Bill Gentile Backpack Journalism

Opening Up the Archives

2010-09-19T04:10:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC, 19 September 2010 -- I've opened up my photo archives to American University's newly formed Center for Latin American and Latino Studies (CLALS) for publication on the center's web site.

In the picture above, CLALS Administrative Coordinator Andrea Mesa (right) and Graduate Assistant Meredith Fender recently view color slides at the center while I look over their shoulders. The archive contains thousands of images in black and white, color negatives, color slides and prints that I generated while covering Latin America and the Caribbean as a photojournalist for United Press International and Newsweek Magazine for over 30 years. These include images of the 1979 Sandinista Revolution in Nicaragua and the Contra War of the 1980s, the Salvadoran civil war, civil strife and government repression in Guatemala, Fidel Castro's Cuba, the U.S. invasions of Panama and Haiti, and much more. One of those images appears on the computer in the background.

It's exciting to collaborate with the center, which I believe is making an important contribution not only to American University but also to the broader community in which we all live. (Photo by AU Graduate Student Maria Howell)

-- Bill Gentile

Essential QuickTip #2: Don't Just Stand There

2010-09-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC, 17 September 2010 -- I see backpack journalists standing flat-footed with their feet splayed out in the general direction of their subjects and it makes me cringe. A strong wind could blow them over, much less somebody not paying attention and who just happens to bump into them or, worse, somebody who wants to do them harm or grab their gear.

So position yourself for success: Point your left toe toward your subject and your right toe straight out in front of you. Bend your knees slightly. This is the way boxers and martial arts experts stand when confronting an opponent. Watch boxing or martial arts films to see what I’m talking about -- how to properly position your feet for maximum stability and maneuverability. (Photo by Esther Gentile)

Essential QuickTip #1: Hold the Camera Properly

2010-09-16T04:11:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC, 10 September 2010 -- Below is the first in a series of Bill Gentile's Essential Backpack Journalism QuickTips that you may find helpful in the field. I certainly have. Please feel free to send any feedback.

Bill Gentile:

#1: Hold the Camera Properly

You have a left hand largely for one purpose: To hold the camera properly. So maximize this gift and learn how to hold the camera in a way that will make your work easier and more effective. Use the left hand as a base, or a foundation, upon which the camera rests. Keep the fingers of your left hand free to manipulate switches, buttons and focus/zoom rings. Grasp the camera firmly with the right hand. (Photo by Esther Gentile)

Backpack Journalism: What It Takes

2010-09-14T14:06:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 14 September 2010 -- Now that we’ve defined backpack journalism, again, the next question might be, “So what does it take to be a backpack journalist?” Here are the requirements, not necessarily in order of importance. I’ve blogged about this before, and have somewhat altered what I believe is “the right stuff” of backpack journalism. So here is the latest version:

VISUAL TALENT: The backpack journalist needs artistic talent to recognize compelling images. Images are the engine inside this medium. The famous radio correspondent Edward R. Murrow reportedly said once that television is nothing more than radio with pictures. He was wrong. Good television, as well as good video on the Internet, is powerful images that drive the message and that are complemented by clear natural sound and connected by intelligent narration. But it’s images first.

WRITING SKILL: To quote one of my earliest journalism professors, “Good writing is clear thinking made visible.” Stated differently, if you can think clearly and know how to use a typewriter, or a computer, or a pencil and pad, then you can write well. Though our craft is driven by visuals, we need to be strong writers.

TECHNICAL SKILL: The successful backpack journalist must know how to make the camera produce on tape or on a computer chip the images that his/her mind’s eye sees. You have to be able to multi-task. Composition. Focus. Light. Background. Sound. Story. Story. Story. All at once.

PHYSICAL STAMINA: This craft presents a physical and an intellectual challenge. Even with the lightweight, hand-held digital cameras of today, working the craft properly demands a significant amount of physical stamina. You can’t practice the craft effectively if you’re not in shape.

HEART: I used to list this as “courage,” but courage does not adequately define this characteristic, although in some instances the backpack journalist might need raw, physical courage as well. What I mean here is the heart to practice a fundamentally intrusive craft despite what may be a lack of understanding or cooperation – or downright opposition – from people who just don’t want to be filmed. And I mean the heart necessary to tell and to stand up for your version of the truth, just the way you see it, despite the potential fallout from all sides. Because this craft allows such a deep sense of personal authorship, the buck stops with you. You own it. It’s your version of the truth. I once filmed an explosives expert from a major metropolitan police force while he rigged up some C-4 during an operation in New Jersey. I had hooked him up for sound with a wireless microphone – which he apparently forgot about -- so I could hear him talk to himself while he prepared the blast. “It’s all you now, Frankie,” I heard him repeat over and again. “It’s all you.” And he was exactly right.

(Photo of New York Times photojournalist Tyler Hicks by Bill Gentile. Helmand River Valley, Afghanistan. 2008)

-- Bill Gentile

Extreme Weather Bag Nearly Complete

2010-09-09T05:48:00.000-07:00

NEWINGTON, VA, 9 September 2010 -- I stopped by the offices of Communications Engineering, Inc. (CEI) last week to check on the Bill Gentile Extreme Weather Bag that I'm designing in conjunction with CEI engineers and executives.

In the picture above, CEI Executive Vice President John Wesley Nash (R) looks on as I test the bag that houses the Sony NX-CAM, the centerpiece of our Backpack Journalism System. I've been working for months now with CEI to design the System and the Extreme Weather Bag and prepare them for market.

Both items are valuable tools for backpack journalists, or video journalists, especially those working in challenging, inhospitable terrain.

(Photo by Phil Whitebloom)

When Photojournalists Become Backpack Journalists

2010-09-08T05:10:00.002-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC, 8 September 2010 -- I participated in a conversation with bloggers on Rosenblum TV recently, which you may find interesting. Below see a version of my post about the transition from photojournalism to backpack journalism:

Photojournalists have difficulty making the transition to video partly because they’ve spent so much of their professional lives striving to capture what Henri Cartier-Bresson called, “decisive moment.” (See above photo by Cartier-Bresson) It’s the moment that encapsulates, embodies, or tells the entire story. For photojournalists, there is no beginning. No middle. No end. That moment in time IS the story.

