By
Jessica Weiss
Journalism trainer Babatunde Akpeji, an
ICFJ Knight International Journalism Fellow, is
building a network of citizen journalists to cover health in Nigeria’s Delta
region, an area rich in oil and natural resources but beset by severe poverty.
Akpeji trains the citizen journalists
in basic reporting techniques, simple audio and video production, mobile tools
and journalism ethics. Then, the participants use their mobile phones to send
news on poverty and environmental concerns to the Vital Voices for Health website and to media
organizations in Lagos and Abuja. Akpeji says mobile devices make it easy for
journalists to deliver high-quality work quickly.
“Mobile makes the job easier and
faster,” Akpeji told IJNet in an interview. “It significantly reduces the
challenge posed by time, [so journalists don’t have to] wait to send content.”
Another advantage of mobile reporting,
he said, is that the devices automatically compress content. Though compressed
content might not work for print products, many online outlets don’t need
high-resolution photos or video.
In the course of working with citizen
journalists, Akpeji has put together a list of Android apps that can help
reporters in the field be more productive. Unless otherwise noted, they are
free of charge.
For the basics
The mobile handsets that the citizen
journalists use come preloaded with the mobile reporting applications Timby and StoryCheck. Journalists
have found StoryCheck especially useful, Akpeji said. The mobile “editor in
your pocket” is aimed at reporters working in small newsrooms with few
resources, and at less-experienced freelance journalists who don’t have access
to story briefings and debriefings and other essential input from an editor.
It guides users through the reporting
of a variety of different story types, from crime to courts, and helps ensure
there are no gaps in the reporting.
“All you do is follow the steps and
check off what you know on a story,” he said. “And it shows you what you might
have left out.”
StoryCheck
also offers simple guidelines for conducting interviews, counting a crowd and
writing. But he says the app doesn’t do all the work -- citizen journalists
still must be sure their stories reflect local realities.
Participants in the program also
download Dictionaries and Thesaurus for cross-referencing when writing.
Messaging
Whatsapp and Skype are the trend among
the citizen journalists using Android devices, Akpeji said.
“If you look at the country of Nigeria,
journalists are working in remote areas,” he said. “They’re going to use
messaging more than voice calls.”
Whatsapp is useful for sending video,
audio and photo files. It also facilitates work in chat groups.
When some of the citizen journalists
entered the Hala Nigeria Story Contest,
teams of five used Whatsapp to hold group discussions, since journalists were
located in different towns and cities.
Social networking apps
Once a story is completed, Facebook,
Instagram and Twitter are useful for sharing links to published stories from the
Vital Voices for Health website. But the apps
also come in handy for crowdsourcing information.
Participants used Twitter and Facebook,
for instance, to crowdsource information on how people treat themselves for
malaria without going to a clinic.
“That showed that stories really can
start and finish on mobile phones,” Akpeji said.
Text, audio and photo
For text editing, Akpeji recommends
apps that can open pages similar to Microsoft Word's. Useful apps are Polaris 5 Office, Quickoffice and Kingsoft
Office. Polaris 5 Office has the added advantage of being able to
open PDF files.
For audio recording and editing, NCH Wavepad, REC Forge and Voice Pro (US$13.49) are
excellent apps for CJs who send in stories to radio stations, “as they are able
to edit sound bites before emailing to media houses,” he says.
For photos, Fotor is a free photo
editor, although Akpeji encourages citizen journalists to turn in unedited
photographs, to avoid any ethical issues.
Security
Because downloading apps comes with the
risk of viruses and malware, Akpeji requires participants to install antivirus
software on their phones. It's important to download the full version of a
security app, he notes, since a trial or free version may not provide adequate
protection.
Specifically, NQ Mobile Security is
recommended for citizen journalists. Kaspersky Internet Security
is effective for those who are able to buy the full version with a debit or
credit card.
3CX Mobile Device Manager allows users to easily
manage and secure Android (as well as iPhone) devices. It blacklists
potentially harmful apps, in addition to tracing the phone in the case of loss
or theft.
Image courtesy of Flickr user Allissa Richardson under a Creative Commons
license.
Jessica Weiss is a freelance journalist based in
Bogotá.
Source: Ijnet.org
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