Ryerson campus recently added a new installation honouring Dish With One Spoon Territory. Julia Tramontin reports from campus.
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Interactive visualization challenge
A step-by-step timeline to learn how to verify information
Timelines are not only a great way to visualize events in a time period, but also to visualize a step-by-step process. For this challenge, I chose to use a timeline to visualize the process of verifying information. I used five interactive points on the timeline that users can click on to reveal more information about that particular step. Adding interactivity to the timeline is a very effective technique in this case. I used a timeline because I wanted to portray what would have been a lot of complex information and break it down into chunks that are easier to follow. Each point on the timeline gives a brief outline of the step and clicking on it reveals a more in-depth look at the step. This makes it easy for users to follow along in real-time or get more information on the step that they are on. Check out my interactive timeline below on the process of verifying information.
The information provided in the timeline can be accessed here.
Although interactivity can be very effective in a timeline, it can be challenging. One of the most important things to remember is to plan your timeline before you start: how many points you want to have, what each point will be, and what information you want to include in the pop-ups. In my case, I knew that I wanted my timeline to have five points to represent five steps in the verification process. I used Genial.ly to create my interactive, which is simple and easy to use when learning how to produce interactives for the first time. Before creating the timeline on Genial.ly, I planned out what step I wanted each point to be and the information I wanted to include when users click on it. It is also important to include your branding and make your interactive simple and accessible for users. If planned out well, interactive timelines can be a very useful tool in making your audience engage with the information. Hopefully, you find this post helpful when learning how to create your own interactive timeline.
West end company plans to bring theatre to kids this summer despite pandemic
Weston is preparing for in-person theatre camps as summer approaches
Shakespeare in Action is planning on running camps in the area outside of the Weston Artscape building, pictured above on Apr. 7 (RSJ/Julia Tramontin)
Shakespeare in Action, a theatre company located in the Weston neighbourhood, is planning on hosting in-person camps for youth this summer for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
The company is planning on running two outdoor camps for youth: the Nobles camp for youth ages 11 to 14 and the Groundlings camp for children ages seven to 10.
Shakespeare in Action is a Toronto-based performing arts company and charity that relocated to Weston in spring 2019. According to their website, the company aims to make Shakespeare accessible to youth and adults across different backgrounds.
“One thing that has become really clear this year is that digitals are really cool and interesting tools. One thing that has also become clear is that people need internet and computers and that becomes a barrier for many young people, including many families in our community of Weston,” said David di Giovanni, the Artistic Director of Shakespeare in Action, in a phone interview.
According to the Toronto Strong Neighbourhoods Strategy, Weston is one of 31 communities that has been designated as a Neighbourhood Improvement Area (NIA) since 2014. The strategy details extra support that NIAs receive through various programs and services.
This includes the Youth Hub, a youth-specific space that opened in Weston Public Library in late 2020.
Christina Paschakis, the Branch Head at Weston Public Library, said having safe spaces for youth in Weston is very important. “Many of the teens that have become regulars at our branch, throughout the years, often feel they are driven out of other spaces– whether due to stereotypes of teens being ‘troublemakers’, and loud or disruptive, or because those spaces are just simply not designed with youth in mind,” she wrote in an email.
Jacqueline Stone, a family worker for Catholic Children’s Aid, said that children are social human beings and, when kids go to camp, she sees them blossom. “Most children think that what happens at school and home is their world. When they go and meet other children, their world opens,” she said in a phone interview.
Di Giovanni said that this year, camps will be limited to 10 campers and the camps will take place primarily in outdoor spaces within the Weston community, such as outside Artscape and in Memorial Park.
The Lloyd George Sainsbury Bandshell located in Memorial Park, pictured on Apr. 7, will be one of the locations of Shakespeare in Action’s two camps (RSJ/Julia Tramontin)
Paschakis said that programs and services in Weston, like Shakespeare in Action, know how important they are to youth. “Our goal, whether via the traditional programming in the physical spaces themselves or by now moving onto virtual platforms, is to continue providing these valuable services and programs to youth, while continuing to reduce the barriers surrounding their accessing of these services as much as possible,” she wrote.
Di Giovanni said that despite the challenging year, he still feels responsible for coming up with creative and safe ways for kids to engage with theatre- like the summer camps. “It’s still really important that we make sure these spaces exist so that we can create spaces where kids can have fun together, socialize together, and can be creative together. We can do what we’re supposed to do as a charity with a mission which is to create accessible opportunities for young people to engage with theatre,” said di Giovanni.