I spent most of my early days as a journalist making pictures for United Press International and, later, for Newsweek Magazine. So I’m familiar with the predicament that we photojournalists often find ourselves in. I was fortunate, however, to have had the opportunity (or the financial necessity) to write. I spent my early days as a freelancer making photos but also writing and editing stories for UPI, as well as writing and reporting for ABC and NBC radio. So I developed a sense of “story” that extended beyond that decisive moment.

Most photojournalists are not that fortunate and Michael Rosenblum is right about the difficulty that so many of our colleagues have in making the transition. But their glasses are half full. What Michael refers to as “video journalism” and what I call “backpack journalism” are rooted more in the tradition and skill sets required for documentary photojournalism, than the 6 o’clock news.

The best photojournalists come to the new craft with an understanding of light, the absence of light, form, composition and motion. They understand how to make powerful images, these being the engine inside of visual communication.

This is not to say that transiting from the decisive moment to the dramatic arc is easy. It is not. But, given the skills they’ve acquired along the way, photojournalists bring a visual foundation to the craft that many others do not.

-- Bill Gentile

David Leeson: "The More Things Change..."

2010-09-07T08:57:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC, 8 September 2010 -- The Backpack Journalism Project at American University's School of Communication is proud to feature Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist David Leeson, his essay and his work. Leeson is the latest addition to our "Discussion Topic of the Month" section.

As founder and director of the project, I invite you to see Part I of David's essay, "The More Things Change..." here.

-- Bill Gentile

"I Can Smell Their Bodies"

2010-09-07T04:56:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 7 September 2010 - This is an exciting time to be a journalist, especially a backpack journalist. For the first time in the history of mankind, we have the power to “talk” with people everywhere, at any time, in a language that is universal. The visual language. We can share our own experience and the experiences of others. These experiences become the fabric of our lives. They are indelible.

Last week one of my students visited my home to share his documentary about fishermen on Nicaragua’s Atlantic Coast, where I had worked in the 1980s. There was a scene in which some villagers had taken refuge from a rainstorm underneath a corrugated tin roof, these being so ubiquitous in that part of the world. Men, women and children stood underneath the metal roof, packed closely together, their brown skin shimmering in the heat and the humidity.

“I can smell their bodies,” I said. “I can smell their perspiration and the smoke from the wood fires of their kitchens. I can smell the rain.”

This is the power and the privilege of journalism. As backpack journalists, the power is ours to use. The privilege, especially, must never be taken for granted. (Photo from my book, "Nicaragua")

-- Bill Gentile

CEI Advances on Backpack Journalism System

2010-09-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC, 6 September 2010 -- Communications Engineering Inc. of Newington, Va, is pushing forward with the Bill Gentile Backpack Journalism System. I stopped by the CEI headquarters recently to discuss the System, being marketed in part with the above poster. (Photo by Phil Whitebloom)

While visiting the CEI offices, I also reviewed the new Backpack Extreme Weather Bag that I'm designing in conjunction with CEI engineers and executives.

The Backpack Journalism System and Extreme Weather Bag are important contributions to the craft and to practitioners like myself who take the craft so seriously.

-- Bill Gentile

Featured Professional: John Ficara and "Black Farmers in America"

2010-09-03T06:01:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC, 3 September 2010 -- John Ficara is the latest Featured Professional on American University's Backpack Journalism Project web site. I selected John, a friend and former Newsweek Magazine colleague, because his path to backpack journalism resembles that of so many of us now practicing the craft.

John's book, "Black Farmers in America," is a work of quiet but heart-breaking power. The image above, my favorite, is one of many from the book.

What we define today as "backpack journalism" is based largely on the tradition of documentary photojournalism as practiced by people like John Ficara. It's a very specific application of multiple skills appropriate in certain circumstances that yields very unique results.

- Bill Gentile

NPPA Magazine Features American University's Backpack Journalism Project

2010-09-01T13:23:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC, 1 September 2010 -- Here's how Donald R. Winslow starts out his piece in the latest edition of "News Photographer," the official magazine of the National Press Photographers Association and arguably the most important magazine dealing with our craft:

OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS AT American University in Washington, DC, some of its more visionary journalism leaders came to the conclusion that before the new "backpack journalist" approach to storytelling can be accepted as an effective and legitimate journalistic practice, it needs to have its methodology defined. And it needs a standard set of "best practices" spelled out detailing how its future practitioners will be educated and trained in a systematic manner.

In a reference to my colleague Sharon Metcalf, who is the Senior Director of Strategic Partnerships & Programs at American University's School of Communication, Winslow went on:

(Bill) Gentile and Sharon Metcalf came to (Tom) Kennedy to ask him to help them frame a vision for the backpack journalism program that's germinating at AU as a result of Gentile's efforts, and they plan to use the fruits of Kennedy's research to build the school's fledgling program into a national contender.

The article goes on to detail how Kennedy went about putting together the "white paper," a collective vision of the craft and best practices associated with it. Tom does a great job of defining what I, and long-time practitioners like myself, call "backpack journalism." (read: the REAL backpack journalism) You can see the entire document here.

The NPPA magazine article is lucid and highly informative. I very much recommend it. There's only one thing that I disagree with regarding Winslow's piece. We at American University do not aim "to build the school's fledgling program into a national contender."

We aim to build the uncontested national leader.

-- Bill Gentile

Defining Backpack Journalism -- Again

2010-08-29T08:26:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, DC, 29 August 2010 -- There still is a lot of discussion and debate about backpack journalism, what it is, what it looks like, in which instances it should be utilized, when it is appropriate and effective. So I think it time now to define this methodology again, in greater detail.

Backpack journalism is the craft of one properly trained professional using a hand-held digital video camera to tell stories in a more immediate, more intimate fashion than is achievable using a team that includes camera person, sound person, correspondent and producer. Backpack journalists do it all and, most importantly, we make the pictures, which are the driving force of visual communication. (There's a reason they call it tele-VISION.) In the field, a backpack journalist shoots, acquires sound, produces, reports, interviews. We write the script. In some cases we narrate the piece. Depending on circumstances, we either edit the piece on our own, or we sit side-by-side with an editor assigned to the task.

Backpack journalism is not the 6 o’clock news reported by a single, multi-tasking journalist. It is a character-driven methodology with a specific approach and application that yields unique results and that does not work in all situations.

