Sometimes Plan B is better than Plan A
I shot some video over the weekend but it was so windy most of the audio was obliterated. So I ended up making a music video. It wasn’t exactly what I planned. But maybe it was better.
Students
How Mexican cartels launder drug money in San Antonio (Hint: Check the North Side)
Express-News reporter Guillermo Contreras wrote a story detailing a federal investigation of two Mexican brothers: Mauricio and Alejandro Sánchez Garza. Federal officials allege the brothers laundered drug money in San Antonio for Mexican cartels.
Check out every insurance claim filed against the city of San Antonio
What happens when you’re hit by a city vehicle and file an insurance claim against San Antonio? Now you can find out by searching a database that tracks every claim filed against the city in the past decade. I stumbled across this story by using Google’s advanced search options. Google lets you search specific websites …
Impact of the recession: Google map shows Texas food stamp recipients, by neighborhood
One of the golden rules of writing is show, don’t tell. The same holds true for stories based on public data. Check out this cool interactive map by Nolan Hicks and Yang Wang showing food stamp recipients by Zip code for the whole state of Texas.
How to do a confrontational interview: Bob Costas grills Jerry Sandusky
Bob Costas’ grilling of accused Penn State child molester Jerry Sandusky should be mandatory viewing for all journalism students who want to learn how to handle a confrontational interview. Costas wielded a strong command of the facts. Listened intently to each answer. Asked focused questions and follow-up questions. And he wasn’t satisfied with vague proclamations …
Mexico in Crisis: Q&A with John MacCormack
Known as “Johnny Mac” in the newsroom, John MacCormack is a talented, colorful reporter. He likes telling a good yarn, both in person and on the front pages of the San Antonio Express-News. One time I heard him on the phone telling a source: “What are you going to give me so I don’t write …
How to use time-lapse photography to take viewers on a journey
When Reporter Jennifer Hiller visited New York to write about San Antonio’s ties to High Line park, she called me and wondered if it’d be a good idea to make a time lapse-video of a walk through the mile-long urban park. Abso-freakin-lutely. Time-lapse videos are full of awesome sauce. Most I’ve seen involve the placement …
How two Pulitzer finalists used public data and the Internet to connect with readers
The reporters used reader-friendly multimedia presentations to make the data come alive.
Telling old stories in new ways: The 175th Anniversary of the Battle of the Alamo
Alamo Immortal by the Express-News put a new twist on the old story of the Battle of the Alamo.
How and why a reporter dug into allegations of abuse against Father John Fiala
Abe Levy relied on hundreds of court records to trace Fiala’s past transgressions, and the Catholic Church’s inability to deal with the priest.