Shakespeare in Action is still taking applications for participants and camps are set to run throughout July.
Data visualization, two ways
Part of journalism is about data and finding the most effective ways to use data to tell stories. This can include making animated videos and creating charts or graphs in a way that makes the information easier for audiences to absorb. To test out my data journalism skills, I analyzed data from our 2021 Megapoll survey. I brought the information to life by creating a graph and animated video using the Adobe Creative Cloud. From the data, I found that this year students at Ryerson feel less like their tuition is worth the money. Check out my video below for the whole story.
The first step in using data in journalism is to analyze the data in order to find the story you want to tell. It can be confusing at first to look at all the data you have and pinpoint what information is important. The most effective way to do this is to create pivot tables from the dataset to compare different aspects of the information to determine if there is a story within the data. I created pivot tables using the Megapoll data set to compare the responses to questions. I thought that analyzing how students feel about the worth of their tuition would make an interesting story so I created pivot tables for this question from the datasets of the Megapoll from 2019, 2020, and 2021. I then created a final table combining the information in one table. This is the basis of the graph that you will create.
After analyzing the data and pinpointing the information you want to use in your story, the next step is to create a graph or chart using your pivot tables. Graphs and charts are an effective way to make information more appealing and easier to understand. A great tool for creating understandable graphs is Adobe Illustrator. In Adobe Illustrator, you can choose an artboard (I used 1920 by 1080 pixels), which is where you will create the graph. You can then choose the Graph tool to create a graph by copying and pasting the data from your table into the one provided. Choosing what type of graph to use is very important. You want to make sure it’s accessible and easy to read. The best type of graph to use is a bar or column graph because each data set can be easily distinguished. In journalism, you want to avoid pie charts in most situations because having to distinguish each colour is not accessible. The bar graph comes with a legend that in most cases you want to delete, although I used the legend to distinguish each bar. I used different colours, shades, and patterns to make the bars accessible. Next, it’s all about customizing your graph using your branding colours, background and fonts. Below are the chart and table I created from the data using Illustrator.
This graph compares the number of students with to what extent they agree with the statement “I am getting my money’s worth for my tuition” in the years 2019, 2020, and 2021. (RSJ/Julia Tramontin)
| To what extent do you agree with the following statement: I am getting my money’s worth for my tuition? | |||
| Year | Agree | Disagree | Neutral |
| 2019 | 390 | 386 | 400 |
| 2020 | 430 | 459 | 413 |
| 2021 | 224 | 376 | 164 |
One of the best ways to bring animation to life is through animation and a tool that I used is Premiere Pro, which can be tricky to use at first. Using Premiere Pro, you can import your graph and include any graphics, effects, and a voiceover to your video. To create my video, I first used a template to up my Premiere Pro workspace. Using what I created in Illustrated, I imported my media into Premiere Pro and arranged this on the timeline based on my time limit. I then wrote my script and recorded this using the app Voice Record Pro, which I imported into my timeline. I then used different video transitions and effects to animate my video. Check out the finished video below.
Data journalism can be difficult to navigate but tools like Adobe Illustrator and Premiere Pro make it easier. By using pivot tables, you can analyze the data to find a story and you can then use Illustrator to make an effective graph to display the information. Premiere Pro is then an effective tool to create animated videos that bring the data to life. Hopefully, this post helps you in your future endeavours in data journalism.
Visualizations that work: 3 tips to create more effective graphics
Visualizations can be tricky to create, especially when you’re learning ways to make them more effective. There are several ways to create visualizations that always work. Take a look below for 3 different tips and examples of graphics to help make your visualizations the most effective that they can be.
Tip 1: Create accessible graphics
Using contrasting colours and readable font can help make your visualizations meet accessibility standards (RSJ/Julia Tramontin).
When it comes to visualizations, one of the most important things to remember is to make sure what you create is accessible. There are accessibility laws in Ontario to help make sure that a wide variety of people, such as people who are visually impaired or have cognitive challenges, can read your work. This means choosing fonts, typefaces, and colours that you know meet the accessibility standards every time. In the graphic above, I compared what an accessible colour contrast looks like to an unaccessible colour contrast. The top one is very effective because you can clearly see the text in comparison to the background, unlike the bottom combination that does not have good contrast and could cause people to have a hard time reading it. Be careful with the elements you choose in your graphic and make sure they are readable and have good contrast to meet accessibility standards.