In an early edition of a white paper for The Backpack Journalism Project at American University’s School of Communication, Tom Kennedy deepened this definition by calling the methodology, “an alternative approach to journalistic story-telling that fuses audio and video reporting, with one person functioning to do the reporting, photography, narration, production and editing tasks to create a finished product.”

Kennedy continued:

“It is a method using visual journalism to create powerful, intimate stories that take people beyond the boundary of their own life experience and connects them with the currents, forces and situations reshaping our world on a daily basis. Using multiple media tools, backpack journalists create content that engages audience intellect and emotion simultaneously.

“The fruits of the approach occur because a journalist is being given the tools, time, and freedom to assume the responsibilities of personal authorship to craft a story with value to an audience. Personal authorship is rooted in intimate connection with the story’s subjects. That in turn permits extended periods of observation that get to the heart of a story.

“Because of changes in the technology used to create journalism, changes in methods of content delivery to the audience, and economic pressures to streamline news gathering costs, backpack journalism has arrived as an alternative process for creating documentary-style narrative journalism.”

Backpack journalism neither looks like the 6 o’clock news, nor is it based on the foundations of the 6 o’clock news. Rather, the methodology is built on the foundation of still photography. More specifically, documentary still photography, in which the practitioner has the luxury of time to document character and story development while altering the dynamics of character and story as little as possible.

I call it “participatory observation.” But I’ll talk about that in another post.

-- Bill Gentile

Internet Marketing Whiz Becomes New Addition to Backpack Journalism Workshops

2010-08-27T10:25:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 27 August 2010 -- The live video presentation by Internet marketing expert Bruce Jones was so successful during our most recent Backpack Journalism Workshop that I'm making him a permanent feature of future events.

A participant in one of my first workshops in 2008, Bruce joined us during my most recent event via Google Video Chat from his home in Boston. During a one-hour presentation/discussion with participants, Bruce laid out his strategy for marketing their work online. He should know. He's been doing exactly that for a number of years now, and has really figured out how to make his work-related activities go viral on the Web. You can check out some of his work at Bruce Jones Design Inc.

That's Bruce on the flat screen TV above during the 12-15 August event. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

Bruce is a natural addition to what has been a highly successful series of Backpack Journalism workshops.

My next workshop is scheduled for 14-17 October 2010 in Washington, DC. I hope you can join us.

Long Distance Backpack Journalism With Bruce Jones

2010-08-15T11:40:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 15 August 2010 -- Bob Shea (r) talks with Bruce Jones during the 12-15 August Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile. In the center is Final Cut Pro Certified Instructor Kelly Donnellan. At far left is Jeff Mead. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

Bruce Jones via Google Video Chat

2010-08-15T11:34:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 15 August 2010 -- Participants in the 12-15 August Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile used Google Video Chat to converse from a living room in northwest Washington, DC, with Bruce Jones, at his home just outside of Boston. He's an expert in marketing over the Internet, and explained how to do so with projects related to backpack journalism, or video journalism.

Bruce participated in the very first workshop in 2008. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

Backpack Journalism - Long Distance

2010-08-15T10:41:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 15 August 2010 -- Bob Shea (silhouetted on left) watches Bruce Jones on a flat screen hookup via Google Video Chat. Jones, who lives just outside of Boston, took time out to speak with Shea and others attending the Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile, which is being held in Washington, DC.

Jones attended the first Backpack Journalism Workshop in Silver Spring, MD, back in 2008. He is expert in the craft of internet marketing and generously spoke with us about backpack journalism, or video journalism, for more than an hour Sunday from his home. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

An Early Start

2010-08-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 15 August 2010 -- Gail Massari gets an early start on the last day of the Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile by coming in before other participants at the four-day event. She is silhouetted against the early morning light coming from the yard behind the Gentile residence.

Members of the current class are under the gun as the deadline approaches for compressing and posting their videos online.

Final Cut Pro and "Three Dimensional Chess"

2010-08-14T16:04:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 14 August 2010 -- Final Cut Pro Certified Instructor Kelly Donnellan (l) assists Gail Massari at the Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile in Washington, DC. Behind them are Bob Shea (l) and Jeffy Mead, who drove to Washington from Rochester, NY, to attend the event. Gail Massari flew in from Raleigh, North Carolina.

On the third day of the four-day event, participants wrestle with the components of what I refer to as the three-dimensional chess of our craft. These three components are images that drive the model; natural sound on tape that is the heartbeat of the model; and narration that sets up, summarizes and connects the dots of the model. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

... and Post Production

2010-08-14T12:34:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 14 August 2010 -- Bob Shea (r) listens to a piece that he and Jeff Mead shot for the Backpack Journalism Workshop. The four-day event ends Sunday 15 August. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

On the Third Day There Was Editing

2010-08-14T08:56:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, 14 August 2010 -- On the third day of our Backpack Journalism Workshop, Jeff Mead (l) edits a piece that he and Bob Shea shot and produce. The mini doc is about "Street Sense," a nationwide newspaper produced by and about the homeless. Mead and Shea drove from Rochester to attend the four-day workshop. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

Backpack Journalism Workshop in Washington, DC

2010-08-13T03:59:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 12 August 2010 -- Gail Massari (r) reviews tape she generated for her project at the Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile on Thursday, the first of the four-day event. Massari came from Raleigh, North Carolina, to attend the workshop.

On the left is certified Final Cut Pro instructor Kelly Donnellan.

Colin Mulvany Weighs in on Backpack Journalism at Newspapers

2010-06-18T12:52:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, 18 June 2010 -- The essay by Colin Mulvany, a member of the Board of Advisors of our Backpack Journalism Project, is a valuable contribution to our craft, to aspiring backpack journalists and to anyone working at a newspaper who manages, trains or supervises backpack journalists. See the essay here.

Colin details his experience at the Spokane, Washington, Spokesman-Review, from the advent of “backpack journalism,” also referred to as “video journalism,” through dark days of layoffs and payoffs, to the present day. And there are many lessons to be learned.

Colin has seen it all, has survived it all, and now is a leading advocate and spokesman for the craft – and for the appropriate application of that craft. And his work reflects the years he’s spent honing it in the real world of everyday journalism.

