Final 5

Fiona Kennedy

R00143137

fiona.kennedy@mycit.ie

Media Project 3

28th September 2016

Company #1

Who: The Nationalist

Location: Clonmel, Tipperary

What they do: The Nationalist is a South Tipperary focused newspaper located in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary. The newspaper has been in print for over 125 years,covering local news, sport, opinion and features. They also have a sister title, South Tipp Today. They report local news across all platforms - print, online and social media.

What I can offer: As they already appear to have a high quality modern website and online presence, I would need to be able to offer them something different to what they are currently already producing. When I was researching for a history project surrounding the Soloheadbeg Ambush in 1919, I had to travel to Thurles library as this was where the archives for The Nationalist were being held. There is an online archive of Irish newspapers and The Nationalist does not appear on this archive.

This gave me the idea to help the newspaper digitize their archives. As part of this process there are many possibilities of side projects. For example, previous articles could be reprinted/ summarised in new articles for the current newspaper. Dependant on my coding skills, as well as digitizing the archives, an interactive webpage or interface could be created around accessing the archives and the user could ‘experience history as it happened’. Mini documentaries in the form of podcasts could be created based on the information gathered from the archiving process.

Suitability: I have previous working experience with the editor of the newspaper and she has a good opinion of my work ethic. This would give me a strong chance of getting a placement with them. My homeplace is not far from Clonmel so I could feasibly work in Clonmel for the six month placement by living there. Ideally I would be looking for a placement that would give some form of financial support as I live independently. The paper is a big enough company that I think they would be able to cover at least small expenses for me and I am also receiving the grant.

Company #2

Who: Waterford News and Star

Location: Waterford City, Co. Waterford

What they do: The Waterford News & Star is Waterford’s biggest selling local newspaper. Published weekly, the News & Star publishes a mix of local news, features and sport. The paper provides the most extensive news coverage in Waterford and their sports coverage is the most comprehensive in Waterford.

What I can offer: Waterford News and Star seem to have the same issues as the Nationalist in that they do not appear to have a digitized online archive and you have to go to Waterford Municipal Library to access old editions. I think I could do a similar project for this paper in digitizing the archive but creating a more sports focused interactive experience. I previously worked with them, and they had an article for "On This Day" showing what was previously printed in the newspaper in previous years. As part of the research for this piece, it would be easy to start the digitising process.

Suitability: I am from Waterford and would not have many issues with commuting to Waterford to work there. The library is extremely close to the newspaper offices so I would not have to travel far for the archives. As I had a work placement there years ago, they may be willing to take me on. They were very enthusiastic and were really interested in giving me experience across all parts of the newspaper, from reporting straight through to the editing the layout of the newspaper.

Company #3

Who: OnTheQT Blog

Location: Cork city, Co. Cork

What they do: OnTheQT is a travel blog that focuses on obscure or off the beaten track tourist attractions that are not well known. The blog is more interested in showing a tourist the experience of a scenic walk or local 'hidden gem' shops rather than your typical group tour of well known landmarks. The blog uses their own created media, mainly photographs but also uses videos and appears to be interested in expanding that part of their digital content. The blog has two main contributors.

What I can offer: I've recently gotten into cycling and exploring the local cycle routes in Cork so I could do some pieces on this and exploring the options around Ireland for local bike hires etc. The main blog writer is interested in watersports so she might be enthusiastic in having a new contributor for tourist cycling activities. They are interested in all forms of digital media so I can contribute across all facets of the blog

Suitability:The blog writers are based in the Cork city area so I would be able to work with them in their office. As it is a small operation, I would benefit more from one on one mentoring and given more responsibilities and experiences than with a big corporation company.

Company #4

Who: County Council/ County Library

Location: Waterford/ Cork/ Tipperary etc

What they do: The local authorities cover a broad spectrum of areas. The main area I’m interested in are the county libraries. When researching what newspaper archives are online I discovered that Waterford County Council had digitised three local newspaper archives and they were available through the County Council website

What I can offer: A County Council may be willing to commission the digitization of further newspaper archives and may be interested in creating an interactive interface for users to access local history in a way that makes the experience fun and exciting. As I live in Cork, Cork would be the priority county I would focus on pitching this to. With the 100 year anniversary of the War of Independence coming up within 2 years of when my placement would start, it would be a good time to start generating digital media about Cork’s involvement in the war. Whether that be through easier access to digital archives of articles during that time, video/ radio documentaries based on these archives etc.

Suitability: This is a position I am practically creating for myself and there may not be a specific office or department for me to work with that would have people working in a multimedia role for me to be mentored by. So yes I may create great media for my portfolio but might not grow as many skills with a county council than I would with a digital media company.

Company #5

Who: Newsweaver

Location: Cork and other global location

What they do: Newsweaver covers a multitude of outsourcing different media processes to large and small companies internationally. They create internal email systems which includes ensuring the emails are of high quality that are “visually impactful, with content that is more personalised, relevant and interactive”. Their systems provide communicators with insights to improve results, deliver better outcomes and prove value to organisation.

What I can offer: Newsweaver covers many different outsourcing possibilities to companies and deal with creating better interfaces for internal email systems. This company is very different to the other options I included. If I were to work with them, the work would be more based around coding and interface design. I have previous experience in user testing of a SAP CRM7 interface which included an emailing system and could bring the experience of this to the company.

Suitability: The main reason I included this company in the list is that it would be the most likely to offer a paid work placement. I need to be realistic about my budget and they would be an excellent company to work for.