Adventitious theories

This is the blog for Lexie Heinle, a recent journalism graduate from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with business and informatics minors. Please visit my website to see more.

[lheinle]

Displaying The Buffalo News’ #ecfare coverage

To cover the Erie County’s Fair food, The Buffalo News deployed a team of eight reporters to tweet pictures and locations of their food discoveries. I used two different systems, a categorized display featuring card elements as well as a map, to share the 75 tweets.

Although both displays pull from Twitter, they use two entirely different methods to do so. The map, amended from The Seattle Times’ mayday map, uses grunt as a task manager and node.js for the server. Although I had experienced both programs before, this project helped me familiarize myself as I tracked how the tweets went from the Twitter client to a SQL database before being served as JSON for the website itself. 

On the other hand, the category display, adopted from Carla Astudillo’s Feats Thru Sheets, used IFTTT to pull in tweets from the journalists to a Google spreadsheet where another reporter would categorize each tweet as well as provide curation. Once the day arrived, I discovered my program didn’t catch the replies and the retweets so those were caught instead during the review process. Additionally, a 15-minute lag for the IFTTT recipes as well as a stressful unexplained hour delay provided frustrating.

In addition to IFTTT incidents, another problem was deleting a tweet from the map. Although the map was fantastic about not missing tweets, it also overridden any simple delete of a tweet from the JSON or SQL database. Eventually, I wrote another condition using the tweet’s id to a function that prevents retweets and replies from being added to the database.

Since the map is only able to locate a tweet given a precise location, the map is reliant on journalists turning that location on for each tweet. Additionally, the geolocation provided in the picture was off by a few blocks in certain instances.

If I did this project again for #ecfare 2017, I would adapt both programs to connect to Twitter’s API in the same way. Instead of double-checking after the IFTTT tweet delay, more focus could be on other elements of the project. I would also make it easier to catch tweets before displaying them on a map and also be able to edit the tweet coordinates as needed.

Other feedback included choosing a stronger contrasting map layer as well as making the markers easier to select on the map.

View the app’s and map’s code on GitHub.

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Settling into The Buffalo News

Last Wednesday marked my first week as The Buffalo News data visualization intern. Even in that short period of time, I’ve had the chance to build a couple interactive projects as well as explore some other open source journalism programs. Here are some of my takeaways from that time.

Discover the stakeholders

Working in a typical print-focused newsroom can make the interactive process a bit difficult. The established process for print simply breaks down when it comes to interactives, which makes it difficult to find the stakeholders. Who's the go-to person for fonts and colors? Who needs to give feedback about this chart or that map? Who talks with the WordPress developers about adding a badly needed script?

The key to finding those people is rather simple – ask someone. Once I knew who to ask each question, the process went a lot smoother. However, I'm planning on creating an interactive project template once I've completed sufficent projects so everyone can stay on the same page.

Try new programs

When I'm personally at a blocking point with my projects, I enjoy finding open source journalism programs that I think could help the newsroom. I love using talented, passionate newsroom developers' code. The benefits are extensive because I'm learning from the code itself and also providing a helpful tool for the newspaper.

This week, I adapted NPR Visuals' Lunchbox program to reflect The Buffalo News style. I gained familarity with a Python microframework, Flask, as well as Less. It's my hope that the final project is a useful addition for the newsroom.

My work

I built a simple Leaflet map showing Niagara Park construction. The Leaflet library, which I hadn't used before, made building the chart incredibly easy. The main difficulty with this chart was dealing with the coordinates. Unfortunately, the coordinates from the photographer weren't specific enough for the map, forcing us to try and mainly find the points. Due to this problem, I wrote a tutorial on how to easily save locations' coordinates on Google maps.

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Angular Time

How to start an AngularJS project & pull JSON from the Sheets API

Lately, I’ve been tossed into the AngularJS pool. For a freelance assignment, I’ve been building a javascript-based housing application that originally consisted of just a simple quiz portion. However, that quiz relies on some JSON data that’s not exactly user friendly for the client to change it. Not to mention, putting this crazy code to style the results was just asking for trouble.

https://gist.github.com/lexieheinle/e00875dd821522e1305f

So it was finally time to utilize a templating process, especially given that someone was going to start collaborating with me. In the hopes of saving some other poor newbie from my same mistakes, below are some hard-earned tips for getting started.