I particularly liked the piece, “In the Realm of Fairies,” in which he explores the Fairy and Human Relations Congress that meets each year near Twisp, Washington. For those practitioners who insist there’s no place for narration in our model of visual communication, take a listen to Kevin Graman, who wrote the narration and who uses his Rod Serling-esque, two-pack-a-day voice for maximum effect.

It’s a great example of how words and images can conspire to deliver a form of communication whose impact dwarfs that of either words or images when these stand alone.

CEI Unveils Backpack Journalism System

2010-06-03T06:39:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 3 June 2010 -- Communications Engineering, Inc., (CEI) has announced plans to unveil the Bill Gentile Backpack Journalism System at InfoComm on 9-11 June in Las Vegas. See the announcement here.

CEI and I designed the System with the needs of today's backpack journalists, or "video journalists" as they are sometimes referred to, in mind. The System includes everything one needs in just about any kind of terrain to do any kind of visual story for broadcast or Internet outlets anywhere in the world.

SOC Student Maria Howell Begins AP Internship in Jerusalem

2010-06-03T06:31:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 3 June 2010 -- SOC graduate student Maria Howell began her internship with the Associated Press (AP) by arriving in Jerusalem the very night of the Israeli assault on the flotilla of ships carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza. It promises to be a very busy summer.

Maria is this year's recipient of the Associated Press/American University Backpack Journalism Foreign Internship. She started blogging shortly after arrival. We plan to follow Maria throughout her internship in Israel. You can also follow her on her blog.

American University Backpack Journalist Heads to Jerusalem for Internship With Associated Press (AP)

2010-05-25T17:37:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, 25 May 2010 -- American University graduate student Maria Howell, this year's recipient of the Associated Press/American University Backpack Journalism Foreign Internship, on Tuesday accepts my $500 contribution for her trip overseas.

Maria plans to use the $500, plus another $500 contributed by School of Communication Dean Larry Kirkman, during her internship with the Associated Press (AP) in Jerusalem. The AP is contributing another $500 for her trip, which begins next week.

Maria is part of the Backpack Journalism Project launched in April by AU's School of Communication.

She participated in my March 2010 Backpack Journalism Workshop With American University at the NBC News Bureau in Washington, DC, shooting and producing this video on that workshop. She also was a student in my Backpack Documentary class this Spring 2010 semester, producing the piece, "Indian Dancer." (Photo by Tara Kocourek)

Shout Out on Kobre Channel

2010-05-21T05:34:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 21 May 2010 -- The June 24-27 Backpack Journalism Workshop in San Francisco got a nice shout out by Ken Kobre on his visual journalism blog. Ken is a well-known figure in the world of photojournalism and visual communication. His book, "Photojournalism: The Professionals' Approach," which I'll be using this fall at American University, is one of the more popular of its kind.

Video on Mexico City Backpack Journalism Workshops

2010-05-18T17:28:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 18 May 2010 -- I just got word that a video done by one of the students in my Backpack Journalism Workshops in Mexico City (We called them Talleres de Periodismo de Mochila) has been posted on YouTube. You can see it here.

2nd Backpack Journalism Workshop in Mexico City

2010-05-10T07:25:00.000-07:00

MEXICO CITY, 5 May 2010 -- My second Backpack Journalism Workshop at Tec de Monterrey in Mexico City ended with this group photo.

The Tec de Monterrey, which has dozens of branch campuses around Mexico, is the first institution in Latin America (to my knowledge) that has embraced the model that we refer to as backpack journalism, or video journalism.

Students attending our workshops came from diverse backgrounds, professions and institutions including the United Nations, local universities and local Mexican media outlets.

I conducted both workshops in Spanish.

Epigmenio Ibarra: The First Backpack Journalist

2010-05-10T04:57:00.000-07:00

MEXICO CITY, 4 MAY 2010 -- It's an honor to be in Mexico City, with Epigmenio Ibarra, helping to inaugurate the Mexican Foundation for Investigative Journalism. During and after the panel discussion that we led, I discussed the craft of backpack journalism, or what some refer to as video journalism, with some of the attendants.

As I told the crowd gathered at the launch, "Epi" was the first backpack journalism that I've ever known. In Central America during the 1980s, when the American and European television crews consisted of camera person, sound person, correspondent and producer, Epi was covering the conflicts alone, doing all those tasks -- and doing them very well. He was the embodiment of what we define today as a backpack journalist, or video journalist.

Today Epigmenio is a wildly successful producer of Spanish-language soap operas or "telenovelas." His are distinguished by the fact that they have a social component, a characteristic very distinct from the run-of-the-mill Mexican television programming. I take my hat off to him.

Launching the Mexican Foundation for Investigative Journalism

2010-05-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

MEXICO CITY, 4 MAY 2010 -- I appeared with Epigmenio Ibarra (far right) to launch the Mexican Foundation for Investigative Journalism in Mexico City. Veterans of conflicts in Central American during the 1980s, Ibarra and I participated in a panel discussion about conflict coverage.

The event was led by Ana Arana (second from right), founder of the Foundation. Also present were Maria Elena Meneses, former Univision correspondent and founder of the journalism department at the Tec de Monterrey in Mexico City. Out of view is Luis Miguel Gonzalez, editor of the financial daily, El Economista.

Ana, a long-time friend and colleague from Central America, invited me to help launch the Foundation, and to conduct two Backpack Journalism Workshops at the Tec in Mexico City.

(Photo by Carlos Aviles)

"Personal Hunger and Felt Need"

2010-05-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

By Bill Gentile

MEXICO CITY, 2 May 2010 -- A friend of mine, a participant in one of my recent Backpack Journalism Workshops, wrote to thank me for the experience and to probe for ideas on how to keep up not only with the craft -- but with something more. Here's part of what he wrote:

I'm feeling a sense of urgency to get more of my (work) out there. I'd like to know if you could suggest some next steps. What I could really use is a group of people who can regularly view, critique, challenge and encourage each other... My objective is to be part of a storytelling movement. I think I heard you alluding to something like this at several points. To tell stories about people and places I encounter and then hear stories from others doing the same all over the world. Years ago, I was introduced to the work of the great Brazilian educator, Paulo Freire and his idea of conscientization. I'm sure you're familiar, since your work embodies the principle. I want to create and promote media which tells truth, sparks imagination, and raises consciousness. This is more important now than ever. So much visual storytelling these days seems like drugs. I don't want to be a drug dealer. I'm not saying this out of any sense of moral superiority, but instead personal hunger and felt need.

