors.

It’s not that only Pakistan and U.S. are concerned about this issue but people from different countries are also concerned about this and really want this problem to be resolved.

However, Barhamdagh Bugti, separatist leader and founder of Baluch Republican Party (BRP), has said he supports US Congress bill, espousing self-determination for Baluchistan.

Let see what good this bill will bring to the people of Baluchistan as this bill was not taken positively by many people in country.