Comments on: Cheat sheet for multimedia story decisions

By: An intrepid journalist builds a bridge over those pesky tools | Climbing Ventoux

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 00:45:02 +0000

[...] real takeaway is to learn the strengths and weaknesses of each platform so we can tell the right story in the right way at the right time. That’s the challenge [...]

By: How to produce narratives for digital distribution « Digital Distribution

How to produce narratives for digital distribution « Digital Distribution — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 12:27:25 +0000

[...] different multimedia techniques and what they should be best used for. To end, there’s also this ‘Cheat Sheet for Multimedia Story Decisions’ post on Mindy McAdams’ [...]

By: erich viedge

erich viedge — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 04:27:45 +0000

Um. This post seems to think there is only one way to tell a story. The same “story” will be treated differently in print, TV, radio, the web, in photos (or a photo essay).
The post is provocative. I think is misses a key point: there is no “story” until the journalist makes it so. The “story” doesn’t exist until it is mediated somehow.
The medium the journalist uses to mediate that story will shape the story.
Of course, some information is better shared visually. Cooking shows are not good on radio, for instance. But you still get food shows on radio, and the best journalists make their medium serve the story.
If your post is a call to think more broadly about how to present the story, that’s great.
I think there’s a place for letting the text people do their thing, and letting the TV and Radio and slideshow people do their thing with the story because multiple views of a single story serve it best of all.

By: Mark Gould

Mark Gould — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 13:55:27 +0000

This is an excellent list! I find it particularly effective as a teaching tool as student journalists can sometimes lose sight of the story when overwhelmed with technological decisions. I wanted to add a few of my thoughts to the list based on my experience as a reporter and editor. Here is my version: Multimedia decisions: Choosing the right medium for your message

By: Multimedia decisions: Choosing the right medium for your message | markgouldmedia.com

Mon, 09 Aug 2010 15:57:03 +0000

[...] to debate the merits of various mediums for projects. Early on I came across a great post, “Cheat sheet for multimedia storytelling” by Mindy McAdams that helped guide my opinion on this topic. The post showcased a helpful [...]

By: How to be a multimedia journalist « Reportr.net

How to be a multimedia journalist « Reportr.net — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 17:08:05 +0000

[...] invaluable resource is a post by Mindy McAdams on making multimedia story decisions. To help the students, I created a PDF version of Mindy’s cheat-sheet (PDF). No Comments [...]

By: Teaching Online Journalism » Winning online graphics

Teaching Online Journalism » Winning online graphics — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 11:34:39 +0000

[...] Cheat sheet for multimedia story decisions [...]

By: Teaching Online Journalism » MVPs for February

Teaching Online Journalism » MVPs for February — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 17:55:13 +0000

[...] Cheat sheet for multimedia story decisions [...]

By: Need visual skills to show interesting things | News Videographer

Need visual skills to show interesting things | News Videographer — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:49:36 +0000

[...] of videos usually don’t enhance print stories. Things that are visual enhance print stories (Mindy McAdams last month published a great list that would help someone decide). Recognizing that fact and acting upon it is the basic principle in visual [...]

By: Angela Grant

Angela Grant — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 23:37:06 +0000

Under “video” I think I would add “showing emotion.”

Under text I would add “easily scanned.”

Very good list though!