I can't tell you how many people I've heard voice this same yearning to create, to express, to challenge and to change. Here's part of what I wrote back to this particular friend:

And I understand your need to participate in this international conversation which is visual communication. I'm trying to do that by hosting and joining various Internet groups, maintaining a web site and blog, teaching and producing as much content as I can. And that last part is crucial: Producing content. As you produce more of the kind of content you want to produce, you'll find yourself making connections with people who share your interests. You'll find yourself building content, a commodity (yourself) and a community.

The technology that we now have at our fingertips -- digital cameras, computers and the Internet -- allow us all to participate in this international dialogue. Too often this unprecedented opportunity (and power) is wasted, but some of us, increasingly conscious of the urgency of so many issues facing us today, are using it more constructively.

With this technology, these new tools, we are a revolution. We can make a difference. So come with us, to view, critique, challenge and encourage.

Backpack Journalism Workshops in Mexico City: Group 1

2010-05-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

MEXICO CITY, 1 May 2010 -- Here's the first graduating class of our Backpack Journalism Workshops in Mexico City. This group included working journalists, mid-career professionals in other fields and students. What a great group of highly talented, motivated people. It was such a pleasure to work with them.

This was the first of two, three-day workshops I'm conducting in the Mexican capital. We finished up late yesterday evening.

The workshops are sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the Fundacion Mexicana de Periodismo de Investigacion (MEPI), or the Mexican Foundation of Investigative Journalism. The workshops are being held at the Tech de Monterrey campus in Mexico City.

All of this has been made possible by Ana Arana, a colleague of mine from my days in Central America. She is the founder of MEPI. In the photo, she is seen directly at my right. While here, I'm helping with the official launch of the Foundation.

The workshops have generated quite a bit of interest among the local media outlets, which are just beginning to probe the model that we refer to as backpack journalism, or video journalism. The newspapers El Universal and La Reforma sent reporters to attend the first event. El Universal carried a story about my visit. See the story here.

Day 3: Backpack Journalism Workshop in Mexico City

2010-04-30T13:19:00.000-07:00

MEXICO CITY, 30 April 2010 -- Participants in the first Backpack Journalism Workshop in Mexico City focus on completing their projects during the last day of the three-day event.

It's the first of two workshops I'm conducting in the Mexican capital.

The workshops are sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the Fundacion Mexicana de Periodismo de Investigacion (MEPI), or the Mexican Foundation of Investigative Journalism. The workshops are being held at the Tech de Monterrey campus in Mexico City.

The workshops have even generated some interest among the local media outlets, which are just beginning to probe the model that we refer to as backpack journalism, or video journalism. The newspaper El Universal carried a story about my visit. See the story here.

While here, I'm helping with the official launch of the Foundation.

(Photo by Bill Gentile)

Day 2: Backpack Journalism Workshops in Mexico City

2010-04-30T13:14:00.000-07:00

MEXICO CITY, 29 April 2010 -- More from Day 2: Participants work on video projects.

(Photo by Bill Gentile.)

Day 2: Backpack Journalism Workshops in Mexico City

2010-04-30T12:33:00.001-07:00

MEXICO CITY, 29 April 2010 -- Participants in the first Backpack Journalism Workshop in Mexico City work on the videos they shot for the three-day course.

Here, the workshops are called, "Taller de Periodismo de Mochila." It's the first of two workshops I'm conducting in the Mexican capital.

The workshops are sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the Fundacion Mexicana de Periodismo de Investigacion (MEPI), or the Mexican Foundation of Investigative Journalism. The workshops are being held at the Tech de Monterrey campus in Mexico City.

The workshops have even generated some interest among the local media outlets, which are just beginning to probe the model that we refer to as backpack journalism, or video journalism. The newspaper El Universal carried a story about my visit. See the story here.

While here, I'm helping with the official launch of the Foundation.

(Photo by Bill Gentile)

Backpack Journalism Workshop in Mexico City

2010-04-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

MEXICO CITY, 29 April 2010 -- We're in the second day of my Backpack Journalism Workshop in Mexico City. Here it's called, "Taller de Periodismo de Mochila." It's the first of two workshops I'm conducting in the Mexican capital.

The workshops are sponsored by the U.S. State Department and the Fundacion Mexicana de Periodismo de Investigacion (MEPI), or the Mexican Foundation of Investigative Journalism. The workshops are being held at the Tech de Monterrey campus in Mexico City.

The workshops have even generated some interest among the local media outlets, which are just beginning to probe the model that we refer to as backpack journalism, or video journalism. The newspaper El Universal carried a story about my visit. See the story here.

While here, I'm helping with the official launch of the Foundation.

(Photo by Jose Antonio Garcia Inarritu.)

Part II: Bill Gentile on Backpack Journalism

2010-04-22T11:08:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 22 April 2010 -- This is Part II of Bill Gentile on Backpack Journalism with the International Journalists' Network.

Bill Gentile Discusses Backpack Journalism With IJNetVideo

2010-04-22T10:45:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 22 April 2010 -- Bill Gentile discusses backpack journalism, otherwise known as video journalism, and the requirements of practicing the craft. The discussion with the International Journalists' Network took place at his office at American University in Washington, DC.

See it .

Now Accepting Registrations for Backpack Journalism Workshops in New Orleans, Boston, San Francisco

2010-04-18T04:39:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, 18 April 2010 -- We're beginning to get registrations for our three Backpack Journalism Workshops. Take a look here.

Former AU Grad Student Posts Story About Thai Sex Workers on VJMovement

2010-04-17T04:29:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 17 April 2010 -- Former American University graduate student David Coffey posted this story about sex workers in Thailand on the video journalism site, VJMovement. A graduate of American University's School of Communication (SOC), Coffey last year received the first Backpack Journalism Foreign Internship given by the SOC and the Associated Press (AP). He was posted at the AP's bureau in Bangkok, Thailand.

The Thai sex worker story is the latest in which David exhibits some of the skills he acquired at the School of Communication. He is now freelancing in the region. See David's work here.

