For Samford Crimson journalists

The horrors in Mumbai reinforce a few of the things Mindy McAdams preaches about the future of newsrooms:

1. Breaking news will be online before it’s on television.
2. Breaking news — especially disasters and attacks in the middle of a city — will be covered first by non-journalists.
3. The non-journalists will continue providing new information even after the trained journalists arrive on the scene.
4. Cell phones will be the primary reporting tool at first, and possibly for hours.
5. Cell phones that can use a wireless Internet connection in addition to a cellular phone network are a more versatile reporting tool than a phone alone.
6. Still photos, transmitted by citizens on the ground, will tell more than most videos.
7. The right video will get so many views, your servers might crash (I’m not aware of this happening with any videos from Mumbai).
8. Live streaming video becomes a user magnet during a crisis.
9. Your print reporters need to know how to dictate over the phone. If they can get a line to the newsroom, it might be necessary.
10. Your Web team must be prepared for this kind of crisis reporting.

All of these things are true. You should also consider that breaking news of the chaotic sort is always difficult to sort out as it happens. Facts like fatalities, wounded or attackers are seldom as they seem during the actual event, as you might have noticed if you followed this story as it unfolded. This will require a cool head on your part and considerable editing prowess whether you are in the field or riding a desk during coverage of tragic events.

Students watch Sen. Barack Obama's speech.

While Sen. Barack Obama was on stage turning into the president-elect The Samford Crimson newsroom was covering the event locally.

Just a few minutes after he walked off the stage the Email alert was shipped out and a story was uploaded that included a photograph, seven paragraphs and three quotes in a nice team effort that helped capture Samford’s slice of an historical moment.

Nice job!