Newsroom

It's been a busy week. I've tried to catch up with some of the great people I met at EIJ. Email, twitter and LinkedIn are great tools for keeping in contact with folks overseas.

Yesterday I had a meeting at work with people from SVT sports. They have a huge twitter and Facebook following and I hoped to learn some strategies. Unfortunately there was little or nothing I didn't already know. The trick is to implement digital thinking in the entire newsroom, but that's the hard part. However, if everyone thinks "digital first"    the problem is gone. And we're going to have to do that since every average joe in the country thinks digital first. As a very wise man told me "If we don't do it, they are gonna do it themselves. But I didn't say it was gonna be good."

On an unrelated subject, Obama has left Sweden to go to St Petersburg, and I'm watching The Newsroom - it's a great show!

What I haven't told you about

Tons of stuff went on during these few days in California that I haven't had time to write about. The SPJ president's installation banquet was a great event (even though the food was not very good, and you had to pay for the drinks, but besides that...)

The banquet was also an award ceremony and some great journalistic work was honored.

I was humble to join these colleagues for the meal. Lewis Kamb, News Tribune, and Carol Smith, InvestigateWest were awarded for their "Center of Detention” series. They exposed the gruesome truth about a refugee detention center in their home state. Many others also received awards, but this stuck with me because it's great journalistic work: true, thorough, important and shocking at the same time.

Read more about "Center of detention" here: http://www.invw.org/project/center-of-detention

Now I'm glad to be back home. Hopefully I'll be able to use my new skills soon. I go back to work on Saturday. 

See you on the flip side and thanks for reading!

Our digital shadows

After spending the last couple of days learning about the benefits of social media I've spent the afternoon listening to what problems could occur if you use social media in the wrong way or if you create an account and then don't use it at all. "Our digital shadows " by great trainer Marie K Shanahan (@mariekshan) was an eye opener an provided me with some interesting new tools.

Another great guy

This man has spent most of his life constructing missiles. Not very violent in person though. He took part in the Titan programme and even made parts that went to the moon.

Imagine that, folks!

Use social media to cover breaking news

Somewhere down there at the front is @kellyfincham assistant professor and journalist who was in the news room that first found out about the death of colleague  Veronica Guerin. They didn't publish for 1,5 hours to allow the police time to contact her family. The situation is completely different today, says Kelly.

@kimbui talks about how to use storify and rebelmouse. "I'm a storyteller, social media is just a tool for me to tell a story". 

Future journalism and drones

Matt Waite demonstrates  bulletproof drone. 70 bucks and you can put a camera on it and get video nobody else can. Question is: is it legal?

Willian Avila, Social media producer, NBC,

This is a great guy!

Instagram & Facebook

Today is going to be a social media day. I've already been to great seminars about Facebook and Instagram. Even though there weren't to many news it's always exciting to listen to people representing those companies and to my fellow journalists and their interests and questions.

After lunch I might go to a seminar about drones (!!!) used in news journalism.

Best advice this far. Photomaps from Instagram embedded on website.

Networking US style

After spending 6 hours being amazed by Tom Hallman (yes his verbal storytelling skills are as good as his written) I've spent one hour networking US style. That basically means walking around talking to people you don't know about whatever you come up with, and the strangest thing is that nobody feels wierd about it.

Now I'm at the poolside bar enjoying a Writer's block, a bright purple drink that tastes like salsa with a ginger sprinkle. At the bar I met Brandon McDonald who, opposed to most Americans didn't know where he decended from. I guessed Scotland. He'd been to a "celebrity event" since he works with "beauty products". That's LA"

Tom Hallman on narrative storytelling

All day today is dedicated to how to be a better journalist by using yourself and your feelings. At least that's what Pulitzer Prize winner Tom Hallman tries to teach us, me and my fellow 50 journalist attending the workshop "Dump the inverted pyramid".

He's recipe for success is to always go to yourself to test if a story is good, does it make me feel? React? Is there something unexpected in an otherwise ordinary story that is worth telling?

We have just had a lunch break and now entering another two hour session.

At the hotel

We're finally at the hotel. But there were quite a few mishaps on the way. 