Clone down the Angular-Seeds repo to use as a base

When I first started, I simply used npm to install the required packages of angular and angular-ui-bootstrap – because bootstrap doesn't play nicely with angular. However, I kept getting errors with no clue whatsoever how to fix them. It was only once I cloned the Angular-Seed repo that things started cooking.

Just run this from your command line to get started with 'MyFirstAngularApp': git --depth=1 clone https://github.com/angular/angular-seed.git MyFirstAngularApp

Not only will you have all the requirements linked/installed correctly, you'll also have a working app to play around with and learn how to break/fix it.

Check your spreadsheets link

There's tons of websites explaining how to grab data from the Sheets API from an Angular app. However, I ran into two annoying issues that caused a bit of a struggle. First, don't just assume your worksheet's key is the default od6. I think that key is for worksheets that have the default name of 'Sheet1,' and I unfortunately changed mine.

Here's how you can test to see what your worksheet and spreadsheet keys actually are. Spreadsheet keys are the part in your Google spreadsheet url after the /d/ https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/{{ spreadsheet key }}/edit

Go to this address: https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/worksheets/{{ spreadsheet key }}/public/basic?alt=json

You'll get a json output, where you should do a search for entry, which has a url. Your worksheet code is the very last section. Then you can simple put the link below into a browser to see all the results.

Put this address in the search bar: https://spreadsheets.google.com/feeds/list/{{ spreadsheet key }}/{{worksheet key}}/public/values?alt=json

Another problem that I ran into was Cross-Origin requests not being permitted. My workaround for that was simply installing the Allow-Control-Allow-Origin Chrome extension. Honestly, this might be only a bandage fix, but it works for now on my local machine.

Finally, here's how I put everything together:

https://gist.github.com/lexieheinle/2c86bbcabec041e04a24

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Persistence & Research

This week, I received more experience with the spot features. After spring break, my article deadline came more quickly than expected. I had a day to contact sources. This would be sufficient if I didn’t have the worse luck.

I left voicemails, emails and Facebook messages. I used white pages, google and friends of friends. But then it all paid off, if all at once. “When it rains, it pours,” and everyone was calling me back. In the end, I learned that if you keep trying, someone eventually will get back to you.

The importance of doing your homework was also emphasized this week. Gathering as much information as possible before interviews allows you to ask deeper and more insightful questions. Additionally, understanding the basics before an interview allows you to focus on the more advanced aspects of a story.

One of my favorite aspects as a journalist is gathering knowledge then sharing that knowledge. The best articles are those that are well researched and packed with context for the reader. I believe in order to write articles like that you have to become a quasi-expert, translating the expert’s knowledge for the reader.

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Spot Features

I will admit it. I’ve little to no experience writing spot news. Whether the articles are for class or the Omaha World-Herald, I manage to be assigned to those longer feature articles. However, in the last week, I whipped out two articles in two days. 

Those articles really pushed me past my comfort level. Instead of having a day or longer to plan my article or contact a source, I had a couple of hours. I felt rushed, stressed and exhilarated. There was such a sense of accomplishment, which might seem silly. But the combination of writing a short-deadline story and the subsequent adrenaline made the twelve-inch story feel huge.

In my first spot feature, I had little warning as my editor contacted me in the morning while the event was ongoing. The Norris School District Ag Literacy Day involved elementary students petting and learning about farm animals.  The event was started when an agriculture teacher noticed that fewer and fewer of his students had a farm background.

 Due to the time restraints, I couldn’t pre-write the background information and had to start with the blinking cursor. Thankfully, in my data visualization class we had a project on the number of farms and farmland data from the United States Department of Agriculture. 

Since the Ag Literacy Day was started as a response to the trend of fewer farms, I thought it was fortunate and appropriate to include some statistics on how Nebraska’s agricultural community has changed. The fact that the number of Nebraska farms has decreased by 47 percent from 1960 to 2014 provides helpful context for readers.

