Link: Is the programmer in the room?

Mark Potts has some good advice for news organizations: At your news meeting or other times when you’re discussing coverage, make sure there’s a programmer in the room:

“Look around the Web-not at newspaper sites-and you’ll see interesting things being done with maps, data-mining, flash graphics, social media and other Web 2.0 tools. These should be in the regular arsenals for newspapers and their Web sites, but too often they’re afterthoughts, or relegated to big projects. Call it “computational journalism"-taking advantage of these technological tools to communicate news and information to readers in new ways.

“Just as a good photo or graphics editor can suggest an interesting visual approach, a smart programmer who’s facile in these Web 2,0 technologies may be able to come up with a fresh way to plot a story on a Google map, or to whip up a quick flash graphic that can explain what words (or photos or graphics) cannot. Smart programmers think about information in fresh ways that can reinvent the way news and information are presented. Even something as simple as an audio or video link or an online discussion or reader forum can add greatly to a story.”

Read the full post here.