Tip 2: Create logical flow in your visualizations
The layout of your graphics is important in making sure they have a logical flow (RSJ/Julia Tramontin)
When it comes to creating graphics, the layout is very important and helps create logical flow. This includes creating space around elements to separate them, emphasizing important information, and keeping your visualizations consistent with your branding. In the above graphic, I used accessible font, white space, and emphasis on the word “logical” to create a graphic that is easy to read and flow. This also means using headings and paragraphs accurately and in a logical order. For example, throughout this piece, tip 1 follows tip 2 and is separated by headings. The layout of a visualization is a great way to create effective logical flow throughout your graphics.
Tip 3: Create clarity in your visualizations
Using consistent font and contrasting colours makes your graphics clear and versatile (RSJ/Julia Tramontin)
One of the most important things to remember when creating visualizations is to make sure that they are clear. By choosing consistent, readable typography and only a few contrasting colours in your visualizations, your visualizations will be very clear. This sets the standards for the rest of your work and creates readability for your audience. In the above graphic, you can clearly see that the most readable version of “clarity” is the one at the top with clear font and only one contrasting colour. Clarity creates consistency within your work that is accessible to your wider audience.
It can be difficult to remember all of the elements you should include to make your visualizations work. These are just a few tips that I’ve learned to help make your visuals effective every time. This includes making your graphics accessible, have a logical flow, and clear. Hopefully, you will keep these in mind when you’re making visualizations in the future.
Torontonians still grappling with intensifying Anti-Asian racism during COVID-19
Months after the City of Toronto launched a campaign against anti-Asian racism, locals are still looking for ways to combat the ongoing issue
Screenshot of Elder Catherine Brooks as she lights tobacco and cedar representing words well received during the “COVID, Racism, & Far Right” panel on Jan. 31. (Zoom event hosted by the Toronto East Anti-hate Mobilization)
As the Chinese Lunar New Year approaches, Torontonians are using online resources to address the surging racism, especially Anti-Asian sentiments, throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
This comes just a few months after the City of Toronto launched a social media campaign in Oct. 2020 in response to rising anti-East Asian racism in the city amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a 2020 report by the Chinese Canadian National Council, there have been numerous instances of anti-Asian racism. Of over 600 reported anti-East Asian racism incidents in Canada, 26 per cent of them occurred in Toronto.
Not only are instances of racism soaring, but the pandemic has also disproportionately affected racial minorities. A report released by Toronto Public Health in July 2020 found that 60 per cent of minorities make up four out of the top five neighbourhoods with the highest COVID-19 cases.
On Jan. 31, an organization called the Toronto East Anti-hate Mobilization hosted an online workshop, called “COVID, Racism, & the Far Right,” to explore ongoing racist behaviour. This included panellists such as Elder Catherine Brooks (Peduhbun Migizi Kwe), Nigel Barriffe from the Urban Alliance on Race Relations, Beaches-East York MPP Rima Berns-McGown, and Kingsley Kwok from the Chinese Workers Alliance.
“Asian-Canadians and Chinese-Canadians have reminded us all that there is a shadow pandemic alongside the COVID pandemic and that shadow is racism. We have to understand that behaviours and words have consequences that are harmful and we have to speak up,” said Kingsley Kwok during the panel.
Anti-Asian racism is also soaring in the Canadian political climate. Just a few weeks ago, MP Derek Sloan was removed from the Conservative caucus after party leader Erin O’Toole issued a public statement calling out his “destructive behaviour”. This includes recently accepting a donation from a white nationalist and an April 2020 attack on Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam who was born in Hong Kong.
Nigel Barriffe, a TCDSB elementary school teacher and President of the Urban Alliance on Race Relations said that racism is also occurring in the classroom. “As a school teacher, I see how systemic racism can detrimentally affect children and their families,” said Barriffe in a phone interview. “The response from the health system and response from the government hasn’t and continues to not address those issues so, systemically, we see how race, specifically during this pandemic, makes these conversations so important.”
On Feb. 9, the Toronto District School Board and Elementary Teachers Federation of Ontario released a resourced guide called “Addressing Anti-Asian Racism: A Resource for Educators” to help approach the topic with students.
