http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2007/video-storytelling-tips-from-a-veteran-reporter/ Notes from the classroom and observations about professional practices for sharing the news on digital platforms. Wed, 23 May 2012 02:53:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2007/video-storytelling-tips-from-a-veteran-reporter/comment-page-1/#comment-2164 Tue, 22 May 2007 22:10:51 +0000 http://www.mindymcadams.com/tojou/2007/video-storytelling-tips-from-a-veteran-reporter/#comment-2164 Interesting to have you make the comparison, Jay. I have been reading Clifford Geertz's "The Interpretation of Cultures" (1973), and I'm getting a lot of ideas from it. I think maybe anthropologists seek to uncover, or decipher, a narrative in the culture -- or to understand the people's narrative of themselves. Journalists, on the other hand, invent a narrative. When we do it right, it's accurate -- that is, it reflects reality pretty well. We don't always get it right, but the idea is to do our best. Interesting to have you make the comparison, Jay. I have been reading Clifford Geertz’s “The Interpretation of Cultures” (1973), and I’m getting a lot of ideas from it. I think maybe anthropologists seek to uncover, or decipher, a narrative in the culture — or to understand the people’s narrative of themselves. Journalists, on the other hand, invent a narrative. When we do it right, it’s accurate — that is, it reflects reality pretty well. We don’t always get it right, but the idea is to do our best.

]]> http://mindymcadams.com/tojou/2007/video-storytelling-tips-from-a-veteran-reporter/comment-page-1/#comment-2163 Tue, 22 May 2007 20:55:06 +0000 http://www.mindymcadams.com/tojou/2007/video-storytelling-tips-from-a-veteran-reporter/#comment-2163 thanks for this precis on his talk - sounds very interesting. i was struck by the similarity of his ideas to that of what Anthropologists try to be and do. Re: awareness - we talk about cultivating hyper-receptivity, a sort of openness to seeing people's behaviour and language in new light. re: curiosity - we aim to be 'radically open to persuasion' by the data, or what our informants' share with us; the idea being not to assume we already understand them before really listening. And finally, looking for the significance of everyday life details is a key part of our stock & trade because of the substantial, yet under-appreciated symbolism and world-making weight that edl tasks, phrases and artifacts carry. This especially in relation to characterizations of difference. Neat to see so many overlapping principles. Thanks again. thanks for this precis on his talk – sounds very interesting. i was struck by the similarity of his ideas to that of what Anthropologists try to be and do. Re: awareness – we talk about cultivating hyper-receptivity, a sort of openness to seeing people’s behaviour and language in new light. re: curiosity – we aim to be ‘radically open to persuasion’ by the data, or what our informants’ share with us; the idea being not to assume we already understand them before really listening. And finally, looking for the significance of everyday life details is a key part of our stock & trade because of the substantial, yet under-appreciated symbolism and world-making weight that edl tasks, phrases and artifacts carry. This especially in relation to characterizations of difference. Neat to see so many overlapping principles. Thanks again.

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