The big and little of Reno
It’s about time I got around to it. So here it is, “The Reno photo.”
Taken from a moving car heading west on Virginia Street.
I doubt if there has been but a few visitors that didn’t snap the same shot from some angle or at least bought a postcard with the image.
I took a brief look at downtown Reno today, as my roommate and I stopped by a bar and grill for a beer and dinner after our Maynard Institute class at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Here’s a couple of quick observations about the Reno tourist and the hard-core gambler. The tourist smiles. The gambler has deep lines etched into their pale face. At a bar/restaurant, the tourist has dinner and chats. The gambler feeds money into the video poker machine inset into the bar. All this probably proves the wisdom of moderation.
But as I stated in my last post, I’m here to learn and discuss issues of journalism. Today, the fellows in the program heard from Dori Maynard, president of the Robert C. Maynard Institute for Journalism. Her presentation diverted a bit from the multimedia editing program, but was certainly no less important. She spoke about adding diversity to newspaper coverage and viewing stories and coverage through the prisms of race, class, gender, generation and geography. In short, it’s a way of trying to get complete coverage that touches on many viewpoints.
So to those that have read this post, I ask these questions: How’s The Oklahoman doing with this? Does our coverage seem complete? Do we ever offer a perspective maybe you weren’t aware of?
– Michael Baker, Local Editor
Learning in Reno
I arrived in Reno, Nev., Sunday afternoon and here’s what I’ve learned:
You can play the slots in the airport.
Taxi drivers are the same in every city.
And the views of the Sierra Nevada Mountains are spectacular.
Sierra Nevadas from the road to my apartment
Behind the wall is a busy street called Mae Anne Avenue
But that’s not the point. I’m here to learn.
I’m one of 14 fellows at the Maynard Institute’s Multimedia Editing Program. It’s a six-week immersion program that promises to teach me everything from blogging, social networking strategies to video. I’m hoping it will allow me to bring better content to the readers.
But I’m also hoping to have some fun along the way.
I’ll be posting updates on things I learn, see, taste, drink and experience while in “The Biggest Little City in the World.”
– Michael Baker, Local Editor
