Peter Mucha, a reporter for the online edition of The Philadelphia Inquirer, is one of the earliest people to arrive at the office. Responsible for the morning news on the website, Peter starts work at 6:30 am every day. On my first day with the online team, my task was to observe Peter’s work.
One of his tasks is to find the best story from the latest reports and then make recommendations to the web managers. That day, Peter saw a report on a sexual harassment case online that included a sketch of the suspect's portrait. However, the report did not contain an image of the suspect. So, Peter began searching for a picture of the suspect.
He couldn’t find it in the newspaper’s photo library, so he searched other websites. Eventually, he found the portrait in a video program on a TV station’s website. He took a screenshot and edited the image in Photoshop. However, he eventually abandoned it due to the poor resolution.
At 7:10 am, Peter started browsing through the notes left by the editors from the previous night in the newspaper’s document library, looking for any potential stories. But he didn’t find anything suitable. Peter decided to write his own article about the weather in Philadelphia.
At 7:20 am, Peter began writing the article, finishing it by 7:30 am and publishing it online. Alongside the article, he attached a link to a blog from The Philadelphia Inquirer that specializes in climate and environmental issues.
At 7:50 am, Peter noticed a sports-related news item from the Associated Press. Since Philadelphians are particularly passionate about sports, Peter decided to rewrite the story from a Philadelphia perspective.
By 8:45 am, Peter had completed the sports article and received a new email from the editor. A bird had caused a traffic jam on the highway. Peter quickly called the police department, city hall, and other relevant departments but didn’t get much information. He also reached out to the journalist who discovered the news and turned on the TV and radio to see if there were any related broadcasts. Combining the interviews, radio, and TV broadcasts, he wrote a short article.
At 9:05 am, a juvenile shooting incident occurred. Peter immediately called the reporter, taking notes as the reporter relayed the details while checking the map, and completed the article.
At 10:15 am, Peter had already updated the news about the bird and the traffic jam three times, finally forming a relatively complete article. However, Peter still didn’t know what kind of bird caused the traffic jam. Eventually, he learned from the Pennsylvania Wildlife Center, which had adopted the bird, that it was a red-tailed hawk. Peter found a picture of the red-tailed hawk in the newspaper’s photo library, cropped it using Photoshop to fit the format needed for the online article, credited the photographer, wrote a caption, and uploaded it online. After publishing, he again called the wildlife center to see if they could provide a live photo of the bird.
It was only then that Peter had time to introduce me to his work. He told me he starts working at 6:30 am every day until the afternoon. In the morning, he handles news, and in the afternoon, he manages the chat room. Normally, it takes him 15 to 20 minutes to write an article, where he not only interviews and writes but also handles pictures. "Even within the newspaper, this kind of job is quite special," Peter said with a smile.
Before he finished speaking, the suspect's portrait in the sexual harassment case finally arrived, and Peter got busy again.
Peter's high productivity depends on three advantages: First, Peter fully controls the entire process from topic selection, pictures, interviews, writing, to publication. In many news organizations, this process is often managed by multiple people;
Second, Peter easily obtains information sources. He can effortlessly find photos from the newspaper’s robust article and photo libraries and obtain information from websites and government departments relatively easily;
Third, and most crucially, Peter is a versatile journalist. With 20 years of experience, he has worked both as an editor and a reporter, can write and draw, and knows various software. He has long-term experience in print media and possesses all the technical skills required for online media. Because of his capabilities, he can control the entire process from topic selection to publication. This talent advantage is probably the most scarce domestically. It also shows that although print media may become outdated, high-standard professional journalism training will never be obsolete.
Tony, 52 years old, is a veteran journalist with 25 years of experience. He started as a reporter for a small newspaper in Kansas with a circulation of only 8,000 copies, then moved to a larger newspaper as a news editor. Later, he joined The Philadelphia Inquirer starting as a page editor before moving into various sections as a news editor, covering almost all sections. Five years ago, he became an editor for the online edition.
As an online editor, Tony has to start work at 5:00 am every day. Usually, he works from home, but on the day I was there, he came to the office early so I could observe.
Tony's first task is to select the appropriate headline for the online edition. Unlike Philly.com, Inquirer’s homepage headline will occupy its main page all day. Since it is Inquirer's own webpage, unlike Peter, Tony can choose the article himself and publish it directly.
Tony told me that the content of the newspaper was automatically uploaded to the web by software at 3:00 am that day, but it still needs manual adjustment of the order of articles on the webpage, which is Tony's responsibility.
Not all newspapers have software assistance. Tony told me that all articles from The New York Times are manually uploaded. "Maybe they trust manual work more, or they just have more people."
I thought, this might depend on how different the newspaper and the website are. The more different they are, the less likely they are to be published simultaneously, or rather, the greater the flexibility in reporting publication.
