Sacramento Bee Multimedia Editor and Pulitzer Prize winner Manny Criostomo delivered a keynote address on March 22 to student journalists from across the state. Criostomo spoke about a pending revolution in journalism, a move from traditional journalistic processes to one that must embrace the world’s technological advances.
Criostomo’s address launched the 2007 statewide convention for the Journalism Association of Community Colleges, held in the Doubletree hotel in Sacramento. The convention, attended by Yuba College’s Prospector staff, offered several workshops and competitions.
“A lot of papers are throwing a lot of money to online right now,” Crisostomo said, pointing out that many newspapers are now looking into more sophisticated media or methods of producing and presenting news. “We’re asking journalists to collect audio, do pod-casts and shoot video,” Crisostomo continued. “If you know how to do this, we’re going to want to hire you.”
Newspapers and other publications are looking for applicants who are well versed in all formats of journalism. To hammer his point home, Crisostomo told students about a four-part special that ran in the Bee in 2006 called “The Weight.” The article, however, was primarily an online publication that linked from the Sacramento Bee website. “The Weight” documented three students from the first-ever weight loss boarding school, Academy of the Sierras, located in the Central Valley.
Crisostomo followed students on their journey through the Academy from their first day to their trips home, and through their most emotionally trying times. While documenting students of the Academy, Crisostomo used a digital still-shot camera, high definition video camera, audio recording equipment, as well as the traditional pad and pen.
His product has been reviewed by accredited video and photographic associations, such as the Nieman Foundation for Journalism, and won an Award of Excellence from the San Francisco Bay Area Press Photographers Association.
Crisostomo’s speech was one that prepared journalists for the changes that are going to come to their field, changes that will undoubtedly change the way Americans view their world.
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