Backpack Journalism Workshop on Vimeo

2010-04-13T06:18:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 13 April 2010 -- Maria Howell's film on our latest Backpack Journalism Workshop is now posted on Vimeo. It's a great story about our last event, which we held in conjunction with American University, at the NBC News Bureau here in Washington, DC.

Prior to making this piece, Maria had substantial experience with photojournalism, but no experience with video, much less with backpack journalism. It's really extraordinary how much she learned in a few days.

I hope you all like the piece.

See it here.

Backpack Journalism to National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) in Las Vegas

2010-04-12T08:55:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS, Nevada, 11 April 2010 -- Bill Gentile delivers an address on backpack journalism to a crowded auditorium at the HardRock Hotel during the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas.

Gentile was sponsored by Sony Corporation to address the annual gathering, the largest and arguably the most important in the world. In addition to the burgeoning field of backpack journalism, Gentile discussed proper training for aspirants to the field, the storytelling process and his own Backpack Journalism Workshops.

He also talked about the new Bill Gentile Backpack Journalism System, which is being unveiled during the week-long convention in Las Vegas. The Backpack Journalism System is the result of Gentile's collaboration with Communications Engineering, Inc., (CEI), which for the past 24 years has built a reputation for delivering world-class systems design, integration and service. Assembled with components from leading manufacturers including Sony, Apple, G-Technology and Manfrotto, the system is a versatile, cost-effective solution designed to meet the demands of today's remote location journalism. (Photo Rick Watkins, CEI).

Announcing the Bill Gentile Backpack Journalism System

2010-04-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

LAS VEGAS, Nevada, 11 April 2010 -- The Bill Gentile Backpack Journalism System was unveiled this weekend at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention in Las Vegas.

The Backpack Journalism System is the result of a collaboration between Bill Gentile and Communications Engineering, Inc., (CEI), which for the past 24 years has built a reputation for delivering world-class systems design, integration and service. Assembled with components from leading manufacturers including Sony, Apple, G-Technology and Manfrotto, the system is a versatile, cost-effective solution designed to meet the demands of today's remote location journalism.

A pioneer in the field of backpack journalism, Gentile brings three decades of experience to help develop the industry's most dynamic solution to the challenges of today.

Backpack Journalism Workshops in New Orleans, Boston

2010-04-09T03:55:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, 9 April 2010 -- We're sending out the new flyer on Backpack Journalism Workshops in New Orleans and Boston. Accepting registrations.

Visit www.billgentile.com/workshops.html

IT'S LAUNCHED

2010-04-01T17:25:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 1 April 2010 -- American University's School of Communication has launched The Backpack Journalism Project.

See http://www.american.edu/soc/backpack

American University Launches The Backpack Journalism Project

2010-04-01T02:54:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 1 April 2010 -- American University's School of Communication today launches The Backpack Journalism Project, a major endeavor to define, to teach and to promote the methodology of a single, properly trained professional using a hand-held digital camera to achieve a more immediate, more intimate visual communication than possible with a large camera and traditional crew of camera person, sound person, correspondent and producer. We do it all and, most especially, we generate the images, which are the driving force of this medium.

Stay with us for more information on the launch.

Backpack Journalism Workshop Heads to New Orleans

2010-03-31T02:53:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 31 March 2010 -- The next Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile is scheduled for 12-16 May 2010, inclusive, at the New Orleans Video Access Center (NOVAC) in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This is the first time we are holding a five-day, as opposed to a four-day, workshop.

The NOVAC venue is a perfect match for the workshop, as this non-governmental organization (NGO) describes its mission as "to foster the creation and appreciation of film and video for a public of diverse ages, income levels, and backgrounds."

See http://www.novacvideo.org.

We're now taking applications for the event, so don't wait. See http://www.billgentile.com/workshops.html

Backpack: The New Photojournalism

2010-03-30T04:59:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 30 March 2010 -- An article in today's New York Times says what we've known and have been preaching for some time now: the craft of photojournalism is contracting and it is much more difficult to make a living than it was just a few years ago. This is partly due to the fact that point-and-shoot cameras and even cell phones now generate images that can compete -- at least on the level of technical quality -- with those generated by seasoned photojournalists. And the Internet has opened up streams of distribution that once were the exclusive territory of wire services and stock photo agencies. (See http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/30/business/media/30photogs.html?src=me&ref=general)

What the Times article does not say is that "backpack journalism" is emerging as an alternative to photojournalism.

We define this methodology as, "the craft of one properly trained professional using a hand-held digital camera to tell stories in a more immediate, more intimate fashion than is achievable using a larger team with camera person, sound person, correspondent and producer. We do it all and, most importantly, we make the pictures, which are the driving force of visual communication."

This methodology is built on the rubble of documentary photojournalism. Like we photojournalists did years ago, we backpack journalists now spend proper time on stories to bring depth and substance to our coverage -- and to establish deep and lasting relationships with the people and the places we cover. Because we execute all tasks associated with the craft, we claim deep authorship of our work. Our pictures. Our stories. Our voices.

In contrast to the field of photojournalism in which even the most untrained practitioner can now compete, the methodology of backpack journalism demands that successful practitioners understand the language of visual communication and actually know how to speak it.

Photojournalism is not dead and, hopefully, it will always be with us. But it is difficult to deny the realities laid out in the Times article. The media landscape is shifting and we either adjust or perish.

As I said last year during an address to the Harvard Club in New York City, "No matter what the media landscape looks like after the current upheaval, backpack journalism will be an important part of it."

It's Over

2010-03-23T03:44:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 23 March 2010 -- The 11-14 March 2010 Backpack Journalism Workshop at NBC News is over and I've just about recuperated from the event. Great group of people.

From left to right, Amna Nawaz (standing), Maria Howell (crouched), Will Cummings, Ted Roach, Lea Sutton, Bill Gentile (holding sign), Ben Crace (with cap), Kyle Bissell, Brett Nelson, Kirsi Jansa, Bill Delano.

Stay tuned for the video produced by one of the attendees, American University student Maria Howell.

Journalism: a ticket and a tool

2010-03-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

A little about my mission today.

Ben Crace's feedback on the workshop

2010-03-14T08:26:00.000-07:00

Ben shares his experience this weekend and likens it to learning a new visual language.

Maria Howell's Feedback

2010-03-14T08:21:00.000-07:00

A still photographer's thoughts on taking the workshop.