Firstly, my dad thought that bringing cheese and cloudberry jam as a gift to Don and Mary Jo (his Salt lake-buddies) was a good idea. Not very much so when we got stuck in customs though. Eventually it worked out fine since my dad is such a great people person :-)

However, we still didn't make the O'Hare-LAX flight. Fortunately there were empty seats on a 1,5 h later flight. On that plane they showed Ironman 3, not such a great movie. Arriving in LA the car rental place had released our car and we had to wait to get one. When it eventually arrives it's a great car, a camaro convertible, and it's not until halfway up the freeway that I realize that my dad has no idea how the GPS works. After touring the airport a couple of times, he gets the advice stuck to the windscreen to allow me to take an occasional peak. 

Well anyways, getting off the car at the hotel the top of the car will neither come up or down. I sorted it out with violence and swearing.

Now my body tells me it's 6 am even though the clock says 10, anyhow it's time to go to bed. Goodnight everyone! (Oh yeah they are shooting fireworks behind the Hilton.)

Hotel view

@Arlanda

I should have gotten the business class ticket...

Countdown

It's less than 24 hours to take off. The taxi is picking me up at 6 am tomorrow morning. Than we'll have an hour flight to Stockholm and many many hours from Stockholm to Chicago. Sometime in the morning local time we'll get on the final flight to LAX. Pick up rental car and 30 min drive to the hotel. We'll check in to the Anaheim Marriott in the afternoon but it will be around midnight swedish time.

I think everything is packed and planned. I downloaded the EIJ-app that has a great scheduling function to keep track of everything I don't want to miss out on.

I also confirmed with some swedish-americans from Salt Lake City to meet up. The poor folks are going to drive for 10 hours to meet up. Good people!

The inverted pyramid

I've just registered for a full day of training in narrative storytelling. It's a six hour brainwash on how to command and hold the audience's attention and reaching people on an emotional level. The goal is to get away from the inverted pyramid, the way that most journalists tell a story, starting with the most important facts.

Since I'm also an aspiring author ;-) I think this workshop is going to gain not only my professional writing and storytelling but also the writing that I do in private.

It feels fab! In my opinion most TV journalists should try to improve their storytelling skills. There is too much bad TV on TV.

(pic from Wikipedia)

The smorgasbord

More than three weeks to go but already trying to decide what workshops to attend. I'm glad, though, that I starter early because, as it turns out, it seems like all good stuff takes place at the same time. Now, while car bound, I'm trying to fit my plans in the marigins above a crossword puzzle. Fitting, I suppose to puzzle one puzzle on top of an other.

The problem, however, is that I can't seem to decide whether to attend "Own your own beat online" about how to use social media to spred your news feed more efficiantly, "Make the most of your smartphone" about apps and methods to improve tv journalism on the field, "Social media skills you can't live without" and "The live shot" about live broadcast techniques. All takes place between 11 am and noon on monday. It's a shame.

When not working

(photo: http://disneyland.disney.go.com/)

I'm really having trouble figuring out how to find time for some sightseeing in the Anaheim/Los Angeles-area.

The schredule for the conference is really interesting and I want to go to as many seminars as possible, espescially the ones about social media-strategies, webreporting and journalism on the internet. But on the other hand it would be a shame to travel thousands of miles and not see the world famous sights.

I created a board on pinterest with some sights I'm interested in. Now I need to prioritise. Heeelp!

Welcome!

My name is Moa Frygell. I'm a swedish journalist and I work at swedish public service TV in Umeå, Västerbotten.

A couple of months ago I was chosen to get a scholarship to go to Anaheim, CA, to take part in the conference "Excellence in Journalism" hosted by, among others, the Society of Professional Journalists and the Radio Television Digital news Association. It's the third year that the conference takes place and it's now one of the most important events for american journalists who wants to learn about the latest trends and get the best training from leading journalist professionals in the US.

I'm of course very honored and happy to get this chance to visit my american collegaues and share experiences.

In this blog I will share my journey with you. From planning and preparing to flying, traveling across the Atlantic, finding my way around international airports, to downtown Anaheim, the expo and the seminars.