My second article allowed more opportunity for writing background. The community baby shower was an afternoon event, giving me sufficient time to find statistics about Nebraska’s infants with a low birthweight and infant deaths. Although I felt a little morbid to include those facts while reporting on a health presentation for new or expecting mothers, I thought it was important to provide context about how often those events occur.

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Time management & trying new things

This week, the value of proper time management was made abundantly clear. As a junior college student, I considered my time management skills as pretty strong. However, I'm used to various assignments with one deadline, each. In the features department, we do have the flexibility to establish the articles a few weeks in advance. But, other articles can be added in or taken out. I also have to remember that the articles themselves have an earlier deadline so that the page designers and editors have sufficient time. For me, the process adds both pressure and importance  to my work because I feel I'm the first important part in a small portion of a future Omaha World-Herald newspaper.

This week also reminded me of the importance of professional growth. The World-Herald does a series of brown bag luncheons where weekly topics like social media and programming languages are taught. This week's topic was javascript. 

Since I want to work as a data journalist, I have been utilizing free websites like Codecademy and Udacity to learn either javascript or more generally the basics of computer science. However, Google can only do so much. I enjoyed attending the javascript lesson and being able to bounce some of my ideas off of more experienced people in the newsroom. 

I was surprised on the number of people who attended the session. There were probably 8-10 people in total. Most came to learn a basic overview of javascript and its possibilities. Therefore, I viewed the class as a good review, and I easily saw why javascript is so frightening. I would've been horribly confused if I didn't have any knowledge at all. Javascript sounds so horribly complicated when you throw in words like variables, loops and if/then statements.

I think it is very important to keep learning new things during your career, especially in journalism. Personally, one of the reasons I love working as a journalist is I'm constantly learning new facts. I believe taking that same passion for the job with the desire to understand technology is one of my best characteristics which will hopefully lead to great success.

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Stereotypes & Statistics

I’ve considered stereotypes many times over this past week. It seems like the majority of my articles are dedicated to trying to individualize stereotypes. Most of those deal with individuals with age and experience or seniors or elderly people. Even deciding the correct word to use for this group is difficult. The Associated Press Stylebook recommends to not use the word elderly unless age is essential to the article.

For my Feb. 25 article about a new TV show designed to fight against elderly stereotypes, age was essential, but that didn’t make the word choice any easier. The cast that I interviewed referred to themselves as individuals with experience and age. However, the average reader wouldn’t understand that term, and in my journalism classes, I was taught not to use euphemisms. In the end, I chose to mainly refer to the group as seniors on second reference. I feel this term is less negative because the connotation is focused more experience and less simply age due to its use in education.

I’m not sure if my Media Ethics class is making me more aware of stereotypes or ethical concerns are more common in the journalism profession than I had previously considered. It is so easy to rely stereotypes, yet stereotyping is not only inaccurate, but harmful to both reader and reporter. I find the most interesting articles are those that contradict the stereotype, portraying a real individual and not a fictional representation. It’s my hope that during my reporting career I continue to humanize stereotypes, helping society abolish its reliance on unfair categorization.

In addition to showcasing individuals, stereotypes can also be abolished by statistics. If calculated correctly, data can show a previously hidden trend or clarify an issue. Sometimes, data provides context in articles.

Include with this post is a chart with some statistics I found while researching a future article. Although I don’t know how relevant the data will be for the article, the data did support the importance of the article itself because a majority of people conduct spring cleaning every year.

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Asking for help & Fact checking

To satisfy honors’ credit requirements, I will be posting weekly reflection papers about my Omaha World-Herald fellowship. Additionally, I will provide an overview of the position and my articles, which can be found here. Since the deadline for the honors contract was the sixth week of the semester, below is a summary of the lessons I learned during those first six weeks.

Just ask

Ask for help, ask to try something new and even ask how to get out of the newsroom’s doors. Just ask.

