If I were still in the first three years of my professional journalism career, I’d be applying for this opportunity with the Society of Professional Journalists. If you do fall within years 1 and 3 of your post-college career and you want to advance your skills in reporting and new media, then you have until Thursday (March 15) to get your application in for the SPJ Reporters Institute this summer.

This program, which runs three days in June at The Poynter Institute in Florida, costs $300 plus travel. For that, you’ll meet some top journalists/instructors (and network with other young peers). The sessions will cover all of the following topics (and more): Read more

Unless you live under a rock, it’s pretty hard to ignore the buzz that the Stop Online Privacy Piracy Act (SOPA) has generated in the last few months. The controversial bill, along with its companion bill, Protect-IP Act (PIPA), intends to fight copyright infringement and piracy but has turned into a bitter battle between old and new media.

Everyone has covered the controversial bill, from more traditional media outlets such as the Washington Post and the New York Times to tech blogs such as ArsTechnica, TechCrunch and Gizmodo. Rep. Darrell Issa, one of the bill’s main opponents, posts about it frequently on Twitter and Reddit has successfully lobbied boycots of SOPA supporters.

Let’s be honest. Just because you’ve heard of the bill, doesn’t mean you actually understand it. SOPA is, after all, incredibly complicated. Well, you’re in luck. There’s a ton of articles explaining the bill. Even better, there’s some wonderful interactives ones.

So while Congress is on its winter recess — the House Judiciary Committee won’t pick up debating the bill until after Congress returns — why not take some time to check out the pieces below? Just a note: Most oppose the bill.

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In an ever evolving media landscape, it can be challenging to figure out how to present multimedia in a graceful way. And while there can be a lot of lamenting over new media eclipsing more traditional forms of journalism, it can also be used to enhance the time-honored forms of storytelling. This was certainly the case for the New York Times journalist Amy Harmon’s recent piece “Autistic and Seeking a Place in an Adult World.” Harmon, a Pulitzer Prize winner, followed a young man with autism named Justin Canha for a year. She wrote an engaging narrative, delving into the complexities and challenges that Canha, a budding animator/illustrator, faced as he made his way into adulthood.

The Times added another dimension to Harmon’s already captivating account with multimedia “quick links.” These links not only showed Canha’s quirks through video and his talent for drawing, but provided an important facet to understanding his character and experience. It is the perfect example of how multimedia can be used to complement a more traditional piece, the powers of print, photo and video woven into one experience. I spoke to Harmon about the piece, which drew attention from journalists and Silicon Valley types alike. Read more

Timelines are an effective storytelling tool that can display information that occurs over time in an attractive, easy to follow format.

While there are many tools available to do the trick, one stands out for its power, and that’s ProPublica’s open source TimelineSetter.

The introduction to TimelineSetter reads like this: “TimelineSetter creates beautiful timelines.”

That’s an understatement.

The timelines created by TimelineSetter are sleek, can incorporate rich media like Google Maps and YouTube videos and can be easily modified. Read more

The tragic earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan last week caused major damage to the nation’s infrastructure and has incited a potential nuclear catastrophe at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant. For those of us who are unfamiliar with the science behind nuclear technology or natural disasters, several news organizations have created infographics that can help provide a better understanding of the complicated events in Japan. Here are the best interactive and informative graphics we’ve come across so far.

1. The New York Times
The New York Times has coupled a number of their stories with interactive graphics that integrate illustration with Google Earth satellite images. The site has published several helpful images, including an earthquake damage map and an explainer graphic on the accident at the nuclear plant.

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