You will also find me on twitter: @flameglory and #moinla

Lyxrosorna

Visst har jag också en rabatt med gula rosor. Jag kunde liksom inte låta bli när jag hade börjat. Problemet är att de hör rabattrosorna inte alls är lika tåliga och ståtliga som de i min rosa rabatt. Jag köpte Peace (döpt efter världsfreden 1945) väl medveten om att den kanske inte skulle klara vintern, men det gjorde den och jag har stora förhoppningar om många gulrosa blommor i sommar. Den andra rosen är en vanlig krukros för inomhusbruk som jag grävde ner på vinst och förlust. Men se, även den klarade vintern under ett rejält täcke av löv och täckbark.

Peace

Gul krukros

Vårrabatten 23 maj: rosor

Förra sommaren planerade jag en rejäl rosenrabatt i ett skyddat söderläge på tomten. Jag ville att den skulle gå i rosavitt och att rosorna skulle vara anpassade för vårt klimat (zon 5) så att de skulle blomma tidigt och länge samt växa sig rejält ståtliga på relativt kort tid. Valet föll på en ljusrosa klätterros (new dawn) som klarar sig bra ända upp i Tornedalen samt två buskrosor, vita Louise Bugnet och rosa Bonica. Louise Bugnet har underbara djuprosa knoppar som slår ut i stora, doftande och fyllda, vita blommor. Det är en kanadensisk korsning som utstår det mesta. Bonica är en sk modern buskros som också är mycket härdig. Den får fyllda rosa blommor i klasar som inte doftar så mycket. Alla mina rosor i den här rabatten är remonterande, vilket innebär att de blommar flera gånger under sommaren.

New dawn

Louise Bugnet

Bonica 

När björkarna har musöron ska man beskära rosorna. I år var jag lite väl entusiastisk och gick lös med sektören redan när det var knoppar på björkarna, men eftersom värmen kom så fort i år så är jag glad över att jag var ute i god tid. Jag klippte snett ovanför tredje utåtpekande ögat. Egentligen ska man klippa så att vattnet rinner bort från ögat, men min sekatör var så slö att det inte syns att jag försökte göra det.

Nåja det ser ju ut att ha kommit bra i alla fall.

Jag kalkade redan i april och nu har jag grävt ner några nävar hönsgödsel så får vi se hur det går.

Här finns bilder på Bonica och New Dawn från förra sommaren: http://mammamoplanterar.blogspot.se/2012/07/rosorna-blommar.html

Och här finns Louise Bugnet: 

http://mammamoplanterar.blogspot.se/2012/06/louise-bugnet.html

Imorgon tar jag mig an köksträdgården. 

Rabatten 22 maj: vårblommor

Nu har det gått fort. För bara en vecka sedan var det fortfarande vårvinter. Nu är det sommar. Kolla in de här före och efterbilderna:

Mitten av april:

Slutet av april:

Början av maj:

Mitten av maj:

Nu:

Lite scilla som utfyllnad i rabatten och fram på gräsmattan skulle inte skada. Det blir att stoppa ner i höst. 

Imorn: rosor!

Bollträdet överlevde vintern

Nu är det hårt beskuret av min händige son. Han är farlig med sektören.

En stackars trädgård

Nu är det inte vackert, men det ska det bli! För bara några veckor sedan var hela härligheten täckt med 1 meter snö. Nu när det börjat tina så går det fort. Vi kalkade idag för att få bort lite mossa och skräp som växer så otäckt fort på vår surjord.

Sonen kalkade i ett hål. Nån som har förslag på växter som växer i 50 % kalk så kan vi stoppa ner det där. Trädgårdsmästaren själv föreslog att vi skulle plantera en köttbulle, precis som Findus gjorde. Vi får se...

Första livstecknet

Nu vaknar våren. Första tecknet är att tulpan- och narcisslökarna som jag stoppade ner i höstas har börjat sticka upp sina små nosar. De hade börjat växa redan under snön så när det sista smälte så var de redo att skjuta väldig fart.

I dag har vi också inspekterat vår stackars såriga gräsmatta och kalkat lite. Det blir till att både hjälpså och laga. Jag har ännu inte bestämt i vad jag ska odla gräslapparna. Sonen föreslog att vi skulle strunta i gräsmatta och plantera blommor istället. Med tanke på hur mycket jag förodlar så kanske det är läge...