Thanika Poobalasingam, a York University teacher’s college student, detailed in an email a recent racist encounter she had in a Costco where a man said that Canada deserves this “third-world virus because it keeps importing third-world immigrants”. Poobalasingam said that she wants to see classrooms bring more awareness to racism. “Educators need to set an example by being role models and helping students unlearn racism so that oppressive structures aren’t perpetuated,” she wrote.
Barriffe said that with racist incidents “exploding”, he wants to see social media companies held responsible for their facilitation of online violence and an increase in police investigations. “Quite simply, we need the government just to enforce the hate laws that are already in the books. The police have been very reluctant to even lay charges in most situations,” he said.
“This is a problem of our lifetime,” MPP Rima Berns-McGown said during the panel. “No one should sit this out.”
How audience engagement makes for better journalism
Engagement with audiences in journalism is constantly changing, with social media now becoming a huge part of how individuals engage with news (jmexlusives via Pixabay)
As journalism has evolved throughout history, so have the ways in which audiences engage with the news. Through a few clicks, tweets, likes, and scrolls, it is now easier than ever for individuals to connect with the material that is reported and the person who reported it. With this comes a great opportunity to make human connections and listen to the voices in your audience to build community, find spaces for discussion, and tell stories that your audience values. With engagement playing a bigger role than ever before in journalism, join me as I explore different methods of engagement and practice the multimedia skills that I have learned throughout this semester.
THE RSJ PODCAST
In the RSJ Year One Podcast, our instructors Nicole Blanchett and Sally Goldberg Powell tackled the topic of engagement and methods to make engagement more effective. Take a listen to the audio excerpt of the podcast below where Nicole discusses the importance of loyal readers.
While analytics are important to figuring out who is in your audience, as Nicole describes, it is about distinguishing between who found your articles on social media and who is a loyal reader that comes back for content constantly. Making unique content plays a huge role in transforming occasional readers into your long-term audience. Creating a strong relationship with your audience is one part of how audience engagement can make for better journalism.
NEWS OUTLETS AND SOCIAL MEDIA
With people constantly on social media, news outlets are broadening their approach by having more of a presence on social media’s most popular apps like Twitter and Instagram. To find out more about how news outlets are using social media for engagement, I followed the Vox Twitter account to see what they post throughout the day and how that could affect how their audience engages with them. Vox tweeted consistently throughout the day, so check out three examples of what they posted on Dec. 8 below.
Vox uses a variety of types of Tweets to promote audience engagement by tweeting about a diverse number of topics from the news in Congress to how to keep your houseplants alive, as well as by promoting their own content. They are not only very active on Twitter and often retweet comments or tweets from their journalists, but also appeal to different audiences through the content they are tweeting about.
As you’ll notice above, the tweets I am using as examples are all very different. In the first tweet, Vox posts a cheeky tweet about getting a hobby during winter and links that to a news article (with an equally silly headline) published by Vox. This shows a more casual side of Vox that can appeal to readers, while still appearing professional. In the second tweet, they are promoting a new podcast created by Vox about the new Biden administration, which they link to in the thread. Then finally in the third tweet, they link to a Vox article about the first people to get the COVID vaccine. These tweets not only promote Vox’s publications but also appeal to different audiences due to their casual, yet informative approach.
According to the Vox website, the news organization has the main goal to “explain the news” to its readers. The tweets above correlate with this message by using simple, casual language that would make viewers more likely to click on their articles and continue going back to Vox to read the news. Twitter leaves opportunities for audiences to comment, like, retweet, and click on links which all serve to engage the Vox audience.
HOW EFFECTIVE ARE INSTAGRAM STORIES?
Instagram stories are also a great way to engage with your audience and promote your work. Check out an Instagram story mock-up I created based on my photojournalism story below:
Image One: Toronto streetcar with a blurry image of a street in the background.
Image Two: Backshot of a woman walking into front doors of an empty subway station on a rainy day.
Image Three: Disembodied hand holding a phone with a blank screen.
In these images, I tried using a variety of tools for engagement, as well as choosing images that would appeal to my audience and relate to what I am promoting. In the first graphic, I asked my audience to think about their experiences by asking a yes or no question and paired that with an appealing image of a TTC streetcar. In the second graphic, I give an example of what my story includes and link to my story in the post. In the final graphic, I use the space to link to my Twitter account and the homepage of my blog. By doing this, I created multiple opportunities for audience engagement and promoting my work by asking a question that the audience can actually answer, linking to the story while also giving a sample of what the story is like, and leaving opportunities for the audience to reach out to me through social media.