Kyle Bissell's feedback from the Workshop

2010-03-13T16:06:00.000-08:00

Kyle shares his transition from taking pictures alone in the wild, to working together with others.

Female Journalists

2010-03-13T09:44:00.000-08:00

Experience working with a female journalist in Afghanistan. In HD from our March workshop in Washington at NBC News.

Your Controlling Idea

2010-03-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

On staying focused when telling your story. In HD from our March workshop in Washington at NBC News.

A magic question to ask

2010-03-13T09:40:00.000-08:00

Ideas for your next interview in HD from our March workshop in Washington at NBC News.

On Dramatic Arcs

2010-03-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

A few thoughts on story telling in HD from our March workshop in Washington at NBC News.

Don't mislead your subjects

2010-03-13T09:38:00.000-08:00

Being honest and getting tough interviews in HD from our March workshop in Washington at NBC News.

Informal Interviews

2010-03-13T09:36:00.000-08:00

Practical advice from our March workshop in Washington at NBC News.

What we do at the Workshop

2010-03-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

A few thoughts caught in HD from our March workshop in Washington at NBC News.

Photos from the Workshop

2010-03-13T07:09:00.001-08:00

Day 1: Backpack Journalism at NBC News

2010-03-12T04:53:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON, 12 March 2010 -- Yesterday was the first of four very long days of the Backpack Journalism Workshop With American University at NBC News in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill Delano)

Backpack Journalism at NBC News in Washington, DC

2010-03-12T04:46:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 12 March 2010 -- We launched the Backpack Journalism Workshop With American University at NBC News in Washington, DC. Good group of people. Lots of talent and excitement. Will keep you posted. (Photo by Bill Delano)

Last Day to Register for Backpack Journalism Workshop

2010-02-28T04:48:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 28 February 2010 -- This is it. Today is the last day to register for the Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile at NBC News in Washington, DC. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

See www.billgentile.com.

3 Days to Register for Backpack Journalism Workshop

2010-02-26T03:29:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 26 February 2010 -- We're almost there. Only three days left to register for the Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile at NBC News. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

See www.billgentile.com and click on "Workshops."

Seven Days to Register for Backpack Journalism Workshop

2010-02-22T14:37:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 22 February 2010 -- Seven days left to sign up for the Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile at the NBC News Bureau in Washington, DC. This event is the first to be held at NBC News and in conjunction with American University's School of Communication. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

See www.billgentile.com.

NPPA Northern Short Course Photojournalism Contest

2010-02-21T16:25:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 21 February 2010 -- This is one of the winners of the National Press Photographers Association (NPPA) Northern Short Course Photojournalism Contest that I helped judge yesterday, Saturday 20 February.

The competition was held at American University's School of Communication.

We saw some terrific work produced by amateurs and professionals practicing a craft that, like so many other facets of journalism, is undergoing a difficult period of transition.

Only Eight Days to Register

2010-02-21T06:54:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 21 February 2010 -- Only eight days left to register for the Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile. This marks the first time the event will be held at the NBC News bureau in Washington, DC, and in conjunction with American University's School of Communication.

See http://www.billgentile.com/workshops.html

Only 12 Days to Register for Workshop

2010-02-17T04:23:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 17 February 2010 -- Only 12 days to register for the Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile at NBC News in Washington, DC.

See www.billgentile.com.

March 11-14 Workshop at NBC News Bureau

2010-02-12T03:49:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 12 FEBRUARY 2010 -- It's official. The March 11-14 Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile will be held at the NBC News bureau in Washington, DC. The workshop is a joint venture with NBC News and with American University's School of Communication. (Photo by Tomas Munita)

Registration closes February 28.

See http://www.billgentile.com/workshops.html

21 Days to Register for Backpack Journalism Workshop

2010-02-08T04:11:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 8 February 2010 -- Only 21 days left to register for the Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile.

See the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu_o8RdxxZ4

22 Days Left to Register for Workshop

2010-02-07T05:13:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 7 February 2010 -- Only 22 days left to sign up for the March 11-14 Backpack Journalism Workshop With Bill Gentile.

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBjJYiQXFlQ

Backpack Journalism at Pulitzer Center

2010-02-05T06:51:00.001-08:00

WASHINGTON 5 February 2010 -- I recently took the idea of backpack journalism to the Pulitzer Center in Washington, DC. During an interview for Project: Report, an interesting endeavor sponsored by YouTube in conjunction with the Pulitzer Center and made possible by Sony and Intel, I discussed backpack journalism and what its practitioners should take to the field.

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KddojIbx2EA

Backpack Journalism™ for Russian Visitors

2010-01-16T05:16:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 15 January 2010 -- I conducted a one-day Backpack Journalism™ Workshop for Russian journalists visiting the United States on a multi-city tour funded by the U.S. State Department.

For their shooting exercise, I had them visit a shoe repair shop run by its Dominican-Puerto Rican-American owner, and a barber shop run by its Italian-American owner. Both businesses are located near Dupont Circle, one of the cultural cores of the city.

Above, one of the visitors shoots video of me inside the conference room where we held the event as two interpreters look on. (Photo by Esther M. Gentile.)

Backpack Journalism™ Workshop at NBC

2010-01-13T15:38:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 12 January 2009 -- American University (AU) Distinguished Journalist in Residence Nick Clooney (l) and NBC anchor Brian Williams banter during a presentation at the Newseum.

Also during the event, AU School of Communication (SOC) Dean Larry Kirkman announced a multifaceted partnership between the SOC and NBC News, including a Backpack Journalism™ Workshop at NBC's Washington bureau on March 11-14.

Backpack Journalism™ at Inter-American Defense College

2010-01-07T14:02:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 7 January 2010 -- At the request of a colleague from American University, I gave a presentation today at the Inter-American Defense College at Fort McNair, in Washington, DC.

I focused the presentation on media and the military, as the attendees are representatives of armed forces from Latin America and the Caribbean. (I gave the presentation in Spanish.) And I took the opportunity to discuss backpack journalism™ and how that model is so appropriate for covering police and military operations.

I showed my film, "Afghanistan: The Forgotten War," aired by NOW on PBS, as an example of the model. With the hand-held digital cameras that are the signature of backpack journalism™, we can cover fast-moving military operations and not hinder the forces we are covering.

