WED?
WED is a philosophy of journalism that focuses on the print media. Never heard of it? We studied it all semester, but the Poynter seminars have coined this term to describe the integration of writing, editing, and design.
http://www.poynter.org/dg.lts/id.4862/content.content_view.htm
“The "W" comprises not only writing but reporting and research, of stories as well as headlines, subheads, captions, promos, and at-a-glance boxes.
The "E" comprises not only editing but coordinating and making sense of all the raw materials of journalism. This includes making connections among various parts of a news product, such as promos from the front page of a paper or links in an online service.
The "D" comprises not only design, but photography, art and illustration, color, typography, and informational graphics.
The article also describes some key elements of the WED philosophy:
PLANNING for the future, to anticipate and make the most of potential developments in major news stories;
TEAMWORK to unite all areas of the news operation - writers, editors, photographers, copy editors, artists, designers - and to maximize the contributions of each;
COOPERATION among fellow journalists, to share knowledge as early as possible in the story process and to make the most efficient use of precious news holes;
RESPECT for your audience, and the realization that there is greater competition for their attention than ever before, and that this necessitates making the news report not only smarter but faster and easier to get through
This philosophy was introduced by Dr. Mario Garcia in the mid-1980s. He describes the term in detail in his textbook, Contemporary Newspaper Design.
http://www.garcia-media.com/NeHome.asp
He is now the president of Tampa-base Garcia-Media, a high-profile design firm, which you can check out using the link above.
A clip from the website described newspaper design as:
“not derived from any formula or particular style. There are no theories of newspaper design. Newspaper design is deeply rooted in practical realities and is more organic than any abstract theoretical process. Newspapers must fit in with their city, their readers, and the communities they serve. Each newspaper must have its own identity and personality.”
Garcia’s group analyze mediums to deliver a comprehensive report based on extensive research to offer what areas may need improvement including structure, content, and editing ideas to gain readers.
Could this offer an unfair advantage to mediums that have a greater disposable income?
1 comment:
I don't think its an unfair advantage over other news medium. Its ultimately up to the organization being "reviewed" to decide how much they value the opinion and expertise of Mario Garcia. If people did consider it to be an unfair advantage, I don't know how it really differs from a newspaper having an award-winning photographer when another doesn't. Or a news channel having anchors with great chemistry compared to those who don't. It's just an extra edge that the organization has. And if they choose to seek out the advice of someone else and incorporate it into their product, then they're just using their resources to compete in the media market, like everyone else.
Another interesting this about your post, Halley, is the journalism concept you brought up - WED. You're right. We have been learning about how writing, art, and design all work together, but this term/philosophy was never introduced in class and it's an interesting one. It helps get a better idea of how all the elements of a page are important, how they should work together, and complement the overall product being consumed by the public.
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