Through methods like these, Instagram stories can allow you to get your audience thinking by asking questions, while also leaving opportunities for them to reach out to you and check out your work, which is key in building trust with readers. Instagram stories are one great way that social media can help you build a connection with your audience.
OTHER METHODS
Through research, I was also able to discover a variety of other ways to involve your audience without just using social media. One way that came up in multiple articles such as in News Literacy 2018’s New Strategies for Reader Engagement, is the platform Hearken which is now a widely used platform for engagement. According to the article, Hearken aims to promote reader engagement by involving the audience in reporting and story pitches, as well as gathering information about who the audience is through votes, polls, and reader-generated stories. This is just one way to gain insight into the metrics of the audience, as well as building a relationship with the audience.
Another great method for engagement is showing the “behind the scenes” of journalism. According to the International Journalists’ Network’s Five ways journalists can engage their audiences in storytelling, by showing audiences what journalism is actually like, they are more likely to understand why paying for news is necessary to create quality journalism. A recent Reuters study found that most people are not willing to pay for their news, so by showing audiences the work that goes into creating a news story, journalism institutions are more likely to build a transparent and loyal relationship with their readers.
Journalists can use a variety of tools, from social media to metrics, to gain more insight into audience engagement. The Conversation’s Journalism needs an audience to survive but isn’t sure how to gain its loyalty details just this conundrum. While some newsrooms are using digital metrics to learn more about their readers (such as what they like and dislike) and which stories got the most reads, other newsrooms are getting in touch with the audience by holding discussions with journalists and the public about what stories they want to hear. Some newsrooms are taking opposite approaches to engage with audiences, but there is no clear “right” method to use. While there are many different ways to engage with the audience, I found one clear similarity between the articles: ultimately, audience engagement means creating a strong and transparent relationship with the public.
SO JUST HOW IMPORTANT IS AUDIENCE ENGAGEMENT?
Overall, researching this article has taught me that audience engagement plays a major role in journalism. One of the most important takeaways is to create a loyal relationship with your audience to keep them coming back for your content. By looking at how a news organization uses social media, creating my own Instagram story, doing research, and learning about engagement in the RSJ podcast, I learned just how important audience engagement really is. You can learn so much about your audience through engagement, and not just through analytics. Social media is a great way to engage with your audience and promote your work, such as through Instagram stories which I explored by making my own. Even more unique methods include using platforms like Hearken to host discussions and show the “behind the scenes” of journalism. There is no doubt that audience engagement makes for better journalism and you can find your own unique way to do so.
Panel discusses major increase in Toronto food bank use
Screenshot of Talia Bronstein and Leila Sarangi during the Beyond COVID-19: Building a Future Without Poverty panel on Nov. 26. (RSJ/Julia Tramontin)
Days after the release of a new report claiming an immense increase in food bank use across Toronto during COVID-19, the Daily Bread Food Bank and North York Harvest held an online panel discussing poverty on Nov. 26.
The panel included Policy and Research Analyst Hannah Aldridge, National Coordinator Leila Sarangi, and Senior Researcher at the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Ricardo Tranjan. The panel aimed to address poverty during COVID throughout the hour-long discussion called Beyond COVID-19: Building a Future Without Poverty.
According to the 2020 version of the annual Who’s Hungry report funded by the Daily Bread Food Bank, by August this year, there was a 51 per cent increase in food bank visits compared to the previous year. In total, there is a 5.4 per cent increase in food bank use in comparison to 2019. The report is based on a survey of food banks across Toronto.
The panel discussed housing, policy changes, and the increasing food insecurity crisis that the Daily Bread Food Bank reported this year.
“I think a lot of people don’t have much awareness about hunger in our communities,” said Talia Bronstein, the Vice President of Research and Advocacy at the Daily Bread Food Bank and co-author of the report who also served as the moderator during the panel. “It’s often very hidden. You might know somebody who is skipping meals or reducing their food intake because they’re just having trouble making ends meet.”
Bronstein said that despite changes having to be made due to COVID, the Daily Bread Food Bank relies on a shopping model to distribute food, where clients are able to choose the food they want. “That’s really important because client choice is really critical to what we do. It allows dignity and it means that people can actually get food that they want to eat,” Bronstein said.
