The Best of the 2008 - 2009 Observer

In journalism jargon, #30# is the code for the end of the story. This is the end of this volume of The American Observer, as we say goodbye to the Class of 2009.

American Observer Staff: The American University School of Communication Graduate Class of 2009 is the staff that produces the current volume of the American Observer. (photo by Bill Petros)

Each fall, we get a fresh group of students and expose them to a world of new techniques in telling stories and sharing information. Over the course of year, they learn a slew of skills and work with new technologies, some established traditions and many on the cutting edge of new directions for journalism.

The American Observer is their practical workshop in learning these skills and honing their craft into art. The 2008-2009 volume of the Observer is unlike those that came before it. The graduate class were active in learning content management, editorial workflow and other high-level production skills, including multimedia and interactive events.

Asked to select their own favorite work over the past year, the spring class chose the following pieces to represent them until the next volume starts publishing in the fall 2009.

• The Inauguration of Barack Obama: The historic presidential inauguration presented a huge opportunity for students. In partnership with NPR and CBS, The Observer helped create a crowdsourced coverage that gathered more than 35,000 user-generated contributions during the event. The project built on earlier work with Twitter during the election, before the platform had caught on with mainstream journalists. Observers blanketed the city, producing video blog reports that ran on CBS, as well as content for the Observer. Nick Schwellenbach's pre-event coverage and wrap stories are the key to finding all of this great work.
• Picking Sides: Nats or Os: Part of a themed edition on the start of the major league baseball season, this piece features the video and multimedia storytelling skills that were heavily focused in the second semester of Observer production. Lori Grisham shot the video and Meera Pal produced the Flash package.
• Live from the Tavern for the NCAA Tourney: When American University made it to the "Big Dance" for the second consecutive year, Nick Perretti and Cooper Allen wanted to get to the game, but school got in the way. They parked themselves among the fans on campus at the Tavern in the Mary Gradon Center. They liveblogged and created video reports on the fly while conversing over social media platforms to exemplify many of the on-demand techniques explored during the year.
• Live from Death Row: Of course, legal aspects of journalism and ethics are part of the coursework in the program, but when ethical issues come up in stories that we publish live on the site they present "real world" teaching moments as well as challenges for students. Seung Min Kim faced some heavy issues in her story about death-row inmate Troy Davis, and managed them well.
• How To Get Around Washington: Produced as a final project for the fall semester, Manuel Bewarder's story traces the three means of getting from point A to point B in a city notorious for confusing and confounding transportation. As if great art, a custom map, and tight copy weren't enough, Manuel's video was a class favorite... especially since he braved traffic on a bicycle while holding a Flip Cam.
• The Observer Podcast: In the spring, the class broke into teams for special projects. Some worked on journalism packages, one team worked on a full site redesign, and one team created a weekly podcast. Produced by Kat Aaron, Meera Pal, Lori Grisham and Manuel Bewarder, the podcast was funny and interesting, fitting tightly with the weekly edition. Lori Grisham was chosen to host of NPR's "Intern Edition" based in part on her "on air" work with the podcast. The signature theme was created by Manuel.

The list could go on. Week in and week out, students pitched in with fresh, compelling stories and helped each other along as contributors while taking turns as newsroom leaders. One of the best things about teaching is seeing students grow and flourish. And of course, one of the hardest things is watching them go.

Best wishes and congratulations to the Class of 2009. You make us proud, and leave some big shoes to fill.

#30#