Journalist’s Guides and Resources

The Ohio News Media Association is proud to offer a variety of online guides and resources on topics that journalists at our member newspapers deal with on a day-to-day basis. A list of all current guides and resources is below.

Interested in learning more? View our training calendar for online and in-person continuing education opportunities offered through the ONMA.

Journalist's Guides and Resources

The Ohio New Media Association is proud to offer a variety of online guides and resources on topics that journalists at our member newspapers deal with on a day-to-day basis. A list of all current guides and resources is below.

Interested in learning more? View our training calendar for online and in-person continuing education opportunities offered through the ONMA.


A beginner's guide to sports photography

Sports photography for beginners
View the resource. | Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch

Photographing a sport is guaranteed to be an experience full of action-packed and emotional photo-ops, but inexperienced reporters will soon discover there is a learning curve to this game. Three sports photographers give their best tips for beginners.


A journalist's guide to interacting with children

View the resource. | Jenna Watson/The Columbus Dispatch

Reporters and photographers cover both difficult and wonderful situations, and sometimes there are kids involved. Two young journalists offer their insight when interviewing or photographing children. At some point or another almost every journalists will have to interview or photograph children. Here are some tips to keep in mind when covering minors.


Simple Photography Tips Every Journalist Should Know

View the resource. | Seth Staskey/The Times Leader (Martins Ferry)

More often reporters are being sent to a story with not only a notebook and pen but also a camera. Instead of sending along photographers to capture a story, the extra responsibility is being placed on the reporters. A few ONMA members share some guidance for any reporter who is handed a camera. Use these tips to get started capturing some great photos.


Lightning Photography: A Case Study

View the resource. | Bruce Bishop/The Chronicle-Telegram (Elyria)

Bruce Bishop, chief photographer at Elyria’s The Chronicle-Telegram, not only chases storms but also photographs lightning during those storms. Enjoy a small glimpse into what he does, including his tips for how to get started shooting lightning yourself.


How to Photograph a Front-Page Worthy Storm Photo: A Journalist's Guide

View the guide. | Sam Greene/The Morning Journal (Lorain)

Summer storms can affect your readers significantly. But how do you convey that impact with a photo above-the-fold? A handful of Ohio newspaper photographers are here to help.

 


How to Photograph a Fire: A Journalist's Guide

View the guide. | Brent Lewis/The Chillicothe Gazette

Not sure what to do when your editor sends you to a fire scene and tells you to take a camera? From ONMA, here is what you need to know the next time you're sent to tell the story of a fire through photographs.


Prepping for Parade Season: Tips for Great Parade Photography

Parade1
View the resource. | Bill Lackey/Springfield News-Sun

Summer is the season for barbecues, fireworks and lots and lots of parades. Photographers around Ohio share some secrets to getting that touching or funny parade photo.

Ohio Attorney General’s sunshine law resources

The office of the Ohio Attorney General offers several resources on the states’s sunshine laws, including:

Open Government Quiz

The Ohio Sunshine Law quiz from the Ohio Coalition for Open Government contains questions based around real-life situations often encountered by journalists. Every reporter who has ever tried to get a public record or argue against an executive session knows two things about Ohio’s sunshine laws.

  1. The statutes contain stirring language that meetings and records are presumed open to public access.
  2. The laws seem to attract new exceptions and bad court rulings faster than a sofa collects cat hair.

So, with those two points in mind, attorney Jack Greiner, one of Ohio’s leading experts on access laws, created a quiz on Ohio Sunshine Laws that every journalist in Ohio should take.

To take the quiz, click here to download the quiz as a PowerPoint file. You can also download the quiz as an interactive PDF.