For Journalists by Journalists

Here are two sites for journalists by journalists. Both are new to me.

News Watch Media Guide to Islam: This site, aimed at reporters covering Muslims in the U.S., is part of News Watch, a project at San Franscisco State University which seeks to improve coverage of minorities. It is divided into such subjects as daily life, women and Islam, and critiques of media coverage. The “reporter’s Rolodex” section is particularly useful, so that you can have experts to contact on deadline. Even though the site has information about the Middle East, it is not intended to be a guide for foreign correspondents covering Islamic nations. Cristina L. Azocar, who oversaw the site (which was launched last week), told Web Tips that this two-year project’s goal was to make a “real difference” in the coverage of the religion.

I think the producers have a done a fine job with what is complex, confusing material. A major ommission appears to be the relatively little attention paid to Islam in South Asia and South Asian Muslims in the U.S., even though they represent some of the biggest concentrations of Muslim believers. For instance, in a list of  61 countries “with significant Muslim populations,” there’s no mention of India and its 120+ million Muslims, giving it either the second- or third-largest Muslim population in the world (there’s some disagreement about which country, India or Pakistan, has more Muslims; Indonesia, of course, has the most).

The good thing about an online resource like this is that Azocar and her team can keep updating it with more sections and continue to refine what’s already there, adding more sources and resources. I think newsroom managers would be wise to make all their editors, reporters, and producers aware of this site and have them bookmark it so they can avoid the common mistakes made when covering such an important part of American society. 

AmericanPhotojournalist.com: This site, launched last year, is an excellent resource “for photojournalists, by photojournalists.” It’s an online gathering place for photographers from around the world and has, in addition to portfolios you can browse, forums where various technical and editorial questions are discussed, and a section that lists contact information for photographers and editors. Be warned: If you aren’t careful, you can spend way too much time browsing through the 600 or so portfolios, even if you aren’t a photojournalist. Posting your own portfolio is free for the first month (it takes only a few minutes to sign up and post your material) and after that, a year’s membership is $20.

Have a site you want to recommend? Write to poynter@sree.net (with your name and affiliation; I prefer to hear about sites you are not connected with).

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