Murders, Mating and a Chihuaha named Princess

Those often repeated instructions in journalism - show don't tell - are taking on a whole new life digitally. Some mainstream news organizations, most notably the Los Angeles and New York Times, are finding creative, interactive ways to display databases of information.

The Data Desk at the L.A. Times uses geographic information systems (GIS) to show locations of everything from homicides to red light cameras and the ratio of single men vs. women. Watch the "Where the boys/girls are" map dramatically change from blue to pink after the age of 44!

The homicide map is especially informative - a click on a placemarker displays an info box with a picture of the victim and circumstances behind the crime.

The Data Desk also features searchable lists by zip code. One hot topic, the most common dog types and names, reveals that more than 1200 L.A. residents are walking a Chihuahua named Princess.

Eric Ulken, former interactive technology director for the Times, has details on building the data desk in his OJR blog post. The good news is you don't have to be a computer programmer or spend a lot of money to get one going.  Open source (meaning FREE) software is out there like Ruby on Rails and Django.

Nor does the display need to be fancy to tell a story. KPBS received much attention for its map during the San Diego fires last year. They started with a Google map then began piling on the data about damaged homes and evacuations. 

As many traditional reporters fear the death of journalism by the Internet, online databases are positive examples of how digital technology is lending context to complex information.

Choose Your News ... and Watch Your Reporter Fetch It

I am watching a reporter from KATV in Little Rock edit video in her car while she drinks a soda from a fast-food restaurant. Why? I'm not sure but it's the latest attempt at interactivity and transparency by a local news station.

KATV's Kristin Fisher is the lucky (?) reporter who not only lets viewers chose her stories via Twitter or email, but then takes them along with her on her investigative journey. She sends constant live updates through Twitter, blog posts, a live microphone and cellphone cam. (Note to Kristin ... do a quick Google search on CNN and Kyra Phillips.) 

Today's story? Jobs for stay-at-home moms. Previous enterprising assignments include Zookeeper for a day and Game Warden for a day.

I'm not sure whether this Truman Show of TV news amounts to more than a ratings gimmick (need I even ask that question). Perhaps it will gain the station brand loyalty from all those stay-at-home moms who need a job. Perhaps it will help them cover the next BIG story more effectively. 

But will Kristin's live feeds get any more viewers than the average silly kid trick on You Tube?

Hats off to you, Kristin. I could have NEVER done that. I just wonder how long you - or any sane person can!

Do-it-Yourself Election Coverage

The man-on-the-street (MOS) reporting method is being taken to a whole new level with the 2008 presidential election. No longer do we need reporters to bring us a "random" sampling of comments from people who have just voted.

Now, you can quickly get a glimpse of people who have just voted throughout the country.

Those people are reporting directly to the Internet audience through live tweets on Twitter's Vote Report and YouTube's Video Your Vote. The Tweets, which are geographically positioned on a map and constantly updated, show where the longest wait times are in the country. The Tweeters also report problems they've spotted at the polls.

YouTube has teamed up with PBS to provide polling video and reaction from voters, who can upload their own comments. Many other media outlets are doing the same online.

I know this sampling isn't very scientific, but the number of participants far outweighs the number of people we used to snag for the old MOS. This is a much more diverse and representative bunch.

And you can bet if there are any chads hanging this year, a Tweeter or YouTuber will be there to catch them.