The homepage of The Philadelphia Inquirer actually has two headlines: the photo-based headline on the left; the content-based headline on the right. Therefore, the standard for headlines is either good pictures or major local news. Of course, "Sometimes, really important domestic or international news, if it relates to Philadelphia, can also be used," Tony said.
I asked Tony if, given that The Philadelphia Inquirer’s investors are local businessmen, negative news involving investors would appear on the front page?
"Theoretically, yes," Tony cautiously told me, explaining they signed an agreement stating no interference with the newspaper's editorial judgment.
Practice reflects this as well. Tony told me that once the headline was negative news about their investor and chairman, Bruce Toll.
After selecting the headline, Tony began reviewing the order of other articles. Below the homepage's headline on The Philadelphia Inquirer, the sections include important news, local news, and news from other sections. According to Tony, the most popular sections are local news and sports news.
Another task for Tony is to improve the online edition's coverage according to the editor's suggestions. In the newspaper's article library, the editors not only upload the articles for the next day's issue but also provide suggestions on how to present them online, such as what pictures to use and what links to add.
According to the editor's suggestions, Tony started adding links beside an article. Although there were already related links at the end of the article, he added another link box on the right side of the article for reader convenience.
Tony first chose a report about President Bush meeting with the Afghan president. He added a link to the White House website, linking to the relevant press conference video and Q&A transcript; he also added a link to relevant legal documents for a murder case report; and increased a link to an Associated Press story for a Middle East news article.
After completing the sorting and linking, Tony checked the recent page views. He entered a server that allows real-time viewing of page views, then opened The Philadelphia Inquirer’s page. Some titles turned deep red, others light red. Deep red represents the most popular news. Clicking on the news title and pictures, you can see real-time click data. For example, from midnight to 7:20 am that day, sports section clicks reached 621, regional news reached 335, and world and national news only reached 29.
Tony told me that not only does the content of the report affect click rates, but the placement of the report is also very important. The further back it is placed, the fewer people will see it; at the same time, the chance of pictures being clicked is much higher than text. At 5:45 am, Tony published the headline news. By 7:20 am, the headline news picture was clicked 83 times, while the text headline was clicked 65 times.
We then looked at the click rates for all news categories and found that the most popular sections were sports news, local news, headline news, and obituaries. The click rates for domestic and international news were so low they could be ignored.
This reminded me of a University of Maryland journalism professor's words: "Americans don't look outward, they look inward."
Tony disagreed. He told me that the reason for the low click rate is because the competitive landscape of American newspapers is already very clear. When people want to learn about domestic and world news, they often go to The New York Times and The Washington Post.
Another interesting statistic is the peak viewing time during the day. We found that the highest viewing period is from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The peaks are at 8:30 am, 11:30 am, and 4:00 pm. "This shows that by 4:00 pm, people are not working anymore, they're just pretending to work," I said to Tony, "So we should let people off work at 4:00 pm, which would also save electricity."
Of course, the most significant factor is the popularity of sports news. The view data showed that in this sports-obsessed city, regardless of how the news is arranged or highlighted with titles and pictures, the readers' true top choice is always sports news.
Tony said that in arranging the order of articles, page views are just one factor. "Sometimes we arrange the order based on what we think is important," Tony said, "We hope to balance 'what we think readers should be interested in' and 'what we think readers will be interested in.'"
He told me that sometimes providing different types of headlines is also aimed at "hoping readers will learn more non-sports news." Although he emphasized that page views do not decide everything, Tony also indicated that he pays more attention to readers' opinions than before, "because you must survive. And it's easier to understand your readers on the internet."
A Video Journalist's Morning
In fact, the online edition doesn’t have dedicated video journalists. Their videos come from enthusiastic newspaper reporters like Lin Chen and Moran, from photographers learning videography, and from two interns, Jeff and Samantha, from Drexel University's digital imaging program. But everyone does multiple jobs, so truly dedicated to making videos for them was me.
On my first day with the online edition, I received a filming assignment - Girls Rock Camp. After researching online, I found it was a rock camp specifically for girls aged 11 to 17 in Philadelphia. Over seven days from August 6th to August 11th, the girls learned various instruments, composed songs, formed their own bands, and performed on the last day. Among the 20 girls participating in the camp, some had musical instrument experience, while others had never touched an instrument before.
I would join feature section reporter Alfred Lubrano. Lubrano would write the article, and I would film. Before leaving, I discussed filming precautions with online edition editor Sherry Howard.
First, since this piece is about music, we need to interview a few girls using different instruments, paying attention to diversity, i.e., interviewing girls from different ethnicities.
Second, as it was the second day of the camp and training had just begun, their music might be very immature, so we need to watch for suitable background music.
Third, don't forget to interview the subjects' names.
Fourth, Howard especially reminded me not to be swayed by other journalists. She told me that a downside of going with newspaper reporters is that the interviewees often focus on answering the reporters' questions, leaving no time for the cameraman. Videography and newspaper interviews differ. The best approach is to separate actions, which not only facilitates interviews but also provides stories different from the newspaper reports.