According to Bronstein, the Daily Bread food bank now serves about 25, 000 people per week, up from 15, 000 per week pre-COVID.
“People who were experiencing poverty are now experiencing it at a much deeper level,” said Hannah Aldridge during the panel discussion.
Diana Stapleton, the Chair of the Board at the Weston Area Emergency Support food bank, which is part of this report said that her food bank went from having about 650 visits per month to having 2700 visits per month by June. According to Stapleton, the food bank is seeing the biggest increase in families using the food bank. “Single individuals used to represent about 45 per cent of the people that came to the food bank. They’re down to 20 per cent. The biggest area of increase for us is multi-generational families,” said Stapleton.
Outside of the Weston Area Emergency Support food bank on Nov. 24. (RSJ/Julia Tramontin)
Susan Cox, who has been using the Weston Area Emergency Support food bank since COVID started in March, said she notices a big increase in people coming to use the food bank. “The problem is people come here and they’re not in the community,” said Cox. “The people in the community, sometimes we don’t have enough food.”
“Food seems to be the expense that people are willing to deal with. They want to prioritize rent and utilities first. Food is an item that they skimp on in their budget and have to turn to food banks,” Bronstein said during the panel discussion.
“People should understand that we have needs in your own community, as well as right across the country in every community,” said Stapleton. “Even if you can’t donate money, you can donate an item, you can donate time, you can talk to your friends about it.”
Weaving words, sound, and moving images: writing for broadcast
Writing for broadcast has a different writing style than writing for print. Unlike with print, broadcast writing connects sound, images, and voice to tell a visual story. Writing a script for broadcast uses a specific format that combines the timing, visuals, and scrpit or interviews to clearly show what the piece will be like. This week, I created two scripts, one based of off a video and one based on a story I wrote, to test out the techniques of broadcast script writing.
Below is an example of what a news story would look like in script form. Based on a CTV News story about mental health during the pandemic, I recreated the script to see how the actual news piece translates to script form. You’ll notice that this includes the timing, what type of visuals are included (such as b-roll or images), and what type of script (a voiceover or interview clip). Take a look.
Throughout the video, there is a wide range of visuals that helps get the story across. This includes about 20 b-roll shots, four interview clips, two data visualizations, and one shot of the reporter doing an interview at the end of the video. This creates an effective broadcast script by weaving a variety of visuals and audio together to create a piece that is informative and easy to watch. While the b-roll shots, such as the children jumping on the trampoline, creates a sense of real-life that viewers can relate to, the data visualizations give statistics that are easy to look at are therefore easier for viewers to absorb. Adding in interview clips provides context and expert opinion. Then one of the final shots of the reporter interviewing Renee Gan shows viewers the process of how the reporter put together the video. Writing the script for the video allowed me to break down the video into separate components and see how they fit together to create a visual story. With the variety of images and types of audio, viewers see different angles of the story in a way that can easily be absorbed. Unlike in a print piece, this news broadcast comes across as clear and conversational to make it accessible to viewers. In the script above, you can see it is not overloaded with big words and lots of information but is casual and informative which makes the overall piece more effective.
Below is an example of what writing a script based on a written article looks like. To complete this, I used the second news story I wrote for my journalism class and wrote a broadcast script based on what I imagine the story to look like in broadcast form. This includes voiceovers, b-roll, interview clips, and images. I used my story to decide what the most important facts are, which interview clips I should use, and what appropriate visuals would be. Because writing for broadcast is different than in print, I tried to keep my script clear and conversational, and include visuals that relate to what is being talked about. You can check out my story here and see below for the script.
Writing a script and deciding what visuals to use was exciting and I enjoyed having creative control over what the broadcast would look like. However, writing for broadcast based on a written story provided its own challenges. With a tight time limit in broadcast news stories, deciding what facts need to be included and what needs to be cut in order to fit the space provided was a challenge, as I did not want to leave out any important facts. In addition, rewording my work to be clear and conversational for broadcast was also an obstacle because I had to edit my writing in the story without leaving out the key details. While writing my script, I paid specific attention to the visuals in order to make sure that what is visually seen relates to what the audio being played over it is. Writing a script based off of the CTV News story first was really helpful. As this is my first time writing a script, transferring the video into script form made me more aware of how all the components of visual storytelling work together.