As a journalist and a student, I thought I knew the importance of asking questions, but this job cemented the necessity of simple questions. Each newspaper has its own process and the best way to learn is to ask. The World-Herald’s orientation tried to cover that process, but things slipped through the cracks and were learned on a case-by-case basis, such as how to mark an article as ready for edits. Feeling more comfortable asking my editor, Jeff Reece, or my coworkers for help is something that I’ve been working on these past weeks.

In addition to help, the newspaper has also encouraged me to try new things. I’m becoming increasingly interested in data journalism so the dataomaha’s self-proclaimed “nerd blog” is a valuable resource. The journalists who run that blog are always provide help if I need it.

Recently, I wanted to use a different online style for my Valentine’s Day story. Instead of the typical Omaha.com article, I wanted to use what the paper calls its long reads or big stories style.

As you can see, the page is much cleaner with an increased focus on the content. I asked and received permission to enter in my article that way. Although I was expecting the necessity of coding in the article, there is a django application that is more user friendly, but I was still able to apply any custom CSS settings. I’m very proud of the online version of my Valentine’s Day article because I was able to choose pictures, decide on layout and even write the headline. I’m glad I took the chance on that project, and the successful experience encourages me to pitch more projects.

And yes, I did have to ask for help because I couldn’t open the door. It was embarrassing but worth my freedom.

Double- and triple-check facts

As harsh as receiving a zero on a class assignment is, I think receiving a correction would be worse. I’m always terrified that I’ve spelled a name or address wrong. To try and combat errors, I always have sources spell out names and then I confirm by reading from my notes. I also email my primary source with all the names that he/she would know to double check those. Finally, I perform a search of the name in my article to make sure it is spelled correctly.

To check other information, I first try to find it online, but if those searches are inconclusive, I call the source.

[lheinle]

Toledo, Spain: Two Weeks Down, Two to Go

It’s hard to believe that I have already been in Toledo for two weeks and have only two weeks left. Studying a language in a foreign country is as challenging and rewarding as they say.  Although I have struggled with receiving change from a waitress, I have also had my host dad and several other native speakers compliment me on my Spanish.  I’m so glad that I choose the Español in Toledo program through the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha.

Toledo

Toledo is located in the Castile-La Mancha region in central Spain and is only an hour from Madrid. Toledo has a historic part guarded by the old city walls. This portion of the city has small, crooked streets that lead to interesting encounters between cars and pedestrians. 

Our host family lives in the historic part of Toledo, only blocks from La Catedral de Santa María, a huge Catholic church that broke ground in 1226. This cathedral is an example of the interesting mixture of cultures that makes Toledo unique as the location used to be a Jewish mosque. In addition to Christianity and Judaism, Islam is another religion that influenced the history of Toledo.

The overwhelming, extensive history of Toledo was difficult to comprehend being that America is such a “young” country. Until the 1960s, Toledo was still using Roman aqueducts from the first and second century AD. Toledo’s historic significance was recognized in 1986 when UNESCO declared it a World Heritage City.

Host Family

            Staying with a host family was the best decision I could possibly make, and I am glad that Kenda and I could do so together. My host dad, Paco, eagerly helps me with my homework each night when I ask, and my host mom, María, makes the most delicious meals and always asks about I am or “¿Qué tal?”

We always watch the news during mealtimes, and they are always happy to clarify a word or explain an issue. Additionally, they were much needed mediators between our spotty Spanish and the outside world. You might consider getting ahold of customer service is hard—try having to explain your issue in a different language.

Food

            If you can only want to learn the name of one traditional Spanish meal, it should be paella. Paella is a mixture of rice, spices and a variety of meats or seafood. María cooked seafood paella that was the one of the most delicious meals that I have ever eaten in my life.

Most restaurants offer a menú de día, which often includes two courses, bread, drink and dessert. You are able to choose from several options in each category. This is all available for a reasonable price for a large quality of food.

Other delicious traditional foods are mazapán, gazpacho, and turron. Mazapán is a traditionally Christmas sweetmeat made from almonds and white sugar that was legendarily created by the nuns of the Convent of San Clemente. For me, it tastes like half-baked cinnamon roll dough. Gazpacho is a cold soup made from tomato and other vegetables that is often an appetizer. It has an almost sweet refreshing taste that reminds me of my mom’s homemade mild salsa. Turrón is another traditional Spanish treat that tastes like almonds covered in almond bark. It is made with almonds, honey and egg whites, usually.