Above on left, I discuss the presentation with some of the attendees. (Photo by Darrell Hayes.)

Another Backpack Journalism™ Workshop

2009-12-29T18:32:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 29 December 2009 -- I'll soon be announcing another Backpack Journalism™ Workshop. So don't go away...

The Backpack Journalism™ Workshop of December 2009

2009-12-28T19:59:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 28 December 2009 -- The Backpack Journalism™ Workshop of December 2009 is over. Above are the participants. From left to right are Rudy Avizius, Larry Rosenstrauch, Dawn Cannon, Tim Guthrie, me (in front and crouched) Nancy Ford (behind me) Bill Delano (instructor), Ted Roach (instructor), Ted Delano (crouched beside me) Esther Gentile (instructor) Amy Hendrick (instructor with blue sweater) Roland Minez and Jon Haas. What a great group!

I've started a Vimeo channel, Backpack Journalist, and you can see the work the participants produced there. Just go to Vimeo and search Backpack Journalist, and they will come up.

I'm also in the process of posting the videos on YouTube. Go to YouTube and search the channel, Drastiquin. Or go to YouTube and search Bill Gentile, as I'm listed as one of the tags.

Feedback on the Workshop

2009-12-13T12:38:00.001-08:00

Workshop Feedback

2009-12-13T09:42:00.000-08:00

Pacing and writing

2009-12-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

The edit and not using sit down interviews

2009-12-13T06:39:00.001-08:00

On Natural Light

2009-12-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

Dinner time at the Gentile's

2009-12-12T16:18:00.000-08:00

Independent Video Rental stores Vs. Netflix (behind the scenes with Dawn Cannon)

2009-12-12T14:11:00.000-08:00

Gratitude at Shepherd's Table

2009-12-11T18:27:00.000-08:00

Rudy Avizius @ Shepherd's Table

2009-12-11T17:09:00.000-08:00

Dramatic Arc #2

2009-12-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

Dramatic Arc #1

2009-12-11T07:57:00.001-08:00

Controlling idea #1

2009-12-11T07:55:00.000-08:00

New Backpack Journalism™ Workshop

2009-12-11T03:03:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 11 October 2009 -- Moving into the second day today of the four-day Backpack Journalism™ Workshop. Good group of people. Lots of energy, talent and good cheer.

Only Three More Days ...

2009-11-04T12:00:00.001-08:00

... to register for the Backpack Journalism Workshop With NOW on PBS. See http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/440/Journalism-Workshop.html

Rise and Fall of the Berlin Wall

2009-11-04T08:14:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 2 NOVEMBER 2009 -- Susan Bennett leads a discussion by Robert MacNeil (center) and Tom Brokaw at the Newseum in Washington, DC.

As foreign correspondent for NBC, MacNeil covered the construction of the Berlin Wall in 1961. The wall became a symbol of oppression and a closed society. Twenty-eight years after MacNeil's reporting, NBC correspondent Brokaw reported on the wall's dismantling.

Susan Bennett is the vice president of exhibits and programs and a deputy director of the Newseum, which houses the world's largest section of the Berlin Wall. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

Sean Gallagher at American University

2009-11-04T07:48:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON, 29 October 2009 -- British photojournalist Sean Gallagher addressed both my Foreign Correspondence class and my Photojournalism class at American University. Gallagher showed examples of his work in China on the process of desertification. Gallagher is sponsored by the Pulitzer Center.

During his presentation to my students, Gallagher pointed out the necessity of being able to multi-task. He particularly stressed the need for writing skills -- even for visual communicators like photojournalists or documentary film makers.

He reinforced my mantra to students, especially those who aspire to work as "backpack journalists," as that model requires one person to do it all. (Photo by Bill Gentile)

Eleven Days to Register for Workshop

2009-10-26T17:33:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, 26 October 2009 -- Only 11 days left to register for Backpack Journalism Workshop With NOW on PBS.

Workshop Rates Reduced

2009-10-20T19:37:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, 21 October 2009 -- In light of the continued downturn in the American economy, we've cut the registration fee for our December workshop by 25 percent.

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pu_o8RdxxZ4&feature=related

Learn To Do This at December Workshop

2009-10-14T05:35:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON, 14 October 2009 -- Learn to make documentaries for television and the Internet at our Backpack Journalism Workshop With NOW on PBS in Silver Spring, Md, 10-13 December 2009.

Registration closes 6 November 2009.

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBjJYiQXFlQ

Taking Registration for December Workshop

2009-10-13T09:25:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 13 October 2009 -- We are now taking registrations for the December 2009 Backpack Journalism Workshop With NOW on PBS. Registration closes 6 November. The workshop will be held December 10-13 in Silver Spring, Md.

Click below for an example of what you will learn:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPVk08kRg8w&feature=related.html.

Backpack Journalism: Venezuela to Washington

2009-10-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON, 11 October 2009 -- I arrived late last night after a week-long speaking tour at universities in Maracaibo, Valencia and Caracas, Venezuela. Time now to sort through notes and newspaper articles, etc., that I picked up along the way. Above is a write-up of the tour that appeared in the Tuesday 6 October edition of Maracaibo's "Diario Version Final."

I spent most of my time during the journey underscoring to students the importance of balanced reporting during times of tension and conflict. Your future work will both reflect and guide the national dialogue, I told them. And part of the responsibility of good journalism, I told them, is to avoid taking sides during that dialogue. The polarization of the media both reflects and exacerbates the polarization of political discourse. And once the middle ground is lost, everybody loses.

I think, and I hope, they understood this.

Myself and colleague Ana Arana were invited by the U.S. State Department to Venezuela to address university students at four institutions, as well as to interview with numerous media outlets in that South American nation.

During the week-long tour, I also took the opportunity to discuss backpack journalism and its role in our future, as well as my work at American University's School of Communication.

Day 5: Backpack Journalism in Venezuela

2009-10-10T18:27:00.000-07:00

CARACAS, Venezuela, 9 October 2009 -- We rush around Caracas for interviews with various news outlets, fighting traffic all the time. It's been a good week, and I'm deeply impressed with students here. My hope is that they have the opportunity to practice the craft that is so critical now to the dialogue that is taking place in their country.