Source reading materials

It will be interesting to try and read through all these. Hopefully I can get through them before I have final podcast notes written.
I want have more than just the internet and newspaper archives to rely on for sources.

Tuesday 25th- Myself and my bike took the train to Thurles and I got roughly 3 hours to go through the archives of The Nationalist held in "The Source" library. Instead of printing anything today, I went through as many editions of the paper to identify what pages I needed to print out. It took me longer than I anticipated to get through these dates as I'll admit - I got distracted reading some of the different articles shown that were unrelated to the Sologeadbeg incident. As a result - I think these stories will end up in the podcasts as context for what else was happening during this time in Tipperary and Ireland.

Wednesday 26th- Fuelled by coffed, I arrived at the archives between 9.30am to 10am and stayed working until they closed for lunchtime at 1pm (then cycled back to the train station to find that although I had booked a bike slot on the train there were no bike racks).

From using the microfilm reader, I got the idea to use the sound effects of the machine in the podcast (or in an advert for the podcast) so I filmed a short piece of the sounds the machine makes. If I can clean up the sound I'll use this but most likely I can find sound effects already uploaded online.

I printed out approximately 20 A3 sheets from the archives that I needed a clear visual of.

I also used my phone to take photographs of "fillers". These comprise of different pieces from different dates that are not necessarily relevant to the War of Independence but are nice insights into what journalists felt were just as relevant or more important than the events of the War of Independence. The printouts should have cost around €15 but they were very kind and charged me €10.

When I asked if there was any intention of archiving these papers, I was advised that plans had been made before but that an agreement could not be made with the owner of the paper (who also owns the Tipperary Star which I have previous archive prints of).

Findings: I wish I had been more prepared than I was! I thought I knew what dates I wanted to print but when you actually look at the archives, you find small tidbits that you wouldn't expect to find and certain events that aren't mentioned as significant in small articles that I would find interesting. As a result, I am happy with the information I have. I have fewer dates than I would have wanted but I'm happier with the depth of content I have for the dates investigated.

Assignment 2

Media Project 3 2016

Assignment 2

Student Name:	Fiona Kennedy
Company Name:	The Nationalist
Company Description:	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.
Company Address:	The Nationalist Queen Street Clonmel Co Tipperary
Company Url:	http://www.nationalist.ie/

Project Description Describe in as much detail as needed the digital media artefact that you propose to create (approx. 150 (include images where appropriate))

2019 will be the centenary year for the War of Independence. Historians agree that the catalyst for the war started in Tipperary. As The Nationalist was an active paper at this time, I intend to read through their newspaper archives and condense the information into podcasts. These podcasts would be designed to immerse the listener into what it was like to living while these events unfolded originally. These podcasts would be supported by episode notes written in the style of a newspaper article and digital copies of the archives. Currently the newspaper archives are not easily accessible and written in a language that would not be that interesting. They are also difficult to read and I would intend to "clean" the newspaper scans so they are easier to read. These podcasts would be intended to be entertaining and encourage interest in local history. (see attached for example of old archive prints, cleaner scans are required)

How will the digital media piece you create benefit your chosen company/organisation (approx. 100)

As my work placement would be in 2018, this would be the perfect time for the paper to start building media up to commemorate the centenary year of The War of Independence. It would be a great way to put a spotlight on the newspaper's place within the Tipperary community and draw traffic towards their website. Their main revenue would currently be from their physical prints of the newspaper but this could draw in a younger readership who would have more interest in online media. These podcasts would also be unique in it's subject matter and would draw the attention of readers from outside the Tipperary area who are interested in Irish history.

How will the digital media piece you create enhance your chances of securing work placement with the company/organisation (approx. 100)

The newspaper does not currently produce any podcasts and I think they would be interested in expanding the forms of media they use for reporting local news and articles of interest. Their website currently exists purely for posting digital versions of the news that would make it into their physical newspaper. The pieces I am creating would be an example of the weekly content I could build up for the 2019 commemorations and shows my keen interest in the subject.

Work plan Briefly describe your key weekly activities and tasks

Week 6

I will be researching the dates of significant events in 1919 and make a list of what dates I need to get newspaper clippings from. Further contact needs to be made with Thurles library about any assistance they can give for gathering the information.

Week 7

I will be travelling to Thurles library to gather the newspaper clippings from the relevant dates determined in week 6. This research will be done on the Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning.

Week 8

Divide the information gathered into different categories based on what events they belong to and plot out podcasts. Fact checking and gathering back up sources should ideally be done also. Decision should be made at this stage whether I would be doing multiple short podcasts. Contact with anyone of relevance who could help with facts or stories of interest.

Week 9

Depending on length of podcast at least one podcast should be scripted, recorded and podcast notes/ article draft written. If short podcasts, aiming for a minimum of five.

Week 10

At least one podcast to be edited and publication ready along with the podcast episode notes. At this point should be asking someone for help with proofreading of written content.

Week 11

All scripts should be completed and recorded. Extra media to support podcasts should be in production by now (maps, videos) if not already completed. Review of original sources for any interesting information that did not make it into other stories. Further proofreading required and review any editing notes made.

Week 12

Final review of media for any glitches, equal quality across content. More proofreading.