Additionally, I will post about our trips to Valencia and Segovia as well as some noticeable cultural differences and my daily routine in the next few days. Espero que se ha divertido leyendo sobre mi viaje.

                                                                          Hasta Luego,

                                                                                    Lexie

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This video was made for my J201 Editing I class at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. It depicts a male reporter who displays sexism and whose initials happen to be PIG. This stereotype was only depicted for educational purposes and does not represent the company's views of either gender.

The song is "The Man" by Aloe Blacc.

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I interviewed several people involved in the Engineers Without Borders University of Nebraska chapter. The photos contained in this video are not mine.

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This video was for a spanish class and involved the usual crazy family dynamics that everyone has. In the film, two siblings run for class president, but their younger sibling only wrecks their chances. The mom is left to try and keep the family together.

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Inverted Pyramid Article

This is the inverted pyramid article I wrote for Reporting I. Please note that the McDonald's shooting did not happen. Our professor gave us notes about the fake event and asked us to write the article for educational purposes.

LINCOLN, Neb. – A homeless man shot and killed three customers Monday at a local McDonald’s before being gunned down by the cashier with his own gun after putting it down to pay for his food, according to the police.

John Henry Ross, 42, entered the McDonald’s at 875 N. 27th St around 11 a.m., according to customers. There was a line, and Ross asked the people ahead of him to let him go first because he said that he was real hungry. When they refused, Ross opened fire.

Dawn Sanchez, 22, of Lincoln, the cashier, described Ross as “mad and impatient and angry as hell.” After the shootings, Ross strolled to the counter, according to Sanchez. He ordered a Big Mac, and Sanchez entered the order. Ross placed the .45-caliber handgun on the counter to grab his money. Sanchez grabbed the gun and shot Ross in the chest, according to the police report.

 “It was the first time I ever fired a gun,” Sanchez said. “I hate guns. I’m terrified of them.”

For Sanchez, it was a case of self-preservation. “I figured if he killed all those people, he’d kill me, too, just as soon as he gobbled that Big Mac,” Sanchez said.

Responders to the scene included 10 police cars, the SWAT team and two ambulances quickly with the utmost speed, according to police spokesman Patrick Smythe.

Ross was taken to BryanLGH Medical Center West where doctors pronounced him dead at noon, according to the police report. 

Smythe said the county attorney will not press charges against Sanchez. Police are still investigating the shooting.

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Speech Article

On March 18, I attended Zhao Yong's speech on global education trends, and the following is the article I wrote on that occasion.

LINCOLN, Neb. –Yong Zhao, a global education expert, spoke Tuesday to the local community about the global mistake to value test scores over creativity.

Zhao holds a doctorate in educational psychology and is an associate dean for Global Education at the University of Oregon. The title of Zhao’s speech was “Catching Up or Leading the Way: American Education in the Age of Globalization.” Zhao was the final speaker in the E. N. Thompson Forum’s “U.S. and Them” lecture series at the Lied Center.

Creativity, instead of standardized test scores, should be the educational focus, according to Zhao. He said that when countries emphasize test scores, they create employees, not entrepreneurs. Employees follow orders, while entrepreneurs innovate. According to Zhao, the high level of unemployment among college graduates demonstrates the need for innovative individuals.

The world “has a major paradox to deal with,” Zhao said. “That is a global talent shortage.”

Zhao discussed said that the benefits of the U.S. education system are the varied curriculum systems and more forgiving curriculum, which can help students to develop at their own pace. However, American politicians envy China’s math, reading and science test scores.

These test scores were produced by an education that Zhao compared to a sausage maker. After a rigorous and homogenous program, the Chinese students produce high-test scores, but lack curiosity and confidence, according to Zhao. Therefore, China is left with many employees but a lack of entrepreneurs. China needs the next Steve Jobs.

“By even random distribution, China should have four times the number of baby Steve Jobs born,” Zhao said. “What happened to the baby Steve Jobs?”