When Lubrano and I arrived at the camp location, we met the girls learning women's rock history. As soon as I heard rock music, I rushed forward to shoot. Even if I couldn't get good footage, I could record good music.
During the interview phase, I found Howard's warning completely accurate. Despite me suggesting interviewing the camp director first, because I was interviewing alongside Lubrano and had to focus on the camera, the interviewee turned to exclusively answer Lubrano's questions. Finally, I had to re-interview her separately.
Thus, I decided to interview separately from Lubrano.
Since I don't have a TV at home, I studied The New York Times website's videos before filming. Sometimes The New York Times' videos are co-produced by the on-camera reporter and the cameraman, simplifying the interview process significantly. If dissatisfied with the interviewee's responses, the on-camera reporter can narrate instead. But we didn't have that condition. Although I was with Lubrano, Lubrano had to write the article and didn't have time to help me, so communication with the interviewees became crucial.
I chatted with the girls for a bit, then asked them to answer all my questions in one continuous segment, akin to a self-introduction. They happily followed my instructions. After each segment, I gave a thumbs-up behind the camera, encouraging them further. This trick I learned from the Japanese drama "Long Vacation." I do this in every interview. Whether it's an 11-year-old girl or the 59-year-old editor-in-chief Bill Marimow, it works every time.
After filming for a while, I checked how Lubrano was doing. Most of the time, he quietly observed the girls’ training and continuously jotted down notes. "Back in the day, I could just think without moving," I sighed, then carried the tripod and digital camcorder elsewhere.
The smoothness of the interview owed much to the girls' confidence. Later, I remarked to Lubrano, "Their music is terrible, but they are all very confident." I said they were different from Chinese girls, who are shy girls (shy girls), whereas these girls are showgirls (girls who express themselves).
"You're not shy," Lubrano pointed to my mad dash to film, and I replied, of course not, how could I be a journalist if I were shy?
Another reason was that I stayed long enough for the girls to relax. If it were a TV news program, the cameraman might only spend 20 minutes around and leave, whereas I had more opportunities to find more interesting shots.
During filming, a rough outline of a short film had already formed in my mind. On the way back, chatting with Lubrano, I considered what music, what shots, and what story to tell. I decided that the theme of the video would be girls finding confidence and joy in music, learning and growing through mistakes. Once home, I spent two hours editing two minutes of content into WMV format and handed it over to Howard the next morning.
Howard raised two issues. First, some shots were too bright. Only then did I remember I forgot to turn off the background light on the camera, leaving a regrettable mark; Second, there were no subtitles. I shamefully told Howard I didn't know how to add subtitles. My knowledge of editing software comes from self-study. I don't read books, just search online when needed and randomly press buttons.
So, Howard had intern Jeff demonstrate the subtitle addition process in front of me. While observing, I gritted my teeth, determined to systematically study the editing software, but Jeff's words quickly freed me. "Actually, I'm self-taught too," he said, "No books, learn as you go, and look up online when necessary."
However, Howard was still unsatisfied. The resolution of the short film I made wasn't high enough.
Two months ago, this wouldn't have been a problem. But with the increase in videos, the website's requirements for video quality have become increasingly strict, driven by competition. Videos on The Washington Post, The New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal websites are quite clear, even in full-screen mode. Naturally, we need to step up our game.
I told Howard I could remake it in Mpeg format. But that evening, when I reopened the file, I found the painstakingly edited file was corrupted, meaning I had to start all over again. Apparently, frequent backups aren't just something print journalists need to remember, but video journalists should bear in mind as well. I spent another two hours re-editing and creating an Mpeg version. The result was much better this time.
After remaking with subtitles, it was time to write the description. Howard opened the newspaper's article library, retrieved Lubrano's article, wrote a simple description based on the article, and added the title - "Girls Rock" - uploading it to the website. That day, I received a thank-you note from the feature section editor. Lubrano's article was yet to be published, still two days away.
The biggest difference between the online edition and other sections isn't the work content itself, but the nature of the work. Working in other sections, I was merely repeating what I did domestically, at most reinforcing the journalistic ideals I had already formed domestically. However, in the online edition, I learned new knowledge through constant mistakes, reminding me of my first experience working at Caijing five years ago.
Typically, a journalist needs years of practice at a news agency and a newspaper before possibly moving to a magazine. But in China, market-oriented newspapers and magazines were born almost simultaneously, producing many journalists like me who started with magazines. Similarly, generally, you need to learn for a long time before becoming a cameraman at a TV station. But at The Philadelphia Inquirer, I picked up a camera and started filming.
I obtained such opportunities not because I won a scholarship, but because I happened to be at the turning point of Chinese and American media industries. Multi-layered, multi-media reporting of news is not only an opportunity for me but a shared destiny for all journalists in this era.