In contrast, the U.S.’s more open and forgiving system creates sausages with a few bacons like Henry Ford, according to Zhao.

 “With traditional sausage-making education,” Zhao said, “we lose entrepreneur people in two ways. We get rid of nontraditional people and damage their confidence.”

According to Zhao, this historical sausage-maker type of education is a national bet, which is only a prediction of which skills and talents society will find useful. The old gamble has failed, according to Zhao, and the U.S. government’s initiatives like the Common Core aren’t helping.

“The one thing Democrats and Republicans agree on is how to destroy public education,” Zhao said.

The need for education reform is seen in the vanishing middle class, according to Zhao. Although the middle class is the bedrock of American society, the number of traditional manufacturing jobs is steadily decreasing. This portion of society must adapt.

“The new middle class will have to be the creative class,” Zhao said.

Companies are actively searching for qualified people to fill creative positions, and the rate of creative jobs is rising while other sectors are falling, according to Zhao.

Kelli Bruns, a University of Nebraska-Lincoln researcher stationed in North Platte, said that college students “shouldn’t get sucked into” the public mindset that test scores and grades are the most important predictors of success.

Nancy Urbanec, an extension associate assistant at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, agreed with Zhao about the importance of creativity.

 “I use creativity to put a twist on new information to get the public interested,” Urbanec said. According to her, students don’t have the opportunity to explore interests until college, and often find creativity intimidating.

Zhao recommended that the government give curriculum decisions back to school districts and teachers, and more schools should focus on students’ interests. When students are internally motivated, they are more likely to be independent, creative and successful.

“The ultimate goal of education is to keep children out of their parents’ basements,” Zhao said.

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Meeting Article

On March 10, I attended the Lincoln City Council meeting, and this is the article I wrote for that occasion.

LINCOLN, Neb. – After months of discussion, the City Council approved the building of apartments near the Pine Lake neighborhood Monday against local residents’ objections. 

The Pine Lake and Edenton Woods homeowners and the Berean Church congregation opposed the decision. They were concerned about the traffic congestion that the highly populated apartment buildings would add to the primarily single home neighborhood, according to Pine Lake resident Ray Atwood.

“One issue: density,” he said.

In addition to concentration concerns, residents worried about trespassers in their communally owned lake area.

Broadmoor chose not to speak during the council meeting.

“We would like to wave a magic wand and make it all work,” said Councilman Jon Camp, who voted against the development.  Camp rejected the development because he said that his personal platform of common sense, fiscal responsibility and doing the “right thing” demanded it.

The City Council’s efforts included encouraging the residents and the developer to compromise and listening to the concerns of the affected parties. One compromise was the developers decreasing the number of units from the initial 224 to 147. Another was the developer’s willingness to increase the setback from the Pine Lake community’s property line to reduce traffic congestion.

The city had to approve three resolutions for Broadmoor’s apartment complex. The area was annexed into city limits, the zone district was changed from an agricultural to a residential area, and the developer’s special building permit was approved.

According to Jennifer Rawlinson, a Pine Lake resident, the neighborhood will not appeal the City Council’s decision.

“The Pine Lake Association board will be working to follow-up on the agreement they signed with the developer,” Rawlinson said.

Councilman Doug Emery said that these cases involve an individual’s right to sell land and the neighborhood’s right to choose its neighbors. From Emery’s previous experiences, he predicted that the neighborhood would eventually accept the new addition. Emery commended the parties’ ability to compromise.

“Everybody walks away with something,” Emery said. 

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Reflection on Principles of Mass Communication class

This class has given me a historical context on media and society that will be helpful in the future. By knowing the disruption cycle, the Internet's current supremacy of the public is no longer as groundbreaking as it has happen previously with newspapers, radios, and television. Popularity doesn’t last forever, especially in a society always focused on the next best thing. Therefore, adaptability, creativity, and curiosity are very important characteristics to have in this industry. It is only because of a willingness to change have older medias stayed relevant. Additionally, I found it interesting how although the medium of the storytelling has change, communication is still a basic inseparable aspect of humans. In the bewildering transformation that is human society, some things never change.